Thursday, May 25, 2017

Want God's Best? Stop, Look, Listen, and Obey. There Is No Other Way!



If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. —Genesis 13:9

{CHAMBERS} “As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and physically gratifying possibilities will open up before you. These things are yours by right, but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God make your choice for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the appropriate thing to consider, if you were not living the life of faith. […] This is the discipline God uses to transform the natural into the spiritual through obedience to His voice. Whenever our right becomes the guiding factor of our lives, it dulls our spiritual insight. The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. […] Many of us do not continue to grow spiritually because we prefer to choose on the basis of our rights, instead of relying on God to make the choice for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eyes focused on God. And God says to us, as He did to Abram, “…walk before Me…” (Genesis 17:1).”

{ELGIN}  Hearing God’s voice.  That is a result of listening with spiritual understanding and spiritual preparation.  It is often difficult to discern when it is God and when it is merely me wanting to do something godly.  I have met a number of people who told me they wanted to serve God.  When God presented an opportunity that was clearly supernatural, they said “no, I really want to do this other thing.” And they turned away from the opportunity.  Their response was telling.  Their desire to do good was greater than their desire to follow God.  God will not condemn you for that, but oh what you miss when you choose poorly.  I was talking to another missionary about this person just yesterday.  It is with sadness that I speak of it. Dr. Henry Blackaby said that hearing God is normally not the problem.  Obeying God is the problem.  Proverbs 16:9 say “Men make plans in their hearts, but God orders their steps.”  The problem is when we refuse to throw our plans away and follow God.  All the will convinced that we have chosen well.  And how do I know what the best thing was for that person?  Because God revealed it to me by his Spirit and circumstances that were indisputably impossible to orchestrate by man but trivial for our God.  Oh friend, don’t miss the joy of walking after God by faith.  Great things He hath promised.  Great things He hath done. And great things He wants to do through you if you will only stop, look, listen, and obey.

No comments: