The article which talked about obedience spoke to my soul a lot. That is why I will expand on the subject in this write-up. Obedience is a part of our daily walk with God -- the driving force of it. So, in regards to this topic, I ask you to open up your heart to one of my most recent experiences: I made one of my biggest jumps of my life in August of 2018. I moved alone from my hometown. This includes leaving behind close family members, childhood friends and those I have met along the way -- basically a great amount of people. In addition, I not only left to go to a new city, but a whole new country and continent! I knew this departure was God’s will for my life. He orchestrated everything in a perfect manner, down to the finest detail. I had found a school and I knew that it was there that I was supposed to study. The most important thing remained: finding a new church. So, before my departure and even before getting my plane ticket, I took some time out to talk to God. I locked myself in my bedroom and poured out my heart to God:
The following day at church, the Pastor had announced my departure, as well as other peoples’. He called up the elders who prayed for us, and I will always remember this sentence that one of them spoke in prayer: “Lord, make sure that wherever they go, that they may serve You just as they have served you in this church.” Oh, how shocked I was when I had realised God answered me in regards to my situation through those very words! That evening, I had my plane ticket: I was going to leave a week later! I started looking for my new church by researching online. I was able to visit one in 2017, but due to some personal reasons, I didn't wanted to go back. Despite this, I was pushed to go back to this church after still searching for one and praying. A month after my arrival, I had visited and revisited multiple churches. I had returned to one that reminded me of the one I attended in France. However, I knew exactly where God wanted me to go despite all of this: the one where I had no intention of going to, but it was the only place where all the conditions I had presented before God were met. One of my childhood friends compared me to Jonas when she realised how stubborn I was! I was still determined to obey God, regardless of my misunderstandings, and I had made a choice which came with many repercussions even to this day! It started when I was filled with a joy so immeasurable, which lasted for at least 3 weeks! I didn't really understand where it came from for some time. Then, one day, during a Bible study on the fruit of the Spirit (mentioned in Galatians 5:22), we had talked about joy that comes from God. And the Pastor listed everything that can bring forth such a joy in our hearts and he added that obedience to God had a role to do with it as well. I also realised that all that I needed, and even the answers to my old prayers, were found in that church where God directed me in a little over a month. The problem arose again when I had decided to serve in the church. I had already chosen certain domains where I wanted to invest myself in based on some habits I had developed earlier on, and I avoided other domains in particular because I am often under the impression that I am too invasive (especially when the majority of the people that I meet are involved in this one department). But once again, I put it all into prayer. I was a decision I made in leaving: that my decisions be those of what God wants for my life. So, overtime, my decision-making had changed and, as a friend told me very recently, I finished by letting “God make of me what He wants.” He proves that many meetings in the church pushed me to participate in the worship team even though it was the domain I absolutely wanted to avoid at all costs! I sang for the first time this Sunday of January 20th. And in that moment, I sincerely felt such an unexplainable peace and the same joy that I have spoken of earlier on. I had the impression that God was rejoicing at my side, because I was obeying Him in the decision, and I was so pleased to have Him there. This was all to say that obeying God can cost us much and may require us to surrender our own will in exchange for his. But in the end, when you put it under his control, there is no greater happiness! So, today it is upto to you on whether or not you choose to obey His will for your life. I cannot promise you that all the experiences mentioned above will pan out the exact same way in your life. I cannot assure you that it will always be easy, because you must often push aside your own will in order to make room for the Father's to fully manifest in your life. But it is for the better! My experiences are very personal based on my sensitivity and character. But I do not believe you will necessarily feel sadness when looking into what it is God wants for your life, and in obeying Him. This allows you to be more humble and to make more room for God in your heart and life, as He occupies more of our being and as we diminish more and more. I wish you a wonderful week, May God guide you, Do 😊 Translated by Jane P.S : Here's a song that spoke to my soul a lot, I wish it released earlier, it would have avoid some struggles I just mentioned.
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I have often found myself submerged in an intense feeling of fear. I believe many of us have been acquainted with such a feeling since childhood. Anyone can have fear. Some fears, however, are irrational such as: arachnophobia (the fear of spiders) or the fear of tunnels and bridges, etc. I personally think the best way to get rid of these fears is by facing them.
There are, however, two categories in which one can label fear as mentioned in the Bible. The first one is defined as a “good” fear that is to be felt and developed more and more. The other is a fear that we must conquer. The ‘good’ fear is called the “fear of God”, which does not mean we must be afraid of Him, because upon accepting the sacrifice of Christ, believing in His resurrection and choosing to obey Him, we become His friend (in Luke 12:4 and John 15:14-15). Obviously you cannot be scared of your true friend. But what this means is to have a reverential fear -- like holding someone in high regard with awe and veneration. This attitude will naturally manifest in us as we realise how grand, Holy, perfect and magnificent God is. It also comes about once we understand that we are not worthy enough on our own to be in the King’s presence, and that because of our sinful lives and our human nature that contradicts God’s order, we are supposed to be separated from the Creator. It has to do with the deep respect that is due to the King for the power and wrath that belongs to Him. It is the complete revelation of the character and nature of God that opens our eyes to just how worthy He is to be revered. This fear can also be linked to the fact you desire to obey God as well as a desire discern His will. The second type of fear is the fear of life's circumstances and things of this world. The Cambridge Dictionary defines this as: “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.” This is the type of fear where one would be afraid of bridges and of intimidating situations. For example, Jacob ran away from his brother Esau, fearing for his life, after having stolen his birthright and blessings that his father gave him on his deathbed (found in Genesis 25:29-34 and 26:34-27/44). When he left Laban to return to his father’s lands as God instructed him to do, he sent messengers to Esau in order to “find favour in [his] eyes” (Genesis 32:5). They came back to inform him Esau would attend his meeting, bringing with him 400 men. Once again, Jacob becomes afraid, but this time he organises a convoy to “appease him” before meeting up with his brother (in Genesis 32:7-21). Jacob was scared that anything could happen to him, which is understandable based upon the circumstance in which he abandoned his brother. However, God had promised him that He would always remain with him (in Genesis 31:3). What I would like to say is, if you you are obeying God and are following his word (the Bible), you ought not to be frightened by circumstances. As a matter of fact, Isaiah 41:10 says:
This is my advice for you and definitely one of the best counsel I could ever share with you (which is normal, because it is inspired by the Bible): if you believe in God, do not worry no matter what situation you’re experiencing. Last week’s article finished off with: “God loves YOU as if you were the only human being on Earth”, and that is the reason why you should not fear! I can never repeat this enough: life may not always be easy, but with God as your guide and support, it will have purpose. May God bless you, Do 😊 P.S.: I was inspired by https://www.gotquestions.org/bible-fear.html for the definition of the fears. Check out any other information on this subject on the website. Translated by Jane A term that one hears since his or her childhood, especially from parents. They say: “Be wise!” and “you must obey if we tell you to do something!” Obedience is an attitude that we ought to have in the most part of our everyday lives, for the rest of our lives. To prove our obedience to someone requires a lot of effort. For instance, it takes discipline for a young child to stay away from that tempting candy lying on the table that he is prohibited to touch! It is evident that this sacrifice will cost him his fleshly desires! However, if he disobeys, he risks being scolded and may disappoint his parents, thereby becoming guilty
Sometimes, to us, obeying God seems too costly or too great of a sacrifice. Let’s take the case of Abraham. At the beginning of the story in Genesis chapter 12:1-5, God asks him to leave everything and everything he has -- his comfortable lifestyle, to go into a country he did not know anything about through God’s guidance and in trust. As a result to his cooperation, God makes him a promise that will bless not only Abraham but his descendants as an inheritance. What motivates him is the fact that he looks to the promise and unfocuses on his sacrifices, as well as the other difficult requirements of him to fulfill such a command. Later on, Abraham has a son named Isaac (in Genesis 22) and God asks him to offer Him up as a sacrifice, which he struggles to do at first. Yet he still obeys the Lord regardless of what he may lose and suffer from. Very often, when God asks us to follow His instructions that may go against our deep desires, such as: ending a harmful relationship, leaving our comfort zone, changing bad habits, etc., we look at what it is we will potentially lose in obeying him and not on the promises that he will fulfill as a result of our faithfulness to the Lord. The first act of obedience that Christ asks of us is to acknowledge him as Lord and Saviour and to surrender the entirety of our lives to the Father’s will upon receiving salvation. It is arguably the most difficult action to complete as it implies that we will no longer live for our own selfish reasons, but for he who deserves all the glory. Once this choice is made, God asks us to obey the written Word (the Bible) without compromise. Obviously, we are imperfect, thereby making way for mistakes in obeying his word, which leads to disobedience. Thankfully, God is merciful and gracious in forgiving us our sins if we repent out of a sincere heart. Nonetheless, it does not mean we should take advantage of his kindness and continue in disobedience, in saying: “It is not a big deal. I will willingly sin then ask for forgiveness.” The Bible says that “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).
Obedience is a response to love. When one loves someone, he or she wishes to please them -- to honour his beloved. The love you have for God is naturally shown in obeying him. No matter how much we praise Him, serve Him, pray to Him and adore Him, if we do all of it without righteous obedience, it will all somewhat be in vain. Our disobedience separates us from God and thus, his promises and blessings will depart from us as well. We can also waste a lot of time and suffer for no reason due to rebelling from the Lord. Remember that, what we gain through obeying God is much more valuable than what we lose in the process. God always does things for our good. He loves us dearly and knows exactly who we are and what we need. Now, I would like you to reflect on these questions: In what areas of life do you struggle to obey? Why in this area particularly and not others? How far are you willing to go to obey God? I wish to finish this off by sharing with you an experience of mine: During my senior year of High school, I decided that I absolutely wanted to continue my post-secondary studies outside of my city. So, I looked for programs that matched my interests that were unavailable in the universities in my hometown. I then found one 250 km away from me, but at no point at that time did I ask God for guidance in my schooling and what he wanted to do for my life. I persisted with that program despite the fact that I was unsettled in this decision and completely out of position in what God was planning to do in my life. Extremely anxious, I could no longer sleep well and started to lead a dysfunctional life. It was so bad that I ended up returning home in the middle of the school year. In leaving, I got my life back in order with God, but these long eight months away from the heart of God taught me that we have a lot to lose in deliberately disobeying God and ignoring him. I will repeat that: God knows you perfectly well and He still loves you! Yes YOU, as if you were the only living being in the entire galaxy. Be blessed! #👣 Translated by Jane The end of the year is a pretty exciting moment for a lot of people: it's the moment to meet again the whole family around a table filled up with great meals, to spend memorable moments with them. It is also the moment to plan New Year's Eve with your friends. At least, this is what my end of the year usually looks like ! Where I come from, we could define Christmas dinners like the family fashion contest of the year! We also rejoice for how great has been the year, for every battle we fought, and won 😉, for these new friendships. To make a long story short, let's just say that uniting around the table is the moment to celebrate the end of the year we've been through. New Year's Eve is also really nice. With your family and your friends, you celebrate new beginnings, new projects, and you learn from the past year's experience. You have new resolutions and really want to keep 'til the end of that same year. But, after these celebrations, at the end of a year and at the beginning of a new one, the daily routine often comes back. We appreciate these moments, even though in themselves, they are just a parenthesis, once in the year. Maybe you live with your family, maybe you're alone, maybe with some friends. But in any of these situations, it turns out that nobody can give us the love we need, when we need it. Even surrounded by people, you can feel you're lonely, you may think nobody can understand your pain, nor the situation you're facing. And even if they do, they can't help you be in peace with it. This is how I was living, what I was feeling. However, I learned a few years ago that I AM LOVED! With an unconditional love, which basically means that no matter what happens, what I could or couldn't do and who I was, I am loved. And you know what ? The One who loves me so much, loves you too as you were His only child, as no one else existed. His name is God, His power has no limit and He is eternal. Indeed, the Bible says "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, NIV). You may wonder what Christ's (Jesus') death has to do with anybody's love for you, so give me one more minute 😊:
It's like when you were younger and went to the park, walking and playing in the mud with your friends and then went back home with your dirty shoes. This was the moment one of your parents would tell you "Hey honey! Take off your shoes and go to shower" because you're gonna get the whole house dirty! Your sin (the fact that you disobey God, live far from him) is like the mud on your shoes and clothes you bring into your parent's cleaned up house. The biggest difference is that God is and will always be Holy. You can't have room for holiness and sin in your life. We'll go deeper into it an other time, but for now, just remember that your sin separates you from God.
This is now the moment of the greatest decision of your life, if you haven't made it yet. You can, or not, accept God's love in your life, His sacrifice, and choose to live a life that will honor Him. Between you and I: I did it, in 2013 and never regretted it. A lot of people I know, and more that I don't know, could tell you the same thing. I'm not saying it is easy, I'm just saying that living for and with God will help you everyday of your life, in any struggle, any situation. And you won't regret it! The darkest days will be followed with brightest ones. If you want to accept Jesus in your life, you can simply, from the deepest of your heart, pray this prayer, or one in your own words :
Remember : God loves you like a father, and He doesn't want you to live anything that will not glorify Him. See you soon, Do 😃 P.S: take a moment to listen to this song if you will 😉 |
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November 2021
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