And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (I Sam 15:22)
My sister, daughters, and mothers I know you have all been at a place when you had to decide whether to obey or continue in a matter. I know you've had God tell you no to some things and then you stood there and reasoned with yourself whether God really said it or did he really mean it? You've even said, was part of what he said what I am supposed to do. We do this because we really don't want to do what God told us to do, because we have made up our minds about what we want to do. That's why some of us are with people right now and in relationships right now that are shipwrecks hung up in the ocean and going nowhere. We get where we think we can fix a matter that has already been decided. We think we have the power to make people into who we want them to be. We have not come to realize that we can't fix what's broken in people, only God can. But we hold on to some things so tightly, we're like a pitbull that has a hold to something and when he locks his jaws you cannot get him to release it. The problem with this is that if it isn't release then nothing else can ever go into his mouth again. He will die trying to hold on to something that he shouldn't have in his mouth to begin with. That's exactly how we are. We hold tightly to things that we shouldn't even have and because we won't let them go, God cannot bless us with the real blessing that he would like to give us.
Let me say this plainly, "obedience is better than sacrifice". It is better to obey him than to think that your offerings of praise, deals, and schemes will appease God for your willful disregard of his instructions. I don't care how many praise offerings you send up, it will not be enough to where God will overlook, forget, take back his instruction. You see, we cannot take a portion of what God has said to us and rationalize it into what we want it to mean. When he says no, he did not stutter, skip, or misspeak in his response and instruction. He has said just what he meant and will not change his mind on the matter. It has been decided. He knows what is coming down the line if you continue on the course that you are going. His desire is to keep you on a path that he has mapped out for you.
When we are willful in our sin, there no longer remains a sacrifice for the thing that we are committing (Heb 10:26). There will not be another lamb slain for the thing that we are doing. The price has already been paid for our transgressions. So when we decide to willfully disobey God, we've stepped out of covenant and decided that the blood was not enough. We are saying we don't need the blood to cover us any longer. So if we've taken ourselves from under the blood, then we are outside of the jurisdiction of God's word and subject to another authority and the consequences that come with that jurisdiction. You've entered into Dallas County outside the jurisdiction of Tarrant County. But now you're subject to the jurisdiction of the state police who can get you no matter what county you go into. The sin itself is still under the blood, but our disobedience has taken us out of fellowship and exposed us, so the enemy doesn't see the blood anymore, he just sees us in our mess. So, the consequences for our disobedience is what we are subject to. Some folk think because we are under the blood that there are no consequences for sin. If you get pregnant while in sin, there is still a baby coming that you have to deal with. Although you are forgiven, the consequences of your choice to willfully disobey God are still there. We put ourselves in direction line for the enemy to play pitipat with our lives when we disobey. The Lord is not going to help you in your disobedience. He'll forgive you, but he is not going to help you disobey him. His word says, if we confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn 1:9). When you decide to obey him in what he told you, he will help you get yourself together. I am a living witness and testimony to that.
We need to make sure that every decision that is made in our lives is made with the consent of the Lord. I did say every decision. If you cannot hear God in a matter, then you need to wait until you do before you proceed. This is the reason why we end up in so many messed up relationships and making so many bad decisions about life, because we do not have the patience to wait on God to speak to us concerning something we've petitioned him on. The other reason is, when he is specific on a matter, we ignore the word because we don't want to believe that what God has told us is what is best for us. But he knows best every time, not just some of the time. If I could reverse the hands of time, I would go back and make a great many changes in my life and obey when I heard God say some things to me the first time. I would have avoided many hurtful things and many bad decisions I've made on my own. But we can't reverse time, but we can reverse our behavior right now. We can make a conscience decision to consult the Lord on every matter so that we do not find ourselves in similar situations in the future.
Starting a new chapter in your life makes you realize that you have to look at things through God's eyes and not your own. Clealy our eyes do not tell us the truth of the matter. But when we walk in the spirit and keep our eyes turned toward him, he will keep us from going into trenches and potholes in life. When he says no, he really does mean no. It is to our benefit and not our detriment. I've decided whoever I've got to say, "no thank you" to or goodbye to, it is better that I do it than to find myself out of his will. This is not hour to be playing around his will, but we need to be found in his will and walking in obedience.
I appeal to you to say your goodbyes to whoever or whatever that is, that has, hindered you from obeying the voice of God. If the Lord has not given you a green light in your spirit, then you are to yield until he tells you proceed. For it is better to obey than to assume that we can pray, praise, and dance our foolishness into being a part of his will. He neither will accept those tears and offerings, for they compromise his very plan for your purpose. He will not forfeit his plan, so wipe off the tears, take off the praise garment, and put down your hands until you are ready to really surrender and do what he told you.
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