Obedient to His Purpose

Hi friends,

I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately. Obedience. Let me tell you... It's hard! It's difficult to be obedient to anyone! If you're stubborn like me, there is really no incentive that can make you follow someone else's orders. I want to do it MY way. I don't care if your directions are going to get me there faster. I will take the long way...through the forest...through the ocean... and back around again before I listen to YOUR plan. That's how stubborn I am.

However, God calls us to be obedient. Not just obedient, but faithful in His plan. He promises us that he will NEVER forsake us. For example, let's look at Matthew 14 when Jesus walks on water. Peter asks Jesus to call him out of the boat and Jesus simply says "come." Peter leaps out of the boat, but as soon as he turns his eyes away, he starts sinking. Jesus says, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Not only did Jesus command Peter to walk on the water, but he asked Peter to have faith in him. What's the point of being obedient if you don't have faith in God's plan?

Over the past few weeks, God has led me to do some pretty hard things. Through these hard things, I have had a peace like I have never known before because I have faith that God's plan is better than my own. I came across a journal I wrote on October 7th, 2014 that said, "The thought keeps coming to my mind 'when are you going to stop running from me?' Lord, I am going to stop running. Show me your wisdom. I desire to know your plan for me. I am done running." Although I may not have completed what was asked of me in the moment, I took time to listen to a hard decision the Lord was placing on my heart.

When struggling with obedience, I often times try and tell myself that the hard things are really Satan's way of attacking me and not actually God's plan. The second I start to experience fear, doubt, or uncertainty, I tell myself that it was never God's plan in the first place. However, what I am just now realizing is that it could be God's plan but I am too stubborn and scared to recognize it. I don't want to do hard things. But unfortunately, it's not up to me. And let me tell you... I am SO glad it's not. Even though I have to constantly push myself out of my comfort zone, I can find peace and rest in knowing that I have a sovereign God that LOVES me so much he wills the good for me. He wants me to live a life in complete trust and belief that His plan is superior to my own. I may never see the good in the hard things, but I know that there is always a reason and purpose.

Friends, if you are struggling with surrendering a certain part of your life to God, pray about it. It may take days, months, years, but continue to pray without ceasing. Living in obedience gives you freedom in new ways. Be thankful that there is a Holy God that already knows your whole life and even has it mapped out for you. He doesn't want you to fail. If you trust in him, he will make your paths straight. That doesn't mean you won't experience pain or suffering. Living in full faith and full obedience will open up the doors to a complete trust in the Lord that you have never experienced before. Don't just tip toe into trusting God. Jump in the deep end. Don't know how to swim? Luckily there is a God who is the ultimate saver.