 " Do you know how to be quiet?" We have all heard a parent say this to us at a time in our lives. Then they say to you, "Will you sit down?" and look around the room to see how noticeable everyone else is of their child. God made us all have unique abilities and characteristics that one day will bring Him glory. While some of these qualities may seem like a burden, they are often what God will use to glorify His kingdom. The fruit of the spirit is often what people think of, but I am not referring to the positive qualities we gain by walking with God, but the traits we often classify as negative.
Speaking badly about ourselves If we look in scripture, this is shown in several Biblical characters. Moses had a stuttering problem, Sarai was old, David was a shepherd, and the list goes on. How many times do we look at how God has made us and speak badly about it? Not only ourselves but those around us. "I am shy; I could never speak in front of others." We often compare ourselves, " I wish I could sing like that." Never looking at ourselves the way God sees us. Then there are times that we project onto others, " they need to do …." We play God, like we know what He has called them to do. The truth is that only God knows what we are capable of and only He can reveal that to us in His timing. There are three things we can do to embrace who we are and encourage others to do the same. Positive Thoughts The first thing is to speak positively, not allowing fear to have a stronghold over our minds. This may seem easy, but when we are afraid, we often forget to speak truth over ourselves. This could be re-reading scripture in our heads, or affirmations in a time of discomfort. In order to speak the truth, we must first know it and believe it; this is without question. If we do not believe what we are saying, then we are wasting our breath. This must also be done for others as well. Speaking positively when your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, we can also change our mindset to love more freely, and we will be able to express ourselves openly. Do not have the wrong motives, like ourselves, we must believe what we are saying to that person, and speak out of love. This might mean apologizing even if you are not in the wrong. Complimenting someone even though they have a lot to still work on. Choose to be a peacemaker, a lover of others instead of a judge over them. Romans 13:10 says, "Love does not harm a neighbor". Don't be afraid to try Another tool to embrace how God made you is to explore the possibilities. This could be done by trial and error ( school of hard knocks) or going to the one who created you in prayer. I have tried several jobs and received many different certifications. On the outside, this could look like I have failed over and over again, which I have. This doesn't define me! Satan likes to remind me of how I tried and failed, but God tells me that he was working for me to become who I am today. Psalm 40:2-3 says, "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." If it weren't for my failures, I would not be molded into who I am today. Our failures never define us; they make us more like Christ. We can choose to stop, or we can keep looking up to Christ and working to His promise of completion within us. God delights in obedience and surrender. Perhaps as a child you learned these verses, Ephesians 6:1-3 ~ “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” You may have also learned the song O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E, and still have to sing it in order to spell it correctly!
But why is obedience important? What are the hindrances that sometimes keep us from wanting to be obedient? What are the blessings of obeying? What are Biblical examples of people who obeyed and disobeyed, and how were their lives and the lives of others affected because of their choices? Keep reading for the answer to these questions! Why it Matters Obedience is important because it is an act of worship, love toward God, and trust in His perfect plan. When the serpent tempted Eve in the garden, he made her think that God was withholding good things from her, when the opposite was the truth. They enjoyed perfect peace and even experienced walking with God, yet when they chose to disobey, all of humanity was affected, and we lost that perfect communion with God. However, through the work of Jesus on the Cross, we can have a restored relationship with God! Obedience does not always come easy because we have a sin nature and an enemy who wants us to disobey. Just as he did in the garden, Satan makes sin look appealing because he is deceitful and the father of lies (John 8:44). Sometimes obedience requires us to give up something, and then we have a battle of wills. Since satan wants to keep us in bondage and disobedience, he tells us that choosing to obey will rob us of happiness and make us miserable. But the opposite is actually true! Which leads us to answer the other questions: What are the blessings of obedience and examples of obedience and disobedience? Obedience to God brings His joy, blessing, and freedom into our lives Isaiah 1:19,20 “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Disobedience brings bondage, loss, and regret. For examples of both, let’s look at the following people in the Bible. Cain and Able: They both made an offering to God. Able’s offering was pleasing to God, looking forward to the Cross, while Cain did things his own way and rejected God’s plea to do right. Cain’s disobedience to God led him to become the first murderer and experience a life of misery. Even though Able lost his life, he has been enjoying the presence of God for thousands of years! Abraham and Lot: Abraham chose to follow God, and he was one of the richest men on earth and was chosen to be the father of the Jewish nation, while Lot chose things of the world and lost everything. (This example does not mean that just because we obey we will be rich materially, but rather that God will bless us with the riches of a close relationship with Him, which is far better that all the treasures of the world!) King Saul: In 1 Samuel 15, God gave King Saul the assignment of destroying the Amalekites and all of their possessions. King Saul did not obey the Lord, and his disobedience cost him the kingdom, and led him down a pathway of misery, envy, and hate. Esther: When Esther became the queen in Babylon, she still obeyed Mordecai, although she was no longer living under his roof and was a married woman. We read in Esther 2:20 “Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.” Had she not been obedient to the wisdom and instructions of Mordecai, she would have jeopardized the entire nation of Israel. When trouble did come to Israel, she was able to save herself and God’s people from destruction. Jesus is the greatest example of obedience! Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42) This prayer is not a struggle of a rebellious nature, not wanting to do right, but rather a full submissiveness and obedience to the will of God. Jesus was not forced by God the Father to go to the cross. However, as fully human with emotions and the physical ability to feel pain and being Holy God knowing the future, the cross was not easy. But Jesus, in His great love for us, chose the cross even though it meant extreme pain and the burden of every human being’s sin being laid upon Him. To die on the cross for us was the whole reason that Jesus came to earth! In light of the great sacrifice of Jesus for us, we should want to obey Him with a heart of love and thankfulness. Jesus even tells us in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Those who live a life of disobedience and have no desire to please God do not love Him and know Him as Savior. But God’s children want to obey because they love Him and know Him! Remembering the love of God, let’s be obedient whether it is easy or difficult.  I look forward to the start of a new year for several reasons. One is the feeling of new beginnings. I enjoy looking at a blank planner filled with empty pages that are ready to be scheduled and activities to attend. Second, I relish the opportunity to continue my journey of faith. By nature I am a planner, I like to think about what book of the Bible I want to study and usually I come up with a schedule for the coming year and this one is no different. I am, however, making a small alteration to my usual methods regarding my quiet time this year and that is increasing my exposure to the Word. Typically, I tackle one book at a time, a few verses at a time but this year I want to add a few extras. I will be listening to the entire Bible this year, following a plan through the Dwell app. I am also going to read several chapters each day though I may not read the entire Bible in a year. I want the freedom to just read through the Bible without feeling the pressure to read so much at a time to stay on schedule. My desire is to just soak up the Word of God and perhaps keep notes as I make my way through these precious passages. This plan, what I call “Operation Saturation”, stems from a thought that I have been contemplating over the last few months: my need to be saturated with God’s word.
What does it mean to be saturated? The word “Saturated” means to be completely filled with something so that no more can be added. It comes from a Latin word meaning “to fill, sate, drench”. Think about the impact that definition could have on the life of a believer. When the ground is saturated with water after a downpour it spills out liquid when you walk on it. It is so full of water that it oozes with the slightest touch. Are we so full of the scripture that when someone touches us or presses us, the Bible comes out? That thought forces me to stop and self-examine myself including my thoughts, actions, and habits. If my first response is to snap at someone when they say something mean or unkind to me then I am not displaying love or long suffering. If I grow impatient with the extremely slow cashier and find myself growing more irritable with each passing moment, I am not exercising patience. If, however, my heart is saturated, filled with the Word of God, I will be more equipped to respond correctly. Equipped to Live for Christ To saturate yourself with the Word of God means you are equipping yourself for life’s battles. Every day we will be faced with choices. The choice to be kind to a boss who yells at us even though it was not our fault. The choice to exercise a little more patience with our children as they hurry to keep up. The choice to forgive when someone treats us rudely. When we are filled with the Spirit, our responses will reflect the Spirit, but if we are filled with our own flesh instead our responses will reveal it. Paul told the Ephesians in chapter 5 verse 18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be ye filled with the Spirit”. To be filled completely with something so that no more can be added. If we are filled with the Spirit we leave no room for the flesh. This is how we put on the armor of God and defeat both our foe and our flesh. Later on in chapter six of Ephesians, Paul tells us why we need this heavenly armor: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ready to do Battle I find it interesting that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. A sword is a versatile and valuable weapon. It stays nicely by your side but can be ready for defense in a flash. In order for this weapon to be useful, it is important to be familiar with it which requires hours of training. Ask any actor, who has had to portray an expert swordsman on screen, how many hours of work they put into learning to wield a blade. As children of the Most High God, we have for who will spare no effort in his attacks against us. He will use every weapon at his disposal to try and defeat us. The only way to withstand his fierce volley of blows is to suit up in the armor Paul lays out for us in Ephesians six. I do want to point out again, the importance of the sword. Much of the armor Paul describes is for defense, for the protection of the wearer, but the sword is meant for both defense and offense. When Satan tempted Jesus in Matthew chapter four, Jesus used scripture to defeat every argument and attack. Our Savior was able to wield the Word correctly because He was familiar with it. Yes, I know that He also wrote every word but He has provided a way for each of us to be just as familiar with it. God has preserved His written Word for every generation to know it and with the help of technology, we have never before had such easy access to it. Sadly, though we have so many ways to read and even listen to the Word of God, we are among the most spiritually illiterate in history. This diagnosis does not have to be a death sentence, we can cure ourselves by becoming a student of the Word. Become a Saturated Student of the Word In 2 Timothy 2 verse 15, Paul told his son in the faith, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We can be as familiar with the scriptures as we want to be, but the motivation and effort depend completely on us. This choice requires commitment and discipline. Our foe and our flesh will fight us every step of the way but we must endure as good soldiers. We must keep the faith and run the race. I promise that the work will be worth it all when we see Christ, the One who gave His life for us. This is my heart's desire for the coming years, to continue to be a diligent student of the word and the best way to learn the material is to saturate myself with it. I want to be ready to give any man an answer for the hope that is within me (1 Peter 3:15). I want to be so full of the Word of God that there is no room for anything else. This is how I can reflect the image of my Savior in my actions, reactions, and interactions. May this be the year that we choose to become students of the Word. Who else will join me on this heavenly mission and be a part of Operation Saturation. |
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