Obedience Part 4

Posted on March 9, 2013 by SMHG

Continued from Part 3

–   As I went through this short time of personal agony I would cry out at two or three o’clock in the morning “WHY!?!” “why me, why this, why the pain, why the shame of being unfaithful, why the lack of communication from heaven, why me, why me, why, why, why…”

I have for as long as I can remember said that it is not right for God’s children to ask why because it demonstrates a lack of faith. I definitely was demonstrating a lack of faith. But we are not super saints. We are sinners saved by grace. We are unfaithful, selfish human beings covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, enjoying the blessings of forgiveness and salvation at the hands of a merciful and loving almighty God. He does not doubt that we love Him. Nor does He doubt that we doubt or question whether our circumstances are good for us. Yet His command is obedience. Continue reading →

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Obedience Part 3

Posted on March 7, 2013 by SMHG

Continued from Part 2

–  What if God was putting me on the shelf? What if my secret sins were going to be revealed and I would never be seen as usable in ministry again? What if I would lose everything and even worse, what if I would curse God in my misery? I was trying to be obedient. Yet I had not come to the place He was taking me. Why had he stopped me for two months? What was the significance of two months? Was there a Bible precedence that I did not understand? What was going to take place that it was to my benefit to be out of the way, on the side lines, watching Him work? Was I in obedience? Continue reading →

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Obedience Part 2

Posted on March 5, 2013 by SMHG

Continued from Part 1

– My unspoken thought was about the respect and admiration which had been directed toward me for being the “willing to do whatever is needed” servant. Somehow I must have thought it possible that He wouldn’t hear that thought. I was surprised to hear Him say “That too must stop”. I was already experiencing some unpleasant emotions internally and had a bit of a pessimistic view of the future due to the physical circumstances in our lives.

 My daughter had been temporarily disabled a few months after buying a home and was struggling financially. I had always been her safety net but I too had been laid off from work and my finances were getting tight as well. There were other pressures mounting with interpersonal relationships, my wife having to work long hours to try to make up for my lack financially,  my wife’s aging mother’s health, and even poor investment decisions coming home to roost. Then there was this whole issue of not getting understanding from God and His word in the way I was accustomed to. It seemed to be really piling up and people close to me were beginning to notice. Continue reading →

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Obedience Part 1

Posted on March 3, 2013 by SMHG

The beginning is a very good place to start. I’m not sure when that was. I do recall that in October of that year I announced to a few close friends and associates that a major change was about to take place. I declared that it was in obedience to what the Lord had revealed to me in our prayer time. So we’ll start there and perhaps I will digress as it seems good to do.

 In the several months prior to my announcement, I had noticed a change in both the intensity and frequency of my prayer times. I felt I was not getting the freshness from the scriptures that I had enjoyed for so long. I was actually coming to the Lord with the phrase “I know I haven’t talked to you in a while…” Continue reading →

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