Obedience....

DEFINITION:
the act or practice of obeying; dutiful or submissive compliance

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. ~2 John 1:6~

Obedience is something we are taught at a young age. Well yesterday I had a new experience with obedience. First, I need to say that I am sharing this story with you because God deserves ALL the glory!!

Last week I heard the song "Clear the Stage" by Ross King (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sKURkM3Es&feature=related) Even though I had heard the song several times before, this time I was overwhelmed by the lyrics. The rest of the week these lyrics keep playing over and over in my head. I heard the same prayer echoing over and over again in my heart. God had given me this revelation and I needed to share it. The closer Sunday got, the stronger the stirring from within. Was I supposed to share this with my praise team before we lead worship or was I supposed to share this with the congregation?? I had shared with the congregation before, but would they want to hear me talk again?? How can I NOT share what God had made so clear to me? There was a battle raging inside of me. After we sang the first two songs I knew what to do. I closed my eyes and prayed the prayer that had be stirring within me all week. When Eric returned to the pulpit he thanked me for my prayer and said that as I was praying this verse came to him...

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ~Romans 12:1~

Wow! I was so encouraged to see how the Spirit had united our hearts. I was obedient and God connected the dots.

This expedience was uncomfortable, but I knew it was what the Father was asking me to do. I know that when I take a step out in faith that God will not always respond immediately. However, His immediate response was the encouragement I needed to keep running the race.

May God add His blessing and may you be encourage to take a step out in Faith today!!

Let's Get Real

I'm sure many of you know what I mean when I say I've reached a "dry spell" in my spiritual life. The high has worn off and I'm left waiting for the next encounter with the Spirit. I'd like to say this is the first time this has happened to me, but we all know that's not true. This life is a journey and we need to praise God through it all.

A little while ago someone prayed over me and said that they saw that my "outside" was stronger than my "inside". They told me that my words/actions were different from my heart. In other words I felt like he/she was telling me that I was a FAKE. Those were hard words to hear and at the time I dismissed them. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I really started evaluating my actions. I started asking myself, "why am I doing this? For my glory or His?" It's been a real struggle and I'm beginning to see how selfish I really am. I also started reading
So, You Want To Be Like Christ?: Eight Essentials to Get You There by Charles Swindoll. WOW what an eye opener. It's been a HUGE help in my search to be more like Christ. I'll share one phrase that really hit home for me. "Growth is change, but change is not always growth." This has helped me realize that I need growth in my life not change. If I try to change something I will fail. If I allow God to help me grow, I know the end result will be a success!

So to all of you who are down in that valley and need a change....I encourage you to GROW!! Let God mold and shape you in this time of desperation. In our weakness HE is strong!

Glory to God!