One such occasion happened about two weeks ago when my daughter called me about an issue she was having at work. This wasn't a new issue; it was something we had talked about at various times over the last couple of months. When it first happened, we talked through it and came up with a pretty straightforward, simple solution for her to resolve the problem. We echoed the same basic conversation a couple of times over the next several weeks. Each time, I asked if she had followed through on what we had discussed. Each time her answer was no.
On this particular day, she had texted me expressing her concerns about the yet unresolved problem and was asking what she should do. I once again asked her if she had followed up to resolve her concerns. She once again said no. She always had what seemed to be legitimate reasons for not confronting the issue, but the fact was, she had not taken any action and the problem still remained. While I sympathized with the situation she found herself in, at that moment it became crystal clear that there was nothing more I could do for her. There was no solution that I could create and no advise that I could give that could help resolve the problem. There was a sense of knowing that I had to take my hands off of the issue. I heard a still, small voice say to me, "She already has the answer."
Later that day I thought about how this often reflects our relationship with God. How many times do we go to God with a problem or an issue only to find that He's already given us the answers that we need? Most of His answers are found if we simply read the bible. Other times, He will give us answers for specific problems during our prayer times, or maybe He will speak to us through a sermon at church, through something we see, something we read, or even sometimes through a trusted friend. It's not a question of whether God is speaking to us; the bible is clear that the sheep hear the voice of their Shepherd, which implies that He is speaking and that we have the ability to hear Him. The question is whether or not we are listening, understanding and acting on what we've heard.
The Book of James says that we should be doers of the word and not just hearers. We should act on what we hear! Don't get me wrong. I believe most of us have good intentions. We don't want to disobey God, but I believe many of us deceive ourselves into disobedience. Like the serpent in the garden of Eden, we ask, "Did God really say that?" or "Is that really what God is asking me to do?" In addition, I believe one of our biggest enemies is when we tell ourselves we will do it tomorrow. Yes, the big PROCRASTINATION. I always told my kids that delayed obedience is the same as disobedience. We all have good intentions, but like the old adage says, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Intending to do something will never get you where you need to go.
There are always reasons for not doing what we know we should; we can justify anything. We can tell ourselves we don't have the time, the money, the energy; it will be too hard; I'm not ready; I'm not good enough, talented enough, gifted enough, strong enough…I'm not...enough… Truth is, we're not enough in and of ourselves. That's why we need God. His word says that He thoroughly equips us for every good work. Additionally, Paul tells us in Philippians that God will liberally supply our every need. So in reality, there's no validity in thinking that we are not enough or don't have enough to obey God. On the contrary, He's given us everything we need to obey Him. He will never ask us to do the impossible!
The Parable of the Great Feast in Luke chapter 14 tells us plainly how God feels about our justifications, and from what I read, I can assure you He is not happy about them. Reasons, justifications, excuses - whatever you want to call them - the fact is, when we refuse to act on what God has told us to do, we are robbing ourselves of the peace and joy that comes as a result of living our lives in obedience to Christ.
Take some time to examine yourself today and ask, "Is there something that God has asked me to do that I haven't acted on?" "Do I have something in my life that's unresolved or something that keeps bothering me?" "Is there something that I keep taking to God repeatedly even though He's already given me the solution?" "Do I already have the answer?" If so, please know that you are called, equipped and able to do the thing that He's been asking you to do. Don't delay! When you're on the other side, you won't be sorry and you'll be wondering what took you so long to get there!
The Next Step:
- Read John 10:27, The Amplified Bible (AMP)
- Read James 1:22-24, The Message (MSG)
- Read Genesis 3:1-6, New Living Translation (NLT)
- Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17, The Amplified Bible (AMP)
- Read Philippians 4:19, The Amplified Bible (AMP)
- Read Matthew 19:26, New Living Translation (NLT)
- Read Luke 14:15-24, New Living Translation (NLT)
Going Deeper:
- Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray
- How to Hear from God: Learn to Know His Voice and Make Right Decisions, Joyce Meyer
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