Subsuming

Pray and Obey

For many years, I wanted God to speak to me, but I also wanted to pick and choose which instructions to obey. I wanted to do what He said to do if it was easy and I thought it was a good idea, but if I didn’t like what I heard, I acted like it wasn’t from God!

Some of what God asks you to do will be fun and exciting. Other things He says may not be so thrilling, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work out for your good if you’ll simply follow His instructions. If God tells you that you need to apologize because you were rude to someone, it won’t work for you to reply, “Well, that person was rude to me, too!” If you respond to Him with excuses, you may have prayed and even heard God’s voice, but you didn’t obey, so you forfeited the blessing you would have had.

Looking back at more than three decades of walking with God and being in ministry, I have to say that the simplest explanation for the success Dave and I have enjoyed is that we’ve become quick to pray, hear from God, and then do what He tells us to do. Over the years, as I’ve sought God and pressed forward in what He’s told me to do, I can say that more than anything else, I’ve learned to simply pray and obey. Doing this hasn’t always been popular, but it has worked!

If you want to experience God’s plan for your life, I can give you the recipe in its most basic form: pray and obey. God has given you the capacity to do both, and if you do it consistently, you’ll be moving right along in His will for your life, and His blessing will follow you everywhere you go (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14 NIV).

Prayer Starter:Father, please help me be quick to obey Your instructions. I know You have good plans for me, and I don’t want to miss out on any of them. Thank You for your grace! In Jesus’ Name, amen.