The second part of our journey will take you to the edge of your seat as I recount my near-death experience, a pivotal moment that drastically altered my perspective on life. This brush with the Grim Reaper made me realize the true weight of my defiance and the necessity of obedience. I'll also share an intriguing acronym for 'yes', a testament to my decision to yield fully to God's will. This isn't just about adhering to rules; it's about drawing closer to Christ and participating in His redemptive work in the world. So, join me on this spiritual journey of self-discovery and awakening as we delve into the powerful nuances of obedience and the transformative potential it holds.
Episode Transcript
You are now tuning in to whisper word the lotion In
1st Samuel 1522.
Samuel says Do you think allGod wants are sacrifices, empty
(00:49):
rituals just for show?
He wants you to listen to him.
Plain listening is the thing.
Not staging a lavish religiousproduction, not doing what God
tells you is far worse thanfooling around in the occult.
Getting self-important aroundGod is far worse than making
(01:10):
deals with your dead ancestors.
Because you said no to God'scommand, he says no to your
kingship.
God gave me an acronym for obey.
That says to obey is to takethe opportunity to beware and
boldly examine yourself so thatyou may yield to the process of
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God's will.
Obedience is better thansacrifice.
You see, I answered the callbut I didn't accept who was on
the receiving end.
In my mind, I say yes to hiswill, but I didn't say yes to
the call, not realizing that thecall was in his will.
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Answering the call was thefirst step.
Although I answered the call, Ihad not yielded to the call.
I was still wanting control andto do things my way.
I had not accepted who.
I was in God To be real withyou.
I didn't want to be heldaccountable for the
responsibilities of the call,not realizing that my life was
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not my own.
While trying to throw my lifeaway, god kept giving me life.
God kept talking to me, but Iwas unresponsive.
I would pretend like I didn'thear him because I was
uncomfortable doing what he wasinstructing me to do Sounds
familiar.
It was out of the manure.
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Can you imagine you callingsomebody to talk to them?
They answered the call, butthey are not speaking.
It's nothing but silence, as ifthey are not moved by what's
being said, but yet not eveninterested.
How would that make you feel?
I'll tell you.
For me, I would feel like I wasspeaking to a brick wall and my
(03:00):
words were returning to me fora while.
God says in his word that hisword shall not return to him.
Although God was speaking to me, his word was not put into full
action through me.
His word was emotion around me,but not yet in me.
I had not yet yielded to hisword.
I was lukewarm, living slightlyin obedience and slightly in
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disobedience.
I obeyed when it was convenientfor me.
It wasn't until death took mewith him that I realized the
results of my defiance.
Yet again, my defiance wasexposed.
I couldn't just do what Iwanted to do and think I could
get away with it.
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It didn't work that way for meNever did.
Since I was a child, I wouldalways get caught.
It was like my dirt was neverhidden.
It was always exposed.
In comparison to my brother,his stuff was so hidden not even
a magnifying glass could findit.
I always wondered why that was.
(04:07):
Why couldn't I get away withmurder?
But he could?
Proverbs 16 and 9 tells us theheart of man plans his way, but
the Lord establishes his steps.
I had my very first encounterwith God.
I had to choose life or death.
God whispered obey the call.
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When I was no longer in my body, I realized what was at stake.
I had to make a decision thatwould change not only my life
but also those that wereconnected to me.
I chose life.
This decision was the beginningof me yielding to the call and
coming into alignment with God'swill for my life.
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It was the beginning of meentering into a full yes.
God gave me an acronym for yes.
That says to say yes means toyou, to the edification of God's
spirit.
When I looked up the word edify, it meant to instruct or
improve.
Biblically, it means toconstruct, build up or establish
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.
It was now time for me to beedified with his spirit.
There's nothing like the writtenword of God for showing you the
way to salvation through faithand Christ Jesus.
Every part of scripture is Godbreathed, in, useful in one way
or another, showing us the truth, exposing our rebellion,
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correcting our mistakes,training us to live God's way.
Through the word, we are puttogether and shaped up for the
task God has for us.
God says do not forget myteaching, but keep my commands
in your heart, for they prolongyour life many years and bring
you prosperity.
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Let love and faithfulness neverleave you.
Bind them around your neck,write them on the tablet of your
heart.
To obey means to comply andcarry out the instructions given
.
To obey the call means tocomply and carry out God's
initiative to bring people toChrist and to participate in his
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redemptive work in the world.
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