by David Brenneman
"Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 2 Kings 5:13.
Sometimes our greatest acts of faith will come through small steps of obedience. This was certainly true for the highly respected captain of the Syrian army named Naaman. He traveled to Israel and sought the prophet Elisha to be cured of his leprosy. However, Naaman felt insulted when Elisha sent a lowly servant to
instruct him to wash in the Jordan seven times.
Naaman was so outraged that he refused to perform the one act
that would save him from his very painful disease. Thankfully, his
servants confronted him in his pride and pointed out that the Lord had promised healing through that small step of faith. Naaman
realized that if he refused to humble himself before God, it could cost him his life. So he obeyed, and his flesh was made whole.
You may not pay attention to the little things God calls you to
do because they seem insignificant. However, you don't know the amazing way He may want to work through your obedience. Say yes to the Lord regardless of how small, mundane, dull, or inferior the task seems He will reward your humble steps of faith.
Jesus, whatever You command is great and worthy of my obedience, I will do as You ask, Amen.
Trusting God with Today. Dr. Charles Stanley.
Many, many...many times in life we go forward in perseverance only by the taking of a single step.
We don't know what that single step will accomplish but when that step is for us to do because the Spirit says to take it...then you take it.
I can tell you all about what the day looked like when I was outside of my last employer. What's more important was that step outside was a step towards something not away from something. A step towards what was to be a time of growth in Christ that couldn't come any other way.
We can and will get confused by some of or maybe most of the steps that the Spirit directs us to take.
I can tell you most emphatically...do the right thing and respond with a heart of obedience to God regardless of how it appears to the world.
For many months leading up to that step into an unknown future, the passage that the Spirit brought time and time again was "Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.
Each day after June 12th was a day of just asking God what was there for me to be doing. Whether or not I had an earthly employer or not all my work was to be done as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23-24.
For you my Dear Reader it's never for you nor I to stand still in our walk with Jesus. Re-read Psalms 23. He leads, we follow. Where He says to rest, we rest. When He says it's time to move, we move.
We are to walk by faith and not by sight. Trusting God with all your heart. Not trusting what we perceive of our circumstances. There's no circumstances we can be in that God was ever unaware of.
We can choose to either trust Him and take whatever steps He's directing us to take or we choose to live with the consequences.
There's always consequences for obedience and consequences for disobedience. We reap what we sow more than we sow and much later than we sow. We either reap the benefits of God in our obedience or more lessons from God until we do.
The size of the step makes no difference. Just trust and obey.
Just do and be thankful.
My Dear Reader you're going to go through even a solid life in Christ and yet will spend eternity having what was really happening with you and others explained to you. In this here this now we can't comprehend it.
I found myself either just doing housework or fixing things. Found myself cleaning and organizing. Found myself working for people. Found myself resting. Found myself in various circumstances that otherwise I never would have had the chance to be in had I been employed. Found myself strengthening relationships. Found myself starting a few new ones. Found joy in just doing little things for strangers when out and about the city.
God's not going to lead you in some way that's not going to be in your best interests. He allows many things in order to grow us in Christ. Storms, not fairweather days, cause deep roots for a tree.
It's the storms that turn a man into a sailor and not just someone who can steer a ship. It's the battlefield that makes all the training given make sense to the soldier.
Listen and obey the Spirit of God when He tells you or takes you in the way you should go. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Walking by faith and not by sight.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.
Listen and obey. Don't let your feelings get in the way. Truth is your feelings are responsible for many a failure of living out what Jesus wants for you. Look at the Disciples and how often they missed out because they let their feelings dictate their actions.
Pray, listen, obey. Repeat.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.
A corporation not for profit.
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