Just be obedient

Can anyone agree with me when I say obedience can sometimes be hard? I think alot of people try to make God conventional. But God is soooo unconventional. God always sees the bigger picture. Last Wednesday at church, Dr. Bradley was speaking on obedience. I love when a pastor is all is your business lol The Word can cut you for sure. But it's the sharp Word that shapes you into who you're meant to be.

He went on to say he once was offered a job making a whole bunch of money. So he was going to accept it. He had never made that kind of money in his life. He spoke with his pastor at the time and his pastor told him to pray. He had his mind set on it already but after prayer, God told him not to take the job. He had the choice to be disobedient but he chose to listen to God and a few months later the company folded. #Bummer

He said once he decided not to take the job, people were calling him crazy. They couldn't understand why he would walk away from such an amazing opportunity. It's important to hear God's voice for yourself. Those people would've messed him up had he listened to them. But that story is evidence that God can see the things that we so often can't see. Even when it doesn't make sense, God's instructions are there to guide us to our ultimate place in Him. He had no idea that God has called him to pastor at that point. If he had gone along with what he wanted or what "made sense" to others, he would've jeopardized the future of himself, his wife, his kids, and the growing congregation that God was leading him to.

One thing I've experienced in my own life is that disobedience can cause God to be silent. And that's honestly one of the worst feelings. "God tell me what to do. Tell me what to do." And we don't realize that God has already spoken. He's just waiting on us to be obedient. I can say, that there is true freedom in our obedience. I've been experiencing a freshness with God, a new freedom that I've been waiting for for quite some time.

Growth is produced out of obedience. Once we're obedient to the small instructions, God can begin to reveal to us the bigger instructions. I pray God is pleased with my many leaps of faith recently. I've been feeling a pull to go visit a certain area for a while now. I've been talking about it for months. Recently I got this urge to pack up and just go. It was very weird and pretty abnormal. But all I said was "um..I don't know about this..But God is this you?" lol

I believe God has something for me on this mini vaca I'm about to take. I have a cousin and a couple friends that have moved to that area who I will probably visit for a bit but I feel like this trip is for ME. It's a whole new level of independence as I've never traveled alone. But if these last couple of months are an indicator of what God is going to show me, I'm excited! I do believe there is definitely something I'm going to find. Maybe more of God, maybe more of myself, maybe both. Whatever it is, obedience is taking me to it!

Day 5: My Thankful

I'm thankful for American Family's FREE one week pass to work out! Operation Calves, here I come! lol

I'm thankful that there are still good people in the world. Apparently, someone did a "hit and run" on my car in a parking lot. Some good Samaritan wrote down their license plate number and car model/make on a napkin and stuck it on my windshield.

I'm thankful that as far as I can see, there are no damages to my car. Thank God!

I'm thankful for singleness once again. I'm glad I don't have to answer to anyone or submit to anyone other than my God and my pastor. Independent woman, that's me. For now anyway....lol

I'm thankful for friendships that sharpen one another, just as iron sharpens iron.

I'm thankful for indoor heating. And hoodies. And socks. And blankets. And soup. SO not ready for this chilly season!