Tag: obedience to God

The Little Foxes

On By CarmenLeave a comment

I want to write about something that we all as Christians need to be reminded of.

This “something” is to be obedient to our LORD God by following His commands, no matter what.

Let me share a personal story that will explain today’s message.

As I was reading and studying the Bible this morning, I found that I could not concentrate clearly as I usually do. I was struggling to keep a fluid understanding of what I was reading.

I stopped and prayed that God would help me to refocus and be able to comprehend His message for me.

I was reading in 1 Samuel 12 which is not hard to understand if you have read previously from Genesis to 1 Samuel.

I believe that God did indeed help me to focus after I asked Him, and I then fully understood why I was faltering.

I had committed once again a sin He’s been working on me about for a while. I will explain later what this sin is.

First, I want to share what I came across that snapped me out of my muddled state.

If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.

1 Samuel 12:14-15

This statement by the prophet Samuel to the Israelites was to remind them that they and their newly chosen king Saul were to obey the LORD in all they do.

Up until this time, God had delivered them out of slavery in Egypt, fed them, protected them, gave them His laws for their well-being, brought them into the promised land, defeated their enemies in battle, and showered them with countless blessings.

Did the Israelites obey the LORD after this warning? No. Not completely.

The Israelites wanted to be like their neighbors—they wanted a king to rule over them.

Samuel, being a man of God, was greatly displeased over this; but God told him to go ahead and anoint a king for them, one that He would choose.

God let them have their way, even though this was a rejection of God Himself to rule over them, especially after all He had done for them.

They had severe consequences that followed. If you’re interested in knowing what happened as a result of their disobedience, feel free to read the remainder of 1 Samuel—and the rest of the Bible for that matter.

As Christians, also God’s chosen, we are told to follow God’s word.

God expects our full obedience to Him and His ways.

The apostle James, tells his fellow Christ followers the same.

You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save our souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:19-25

As for me, the awkward feeling of not being able to feast on God’s word clearly was enough for me to go in prayer to the LORD.

He revealed to me that I was harboring unforgiveness toward a neighbor for something that I was truthful about after she kept wanting to know why my husband and I were or were not voting a certain way in the 2024 presidential election. Consequently, she decided that she wanted nothing to do with us anymore. There is more, but I’ll just leave it at that.

The LORD impressed upon me that it doesn’t matter what others do to me or say about me, it is my responsibility to forgive and give it over to Him.

As Christians, we cannot be effective in our service to our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ with a wrong attitude.

It is an entryway for Satan to step in and create chaos and destruction in our lives.

We must instead trust God, be obedient in our thoughts, speech, and actions, and leave it with Him.

We will be happier, more focused and competent to carry out God’s plan for us daily.

I must say that immediately after I repented, I felt better, and I was able to continue in my reading and understanding of His word.

Often, it’s the small things, what we consider the small sins—the little foxes—that trip us up. God is concerned just as much about these sins as what we would call big sins.

Sin is sin to God. He doesn’t measure how big or how small. Even the slightest disobedience to Him is sin.

“Catch the foxes for us,
The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our vineyards are in blossom.”

Song of Solomon 2:15

In this scripture verse from the Bible, we learn that the little things spoil the overall progress of what is planned.

In this case, our wrong thoughts become our actions if we don’t reign them in. These negative actions harm our testimony as Christians and could keep us from what God has planned for us.

So, we must be content to let go of hurts or wrongs done to us, and depend upon His grace, love, and sovereignty.

He loves us and will bless us immeasurably when we follow Him completely.

I pray that this message blesses you today.

Below is a song that echoes my thoughts about my place in God’s kingdom.

“Who Am I?” – Casting Crowns

 

What Does It Mean to Be a Child of God?

On By CarmenLeave a comment

A Child of God Has Eternal Salvation

First, to be a child of God, we must surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, the Savior of all mankind. In His word, Jesus says that He is the only way to God. When we know Jesus, we also know the Father.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

John 14:6-7

In perhaps the most well-known or memorized verse in Scripture, we are again told that we belong to God if we believe in Christ. 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Let’s also look at what the verses following John 3:16 say about being surrendered to Jesus Christ.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:17-18

A Child of God Is Granted Forgiveness of Sins 

Once we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, we are His! It does not matter what we have done in this life, our sins are forgiven when we repent. Yes, we start over with a blank slate. As far as the east is from the west, our sins are remembered by God no more.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our wrongdoings from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

Psalm 103:11-13

I am sure that you have noticed the word “fear” in the above scripture verse. It may cause you concern, but no need to worry. Merriam-Webster has a fitting definition regarding fear of God: Profound reverence and awe especially toward God. If we belong to God, we need not be terrified of Him.

A Child of God Has a Relationship with the Father

God wants a relationship with us and He created us for this very reason. This relationship is unlike any other that we have or have ever had before. It is a relationship with our Creator whom we can depend on and who will never betray us. If we want to have a relationship with Him, we must have a complete surrender of the heart, meaning we walk with Him in obedience. We can tell Him anything. He already knows. He knew from the beginning of time everything about us. And He loves us just as we are. But, He does not want us to stay the way we are; rather He wants us to be more like His Son, Jesus. So, how do we achieve becoming more like Jesus? We remain (abide) in Him—we obey Him. Let’s look at what Jesus says about this.

“Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them in to the fire; and they are burned.”

John 15:4-6

One way that we remain in Christ is to ask Him for wisdom, which we are told to seek. We also get wisdom from reading His word and we are instructed to meditate on it daily. The more we read the Bible, the more we understand. If we continue to read it throughout our lifetime, we will find new treasures each time we read it. We can read God’s word many times over for the rest of our lives and never run out of new revelations. As we read and meditate upon God’s word, the Bible, we should do what it says to do—apply these instructions to our lives. This applying of instruction is abiding in Christ, living according to His will. It is not always easy because Satan will try to deceive us and twist God’s word. As I mentioned in a previous post, “Relationship with God-Part 2,” this is why it is crucial to fellowship with other Christ followers—to help us in our daily walk with God. We need others to help us understand God’s word, pray with and for us, and walk with us through our struggles.

A Child of God Receives Divine Protection

Once we become a child of God, we receive His protection. If you are a parent, you naturally protect your children. You teach your children obedience and when they step out of line, you give them consequences to help them learn that their wrong actions are not good for them. You want the best for them and you will go to any length to protect your child. This is the same for God, except that God is all powerful and thwarts the evil intended by Satan to destroy us. When we walk in God’s precepts, we are divinely protected. 

The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time and forever.

Psalm 121:7-8

There are times when we are blindsighted by circumstances in life that we never saw coming; or even times when we do see trouble on the horizon and we don’t know what to do. God’s children have hope and know that He will intervene and protect us. Today, there are circumstances we see that are a threat to our way of life and even our existence. What would we do if we had no hope? It’s sad to write this, but many people today live life without God and therefore have no hope.

A Child of God Receives Provision

Our very existence depends upon God. We can’t breathe without the oxygen that God has placed into the atmosphere. We can’t eat without the food God has provided for us. We can’t drink without the water that God sends from the heavens. We may acknowledge these facts and understand that all these good things come from God, but do we believe this about everything else? What about our family? mortgage or rent? work? education? transportation? clothes? rest and relaxation? God provides all our needs and even some of our desires as well. In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples to not worry.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow, they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-34

Can we agree that God provided for us when we were babies and He is still providing for us today? If so, we can be certain that He will provide for us tomorrow. Our part is to trust Him, no matter how uncomfortable our circumstances may become, for He is with us always.

A Child of God Receives Blessings

The greatest blessing that we could ever receive as a child of God is eternity in Heaven with our Savior Jesus Christ. There will be no evil in heaven; nor will there be tears, worries, or failure. Further, scripture tells us that we, His children, can not fathom what God wants to give us—not only in Heaven, but in the here and now, on this earth.

Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the human heart, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9 

There are so many blessings that God gives us just because He loves us. I know many of you have received special blessings that God has given just to you that you cherish and I would like to hear about them.

I will share a few of my blessings from God that I thank Him for lately:

My husband, my parents who are still living in their eighties, my golden retriever Bella, the ability to work from home—and one that I never even thought to ask for—wild blueberries growing in my back yard. When we purchased our home in South Carolina three years ago, one summer day a few months after we moved in, we discovered that we had lots of blackberries in our backyard. I had a true déjà vu moment! It took me back to my childhood in Louisiana where I picked blackberries with my sweet grandmother. I remember the fun we had picking them and then later making a quickie pie with them. All I could think was wow—what an unexpected blessing! It was like a warm, cozy moment that transported me back to my childhood.

As I close, I am reminded of the great sacrifice Jesus made for me. I am a child of God; I am no longer a slave to past sins or failures.

It is my sincere prayer that anyone who reads this blog today and has not yet surrendered their life to Christ Jesus will do so today and become an heir to the throne of Heaven. 

I hope you enjoy the special song below that I have included for your listening pleasure.

“No Longer Slaves” – Jonathan David and Melissa Helser

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.