To be Obedient

1 Samuel 15:22 “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed, better than the fat of rams.” Here we see how upset Samuel was that Saul took matters into his own hands and not follow the right protocol, by choosing to not be obedient to God. This was the beginning of his fall. Had he had respect for God and their traditions and obeyed it, he would have been blessed. Do you know that God wants to use us for His purpose and let us help Him spread the gospel and do good? God uses the Holy Spirit to put an idea or plant a seed in our hearts. We have to be prepared and in a place where we will be able to hear this voice, then we must act on it in obedience. If we don’t act on it, it will burn you to do so. Jeremiah 20:9 “But if I say I'll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can't do it!” If you still choose to ignore it, you will miss out on a wonderful opportunity to be blessed and be a blessing, and your heart will start to harden. Hebrews 3:15 “Remember what it says: "Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled." Even though we are special to God and He wants to use us, He is still God, and if we refuse to do what He wants us to do, He will use someone or something else to do His work. When Bileam wouldn’t listen, God spoke through a donkey. That is how serious He was to get that message across! When Jesus came into Jerusalem and the crowds cheered Him, calling Him the King and Messiah, the Pharisees asked God to rebuke them, but God said in Luke 9:40 “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” Remember, it is not a burden or a job, you get as much blessing out of it as you are a blessing in return! What a privilege to be a messenger for the Almighty God! I would like to tell you of two incidents that happened to me. One where I had the privilege to be obedient and one where somebody else blessed me by being obedient. I met a couple at church, they were extremely dedicated and served God with all their heart. They were always happy and everything seemed fine, but God pressed on my heart do do something special for the two of them. I didn’t know them very well, so I was too shy to approach them. Every time I saw them, I crinched and walked away, but that feeling inside of me grew intolerable to live with, so one night after service, I told the husband that God wants me to do something special for him and his wife. I asked him when his wedding anniversary was. You will not believe it! That week was his wife’s birthday and their anniversary, and at the time they were having financial difficulties which also put strain on the marriage. He had no idea what he was going to to for her, so I bought them a overnight stay at a spa, it was literally Godsend! Afterwards he contacted me again to say how much it meant for them, and that they could reconnect again. I felt so ashamed that I didn’t act immediately. I might have missed this opportunity, and both parties would have missed out on a true blessing! On another occasion I had a huge problem I was struggling with spiritually. God was working in my heart to expose everything, and I had two dreams that showed me how serious the situation was, but somehow I could not believe it, and everybody who knows me, knows how I feel about it, so their input would also not be objective. I asked God for a final confirmation, because I couldn’t make a hasty decision and then regret it. One hundred and fifty kilometres away from me there was a woman who never met me and had no idea who I am or what I am going through. She had a dream about me, where God clearly told her to give me a message. She wanted to be obedient, but had no idea where to find me or who I was. She prayed that God would send me her way so she can give me the message. A week later I was tagged in a photo of someone who is a friend of hers on Facebook, and when she opened the photo and saw me, she couldn’t believe that she recognised me! She contacted me via Facebook to give me the message, and we were both just in awe once again at the wonderous ways God works in.  God can make anything that seems impossible, possible. We must just listen, hear and obey, to receive a tremendous blessing from Him. The crux of the matter is: God wants to bless us, but in order for us to receive the full benefit of the blessing, we need to be obedient. We have to listen and be aware of how the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts. Numbers 6:22-27: “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”