What are some things that go together? They cannot be separated out.
Cowboys and Losing
Mac and Cheese
Peas and Carrots
Sonny and Cher
Bert and Ernie
Cookies and Milk
Chips and Salsa
All great items, let’s add…
Faith and Obedience
So this is my second attempt at writing this blog post. Why? Because the first time I was trying to tell a story and could not come up with one. Then I feel like the Lord was like “Share about the Wednesday Word for Women and the Podcast!”
This was a total step of faith and obedience.
BIG!
HUGE!
ONE!
Y'all know who Moses is? He was the dude that led the Israelites out of Egypt. He had no confidence in his speech or tongue when God called him to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let His people go. Moses’s exact words were, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
See I found myself saying the same thing over and over again to the same God that Moses said it to. Thanks to Moses, this was not God’s first rodeo in dealing with people like me. That was my excuse. If you know me, I am not eloquent, fluid or articulate. My excuse actually included I am not a good writer either. I also asked him for a good long month, can’t you use me in my strengths and not my weaknesses or in my skill set that I am confident in? He said no! I said fine!
So last year during Covid, I sent out the first Wednesday Word for Women on August 19th, 2020 and had grammar errors, spelling errors and since I am not an editor, there were all kinds of things that make those people roll their eyes and probably never read it again. But I had to be okay with that. I had to stand in a place of faith and obedience. It was hard. I was thankful for the friend who offered to edit them for me moving forward. She was the one that my emails made her eyes roll back in her head because of my lack of english/grammar skills.
Then we started this podcast. Again I can’t say my “R’s” well so speaking on a podcast is just lovely for me. I also do not like the sound of my voice. Insert vomit emoji. I often can’t think of words that I use frequently, I say the wrong word, I get all weird, and I have been known to make up words. It also does not help that I come from a family of singers and vocalists. All their voices sound amazing. Not this child of God. That was not given to me. I am also super duper harsh on myself and critical so much so that I will spend more time trying to train or work on my voice rather than doing other things that God wants or calls me to do, i.e. housework, laundry, Ubering my kids to practices, dinner etc… See I told you I have all the excuses and mind games just like you do.
So then why on His green earth does He want to use my voice to spread His word to women. I don’t have the slightest clue - all I know is He has asked me and I have to say yes. I have to have faith (part of my faith is that ya’ll don’t see the errors on the blog and are slightly tone deaf when you listen to the podcast :) and walk in obedience.
When I am obedient to God, my life is full. My life is favored and blessed. My life might have consequences for these decisions but I know God takes care of those for me. When I am walking in faith and obedience I know for a fact that God is supplying all my needs according to HIS riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19).
Isaiah 1:19 reminds us that if you are willing and obedient, we shall eat the good of the land.
Luke 11:28 says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
John 14:28 again says, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
When God calls you don’t choose no, it means you are not trusting God with the outcome. Walking in obedience and faith means you might look goofy, ignorant or down right stupid to the world (trust me it looks stupid to me and some of my family members might still be wondering why I am doing this); but by walking in obedience and faith you are showing the world that you love the Father more than yourself. You are being the light in the darkness and the salt and the light (John 14:31).
So how can we continue to walk in obedience to God as a woman? As a sister, mom and friend? 1 John 5:3 tells us His commandments are not burdensome. Why? Because if you believe that Jesus is the Christ and born of God, and God is love, then a part of your love for God is keeping His commandments. It means being kind when others are not; it means not engaging in a conversation to prove your point; it means loving someone with the love that only God can give you in that moment. It means asking the Holy Spirit to fill you to the fullest each day with the fruits of His Spirit. It means laying your idols down; it means trusting God when it feels like life is out of control. It means allowing your loved ones to make poor choices so that God can reveal Himself to them not you. It means _____ (you fill in the blank).
You cannot ever separate faith and obedience.
Why? Because if I am going to trust God to do what He said, I have to know I am called to walk in faith knowing God’s will is better than my own. By walking in faith and obedience I am going to stand resolved knowing I am leaving the consequences to Him. I am going to trust Him to handle the results of my obedience.
No matter where God calls you, the PTA, the booster club, promotion at the job, a new job, a new set of friends on the street, etc... we have to walk in faith and obedience. Up or down the hill or sitting on the plateau to catch our breath.
John 15:10 says, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.”
I want to abide and embrace God’s love daily. The Psalmist reminds us that His love is better than life. Sign me up for that, over and over and over again!
Some day’s Mac and Cheese and Chips and Salsa seem better and more alluring than faith and obedience. They honestly could be equal. So I am sure if you are still reading this there is something in your life that God is prompting you to be faithful and obedient and to do, I say do it! If getting some Mac and Cheese from Chick-Fil-A makes it easier then go get it.
Like I mentioned at the beginning, there are certain things that can’t be separated from each other but things that need to be - the Cowboys and losing is one we pray for. Let’s just hope the Cowboys can move away from losing and into the winning category before Jesus comes back. It makes for better Sundays.
Thank you ladies for listening and reading our first season of The Noisy Narratives. We are excited to see what God does through us in the second season!
See you back in September.
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