Can someone teach me how to be obedient to the LORD? This has always eluded me. I have always had trouble staying on the path. I tetter-totter. It is hard for me, and I don't know why. I have tried to follow God, I have tried to follow God, but it keeps seeming like I am not there yet, like I'm still in the way or something. How do people do it? How do people stay obedient? This has always eluded me. Does this obedience come with age?

I try to REPENT every night like Job did, in case I have any sins I committed and I don't know about yet.

If it helps anyone, I am 23.

BlueRiverTributaries

like #643, I do not want to fall by the wayside, I do not want to fall by the wayside

A qoute from prophecy interpretation #643:

"Yes, Reymundo. It is, it is. It is to be. It is to be, it is to be. Now it will come upon you the time of destruction, the time of destruction, it is at hand. There will be many that will fall, many that will fall, because they will not accept my son, Jesus. Yes, Yes know that this will happen, you can not escape for only Jesus can keep you from this destruction."

If believe in your heart the first part is taken care of, Lord Jesus IS your escape from this destruction. The rest is just living it day by day. When you mess up, go straight to God and His Word because nothing will save you except for the strength that Lord Jesus gives you through the Spirit living inside you. I have been learning that you have to make that concious decision everyday when you wake up to serve the Lord. As it is my personal belief, that if you truely believe on the Lord Jesus in heart and have that Spirit inside you then God is not going to let you fall beyond repair... now that's not to say he won't rebuke you or punish you

The most important way to learn how to be obedient to the Lord (as I've been learning) is to read His Word, pray, and something I actually tried today ... take communion. We're human, it takes time to become more like Christ. (and this doesn't give excuse to give into temptation, just a realization that IF we do something stupid AND repent of it .. God's still working in us )

I hope this helps some, as I am struggling also everyday with making decisions that honor the Lord.

Prayer always helps!

In the love of Lord Jesus,
Phil

Also, if you are for sure that you have that first part taken care of (the relationship) I've been learning that as you draw near to God sinful things begin to fall to the wayside. It's hard for me too cause as I am younger too. I guess you just gotta just say Hey, today is for the Lord! Not me or what my body desires, but the one who saved me and is saving me. (As i type these words I'm realizing I need to start applying these things too... I've been teeter tottering myself too.. it's tough stuff for sure)

I suppose what I'm trying to say is work on the relationship and desires go away ... it's kinda like the Lord is on your my mind and on your heart and when temptation comes it makes it easier to just say hey, i've been gettin close to God alot lately... I can live without that because my Father doesn't approve of it AND because it will compromise my closeness to the Lord.... He loved me enough to spare my life... I should please Him....

it's all about the love, in love the law is fulfilled is it not?

Thank you.

BlueRiverTributaries wrote:


My Brother in the Lord,

Obedience to the Lord God is only just doing whatever it is that the Lord tells you to do. No matter how dumb or stupid that it may seem to be when the Lord tells you to do it. If the Lord tells you to make a fool of yourself in front of a crowd, then you make a fool of yourself.

Like Raymond, who the Lord just told to go to a store. Ray went, walked around it for an hour or more, and finally the Lord released him to go home, and in answer to Ray's question, made it know that it was a test of obedience.

Abraham was told to take his son to a mountain and to sacrifice him to God. (kill him) And as he raised the knife, the Lord stopped him, for it was a test of Abraham's obedience to God.

Raymond has a friend who has been told several times to go live on the street, like the homeless. And there he has led many to the Lord. The Lord has released him to come off the street at least once. His testimonies are uplifting. How the Lord tells him to make signs and stand in certain places. Of passing out tracts.

My wife's cousin was told to do something by the Lord. In her attempt to carry out that command of Jesus to her, she was thrown out of one church, was told by more than one pastor that what she had was not of God, and was mocked by many pastors of her local churches, but one pastor helped her to set up a meeting with a group of pastors, the result was that no one would take part in what the Lord had told her to tell them to do. She thought that she was a failure, but she said that the Lord then told her that she did very well, and that it was a test of HER Obedience, and not of what anyone else would do.

That saintly woman went to be with the Lord early in May, 2005.

If you are listening to the Lord God Jesus Christ, then you will be tested from time to time. How important is that? In the troubles to come, the Lord will give us a warning to do something, be it to run, to stand still, to hide, what ever it may be, that instant and total Obedience will carry you through, protecting you. But any disobedience, any hesitation to obey, will result in your imprisonment, your torture, your death.

Do not worry about what anyone else is doing. Do not worry about what it looks like to anyone else. Obedience to God is not something that I, or anyone else can teach you. It is something that you will have to work out between just you and Jesus.

We often look at someone else and think that they are surely on the right path to God and are very obedient to God. While they may only have an appearance and what they are doing may be in disobedience to God.

God may allow you to do things which I am forbidden to do. And I may be allowed to do things which you are forbidden to do by the Holy Lord God.

Each of us is treated differently by Jesus.

You should understand that you will be sorely tested at the most inopportune times, like when you have a pressing appointment somewhere. You can obey the Lord and miss your appointment, or you can make your appointment and disobey the Lord. The choice will always be yours.

An example might be like if you were to be in a court before a judge at a certain hour, and to miss it, or to be late would send you to jail, and on the way to the court, the Lord told you to stop at a store, buy a loaf of bread and immediately take it to another town, without giving you any other information of what to do with it when you got there. What would you do?? Do what the Lord tells you to do, with an almost certainty that you would go to jail if you obey, or would you go to the court, and try to buy the bread later?? To do it later would be in disobedience to the Lord God. .

That answer you give yourself tells just how obedient you are to the Holy Lord God Jesus Christ. If you hesitated on your answer, taking time to think about it, then you need to work on your obedience to the Lord. If you instantly, with out thought or hesitation said that you would buy the bread and drive to the other town, then you have no problem with Obeying the Lord. But if you thought that you would still be obedient if you went to court and bought the bread later, then you have no obedience at all.

Be aware that each of us are disobedient to the Lord from time to time, and when that happens, the Lord will chastise us.

Stand with your head up, for if you were not Obeying the Holy Lord God, then you would not be having these thoughts about obeying, or not obeying. You would not have such a burning desire to serve and obey Jesus Christ.

I also have trouble with obedience and knowing when it’s really God speaking to me. How does a person know for sure that the Lord is talking to them, or if it’s just a thought of there own mind? It could just be something that you want to do or the enemy is trying to make you look foolish. I think that sometimes people can think they are so spirit filled that every thought they have is from God, when it’s not. I am very uncertain, and would like to be sure. Is there anyway to be curtain.

And is it okay to wait to see what else happens before you act. Like asking God if this is from you give me some kind of confirmation. I get really nervous about witnessing unless someone knows my beliefs and comes to me for advice.

Sometimes I think the more nervous and scared I am - those are the times when it is really from God. I am very insecure about my knowledge and leadership skills. At times I think I could do anything but when something comes up I am filled with all kinds of doubt

I do share my faith at work, well sometimes when the subject comes up. One day a co-worker said they thought we should start a bible study, I said great. But this person wanted me to lead it and teach them. She seemed to be totally serious; I got so scared and overcome with fear that I didn’t jump on it, I just let it go. I should have jumped on it. But I didn’t. I probably know what to do, to study more, pray more, but I don’t. I have much trouble in this area as well. I feel I’m very lazy and stifled like something has their hands around my neck or their thumb pressing down on me.

I have been praying for something, anything, a door to open, for God to show me a calling or my place. But I’m afraid if he did. I would let doubt and fear stop me. I have a lot of fears and doubts about myself about everything. I feel I have always been oppressed with this in my life. I’m even having doubts about sending this. HELP!

MerMer Rae

To MerMer Rae and everyone else who is interested in how to witness.

There are two articles which will help you in your witnessing for Jesus Christ.

The first: The WOW approach in Witnessing.

http://www.barr-family.com/godsword/thewow.htm

And the second: What if I Fail?

http://www.barr-family.com/godsword/whatfail.htm

If you trust the Lord God Jesus Christ, then He will put the words in your mouth which will withess to someone, and you will wonder why you said this or that, but God puts those words out through you that the other person needed to hear.

The more you speak out, the greater will your faith grow.

mermer rae , i know exactly how you feel about not knowing for sure if its Gods voice.

It seems thats one of my real troubles. Doing something embarasing for the Lord , i believe i could fear the Lord greater than any embarrasment , but embarrasening myself by doing something the Lord didnt tell me to do , but what i told me to do and thought it was the Lord , is the fear that keeps me from doing many things.

Speaking to a stranger is one thing , speaking to those who know you is a completly more difficult thing. Ive noticed talking about God is something that makes people uncomfortable around you. They look at you with those eyes , like we cant be ourselfs around you. For a stranger this is easy , because you dont have to see them everyday , you dont have to be around them everyday , but to your family its not the same.

Your family has known you sence you were a child , they watched you grow , they know you , or at least they think they do. And when you are around them , what do they do? They remind you of who you used to be. Without even speaking about your ways , the way they speak around you , the way they act reasures you that you are still the you that they have known ,

Remember Jesus? Going to those whom He grew up in front of , they said is this not josephs son? Did not this boy grow up in front of us? He could do little there because noone believed Him. They thought they knew Him.

For some reason i can tell more about my heart and the deep things in me to a complete stranger, than i can with my own family. Thats one of the things the Lord wants me to do , and i have hoped for some supernatural boldness to come , and literly make me do these things.

Because i want to do them , i just dont want to do them. Also ive given up hope for God to actualy make me do them so i didnt have to choice to. In my dreams , in my day dreams , i can speak before large crowds , i can speak boldy to many , but in real life i get scared. From experience , iv learned that the most fearfull part is right before you speak. After you start speaking , after you start doing , its as if God is with you and all you feel is peace.

The person i dream of , the person i see myself as , seems to be the oposite of what i apear to be at this point.

I was always the quiet kid at school. The kid who sat in back and watched everyone else goof off. Never have i felt comfortable speaking in front of people. And how is it i imagine myself leading many to Christ? How is it i imagine speaking to many about the Ways of God? When it seems i have a social disorder? I dont even really like going to the store . Theres too many people there.

Yea my problems are high , surely higher than yours. I had a dream a couple days ago , in the dream i got a phone call , and whose name was on the caller id? Warm , Luke . Yea i got some problems, i have so much to do , and i dont know how im going to do it all.I pray to God for Mercy , and for Help. How do i escape these problems? How do i be the man i had always dreamed i would be? And on top of this i cant trust the voices in my head. I think its a spirit that keeps comeing against me. As in the church of man. I hear my mind speak and preach the word of God , and i hate it!! Who am i to do such a thing? All day long my mind tries to reason and understand the word of God , preaching it over and over . I hate my own voice , it reminds me of my fathers. I want Gods voice , His Spirit to teach me. Not my own non sence , pondering and preaching things to myself that i hardly understand.

It reminds me of the Church of man. ANd i HATE HATE HATE the church of man. Pride also comes against me , that voice i hate hearing as well. Sometimes doubt and disbeliefe comes with fear. But those three i know how to overcome now , ive done it time after time, by the Grace of God.

The Lord called me with a high calling. A great responceablity , and some times it seems as if im not going to make it , as if im going to fail God. And fail those around me , and fail myself.

One time it was so heavy upon me i didnt want to live , i just wanted to get away. I began to speak contrary to what i felt and seen , it was so heavey upon me. I began to speak and say God will surely use me , He didnt bring me this far to loose me. Surely i will fullfill the Will of the Lord , Surely God will help me. This i spoke a little while after i had a fearfull dream from the Lord , in which i saw His Anger towards me. And that was the last i heard from Him at the time.

And here i was overcome with fear of failer , fear that i would never amount to anything. So speaking in faith here as i did , encourageing myself here as i did , was no small thing to do.

A little time went by and i was talking in the chat room i would useualy go to , talking with some friends , and there a prophet came , and was prophecieing , and He propheicied to me. And would you believe it? the things i encouraged myself in , on that hard and painfull night , the Lord confirmed that He would do. And He did make me to smile and rejoice.

And so now here i am , again in the same tight spot. I can hardly speak what it is im in. So now what can i do? but the same continue encouraging myself in the Lord , that all these things that are in my way will fail, and all that He wants me to do will be done. And again i hope against hope. And with fear of the Lord and tears do i pray to the Lord for Help.

these are some of the things on my heart. I havent talked personaly with the Lord in some time. ANd truethfully im afraid to. I dont know if i will see Him angry or not. But He has been communicating with me in other ways. Again i dont trust the voices in my head. I dont trust myself.

Well i thought i would pour this out of me ,whats the use keeping it all bottled up inside? Let your will be done oh God , do what seems good to you. show us the way we must go , Strengthen us , give us boldness , and make us not ashamed for trusting in you. Praise be to you oh God , Great I AM maker of all things , and Praise and thanks to your Son , doubtless you will clear things up for us.

Well hello, st_joel,

Warning from God: Do not forsake Me; I have had enough of you trying to run and hide. I want people, not rabbits. I AM with you. I AM with you. I AM with you. (over)

You are not making it on your own, it is a gift of Christ. Christ will carry you to salvation, all you have to do is obey. The LORD tells me it is a roller coaster, and all you have to do is keep your head low and your seat buckled, otherwise, you fly off during a curve and you can never come back on! That is the walk of Christ -- the roller coaster!

You have not said anything that no one else has gone through! I have gone through so many of what you said, and I am here to help and share with you how speaking in crowds and family worked for me!

It is nerve-wrecking!

I have a Theatre Minor, and EVERYTIME, no kidding, EVERYTIME right before a play starts, I would get stage fright. It is normal, and it only shows how much human you are. You are not alone in this, but you still have to deal with this.

I have been obedient by, when God tells me to do something, I imagine that NOTHING ELSE EXISTS. That my entire purpose comes down to this ONE command that God has given me to perform. Afterwards, reality returns for me. (I believe it is what the Good LORD would call 'to the point'.)

I am the king of talking myself out of God's commands! I have dealt with this before, and am coming out of it, so I may help you. For you have helped me also.

It is hard to deal with family members on tough subjects like Eternal Salvation because, get this, they have dirt on you. THey know times when you lied, when you broke that plate, when you snuck out that one night to see "her", when you disobeyed your parents. They also, because they know you, they have put you "in a box". But you are, as Christ made you. And that old self has already died with Jesus.

It is easier to do the LORD's Work when you have nothing to lose. This is Honestly the Way to make your walk with Christ easier: you have to become a Nobody. And the LORD will lift you up. See, when you have connections to family, possessions, memories, friends, false beliefs, and your own selfish ways of doing things, you get pulled back. Those things, it is like a rubber cord around you. Jesus said to forsake everything, die to self, pick up that Cross, and follow Him. Our home is in heaven, not here on earth.

Whatever life we might have led (Peter WAS a fisherman), in a deep relationship with Christ, we have forsaken the here and now IN FAVOR OF the new life that is to come. And that is so much more glorious than the first!

You are like me, you are afraid to fail! Go fail for Christ! And then pick up your Cross again, and learn and keep going. I never would have gotten here today if I had not in faith *TRIED* to obey. (Ignore the people who do not understand 'failing for Christ'. It is a tool God used on me and for myself, it works.)

If you failed, where was the victory? If you approached a person, and got as far as identifying thier problem before bailing, CONGRATULATIONS, you made victory! Esther invited King Xerxes to three banquets and then got up the nerve. You are learning, as a toddler learns to move.


And when it comes down to it, if all else fails, think of Hell. Think of the torment, think of the hatred, think of the lonliness. Ask for a glimpse into hell, that will get you into gear! God showed me a very basic cleaned up version of hell, and it still was not pretty! No one talks to each other down there, no relationship. They are all each in a box, in cubicles, all looking straight ahead. No love, no peace, no light. Hell, it is hell!

If you were spared that, how much more do you want your fellow man to be spared that.

In Revelation, the cowardly will have their place in hell. We as Christ-ians are to walk Boldly before the throne and in the earth. Not ashamed of the name we have been subjected to serve willingly. I have failed at this!

Pray to God, print this out, take it with you, take time to digest it. This was not meant for one sitting. Go on faith and fail. Then get up, and pray, and God will lead you out there again.

Here is a short story:
In college, God came up to me and said "Go open-air preach on the Mall for one hour and wear a belt." The Mall is a public walking place, and there are tons of college kids out there. I said, "God you have got to be kidding, NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. And the night before, for two hours, in the cold, I practiced preached with my Bible in hand. And I thought about hell, and I thought about how this world has hurt me, and so, with the force of God, I preached for one hour during lunch in front of many of my fellow students. And who knows how many were saved.

The VERY thing you are going to say is, I could never do that, I could never be like that. But I am nobody. I followed the LORD.

And in the end, I am grateful that I obeyed.

And, you will be too.

Peace, love, and chicken parmesian.
BlueRiverTributaries