Frankly Speaking
I was impressed to re-release this word I wrote back in September of 2018.
But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 1Samuel 15:22
How do we know God's will? By learning to listen to His voice. How does He speak? Never the same way. Loud & thunderous? Usually not. A still, small voice? Usually. Through others? Many times. So then, how do we know it's His voice and not that of another? We must rely on the Spirit of God that lives within us. Jesus said, "But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." (John 14:26) When the Spirit takes up residence within us, we then have the ability to converse with God. To converse is to "keep company; to associate; to cohabit; to hold intercourse and be intimately acquainted with." The Spirit conveys God's will to us. Being in God's will is not about following endless rules and jumping through hoops to please God-it's about a relationship. When God tells you what to do, you do it; no matter how impossible it seems, no matter how silly it looks, no matter what others think, no matter that others aren't doing it, and no matter that you may never figure out why He had you do it in the first place. It's simply hearing and obeying. God is looking for those who will listen and obey-they are the ones who truly please Him. They are the ones He uses to build His kingdom here on Earth.
Satan doesn't so much mind us sacrificing, but he hates it when we are obedient!
Pastor Frank Dodson
I was impressed to re-release this word I wrote back in September of 2018.
But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 1Samuel 15:22
How do we know God's will? By learning to listen to His voice. How does He speak? Never the same way. Loud & thunderous? Usually not. A still, small voice? Usually. Through others? Many times. So then, how do we know it's His voice and not that of another? We must rely on the Spirit of God that lives within us. Jesus said, "But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." (John 14:26) When the Spirit takes up residence within us, we then have the ability to converse with God. To converse is to "keep company; to associate; to cohabit; to hold intercourse and be intimately acquainted with." The Spirit conveys God's will to us. Being in God's will is not about following endless rules and jumping through hoops to please God-it's about a relationship. When God tells you what to do, you do it; no matter how impossible it seems, no matter how silly it looks, no matter what others think, no matter that others aren't doing it, and no matter that you may never figure out why He had you do it in the first place. It's simply hearing and obeying. God is looking for those who will listen and obey-they are the ones who truly please Him. They are the ones He uses to build His kingdom here on Earth.
Satan doesn't so much mind us sacrificing, but he hates it when we are obedient!
Pastor Frank Dodson
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