Just OBEY! | Dr Daniel Kong

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day. Today's message is quite straightforward, quite simple.

Uh, I'll be sharing on a very bad four letter word that most people

don't like in the church context. It's not those letters that you think anyway

you can guess what that letter for letter is. No, that might I

was just gonna let out of the back is all b e y Okay,

it's obey Okay. Like I said, I'd be very cheeky here, but

yeah, it's uh, it's it's one of those words that people most people

don't like. Kids don't like it, adults don't like it as well.

But I'm just gonna draw from scripture. First. Let's bring up oh you

brought now bring up a scripture. Deuteronomy is meant to be a hidden thing.

But anyway you eronomy for to efficient Yeah, four verses one to two.

Okay, Here it says, so there's Posessa urging the Israel to obey.

Okay, so it says here and now Israel, listen carefully to these

decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you obey them with OBEYA wanza

to so that you may live, so that you may enter and occupy the

land that the Lord. The Lord, sorry that the Lord. So I'm

I'm an afternoon guy, So two coffees only, So excuse me if I

need some time to wake up. But it's fine that the Lord, the

God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to or subtract

from these commands that I'm giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord,

your God that I'm giving you. So I've highlighted this word here or

you can see heah. Okay, just obey a plucked out from the famous

profit of Nike that they have this terms. They say, just do it.

It's a similar thing. Just obey. Okay, just obey. And

what does it mean by just obey? Okay, it's really don't overthink it.

It's probably the simplest way to put it. Just do it, right?

What does it mean forgive? Just like that? Okay, just apologize,

don't overthink it. If God puts an amount in your heart to give,

just give right, just obey, Just apply for the job. If

God puts it in your heart, just reach out to the person. Talk

to that person. If God tells you to talk to person. That's it

as simple as that. Don't overanalyze it, don't overthink it, don't wait

too long, don't let it similar, don't always spiritualize it as well.

I've got to pray about this, et cetera. You get the idea,

just do it. And this is what this passage says. Okay, now

I know I have something prepared in sequences, I'm going to jump right till

the end. I'm so sorry, I'm obeying. All right, So I'm

gonna go to this slide that talks about the anatomy of the promise of God.

Okay, and I think it's fairly important that I start in reverse order.

Okay. So I've shared something in one thirty service, and I talked

about how God's promise is fulfilled. Okay, I'm sorry. I've used this

illustration to talk about how God's promise is fulfilled. So normally at the very

start, when God has promised, and this is God's promise, it comes

through a vision that He has in your life. So I've used this eyes,

ears, feet, and hands. This is because of our leaders training.

All those leaders you'll probably remember with all these body parts that we've used

and gone through so I've also gone through that during that season. So I

so God sees the promise and then when he sees that promise, he communicates

it to us. Okay, some may hear in audible, but most of

us don't hear it in audible voice. Some may, uh you know,

read of it through the Bible and it leaps at you. But I'm just

using the word ears to illustrate that it reaches us through our ears, okay,

and sometimes it reaches through our ears. There are some conditions, so

they're telling you, Okay, this is the promise I have for you.

Because God sees it, he communicates to us, and then we hear it,

and sometimes it tells us what the conditions are to be able to attain

that promise. And then there is the next part is the feed where we

need to take action okay, or walk in obedience is probably what I'm trying

to say it. That's why the feed is there. And most promises right

that we hear of are unfulfilled. Why because we have the two first two

parts and then get stuck on us because we don't simply don't obey. Okay,

I'm not trying to be all doomed and gloom here. But this is

why some promises are not fulfilled, and the reason is really not so much

lack of faith, but maybe just the lack of obedience. Okay, because

you don't walk in how else or how then will this promise be activated?

All right? So the ball is actually on our cour is I'm trying to

say here, Okay. And last, but not least, the hand is

where when you actually walk in obedience, his hand or hands or hand will

be able to release that blessing into your life. Okay. So I've used

this four body parts just to illustrate how God's promise is simplistically channeled down to

you as a blessing. Okay. So the ears sorry eyes, ears,

feet, and hands. Okay. So, like I said before, first

two points is initiated by God. He sees a promise. You've heard it,

but you need to take the obedience portion is where you need to step

in and walk on it. Okay, otherwise you'd be stuck forever in that

first two years and not see it come to fruition. Okay. Now,

the reason why I started with this, although it's actually parked at the very

last end of my message, I thought this woul actually make a very good

context of more us to be obedient. Okay, every okay, so far,

Okay, so I'm gonna move back up all the way again. Thank

you, Thanks to you for bearing with me before that. Let me pray,

Lord, Father, We just pray that you speak to us Lord,

ever so clearly, and as we obediently, Lord, listen to what you

have in store for us. We pray that you'll be able to move our

hearts lot to shift to the next step of just walking in obedience on a

daily basis. Thank you, Father, and you just need me pray amen

amen. Okay, So, as I mentioned earlier, or be obeyed,

this four letter word. You know, kids don't like it. Adults don't

like it as well. But funnily enough, this bad words I started off

the message earlier, it's actually a good word. Okay, it's actually a

good thing. Now why is it a good thing? Because it's usually misunderstood.

Okay. Now, for those of you who are parents or know of

understand this whole parenting thing. You know for a fact that you sometimes use

this thing. You better obey or else dot dot dot dot dot dot you

use this is tread right right. But why do we do that? Is

it to bring harm to your kid or bring hurt to your kid? No?

Right, I mean we encourage obedience because we want them to, I

guess, walk right, or do the right thing, at least provide some

guidance. And that's why obedience. It starts off even as early as a

toddler, when they can simply understand the concept of, you know, following

through some steps or some instructions. Okay, And how many of us,

when you are kids you obey your parents? Just curious. I'm one of

those naughty ones. Grew up a rascal. I've tasted every type of cane,

sugarcane, you know, know that the era you know, where things

will just come very quickly. Have a sibling or sister who is usually spared

because of the gender thing. I always have this anyway, let's not get

that, all right. But but but sometimes you know, I obey because

of fear, Okay, But it shouldn't be because of that. It's because

obedience is good. And some believe in obedience, but we I think in

general most people understand that from a kid's perspective or a parent's perspective, obedience

is a good thing. Right. Nobody will say that you shouldn't obey a

parent. In fact, actually it's biblical. You know that you should obey

your parents, right, But then why is it struggle that in every phase

of life, whether you're a kid, a toddler, where a teenager,

even as an adult, sometimes you struggle with this obedience thing. You think

you'll get better as you grow older, but no, you actually, in

fact struggle more. Let me tell you why. As an adult, you

normally maybe obey when there are some I guess repercussions involved. Let's say,

for example, if you know that you're not supposed to speed, you speed,

but you obey when you see some you know, cars parked on the

side of the road, or some cameras, and then you stop straight away

because you know repercussions. But it is it is obedience, true, I

guess, motivated by different reasons. Okay, but but why is it difficult

to obey if you think about it, No one forces you anymore as an

adult because they say you've already graduated. You can already figure it out yourself.

What is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is

bad? So you have that liberty to the extent to not obey, okay,

And we apply that why because we think you've got experience. I've been

through X number of years in my life, okay, and therefore I think

I know better, okay, or I can reason or determine whether obedience is

necessary or not. And sometimes we take this approach and we apply it to

God as well. And that's why we always say, right, kids,

they have no issues with obeying God. But sometimes as we grow older and

wiser, it becomes more of an issue. Okay, every understand where I'm

coming from here. Okay, Sophie, that's not too complex. But yeah,

I mean, I've got a I've got a teenager now thirteen years old,

just turned thirteen, still a very nice boy, still listens, which

is good. But you know, as a parent, you know when the

kid doesn't want to go to school, you will say, go to school,

you're vegies because it is good for you. Right, And someday when

he's eighteen, he's twenty one, even though him is ninety nine, obedience

is still something that needs to be done. But somehow, for us,

as I mentioned earlier, we think that this becomes optional as we age,

okay, And this shouldn't be the case, because why you think about it

now nowadays? You know, when you're young and I say no ice cream

because of whatever reason, you know that you can't you obey. But as

an adult, oh why can heave? I screaming? One? It may

affect certain parts of my body, my waistline, et cetera. But it's

unhealthy. But it's fine. I'm a doubt and therefore I will do what

I want. I buy what I want, eat what I want. Right

Nobody imposes these rules to me. Of course, like I said, all

those things like you know, murder and traffic infringement, those are different things

altogether. Okay, I'm not talking about those kind of things. I'm talking

about things that are good for you that you don't follow and you don't obey,

or things that are bad for you you don't avoid. But funnily enough,

like I said, this sometimes translates to the way we approach God as

well. Okay, because we are no longer under or we think that we

are mature enough, and therefore, in other ways words, we think it's

optional. Ever catch my drift. Okay, now, I hope that it's

not too deep. This is the introduction to what I wanted to share.

Uh, that's why I titled the title today just Obey. I started with

very weird titles. I've got this very weird thing about airport titles. So

I started to be or not to be, and then it became to obey

or not to obey. But anyway, this make it simple. Just obey,

okay, and we need to keep moving on even true that, like

I said, even if you're one or your ninety nine, obedience is still

necessary. Okay. I started with the scripture earlier to say that you need

to just obey. But I'm gonna go deeper into another scripture. Anybody heard

of the this this person named Nayman or not Aman or some translations they produce.

They spell it namnn Man. No, not just kidding his name and

all right, Uh so I'm gonna jump to Second King's chapter chapter five.

If you can bring the scripture up. Who's tiny, Okay, I'll read,

Okay, but let's just started with verse one, okay. So now

Nayman was a commander of the the army of the King of Aram. He

was a great man in in the sight of his master, and he is

highly regarded because true him the Lord has given victory over Aram. He was

a valen soldier, but he had one problem. He had leprosy. Leprosy

is it's a disease people do, Uh, it's I guess it's a kin

to covid. It's very easily contagious. You have this funny skinned thing.

People will avoid you at all. Course, but he is a very established

I think captain or general at the time, very uh effective in in in

battles. But he's got this problem. Uh where even the physical people you

can see it. Okay. Now, bands of raiders from Aram had gone

out and taken captive of a young girl from Israel and serve as a serf

Nayman's wife. So we're talking about a young Israel Israel, Israeli girl who

has been taken truth from the battles to become a servant of his wife.

Okay, she said to her mistress, if you only sorry, if only

my master would see the prophet who is in the Maria, he would cure

him of this leprosy. So this is the servant girl telling, uh,

telling Nayeman about the prophet that all you have to do is just really see.

Of course, the prophet is not a doctor, but he she believes

that this prophet can heal uh this this problem. So I'm gonna jump straight

to uh jump here to verse nine. Okay. So namean when in his

with his horses and chariots and stopped at the doorstep of Elishah. Okay,

Elishah, this is the prophet that we're talking about. Okay. So it's

a very grand duo kind of entrance. They went in today's modern world,

will be probably have you police escorts, multiple cars, et cetera, et

cetera, a lot of noise occurring of that day, and arrive at this

prophet's house. Okay, And what's happened there at Elisha? At Elisha's houses

verse ten, Eliza send a messenger to say to him, go wash yourself

seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh shill be restored and you will

be cleansed. Okay. So so by the way, he didn't come out

and se him, you know, he sent somebody to see him. Okay,

imagine this, a grand general traveled in a big entourage, came over

to see somebody. The person didn't give faith to come out and talk to

him. In fact, he sent a messenger to say, go and do

this, this thing and what he's supposed to do. But name, of

course he went angry and said, I thought that he would surely come out

to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord, his God,

wave his hand over the spot, and kill me of the leprosy.

Oh, by the way, I've got to mentioned Nieman is not a believer,

you know, he's not. He's not a follower Christ, or he's

not really follow God in the in the in the in the in the era.

Okay, so he's but he believes in the power amazing right, So

he's a pagan. He's a pagan general. Uh verse let me see verse

twelve. Okay, are not a bana and fa fa Papa? The rivers

of the Meca Damascus better than all the waters of Israel, couldn't I wash

in them, be cleansed? And so he turned and went on and off

in a rage. Okay. Now again the context is a general very established,

good at what he does, well respected. Is like me or sending

a messenger telling you, oh, go and clean yourself in Klang river.

Wash yourself clean in Klang River. So the general or the captain will probably

be expecting. I think you should go to like some five star hotel,

check in there, just dip myself, clean myself, the kind of thing.

But why not only you don't come and see me. You send me

to this place that is dirty and expect me to do this to be cleansed.

Okay, where am i? Okay? Thirteen? So name and servants

went to him and said, my father, if the prophet had told you

to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much

more? When and then when he tells you wash and be cleansed? Okay?

So fourteen. So he went down dipped himself in the Jordans seven times

as the Man of God told him, and his flesh was restored and became

clean like of the young boy. Fifteen. Then Nayman and all his attendants

went back to the Man of God. He stood before him and said,

now I know that there is no god in all the world except in Israel.

That mister acknowledge, you know the Israelite God, So please accept a

gift from me. Okay. So that's the story, you see. Of

course I have just rushed through everything and go and read. There's a lot

more details in it, but really it is a story of a picture of

a very successful general came for help, was a bit disgrunted about the treatment,

but in the end he still did it. He still went and obeyed,

and then he was here. Okay, now that is a short summary

now, but let's unpack what this is all about. What I'm trying to

illustrate here is that first point obedience is rarely comfortable, or it's very rare

to see people say, oh, yes, I got my first patriot.

I give my fifty percent. Sometimes you struggled at ten percent, right,

Or yes, I can finally forgive, or I want to forgive, you

know, Nick, right now, you know on a forgiving right now,

as soon as it hurt me, I feel give me straight away. Very

rarely, it's very really comfortable doing it, okay. Or I want to

serve another service, a third service. This is my first service. I'm

we'll do another one, and we'll do another one and we'll do tomorrow.

I'm so excited about it I want to do I'll give it more. Oh,

I go back and tell my wife, you know the things I've silly

things I've done. I confess, you know, it's very hard. Sometimes

you confess it since even as a kid, I don't want to go back

to my parents and confess it's always very hard because even though we are told

to do all these things. Okay, so I'm trying to illustrate here,

is that obedience is rarely comfortable and it's very rare sometimes. But why still

God is interested in this is because, like I said earlier, we all

understand the simple perspective or concept that as a child, as you obey,

when someone who has we want to experience telling you certain things, you obey

for your good even though it's'n comfortable. Right. Imagine this, If my

son come to me and say, oh, I don't feel like going to

school, you know, he'll probably be not very effective in life. He'll

just be sitting bumming around the house. And how many of us, even

as you grow up, when there's exams, you suddenly fell ill, maybe

emotionally, right. I remember every time I can't do this, I want

to give up. You know, it's too hard. I want to quit,

whether it's I don't know what these back then PM are, you know

s PM, those kind of things. Every time I want to quit,

why my parents not step in and say you better obey and just go for

it. I would have quit a long time ago, right, true,

Uni, same thing, college, same thing. You know, I even

did extended graduate studies, postgraduate studies. Every junction, I will feel like

quitting because it's always uncomfortable. It's never easier to obey, all right,

But because of submission, because of just obeying, we soldier on and then

we see the fruits or aka the blessing. But we submit to the authority

and that perspective, I was submitting to my parents. Okay, So you

get the idea, because parents, when they know when they push out of

your comfort zone, you would succeed or you do better and you receive that

blessing. Okay, and then or in other words, you would grow.

Right. If you want to give the kids something difficult, they'll never do

it. Use most of the time, okay, and it's normal. So

what I'm trying to say is that you're not really forced into but you're encouraged

to move into the uncomfortable. Even though it may be uncomfortable. God will

still not force you, and really he will encourage you. But we need

to understand that even though it's uncomfortable, we need to obey because it's really

good when abinis kicking your faithful good to another level. That's one. But

also you receive that blessing as I mentioned earlier. Okay, so step up

and respond. Sometimes you always wonder, God, how come I'm praying for

this? But it you know, if I'm pray for more? But how

come is not being fulfilled yet? Because there's still somethings pending. You know,

Friend, you can't jump from one to another and you haven't had things

unresolved. Like I said earlier, sometimes God sees something in you shares it

with you. It hasn't been completed. You're to jump ten steps and you

say those bowl prayers, Lord, please use me to do this. This

is you can't even do something simple. I come to prayer service on a

regular basis, and you do great things for God, those kind of things.

Okay, So not knocking, just encouraging, all right. So and

sometimes you wonder why we're seconding and stuck. Okay, Now what's the thing.

Okay, So this one is a name, and he went to his

so his name is servant went to him and say, my father, if

the prophet had told you to do some great things, would you not have

done it. How much more than when he tells you wash and be cleansed.

So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordans seven times, and

as the Man of God told him, and his flesh was restored. So

you can see here he's uncomfortable. You think it's easy for him to do

it now, Like I said, Klan River not clean. He has to

this rope and grown a doubt this rope. Like I said, most of

the time people with leprosia, they don't want to do this rope because everything

is sposed. Not not the parts, but I'm talking about even the skin

disease is exposed. And he's an established guy. You know, he's think

of it as the king. Have to go stoop down into that level and

do this seven times, not once, you know, seven times. Okay,

So even when this is coming it to him, right, it's not

to say that he don't believe in it, but it's difficult culturally, even

for us. If I tell you to do it, I would you do

it? Probably not right. Imagine a people of a person of his stature

or his standard. Okay, it's never never comfortable. You will always be

pushed over your comfort zone to obey. But silver lining of the stories that

we know at the end, because I read through the enity, the break

through did happen. Okay, all right, another story Abraham. We know

Abraham, right, everyone knows Abraham. All right. You know he let

This is Genesis twenty two. I can you flash it up? He let

his son up. I'm gonna read just two verses here. Twelve. Do

not lay a hand on my on the board. This is him leading his

son up like a lamb to be sacrificed. Okay, do not do anything

to him, now that I know that you fear God because you have not

with help from me, your son, your only son. Okay. Jumped

to fifteen. The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from the heaven a

second time and said, I swear by myself, declares the Lord that because

of what you've done and you not with your son, your only son,

I will bless you. And of course I'm going to paraphrase here he was

made the father of many nations. Okay, and then that's the blessing that

came. But this is also quite unique. You know, Abram wasn't promised

all this, you know beforehand he still did it. He's still obeyed.

And if you think it's very easy, right, let me just paint a

picture to you. Okay, the son's about eleven or twelve years old,

almost teen. It's about my son's age life. You got one son thirteen

eleven. It's not a baby. You know. You think as if I

were to take and I see my son is eleven, I think esher up

there, tie him up like an animal. You think he will not ask

me questions. He'll probably be confused, just as I am, and probably

not fight, like in the physical sense, but you'll question. So as

a dad, imagine this. I've got to deal with this. I've got

to reason with him. He won't. He won't go down with a fight

in terms of like this, what's happening that? Are you sure is this

for real? Is God? Do you hear correctly from God? Right?

So there's an emotional thing that's attached to it. And there's also, like

I said, it's uncomfortable, it's not easy, and yet he obeyed.

Why do you obey? You know, he feared God. The fear of

God sometimes trumps the discomfort that we go through. And of course, like

I said, this is a bit unique he was made the part of many

nations, so the promise wasn't given to him, but the blessing came.

So even it's a bit silly in a sense, like because sometimes we will

say, God, you tell me what I'm going to get first, then

I do it kind of thing, or obey. Most of us are like

that, right, this one is that you do first. Or this guy's

obedience is another level. You know, he obeyed even without knowing what he's

getting, you know, imagine that, Imagine that there was no promise in

place, because God didn't dangle any carrot, and yet he's still obeyed.

But most of us, like I said, obedience is very contractual. We

say, God, if you help me pass my exam, I will give

my life to you and I will, you know, follow you for the

rest of my life. Those kind of prayers. I have said those prayers

before as well. Guilty as charge. But it shouldn't be conditional, It

shouldn't be contractual, okay, but against human nature that we tend to batter,

right, Yeah, And sometimes this is tied to obedience, okay,

because we often think obedience is easier if the motive is right. Right,

shouldn't be So back to my point, obedience maybe uncomfortable, but you just

need to do it either way because why God, God knows better. You

spend the entire talking about having rules right right his kingdom here on earth,

just just follow because he knows better. Just like I said, earthly parents

who understand this, we can reason if your kid, but how many of

us know that no matter how much reason, you still need your kid to

obey. Right, So maybe uncomfortable where it's to do it now, this

is assurance that God does it for your good. From John fourteen, it

says here, anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. Okay, my

father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home

with them. Anyone who do not love me will not obey my teaching.

The words here are not my own, they belong to the Father who sent

me. So Jesus is saying here, when you love, when you have

love for God, that can be a motivation. That can be a motive

that could be your the reason why you respond or obey the way you obey,

okay, just because you love it. So sometimes when you don't obey

or it's hard to obey, right, Maybe perhaps it is the lack of

love or maybe perhaps you've lost that first love for the Lord, and this

is the scripture that talks about that, just saying okay, so again,

sometimes even if you have been a very long Christian, you still struggle,

maybe that that love is dished, diminish. Okay. It's a never ending

battle, and you're wondering why you have to adhere to rules? How come

I go to do this? How can I do that? How come I

can't do this? How come I can diate that person? Et cetera,

et cetera. You talk about all these things, but no, you really

must understand if it's out of love, that obedience will naturally follow. Okay,

So back to what I said earlier. Obedience isn't comfortable, but it's

made easier if you really really love God. Okay. Okay. Second point,

shucks, I'm gonna be all right. Our future train trooe. Okay.

Second one is I put this sign up, uh pride Okay is the

second issue and warning ego. And this is where the adult side kicking right,

because we have lots of experience. Now we think we know better.

Okay, look at Niman in verse one. He's conquered many lands. The

people know him because of that, people give him respect. Okay, he

knows what he's doing. He's established, he's a CEO in terms of the

you know, taking up lands, et cetera, et cetera. So imagine

this. What will happen to your self esteem when it's told to do this

act? Okay, and he probably all those accomplishments that he've had in the

past got to his head. Okay, arguably it's not a believer. But

still people he think that he knows better because not on need that I know

his servant girl, this servant slave girl, not his slave, even his

wife's slave. So even one level lower, come and talk to him and

tell him about what he has to do. What has she got to teach

me? It is another way to put it. There's nothing I can learn

from this servant girl. That is the ego. And again we understand this,

right, most of the time, we think that we know better,

right, we know better? Probably sixteen Here says Pride goes before destruction.

Okay, a haughty spirit before a fall. Verse nineteen. Better to be

lowly in spirit along with the press than to share plunder with the proud verse

twenty. Whoever gives heat to instruction, prosper blessed is the one who trusts

in the Lord. So this is a reminder that we are to be very

careful with this because one of the big barriers of obedience is actually ourselves,

our ego, because we're too proud. And when we are proud, what

does it say? It blinds us. Okay, it blinds us our experience

somethings can even do us instead, you know, effective working for us,

it's actually working against this, Okay. Past to kind of share this in

the early this year in the Leader's Conference, he said that faith comes before

wisdom. And I think there's a lot of wisdom in that statement because sometimes

we say, Lord, you tell me all these things, first I need

to understand fully before I apply faith or apply obedience paraphrasing here. But really,

whatever it is, sometimes you still need to whatever experience they have,

you need to depend on the Lord. And so we always say you need

to remind yourself that when everything is removed, what is your person? What's

your identity? Where is the Lord? So it's a hard shret. Really,

guys, don't let wisdom or ego take over, because God wants you

to to to you know, to see your blessing come to fruition, and

it can even done true blessing. Okay, so with early wisdom, although

sometimes it's good that something to say, Oh, you know, we should

run certain things like how the organizations in the world does it. If it's

if it's of God, then it's fine. But if it's not of God,

please hold back. Third point about you know, this is wholding about

obedience. Okay. Sometimes I think most of us have experienced some form disappointments,

okay, or in other words, unmat expectations. Okay, because this

is another another way to put it. Okay, you can imagine as a

kid as well. When they don't get what they want, you don't meet

the expectations, they start to yell, cry, et cetera. Okay,

And I've taken this this excerpt from William Shakespeare. It says expectation is the

root of all heartache. But I sort of borrowed a little bit, and

I go and paraphrase a little bit, and we'll change the word expectation to

disappointment is also the root of all heartache. Oftentimes you do not obear.

We stop being because we do not get what we want. It is not

what we expect, or it could be a mode or a way that is

different from what we anticipate. So again, the blessing might be this,

the promise is this, but how we get there it's different from what we

expect. Huh, God, I thought it's supposed to be this way.

Why do you bring me this way? And then you get angry? And

then again this is sometimes why we don't obey because it's not how we perceive

it, not just the results, but the approach of getting there. So

in verse eleven you can see the name and was angry because he didn't expect

it. He was told to do this. Huh really a wash here?

Wash them out and be cleanser. He went on a rage, you know,

he went ballistic, even bonkers. How can I you don't check me

in the best hotel in the world to do this whole bubble bath thing.

You want me to go and dip in glang river? Okay? And this

is some sometimes the way we are as well, we push different things,

you know, we come to this, I know how it's supposed to be.

It's just like shopping, you know, eye you shopping before seven seven

sail is today. Okay, when you put seven seven say, oh the

fact you put an order true. You expect to receive a confirmation email to

tell you where where your your your parcele is. You expect to get the

tracking number. You expect to know where the parcel travel from the distribution center

to maybe the KRE distreparty center. You expect to track it and you expect

to receive it at a particular time and date, et cetera. So you

you you almost if it goes out of I guess, out of a plan,

of course from what you expect, you make noise, you get angry,

and sometimes you approached blessing like that. Right, we expect it to

go through this mode, this process, and we can't accept changes, okay,

And we often heard this here, this term you know, sometimes delays

is not denial, right, Delays is just maybe God wanting you to go

through different things. But if you do not address it or still obey and

allow bitterness and resembment to kick in because you didn't receive your tracking number and

it didn't come through that particularly reguide that you normally have, or how come

you left it here and not left it there? You know I'm here.

I told you it's supposed to come here. You dictate how God is supposed

to operate or how things are supposed to operate, and therefore you do not

obey, and therefore you get the trouble, and you do not receive your

blessing. Exactly how nameMan has gone through. He would have missed it all,

you know, if he still didn't follow true. Kay, Okay,

so far, okay, now words, I'm gonna draw almost to close to

more points. Okay, Now, Isaiah fifty five was in for My thoughts

are not your thoughts, neither are your ways. My ways, declares the

Lord as the heavens are higher than earth than the earth. Sorry, so

my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. So

in other words, or aka, God knows better, his ways are higher.

You may not have the bandwidth to deal with it. It's another way

to put it. If if somebody help me lor understand why am I going

through all this? If he dumbs it at you, you might just explode

right because why his ways are higher than your waist? Okay, So yeah,

just remember this. You are not God. He is God, and

you are not Okay, so okay, sick a repon all right? Cool?

Next one number four? Do you still trust him? Okay? Do

you still trust him? Or have doubt creptain? Okay? In the process,

do you still remember that our God is a good God? Right?

Look at verse thirteen again, see my father as a servant, said,

my father, if the prophet had told you to do this great thing,

would you have not done it? But he did it at the end.

Right, But there was a little bit of a doubt over there. Okay.

But when we understand not what we are supposed to do, if we

shift our mind and focus away from what we are required to do and shift

our focus that who is giving those instructions on who is instruct thing, we

will not be too fixated about the whole depping seven times in this long gme

water kind of a thing. Okay, who are we obeying? Who are

we listening to? All Right? Have we lost track or lost sight of

God? Have we lost trust in God? The doubt creed in that God

is still able and God still wants to do good in your life. Okay.

And that's why sometimes we focus on the law or we can't do this

this, this is all those technicalities and all that. We forget about the

love and forget about trust, and then we focus on why they not allow

me to do this or allow me to date this person, et cetera,

et cetera. Okay, so remember God is still good. He has a

plan for you. His plan is always good as a promise. Okay.

Proverbs three five to six says trust in the low with all your heart.

Let me just highlight the word all you know, it's not just a little

bit of your heart ten no, twenty percent, no, one hundred percent,

yes, hundred and ten percent, even better all was all all everything,

nothing less, and lean not on your understanding. But oftentimes we tend

to try to outsmart ourselves, like we try to crack our brain and say,

hey Lord, why just submit in his ways because he will make your

path straight. Very popular scripture. Sometimes we have it in our fridge,

magnets, our screen savers, on our thing, our phones, et cetera,

But very difficult sometimes to follow. True, right, how can we

trust our lot? How can we obey especially when there's mess, some discomforts

involved, like the first point, if there is pride involved, how can

we trust him more? If there are disappointment and hurts um expectations or unmed

you know, expecitions in the past. How can I still trust him?

How can this dubting kicken? I'm going to give you some bonus material.

I know it's not part of my thing, but it's just another issue.

Sometimes we fear the outcome or fear the cost, et cetera. You know,

and this is also to do with who we hear from. Okay,

because you and I know right, the enemy is also quite active. He's

not going to be sit down and wait for things to drop on his lap.

He will actively try to deter you or see fear into you, and

therefore that disobedience will kicking. And every time you disobey, he gains a

bit more so, if you can think of currency, he gains one disobedience

dollar every time you listen or the fear keep creeps in and you lose something,

You lose a currency of obedience and he gains something. Okay, so

please be very careful because he's going all out because no loss to him.

He's all out to get you. And it's racial right. I can't let

the Lord into my finances right now, because Lord, you must understand I'm

in this situation now. I just lost my job. You know, I

need to make ends meet, and therefore I can't even tie. I can,

but I choose not to because of the fear that I may not have

enough, or my kid will not have a meal, et cetera, et

cetera. Okay, Oh, I mean, look foolish, Lord, you

ask me to talk to this this guy, share the gospel. What if

I sound stupid or if I sound silly, I don't obey. Lord.

I can't because I you know, I look, I look silly. And

maybe the Lord tells you to obey. Speak life into your workplace. But

I don't want to get involved in this politics. This is a good place.

Fear is what the enemy uses. So choose to live in the truth

and not in fear. All right, Who we listen to will determine the

direction we take. Okay. If you look at verse nine, Nayman heard

from Elishah's voice, but because of pride and doubt, he dismissed it.

Okay, in verse thirteen, you know, I'm sure Nayman's soldiers would have

also questioned why is he listening to this servant? Later on, imagine if

nayman listened to his soldiers. Right, there will be a different story.

We have a different ending. We will not be happy ending at the end

of the story. Okay. So in gallations and I'm going to close very

soon. In gallations here five versus seven, you were running a good race?

Who cut in on? Who cut in on you to keep you from

obeying the truth? Who has come creptain with? Like I said, we

spent the entire talking about having rules. Heaven't always trumped earthly rules. But

are you turning or tuning in rather excuse me, tuning into the right frequency,

okay? Or are you hearing the wrong from the wrong person? John

Verse ten twenty seven. My sheep listens to my voice. I know them

they will follow me. Are you listening to God's voice, Jesus voice or

somebody that's voice? All right? Now, some of us, you know,

when we pick up the phone, and myself, like pick up the

phone, sometimes the person over the line don't even have to say anything.

I know who the person is. Why, because you recognize the voice.

But if somebody calls me and say hello, are you mister full name?

You know they're usually full full name. Daniel Kong lend you. That's my

full name. Usually it's not somebody you know, right, but you need

to recognize right the voice. And when the person I recognize through a simple

phone call tells me something, I would follow because I know the person is

well not not not just cod calling or not just trying to sell something,

but really wants the best for me. Right? So are you listening?

I'm using example, but are you? Are you familiar with God's voice?

Have you actually spoken to him? Maybe if you have, you know him

well enough to recognize his voice. Again, it's easy for you to obey.

Okay, So who are you listening to? So learn to recognize God's

voice because there needs to be you need to give priority to that voice.

I'm done here really, so back to the last slide. Came one full

circle. Guys, one full circle. Remember first two is God's part.

Third one is really on you. You need to question why is it difficult

to obey? Is it some of the things that we just covered in a

nutshell very quickly? But you must understand if name and the story and if

Naman didn't do what he did right, he wouldn't have seen that breakthrough at

the end. Let me remind you, right, when you obey God,

God will be glorified. Even in the context of a pagan general or pagan

captain. Here he still went on and gave God glory. Imagine that why

because he chose to obey somebody else's God. What more, if you obey

your God, your Lord, your God, how much more glory will your

Lord receive? So, Church, this is really what it is you know

on this whole year talking about really for all to know. Right, sometimes

people will know you through your simple consistency or your act of obedience in what

God tells you to do. So I really encourage you, Church, if

you're not tasted it and I experience it, give it a go, give

obedience a goal. It will not do you any harm. In fact,

you will not just re see your blessing, but God will be glorified in

the process. And God is always ready, ever ready to reach out his

hand and give you your blessing. It is you that needs to take that

step of faith and obedience to unlock and unleash that blessing upon your life.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on our church,

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We're believing that this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you, God bless