PDL 12

The Audio
- the notes are a little confusing because the audio jumped all over the place.

Think about how much God has given you. Read Matt 8:8.

God linked faith to obedience. Follow all directions of the Lord. (Some of) Gods promises if you obey him, He will:
Bless you
save you
Watch over you
Help you
give you what you ask for
God says if you follow my directions, I will do these things for you.

When you don’t understand Gods directions, you should do them anyway - for he knows what is best for you.

Obedience - How to Receive the Promises of God:

1. Obey God IMMEDIATLY. You don’t have to understand to benefit - even with a bad attitude - you do the RIGHT thing, no matter what. Delayed obedience is disobedience. It means you are questioning God.

2. You must obey him COMPLETELY. The oldest temptation is to doubt Gods word. God cares about the details. He cares why and how you obey him.

3. You must obey God JOYFULLY and with faith. Loving God is doing what he wants you to do. God measures your love by your obedience, NOT by what you say.

4. You must obey God CONTINUALLY, for the rest of your life. Faith without action is dead.

Bible quote, Colossians 3:23, written by Paul, the Apostle: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man."  Do whatever God tells you to do even if it doesn't make sense. Not all people who sound religious are godly.

The Book

YOU ARE AS CLOSE TO GOD AS YOU CHOOSE TO BE

Choose to be honest with God. God doesn't expect you to be perfect, but he does insist on complete honesty about your faults and feelings.

Why would I want to be Gods friend if he allowed THIS? God ALWAYS acts in your best interest, even when it is painful and you don’t understand it. Tell God EXACTLY how you feel. Every possible emotion is in the Psalms.

Choose to obey God in FAITH. John 15:14 "You are my friends if you do what I command." We obey God because we LOVE him and trust he knows what is best for us. We obey out of love. God treasures simple acts of obedience more than our prayers, praise or offerings.

Choose to VALUE what God values. The more you become Gods friend, the more you will care about the things he cares about. Friends of God tell their friends about God.

You MUST desire friendship with God more than anything else. David said "Your love means more to God than life." God loves it when we are passionate with him. You are as close to God as you choose to be. Pain is the fuel of passion - it energizes us with an intensity to change that we don’t normally possess.

Debi. :o)