Are we seriously still on this topic?
Yes. Yes, we are. But you will thank me.
And you may be thinking, “this doesn’t apply to me, I don’t have this problem… I could care less about things being perfect!”
But I want to challenge you because I bet that when I talk about this next area of perfection, you will most definitely be able to relate.
Paralyzed by perfection and our obedience to God. When God says GO, DO, OBEY… we say, “Okay, YES, but first…”.
But first, WHAT?! How often do kids say this? “Yes, okay, I’ll go clean my room but first, mommy, I want to tell you something, but first, I want to show you something, but first, I need to do what I want to do.”
Adult version: “But first, I need to make sure it will be comfortable for me, I need to secure my plans, I need to find the best options, circumstances, timing, weather, places, I need to make sure it’s all in my control, and when it is most convenient, and up to my standards and liking, exactly when and how I say….but of course, Lord, I will obey you! I always do.”
Really? Is that obedience? Or are we waiting in DISOBEDIENCE for everything to be perfect?
Recently Rich and I have been discussing missions in Indonesia. If you don’t know my husband, then you don’t know what an “all or nothing” kind of guy he is. I am honestly surprised he hasn’t already moved there without me! Haha! But his mentality is GO, and God will figure it out for us. We just need to obey.
I mean, this was the case with Abraham. God said, “Leave your country, leave your people, and your household, and go to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12
Zero heads up. Zero plans or hint at the plan, zero family meetings, checking the calendar to see what else was on the schedule, or if the economy was profitable, just GO. And Abraham went.
“8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.“- Hebrews 11:8 NIV
Abraham was called, and he obeyed. There is no hint of hesitation, parleying, or delay in this verse; when he was called to go out, he went out. Just like that.
Psalm 119:32 says, “I will quickly obey your commands” (NCV). Later, that psalm gives the same message in a different way: “Without delay, I hurry to obey your commands” (Psalm 119:60 GNT).
Here’s a principle: In the Bible, anytime God gives a stated command without a specific date, he wants you to do it now.
When we delay obedience, we’re questioning God. We’re asking, “God, do you really know what’s best?”
When we do not obey God because we cannot control the outcome, we are paralyzed by perfection and walking in DISOBEDIENCE to the LORD. There is a time in our Christian walk when this one word must come into play… and that word is FAITH.
Needing everything to be just right before obedience would be the opposite. How can we say we are disciples of Jesus if we cannot take great leaps of faith?
If we cannot BLINDLY follow Christ, BLINDLY obey, and IMMEDIATELY obey, how are we any different from the world?? If your need for perfection and control is greater than your faith, you may be lying to yourself about the condition of your walk with Christ.
Abraham had an opportunity, and he had the grace to grasp it. Had he stalled, it would have been gone.
The Lord has a direct calling on your life. He has appointed YOU to live in obedience to Him. He gives us opportunities to walk in obedience toward a higher purpose that he has planned for us. And instead of choosing the way of unbelief, neglect, and delay, I pray WE will choose to live like Abraham Every. Single. Time.
I pray that this burns within our hearts: to obtain the higher calling of God in Jesus Christ.
Fulfill your destiny! Live in FAITH!! RISK IT ALL FOR HIM!! Lay down your plans, your comfort, and your rights, and live WIDE OPEN for the Lord! Don’t stand before your Savior in the end, having declined his call, because you were paralyzed by perfection.
“The key to a thrilling life of being sensitive to the voice of God and immediately obeying Him is the firm belief that God’s plan for our lives is fundamentally better than anything we can dream up.”
― Rod Loy, Immediate Obedience: The Adventure of Tuning in to God
GO, GIRL.
GOGIRL.LIFE – Paralyzed By Perfection: Part 1
Destiny Church – Ps Rich Witmer; By Faith SERIES
WATCH HERE: https://subspla.sh/p7j8xnc
Warriors & Wildmen: E259: FAITH! We Walk By Faith Not By Sight
WATCH HERE: https://waw.fm/e258