"It's Time For A Phil-Up"

"It’s Time For A Phil-up!!!”

- Acts 8: 26-27b -

"And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went:"

The Lord has been of late speaking to me about obedience. You hear a lot today about hearing the voice of God. The (3) voices you hear, you, God and the devil. Classes, seminars, etc. and etc. Personally I don’t think we have any trouble hearing. I “know” (not think) the trouble is obeying…can I get an amen, or maybe an “ouch”. And again friend, I’m preaching to myself for sure. The area of obeying for the typical Christian is the truest test we face. The battle of obeying, I believe is the greatest of a believer. The excuses we come up with are amazing. Some one else will do it. It’s not God’s will that I talk to that person. I need a sign. The timing is just not right. I need conformation. They won’t listen. What’s the use??? On and stinkin’ on. I know what I’m talking about, been there/done that!!! Do you ever think about…if you would have obeyed the Lord???

When we first get saved, we for the most part obey. We are so exited about the change in our life. We now have purpose, it all makes sense now. We just know that everybody want to hear what God has done in our life…right…wrong. They throw water on our Holy Ghost fire and we get lock jaw. The devil shuts us up so no longer a threat to him. My, my.

Right off the bat when I received Christ as Savior, He put me into what I have called a Holy Ghost “fog”. He seemingly closed in around me so to be focused on nothing but Him. I couldn’t get enough of the Bible. Christian TV is all I watched, soaking it all in. Man, was this new life of mine awesome. Finally I found the Truth and the Truth found me. Level to the next level the Lord was taking me. Our church saw what God was doing in my life. The pastor let me speak. After a few years the Lord started my teaching career. Into leadership. Ministry after ministry was I involved in. I couldn’t get enough. On and on. I might add, I by His grace haven’t changed. I owe Him all. I love Jesus so much. His Word, His presence, His everything…amen. The ways He got me to obey, I remember so well. At my job at the time, there was quite a walk to my office. Along the way He would see if I would obey by asking me to pick up trash along the way. I knew for sure it was the Lord. When I didn’t do it…I knew the rebuke and chastening was from my Lord as well. That’s how obedience started for me. Tests of obedience in the next level came with the Lord instructing me to go, to do, and to say (the biggies). The obeying that affects people. And that is what Jesus is all about, touching people. The blessings that would follow that obeying were incredible.

From the Garden of Eden clear up to right now, obeying has been a requirement of the Lord. We read in the Garden the penalty of not obeying. Enoch walked and obeyed and got taken out. Noah and his obedience in building the Ark. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Caleb. We have to just mention their names and you know their stories. You too know the obeying they did to make their stories what they are. But friend never, never forget the greatest act of obedience: Jesus dying on the cross for me and you. (Phil. 2:8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Rom. 5:19) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. “Not my will, but thine be done”, Jesus said. Friend, God knows all. He has already been in our tomorrow. I would then, wouldn’t you, think He knows what we need to do. So why not obey. Too often it’s our will and not Thine. The Word of God says plenty about being obedient:

(Isa. 1:19, 20) If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].

(Deut. 8:20) As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.