Resistance to Commitment - Part 2

Welcome to the intense podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, September 28 God nudging you in the direction you respond quickly today, you'll hear about the consequences. You can expect to encounter any time you offer resistance to commitment. How many times is God required of you something you said, Lord was suppose this is what you did. You paraded before God. All the things that could possibly happen. And when you build your case. Looking at your own case, you became so fearful usable God is no way for me to do that. Suppose anyone of these things happen, then what will happen to me. You see, if you my friend will be honest.

One of the primary reasons we don't obey God is. We are afraid of the results of the circumstances because we don't know the circumstances we don't know the ultimate outcome we sell Lord. But if you just tell me what's going to happen and assure me that everything is going to be all right then I'll do it. That is in obedience and that is in faith that's on the fit got into your mold and trying to make him fit into your plan so that you're not trusting God not obeying God you just following by site not by faith. He's not going to move it, let me ask is how many blessings have you missed in your life because you are afraid to trust God, what have you missed in your business life because you are afraid to trust God, what have you missed in your relationship to others wouldn't open wouldn't be honest wouldn't be open wouldn't become transparent. You know what you miss you miss deep abiding friendships and fellowship your afraid of failure by the criticism fearful of what people going to see exposure to see you just the way you are.

Is it the unknown. The troubleshoot is that the reason you won't follow through on your commitment to Jesus Christ. You see, we resist being committed to God because we are afraid we don't we don't know what's going to happen. Selfishness, poor self-image, know how to respond to these things.

Suppose I get in the middle of this Lord and I can handle it. Then what am assure you something. Whatever God called you to do, my friend. When he gets you in the middle of it. You bet your life. He's going to be in the middle of it with. So whatever he calls you to do. He's going take your hand he's going to walk with you through that every single step of the way all he's looking for his commitment. All he wants to do is to follow through on what you said to him when you said I receive you as my Savior. My life I was a look at how we resist that we say there are at least three good reasons why we did we say we are afraid with salvation that could be that we have a poor self-image.

But how do we go about this. How do you resist alone. I'm sure you don't get on your knees and shake your fist at God, saying, Lord, I heard what you said but I'm not going to the I'm not going to obey some folks haven't shook their fist at God, but they've shook their heart in the face of God, oh God, I cannot do it. I will not do it. There's no way for me to do it call somebody else.

I just cannot do it. How do we go about resisting the first thing we do is we argue with the Lord. I hear what you say I'm getting a message but God, let me tell you why I just can't do this. And so we argue with Moses, argued with Gideon argument and in fact if you look in the Bible. Most of the people that got a recall argument them about something. Lord I know that you're all wise.

I know that you always know what's best. I think you made a mistake this time because I certainly couldn't do it. And so what we do is we argue the nest. Sometimes we argue with him angrily with hostility. God why you calling me at this particular time in my life. So we argue with. We resisting and just argue with them and tell them why we hear all these reasons why we can't do it. What you know. I'm sure God listens to the arguments.

Please never impress upon it because you're sick. He Artie knew what you're not going to say before we set. Now that's pretty evident that we argue with them some time, but here's the more subtle one.

We don't argue with. We say yes Lord yes would you say what we do instead of argue with him. We substitute our plan on God's plan to give a good example of this. When Samuel called Saul and said to him in that 15 chapter 1st time you look at that passage because you will mark this in your Bible. It's a good illustration.

A good lesson for you to teach your children the Scripture says that Samuel the prophet had come to Saul now who is striking of Israel and the he said to them, that God has said that you to go up to Amalek only destroy verse three utterly destroy all that he has and do not spare him, but put him to death. Both man woman and child infant dark sheep, camel and donkey. These people were absolutely given over to our daughter somebody's is modest can't believe that God would tell anybody. They got destroy everybody. My friend listen. They were totally given over to sensuality and idolatry and the worship of all kinds of gods and God said, you must destroy everything that is there. Everything that is living people and animals.

Also, in order that my people not be contaminated by this will address people now notice that Saul did not say all same Iraqi there's no way for me to do that that wouldn't even be a wise investment of our time. Look at all those cattle look at all the valuable possessions you mean to tell me you think that God is able to destroy all that he didn't say anything.

He listened to the notice, then Saul without any argument whatsoever.

No argument then solve some of the people number them.

Scripture says he went in he attacked set an ambush in the Valley attack verse seven he defeated the Amalekites from Havel. As you go to sure which is east of Egypt and he captured Ajay the king Amalekites alive and only destroyed all the people the edge of the sword, but Saul and the people spared a gag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fat ones.

The lambs, and all that was good and were not willing to destroy them utterly, but everything despised and worthless that they only destroyed God said, I mean I want you to absolutely wipe out everything up there totally destroy everything that is there. Yes sir he medicament when he got there he saved a gag and captured him. The Scripture says Saul and the people spared a gag in the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fat ones. The lambs, and all that was good and were not willing to destroy them only, but everything despised and worthless that was destroyed in the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, I regret that I made sulky. He's turned back from following me and is not carried out my commands. And since Samuel was distressed and crowded to the Lord all night. So then Saul comes home and so Samuel comes down the meeting. Samuel said in verse 17 is it not true though you were little in your own as you are made, the head of the tribes of Israel, the Lord anointed you the key over restroom and the Lord sent your mission and said go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites and fight against them until they are exterminated. Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord listen to me carefully, you may not argue with God but my friend, if you simply substitute your plan over God's plan and work harder and do it seemingly better in order to convince God that your plans better than his what you have done is literally rebelled against God on the people all the time who working harder at what they're doing mean they're burning the candle at both ends. You know what they're doing sometimes. Sometimes they are running in disobedience and they figure if they just run fast enough and hard enough and long enough that God will finally give up on them and let them do what they want to do their way and God will finally forget what he: no way in this when God calls you back here to be obedient to him in a certain area of your life, and he says here's what I want you to do and you say yes Lord, what you asked me this to walk a straight line crossing. Yes sir. Lord, that's what I'm going to do and you're over here walking your own path. It may look good you say well I got here, Lord is not what God said. God said I want you to walk a straight path because every step you take and every person you meet and what I want to accomplish in your life. That's the only way it can be done, what are you substituting tonight for obedience in your life. Are you quietly sophisticated lady resisting God's call to commitment in your life by offering a better plan a different plan elicit his hat. This is the way Saul recent piece it all my goodness. Why kill a game. It's taken as a captive while we only kill all the best sheep in the best oxen in the best ghost let's take all these and what we'll do. Listen to what he told the prophet Samuel. Then Saul said to Samuel, I did obey the voice of the Lord and one on the mission on which the Lord sent me that's a half-truth and have brought back a gag. The king of Amalek, and it only destroyed the Amalekites, but the people took some of the spoiled sheep and oxen.

The choices of the things devoted to destruction to sacrifice to the Lord your God and he'll get as sounded real good, oh why, yes I did do what you tell me to do you know what obedience is is what obedience is. God says I want you to walk a straight line from this going to that, let me ask you question. Are you walking in obedience to Almighty God tonight or have you taken your plan and substituted for guns but it looks good. In fact, it's about as convincing as all souls when what is what we going to this annual we go take all these choice animals and wiggled up sacrificing to God. How many times have I heard this story we asked the Lord did call me to preach. When I was 21 but I decided I was going in the business and I was going to make a lot of money and I was going to give millions of dollars to mission that's resisting God's plan and how mother you're not arguing with God. I'm just working hard and traveling long and going faster because I will do all I can do because I want to please get a motel you will never please God, that you do exactly what God told you to do. That's the only way you'll be obedient to God. Partial obedience is disobedience to God. Nurse Saul's definition of obedience as you do part what you want to do and part of what God wants to do. That's his definition of OB has that ever been yours or this is what causes do this part. This is what God wants.

This is what I want to his will on I'm going to combine the two empty, have a wonderful plan which is saying is got a have improved on your plan is disobedience universally people have such little power in the Christian witness. If you ask of you bank got sure of obeying God they got there plan and God's plan. And they've gone that way so long. Now they can even distinguish what God said versus what they said because they mix them up so long they don't even know what God said to the back. Could it be that you keep look around thinking, why doesn't God bless me.

Maybe what you should do. My friend is to go back here somewhere in your life and and begin to look around to see if back here somewhere. God told you to do something and you substituted your plan over his plan hasn't worked. I sat and listened the day to man unfold his heart and pouring his heart to me. You know he did. He had God's plan and about 10 years ago he decided another plant and is he said to me for 10 long years have been having it my way and I am miserable and retched you can improve on God's plan. Sometimes we argue with and sometimes what we want to do is we just want to substitute our own plan for God's plan. He's not going to accept that and then as you think about how we operate.

The third thing we do is we deny the call altogether while you know I was then praying. I believe this is what God said to me.

In fact, I was sure this is what he told me to but you not as I think about it.

Let me give you a personal example because my friend listen. I've been there many times in my life.

I'll have to admit that God's told me something definite and deliberate. I get on my knees before God is no question Manon I know exactly what he said is what I discovered not as lay this out as a little principle that I've learned if God tells you to do something you get on your knees and seek the Lord's mind about it.

What you get off your knees is much safer than what you get.

Standing up, and I'll never forget because I could get on my knees. I could give example after example, get on my knees before God. This is clear as crystal.

What God is saying get up, start talking about and what happens when you get out you not talking to God. Satan just gives you all these wonderful exciting ideas of how you can violate God's will and many times I've been at the gate of being disobedient. And remember, when you get on your knees, what do you hear I will tell you what you hear on your knees before Almighty God.

If your consistent prayer you're in the word and you know how to listen to God what you get on your knees is far safer than what you get, standing and walking well.

Sometimes we denied and then sometimes what we do is we just run this what Jonah did. He still not doing you know what Jonah did the Scripture says he went on the job that God tell them I want to go 500 miles east of Nineveh.

He went on the job and you what the Bible says he found the ship going to Tarshish that you know I found one going to Tarshish because it's 2000 miles of Jerusalem, the Tarshish, so he was trying to find one that was doing the furthest point from where he was the you know what I left home to begin with because he could live the stinging conscience you know why went to sleep when I got on board the boat.

He could live the stinging conscience you know what I said to those men on board throw me overboard. Just get rid of me because he could live the stinging conscience you know why the tender belly that well because he could live listening and conscience had to be obedient to God and ask you something.

Do you wake up in the morning feeling guilty. Do you go about your work that will something on the inside of you grinding away you get on the praying is just grinding away at you at work. It's grinding what you and your friends. That's grinding away and you having the biggest time. When you start get that you just it's just grinding what it never ceases to ground. Could it be that your conscience keeps saying to you. Disobedient, disobedient, disobedient, disobedient, disobedience, and you muffle that thing in my footlocker and found it's whispering disobedient disobedience, until finally you don't hear anything at all until you in the most dangerous position when you can hear what is it already cost you my friend not to fulfill God's will in your life. How many people I meet who want to put their head in their hands and say all if somebody had just told me this years before. Can you imagine living 3040 5060 70 long years in disobedience to God and have to stand before him.

One of these days you're the most miserable people I've ever met. The most miserable people I've ever met in my life of those whom God called into his service early in life and who refused to be obedient to God when in the businesses that are preaching the gospel done this done that and on the other note, that means you live the rest of your life in disobedience to God. Several God forgive me, oh yes he will forgive you.

He will forgive you but until you do what he says do you still living in disobedience became a time in your life as a believer when you made a commitment to Jesus Christ and you said, Lord, not my will but can't be done, whatever you want. That's what I want to be obedient to, and I simply want to ask the question as best you know your heart you walk in obedience is your life is your life fulfilling the will of God. And if it's not, I challenge you to go back and find the place where you my friend got off track and get back on until God. From this point on board. No more running distrust believing, trusting my future in your hands to understand the circumstance. But here's my life to God and father, we thank you that your patient with us that you accept is just the way we are so patient to put up with are running out arguing of substituting. I pray in Jesus name right now that those who listing and those who seated right here in whose life at this very moment you have placed your finger on an attitude and act the habit of disobedience. You pointed out already in this hour where they at a given point said no to you.

They substituted their plan for your plan, they've been walking in that disobedience ever since. I pray that they will confess that here and now get on their face before you where there may be confessing that to you. Repenting of that making a fresh new commitment of their life to Jesus Christ as Lord and from this moment on, be willing to say.

I submit to the authority of Jesus Christ in my life, leaving the total circuit answers and the consequences to him and this we ask father in Jesus name, amen. Thank you for listening to part two resistance to commitment. If you like to know more about her family for intense ministry that my intense data waiting is typecast in the presentation and intense ministries advantage of