12.13.8 "The Trap"

"The Trap"

Obadiah 1:1-21
Revelation 4:1-11
Psalm 132:1-18
Proverbs 29:24-25

If you had to pinpoint one of the main things that keeps one from living a life of radical obedience, what would it be? What keeps you from boldly doing what God has called you to do?

I'd have to guess that most of the time it's the fear of what people think. Prov. 29:25 says, "Fear of man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God means safety."

What is so dangerous about the trap of fear of man? It is a subtle lure into the Mediocre Christian Life. Scripture says that God is looking for anyone through whom to make his name great. Many times, though, we hear God leading us, but we reason it out in our mind. "You don't want me to speak to that one, God, they'll think I'm weird..." This fear of rejection causes us to miss an opportunity to make His name great.

In all actuality, the fear of man leads to a "victim" mentality. We ultimately are motivated by what others may or may not "do" to us. Therefore we measure our success and failure by what man may think.

Trusting in God is a different story. When trusting in God, the results are totally different. The only question we have to answer is: Was I obedient? The results may vary. In tomorrow's One-Year-Bible reading we read about Jonah. There's a story of obedience and disobedience. Sure there are times when obedience may cause us to "drop in the polls" of man's opinion, but there is safety in knowing we are right with God.

One thing you notice from a believer who lives a life of radical obedience: The truly obedient believer gains favor with God AND man. The life of obedience is marked with humility. Humility is NOT a "low self-esteem". Humility is proper understanding of who we are in Christ. It's not an "I'm not good enough" attitude, it's an "I can do all things through Christ attitude."

What safety there is in trusting God. We know that all we have to worry about is walking in obedience to him. The rest will all fall into place. This makes the Lifestyle of Worship Dynamic!



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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