Greetings my
beloved readers, I didn’t think it would take me this long to do last weeks’
post. Let me share with you something, when you’ve given yourself to do God’s
will, you will face resistance. That it is of God, doesn’t guarantee you a
smooth flow, hence the deeper you need to go in Him so He can help you overcome
every hurdle. For me this blog is one of the avenues I use to fulfill God‘s
call over my life. I don’t do it for money, I do it because He has placed in me
a passion to reach out to a discouraged someone out there, help them get
through whatever they’re facing, and redirect them to God so they can live out
His will in their lives. The resistance I face when doing my blog comes in all
manner of sorts; from me being physically sick, laptop crash, internet failure
and discouragement, to mental and physical fatigue, family interruptions and
personal challenges. The warfare is real! Hence the delayed blog post, BUT
WE’VE GOT TO PUSH ON ‘ey.
As much as
it was also challenging, last week was exciting for me as I got to prepare for
and host a one hour show, on a Kenyan Christian radio station, live on air for
the first time! It was an awesome experience doing what I love doing, (encouraging
people), on a new platform, and having people tuned in from all over the world
giving their feedback. I won’t talk much about it though as it’s not the main
thing I want to share with you today.
The other day I was
hanging out with my sister and her 2yr old son. At one point he got upset with
his mum, left us in the living room, stomped into the kitchen, closed the door
behind him and sat on the floor next to the door. He would open briefly to peep
and then close it again. After a while his mum called him to give her a hug and
he stood up quickly and came running with open arms and they were able to
resolve what had upset him.
With most
children, especially that age, tantrums are a given; especially when their
parents have denied them something or when they’ve been admonished for
misbehaving. When my now 13yr old brother was a toddler, he used to throw
himself on the ground when he wanted to have his way. Sometimes we behave like
my brother or nephew, we throw tantrums and try to arm twist God into having
our own way.
Yesterday God led me to
address an error my friends have been walking in. In the past, I have tried to
address the issue but have been afraid of hurting them, or been afraid of how
they’d perceive me, plus when they justified why they were doing what they were
doing, I convinced myself to no longer say anything. I have watched them repeat
it over and over and God kept highlighting the issue and telling me to speak up
about it. This time round there was a certain boldness with it, I said what
needed to be said in love without caring whether they were going to hate me
after. The truth is, unless something is wrong with you, you cannot just sit
and watch your child or someone else’s, walk into a ditch or walk towards a
road where they may get run over and not do something. After addressing the
issue, one of my two friends felt bad but took in the rebuke, while the other
threw a tantrum about it, trying to use emotional justification for the error.
I have been studying
the book of Samuel and what challenged me was how the prophets of that time
were not afraid to address issues. Nowadays we’ve become such respecters of
persons as opposed to being God pleasers. Samuel rebuked Saul when he sinned
against God, and Nathan rebuked David. To the prophets, it didn’t matter to
them that these men were kings, theirs was to fulfill God’s purpose; the issues
had to be addressed in line with God’s instruction and will. It was then up to
the men to either accept or reject the correction. Saul rejected this correction;
he was not remorseful at all. In fact he tried to justify his error {1Samuel 13
& 15}. David on the other hand accepted his error and asked God to forgive
him for what he had done. It broke his heart that he had sinned against God and
hence God. David’s highest priority was his relationship with God. He always inquired of Him before making decisions, set aside time to praise and worship
God and repented when he sinned. Like my nephew, he ran back to God with open
arms.
Sometime recently
someone posted on their Facebook wall that they were just from watching a
horror movie, and it was now too creepy for him to go to bed. He then finished
by saying he wishes he’d watched it during the day. One of his friends
commented and said that believers should not watch such. This guy responded and
said that it’s never that serious as they are just acting. When his friend
didn’t respond again, I came in and explained in detail why it was actually
serious what believers feed on. For me it’s the attitude behind his response
that caught my eye.
The
main point I want to address today is not the calling out of sin as it is, it’s
the how we respond. You see God is not limited to who or what He may use to
speak to us. The message doesn’t have to come from a renowned prophet for it to
be relevant, He may use a loved one, a stranger, a friend, His word, a book
you’re reading, a sermon you’re listening to, or even a donkey {ask Balaam}. We
just need to be discerning of what the message is, and where it’s coming from,
and align our hearts towards God.
I
too have thrown tantrums at God, when things have frustrated me and not
gone the way I would have desired and I too have fallen in the category of
those who’ve justified sin to suit me.
In
our human eyes, David’s sin was greater than Saul’s but God called David a man
after His own heart {Acts 13:22, 1Samuel 13:14}. This is because David was a
God seeker; his first priority was to please God. He was willing to do
everything that God asked him to do. Up to where I have reached in my studying
of God’s word, the other person this is said of {the willingness to do all of
God’s will} is Samuel {1Samuel 2:35}
We
should not be those ones who insist on justifying sin, or tweak God’s word to
suit our fleshly desires. No matter how tiny the sin is, or how seemingly
harmless it looks, we should choose to live by God’s standards always, no
matter what. The attitude we should carry when God calls out our sin, shouldn’t
be a tantrum (already offended and throwing a fit saying ah, it’s never that
serious!), but one of remorse, with our hearts inclined towards God.
We
should be those that God says of us “This one is a son after my own heart;
he/she does and will do everything I ask him/her to do”
Remember:
No amount of sulking or throwing tantrums will change who God is or
what His word says. When we incline our hearts towards God, we'll be
able to move past chastisement into maturity in Him. We were all designed for greatness, but we can't be entrusted with it until we grow up. So accept your error, repent and walk on with God.
Tantrums
are for toddlers, may we choose to become mature sons of God- willing to do all
that is in His mind and heart for us. #Selah
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