The Blessing Attached to Your Obedience

I normally NEVER get sick. Between a single week in November and last night, it seems like I’ve been to the doctor more than I’ve ever been. In November, after 2 doctor’s visits and an emergency room trip I found out I was Vitamin D deficient. Yesterday, I went to the doctor because I thought I had the flu. (Thank God I only had the yucks that a shot could fix!) All of the visits and the subsequent prescriptions required a nice chunk of change, but thank God for insurance! Haha!

Yesterday when I was sitting on the physician’s chair/bed thingy, I thought about how helpful the Affordable Healthcare Act is in that it allows young adults up to age 26 to stay on their parent’s insurance. Between the ER visits and the doctor’s office visit…I know if I wasn’t able to pull out that insurance card, I probably would’ve had to spend a lot of money out of pocket. 

While people have all kinds of opinions about “Obamacare,” one thing is for sure. It has blessed a SLEWW of people and had a positive effect on the lives of many, regardless of the politics. As much controversy the Obama Administration faced to enact that policy, it would’ve been easy for them to just stop, but they didn’t. As a result, millions of people have been blessed, all because…let’s be honest…somewhere he obeyed God. (Say what you want about his policies, religion, etc….but somewhere or another…somebody heard God.)

It reminded me of a phrase I heard from my Aunt a few years ago: “It’s about the ‘you’ beyond you.” Your purpose is so much bigger than this present moment. Your purpose is so much bigger than this little piece of the puzzle that God has presented you with.

Ananias in Acts 9 is a GREAT example. We hear about the apostle Paul ALLLLLLL the time. He wrote 2/3 of the new testament and is THEE greatest apostle of all time. We even hear about Paul’s conversion. We hear about how great it was when he had his Saul to Paul experience, but if it wasn’t for Ananias being obedient, there may not have been a “Paul.” Yet, we hardly ever hear about Ananias.

So, what did Ananias do?

After Saul had his encounter with Jesus, Saul asked Jesus what he should do. Jesus instructed him to go into the city and he would be told what to do.

At some point in all of this Jesus appears in a vision to Ananias, someone who the bible simply describes as a “believer.” He calls out to Ananias. Ananias answers and Jesus tells him to go meet Saul and lay hands on him (something that Jesus had already revealed to Saul, who by this time had become blind). Now, Saul has a rep for killing “believers.” Meanwhile, Ananias knows about it and expresses his reservations to Jesus. (Like, “Uhhh, Lord. I ain tryna get kilt. ”)

Jesus still tells him to go. So, Ananias goes and lays his hands on Saul. Saul gets healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul goes on to write most of the New Testament, introduce Jesus to all these Gentiles, and become the greatest apostle of all time.

All of that happened because Ananias was obedient. Ananias first heard Jesus and, then, went and did what Jesus told him to do. Jesus didn’t tell him to do a whole lot. His job wasn’t even glamorous or fancy, yet that small little act changed the course of history….FOREVER.

God has so strategically planned and interconnected our lives that someone else’s healing, deliverance, and blessings are LITERALLY dependent upon our obedience. Our capacity to hear God partnered with our gall to actually go DOOOOO what He said do, can literally bless us. James talks about being a hearer AND doer of God’s word and the blessing that’s attached to it. (James 1, go read it!)

In fact, it was Paul speaking of Christ who said, “Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.”

Here’s the point. God has a plan for all of us. If God is telling you to do something, GO DO IT, REGARDLESS of how you feel. Maybe it doesn’t make sense to stand out and live a righteous life in today’s society. It doesn't matter. Do it. It didn’t make sense for Ananias to go to a person who was legally capable of killing him, but he did it! Maybe you aren’t the center of everybody’s conversation and you don’t feel like you have the “popularity” you need to start that business. It doesn’t matter. Do it. Ananias isn’t mentioned much in the bible or in everybody’s day to day talk like Paul…but without Ananias, we’d literally be reading a completely different story.

Whatever God is telling you to do, do it. It doesn’t matter how small or big or crazy…just go do it. You don't know what’s on the other side of your obedience. It's about the “you” beyond you. It’s about the deliverance that’s attached to your obedience. It’s about somebody’s healing and livelihood that’s attached to your obedience. It’s about the blessing that’s attached to your obedience.

Take your little piece of the puzzle and GOOOOOOOOOO!! Somebody is waiting on you!!!!!!

Side Note: Notice how Jesus doesn’t respond to Ananias’ reservations with a frilly message assuring him that everything will be fine. He just tells him to Go.  

The Holy Spirit’s words won’t always make you “feel” good, but life’s not about our feelings. If you are led by your feelings….you will NOT live your life to its fullest potential. If you get stuck in this mentality that you have to “follow your heart” you will be QUICKLY deceived. It’s bible! Jeremiah 17:9