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    The Girl God Wants by Daniella Whyte: “Obeying God With all Your Heart”

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    The Girl God Wants by Daniella Whyte: “Obeying God With all Your Heart”

    Scripture Says

          “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. – Isaiah 1:19

    One of the most important things that you can give to God is your obedience. He wants your total submission to His will, His Word, and His way, with all your heart, soul, mind, and spirit. The people who are genuinely blessed by God are the people who are genuinely obedient to God.

    I really like the verse about Enoch in Genesis 5:24. It says: “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Enoch made the decision that he was going to be completely obedient to God in his walk with God. He was so obedient that God allowed him to bypass death and go straight to Heaven.

    When I say obeying God with all your mind and heart, I’m not talking about just doing things because you have to or even because your parents told you to do them. No, I am talking about doing things out of a heart-felt love for God. When you do it that way, it brings a smile to His face. 1 Samuel 15:22 says: “..Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. God cares more about your obeying Him than merely doing good things for Him.

    If there is one thing I have learned in life, it is this-God does not want robotic service; He wants complete obedience from the heart. All throughout the Bible, you will notice that God rewards those who obey Him and punishes those who disobey Him. If you or I do wrong, God will punish us to show us that we can’t keep doing the same wrong over and over again. On the other hand, if you or I obey God and keep His commandments, He will reward us with blessings and advance us to success and prosperity in life.

    The main thing you can do to show God you love Him is to be totally sold-out to Him and for Him. That means whatever He tells you to do, you do it without question.

    It is quite easy to say we love God, but it is harder to be totally obedient to Him.

    Young girls show their obedience to God by doing the following:

    They accept Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives (John 3:16).

    They pray every day (I Thessalonians 5:17).

    They read and meditate on the Word of God (Psalm 119:11).

    They obey and respect their parents (Ephesians 6:1-3).

    They go to church faithfully and surround themselves with Christians instead of those who are not saved (II Corinthians 6:14).

    They think on positive things and not on foolishness (Philippians 4:8).

    They love the Lord with all their soul (Matthew 22:37).

    They do not have sex until marriage (I Corinthians 7:1).

    They are willing to go wherever God leads them, to say whatever God tells them to say, and to do whatever God asks them to do (Isaiah 1:19).

    They learn all they can and increase in wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 4:5-7).

    How can we not obey the God of the entire universe, the God Who in His majesty thought of us before there was time? It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be fair. So, no matter what, obey God with all your heart and mind, and He will bless your life.

    Celebrate
    Practice obedience this week. If someone in authority tells you to do something that is right, do it. You will be obeying God by obeying them.

    Think About It

    “No matter how fast or loudly you talk, no matter how skillfully you present your case or repeat your self-justifications, you are headed for trouble if you choose your way over God’s way.- Keith Butler

    “Delayed obedience is disobedience.”

    “I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible.- Teresa of Avila

    Share.

    Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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    This College Chaplain Fills The Pews By Teaching, Not Preaching Lawrence Lockett Jr., Morgan State University chaplain. Credit: Lawrence Lockett Jr. via LinkedIn By REV. DOROTHY S. BOULWARE (Source: Amsterdam News) It’s understandable for parents of strong faith to worry about the spiritual lives of their children who’ve gone away to college. After all, it’s easy for a young person, perhaps on their own for the first time, to suc-cumb to the temptations of partying late on Saturday night and sleeping in on Sunday morning. But Minister Lawrence Lockett Jr., chaplain at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is packing them into the pews most Sundays. He is engaging them in lively ways during the week. And students are joining the choir, accompanying worship on various instruments, and serving as readers and leaders throughout the service. It is by the grace of God for sure, but also by the loving service of Lockett, who’s beginning his second year as the school’s director of chapel. He has grown his flock from the 25 or so students who showed up at his first services to more than 200 each Sunday. Sometimes, it’s standing room only. “We’ve been trying to figure out what to do next because on Easter Sunday we had 342 people, and some were standing in the back,” he said. Word In Black talked to Lockett about the secrets of his success: how his adjustment of Sunday ser-vices got people into the pews, why his philosophy for guiding students on their spiritual journey centers on independent thought, and how his “Spin the Block” initiative is shaking things up on campus. The in-terview has been edited for length and clarity. Word in Black: The first thing we want to know is, how do you get so many young people to chapel every Sunday?. Lawrence Lockett: Well, first of all, I changed the time of service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I realized a lot of the students like to sleep in late. It gives them time to do whatever they need to do. I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a good chance just to kind of refocus, recali-brate, get themselves lunch, and then come over to the chapel for service. When I started in November, maybe 20-25 students came, but now it’s over 200 that come every Sun-day, and it’s pretty cool. So now we’re repositioning ourselves to go after the freshman class this year. If we have the same success as last year, there’s definitely not going to be any room. Word in Black: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus. Lawrence Lockett: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have al-ways been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. It’s about being vulnerable. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out. And it’s not me just trying to give them answers. Having been there helps me really walk with them and anchor them in the storm of life that’s going to come. I want them to understand that their soul really matters. A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encour-age the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis. WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you? LL: Mondays, we are usually off because of Sundays. On Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then, I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., dealing with mixing culture and religion. 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Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to, and something that’s convenient. So when we’re outside, people are like, “What’s all the noise outside? What’s all the music?” Then they come outside, and there are chairs, so they grab one and sit and enjoy the service. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us. At the very beginning of the semester, we do services outside the four resi-dence halls. And that kind of gives us a steamroll into homecoming week. And we’ve seen a lot of success because of that. WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service? LL: You’re gonna see a lot of involvement with students. I’ve learned that students like to feel invested, and they want to participate in what’s going on. They don’t want to be told by adults what they should and shouldn’t do. So when you go to the service, you’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest friend or a guest preacher come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement, and I think that also assisted with a lot of the growth be-cause when they see fellow students, they understand they’re just like me, and if they can do it, I can do it. WIB: What about musicians and choir? LL: The musicians are also students. They say, “Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape, or form.” And they’ll ask whether or not there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir. WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel? LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith, hope, and belonging really stem from. 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