Miracles Always Follow Obedience
Yesterday at Cross Point we launched a new series entitled Faith, Hope & Love. I really believe this is going to be an exciting season of spiritual growth for our community.
We looked at this idea that there is an unmistakable correlation between the miracles God did in history and the unusual commands He gave those who obeyed him. Over and over he asked His servants to do ridonkulous things in order to release His miraculous power.
In each case obedience was desired and required. Miracles always occur on the other side of obedience. That is where David kills Goliath. It’s where there the Israelites obtain the Promiseland. When Jesus told Peter to cast his net on the other side of the boat it was not the different side of the boat that produced the miracle. It was a matter of obedience. It was doing what Jesus said as ridiculous as it may have seemed in that moment.
-Noah had to build the ark for the coming flood in order to find safety.
-Abraham had to leave his familiar surroundings to discover a new dream.
-Moses had to stretch out his hands over the red sea to experience deliverance.
-Esther had to boldly go into the King’s presence before God rescued his people.
-The ten lepers had to make their way to the priest before they were healed.
-The blind man had to go wash in the pool before Jesus gave him sight.
-The four men had to open the roof to let their sick friend down at Jesus’ feet.
-Paul and Silas had to sing and pray while they were stuck in jail so that God could shake the building and give them hope in the midst of hopelessness.
Now I’m not saying that every time you’re obedient to God there will be a miracle. Many of you have been obedient and still no miracle. I can’t promise you that. What I can promise is if you’re ever going to see a miracle it will always come on the other side of obedience.
Where do you need to be obedient?
In your finances?
In your career?
In a step of faith?
In your parenting?
In your marriage?
It may not make sense to others, it may defy conventional wisdom, it may scare you to death but I hope and pray you’ll take that step of obedience. Who knows? Your miracle might be right around the corner.
Love, love, loved this post. Over and over again God brings back the theme of obedience to me when studying His word. The trick is stopping long enough to hear what He’s trying to tell you what to do
.-= Amy´s last blog ..On My Mind This Morning =-.
When I went to Zimbabwe by myself last year, having never even been out of the country or on a mission trip before…people thought I was nuts. I kinda did too, but I knew God was sending me. I knew that if I was going to be obedient, that this was something I had to do. Miracles continue to happen as a result…not the least of which is that I am returning in 3 weeks, with loads of sponsorships for tons of orphaned teens to spend a week at a Christian camp normally reserved for the wealthy citizens of Zim. No small miracle in that, or in the continued transformation of my heart. Thanks for the awesome message! I am not always obedient. How I wish I were!
.-= Melissa´s last blog ..Stacking Bricks =-.
@Melissa, that is an awesome example!
We stepped into the obedience of tithing…..I will be honest and tell you that I white knuckled that TRUE 10 percent as I placed it in the offering that first week…..but felt convicted that I was holding out with God’s sacred portion in the past.
I cannot even tell you how we have been blessed since we have been obedient in that area…..not only in our finances, either.
Great post!
.-= *~Michelle~*´s last blog ..*Fresh Ink* =-.
Amen!! @ Amy!!! I am Reading Crazy Love, by Francis Chan and in it, he challenges us with a question: What would you do, “If he just Showed up and said, “Follow Me”? No explanation. No directions.” “You could follow Him straight up a hill to be crucified…another country…never see your family again…stay put…helping people who will never love you back and never show gratitude for what you gave up.”
This is where I am at, and I love it. I can’t wait to see what’s next. “Your will, not mine, Dear Lord.”
.-= Reese´s last blog ..follow up to B.O.R.E.D =-.
Most of the people at Crosspoint are individual miracles. I have been blessed to be able to see these miracles for the past 4 years:)I am pumped to see what God has in store for Crosspoint’s future.
GREAT post Pete. 1. I totally loved that you used the word Ridunculous. Awesome. Brings me back to Laguna Beach on MTV. heeee
2. The message in this post is crucial. OBEDIENCE! Dan and I have been diving deep into ourselves to make sure we are being completely obedient to God and doing what He says. We don’t want anything to hinder the Holy Spirit in His movement.
Awesome Dude!
.-= Tiffany´s last blog ..Random Friday =-.
@Michelle, that’s a huge stinking step. Way to go!
.-= Pete Wilson´s last blog ..Miracles Always Follow Obedience =-.
Grabbed a hold of obedience with two hands…still waiting on that miracle.
One thing I’ve learned is that sometimes the miracles come in a shape and form that we did not expect. So truth be told I may not have gotten the flashing miracle I expected, but I received an even deeper walk with God -the Lover of my very Soul. I’ll take what I can get!
.-= jessica´s last blog ..Gratitude: Backwards =-.
I loved the honesty of your sermon yesterday, Pete. Powerful seems kind of weak as a word to describe it (and that’s not just false praise.
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.-= Jason´s last blog ..Pastors who tell the whole truth =-.
This is so true….Peter had to GET OUT OF THE BOAT before he could walk on water!
And I guess it depends on your definition of miracle. For me, the miracle has always been about the process rather than the outcome.
.-= elizabeth´s last blog ..lights came down and the room spun slow =-.
Seriously, this is great. I need obedience in the area of self-discipline!!!!!!
.-= Lauren Kelly´s last blog ..Songs that make you pull out the hair brush! =-.
To be obedient to God, wouldn’t you first have to set aside some quiet time so you could hear what he places on your heart or in your mind? I don’t even think I get THAT far most days. Sigh.
.-= Jan C.´s last blog ..Channeling Julia Child =-.
When I read this I wasn’t so sure miracles always follow obedience. It seems that Jesus healed some that were not living obedient. The demon possessed for example.
Now I will turn that around. The miracle did follow obedience – just not the obedience of the one who received the miracle. The miracle followed Jesus’ obedience.
The importance of my obedience may very likely be for the miracle in someone else’s life who is not yet walking with Jesus. That they would see Jesus!
@Phil, I can agree with the way you put that. Makes sense. However, the overwhelming majority of examples will follow as obedience first, miracle second. Whether it’s for you or someone else.
The danger in any of these type statements is they put God in somewhat of a box. And that is never a good idea.
.-= Pete Wilson´s last blog ..Miracles Always Follow Obedience =-.
For a few years I’ve been trying to convince my husband that we need to tithe. His response would always be that there’s no way we’re giving that much money to the church. I dropped the subject. A few months ago on his own, he decided tithing was the right thing to do. Meanwhile, the company he works for has been doing layoffs, & now they’re adjusting payplans. He was expecting a huge paycut, & possibly elimination of his position. He was called in last week…he got a raise…a 10% raise. We feel like this is a direct deposit from God, & it’s all going back to the church!
.-= Jamie´s last blog ..Thailand Mission Trip–Behind the Pictures =-.
I know this to be true, although I fought obedience for years before it was the end of the rope for me. I was deeply in love with a Jewish man, and despite knowing it went against everything I believed in, we got engaged. I knew God was telling me this was NOT what He wanted for me, but I fought it so hard. I literally was being slammed with messages from other people, from signs, bumper stickers, songs on the radio, everything. I got so sick and so depressed. I finally called off our wedding and relationship a week before the wedding. It took almost 8 years to see the miracle from that step of obedience, but I am so so so glad I did it!
Oh, and my miracle was despite my health, and everything else, God finally blessed me with a Godly husband who is everything I ever prayed for and more. Not to mention leading me to a job that I loved that now provides me with disability, continued benefits, etc., to Nashville where I’m closer to my family, to Cross Point, to so many relationships and blessings I couldn’t begin to count!
@Jamie, what a cool story!
.-= Pete Wilson´s last blog ..Miracles Always Follow Obedience =-.
every mighty move of God in my life has required an act of faithful obedience. every single one.
right now, the area i need the biggest miracle (which i know will necessitate the biggest step of obedience) is the next season for our ministry. gonna be mulling and praying over this one today. thank you, pete.
.-= alece´s last blog ..brokenhearted =-.
For me, it begins by getting into the word, and asking Him to give me ears to recognize HIS voice. And then it is a matter of doing it when He says so. There is a pressing, as I call it. The sooner we move, that is where the greatest miracle is.
The place I need to be obedient is getting into the word and prayer as quickly in my day as possible, and resisting distractions!
Great post as usual Pete.
.-= Storie´s last blog ..Letting go =-.
My husband and I are in ministry and just 5 months ago we took call to help with a church plant in Northwest Indiana. We had started the adoption process last year and were wondering how that would be affected by our out of state move. Well the miracle is happening- we recently have been matched with a birthmom in Indiana! We knew we were to be obedient to His call, and were hoping for a miracle through adoption, but it’s even better seeing it all unfold before our eyes!
.-= Emily Doss´s last blog ..Amazing Day =-.
i love this post. thanks, pete. been wrestling a ton of things seemingly going wrong, but im trying to remain obedient and watching for my miracle.
.-= grace s. cartwright´s last blog ..darkness. sunrise. =-.
Great post, man! Obedience comes at a cost, and if we can learn anything from the multiple examples you’ve given of miracles following obedience…it’s confidence in God. Love this!
Looking forward to the series, too.
.-= John Wright´s last blog ..The Parable of the Spa (part 4) =-.
@Alece, praying for you and your ministry as you wrestle through these next steps.
.-= Pete Wilson´s last blog ..Miracles Always Follow Obedience =-.
Sigh. Keepin’ it real, I got this tweet and wanted to chuck my phone out the nearest window. LOL I have so many areas I’m not being obedient in, but they all go back to one thing… surrender. I heard this quote a couple of weeks ago that says, “Commitment happens when you totally surrender.” I haven’t completely surrendered in any area. I need to surrender my thoughts, my will, my emotions, my desires, and my heart. Truth moment, it was hard even typing that out. It causes huge anxiety. The great thing is, I now recognize it and am praying for the strength to do it.
I’m really struggling to be obedient to God with my finances – and trusting Him with them. Thanks Pete, for these examples. It really showed me that my stress and obsession (as I’ve recently discovered) – is all a result of not being obedient. This is going to be a long process to overcome this – and I feel very spiritually immature and vulnerable.
As you’ve told me before – I am right where God has wanted me – and I’m vaguely starting to see why.
In my recovery from surgery. I know, or have been told, it will take a year but I want it NOW. I feel God telling me to wait for it since He’s the one who led me to surgery in the first place, but still.
I know this is vague & I haven’t really blogged about it fully, since I’m waiting on God, but I have written about it some.
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Changes (&) Progress =-.
As you know Pete, I recently stepped off staff – quitting a position I’d held for 11 years. I felt like God simply said “It’s time to take a lead of faith”. I have no job ahead of me – at least not one that pays. I’m developing a non-profit to help train church leaders (particularly worship leaders) in developing countries. I have some dreams of ministering to church leaders here as well. But nothing is certain. I feel like I’ve stepped out of my security blanket and into a world that is unfamiliar and without certainty. All I know is God said “Take my hand and follow me – where ever I lead you.” So that’s where I am on the journey.
.-= Jan Owen´s last blog ..Looking Forward =-.
um, that would be a “leap of faith”!
.-= Jan Owen´s last blog ..Looking Forward =-.
@Jan, can’t imagine how scary that must be Jan.
I was looking over our budget again the other week… we are so very nearly out of debt… and I was thinking of other ways where I could cut costs to pay off our loans. As soon as the thought to cut the tithe “just for a little while” clear as day, the Lord spoke to me. “You shall not cheat your God.”
Righty ho then…. *suitibly chastised*
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Death in the Family =-.
just as the thought *entered my head* I should have written…
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Death in the Family =-.
Loved this post. Very encouraging and, just what I needed to read.
Miraculous thought:
Obedience in itself
Is a miracle
Great post and great thoughts.
I can’t help but recognize that in many instances, the miracle didn’t always happen immediately. For instance with Noah, it required a long process of obedience and endurance in his obedience to build the ark, his miracle did not come for a while. Same thing with Joshua and the Wall of Jericho, long process of obedience & then the miracle.
So, though my/someone’s miracle hasn’t happened yet, it may just be that God knows when we need it…and its not now. I may be wrong…that’s just what your post made me think.
.-= Nick´s last blog ..Praying Small and Selfishly =-.
Great post! It makes me wonder if our obedience is the miracle and the thing that God does is just what He does because of who He is…