Standing Strong Means Obedience
By Jodi Girard, Agape Office Manager
EXODUS 19:5
“Now if you obey Me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession.”
Dr. Charles Stanley says, “Obedience is doing what God says, when He says it, how He says it, for whatever reason He says it, or with whom He says it.” If you are like me, all I hear when someone tells me to be obedient to God is, “Oh no, what if He ACTUALLY asks me to do something?!” I mean, I can be obedient when it comes to things like loving my husband, praying, attending church, and reading my Bible, but what if He asks me to do something outside of my comfort zone?
In September 2019, after several years of feeling prompted but resisting, I picked up an application to be a volunteer at Agape Pregnancy Resource Center. I started filling it out and there was THE question, “Have you ever had an abortion?” WHAT?! I knew this was a mistake. I wanted to run. I wanted to rip up the application and go back to God and say, “Sorry! CLEARLY you have made a mistake. This is NOT where I’m supposed to be!” But He wouldn’t let me go… “Trust Me.”
I filled out the application and told the truth in obedience. My obedience changed my life. You see, I thought I was going to Agape to serve others, but God had led me to Agape to heal my shattered heart. He allowed me to grieve my baby for the very first time and then, in turn, help others heal as I lead them.
Now you might think that was a huge step of obedience and it was! What I have learned is that God is never done with His children. He isn’t happy letting you “sit” in a blessing. He always has more blessings to give you and therefore more places to lead you when you obey.
The phone rang about a year later… “Jodi, have you ever considered working at Agape?”
“Wow God…BUT…I have great health insurance, IPERS, security, a short commute…and honestly, I loved my job! God wouldn’t want me to walk away from all that. He hasn’t even laid out what the end goal is! He hasn’t told me that it will be alright! He hasn’t given me any specifics!” Once again… “Trust me.” I went to the Scriptures. God led and revealed my path:
Hebrews 11:8 NIV — By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed, and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
Mark 1:16-20 — And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went away to follow Him.
That’s what God was asking me to do, get up and go. Just as Isaiah said, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8
No questions, no specifics, no guarantees. Just obey…and so I did.
That first step of obedience has led me to things I could never have imagined and opened doors to serve God I would have never walked through. I still don’t know all the specifics, but I do know the One leading me. He knows the Way, so I will obey and follow Him wherever He leads.
Scripture Readings:
1 John 2:3-6; 5:2-3
1 Peter 2:12
John 13:17
Worship Song:
“Send Me” by Jenn Johnson feat. Chris Quilala