How God's Love Through Obedience Changed My Day

The people reaching for him didn't know how much he was struggling. They were simply being obedient. Sometimes God pulls us out of the pit through the hands of His people.

Today's testimony is brought to you by our Heavenly Father.

I feel like I've been going back to the basics, back to my first love, lately. Discovery, realization, and repentance have been a regular part of my walk recently. The Lord has been shining His spotlight around my heart, exposing things that have been hidden for years. Every time it happens, it is heavy and intense. My repentance and surrender wipe me out.

I've gone through this process before, but this time feels different. The Holy Spirit is guiding me into a deeper level of discovery and repentance than ever before. It feels more powerful. Resisting temptation is now backed by a desire for holiness unlike anything I've experienced before.

I touched on this a little yesterday, but on Sunday I woke up feeling like poo. My mind was focused on all the wrong things, and of course, it was depressing. It's amazing how this stuff can creep in when our guard is down. Yes, I forgot to put my armor on, and I got stabbed. It hurts and is extremely frustrating, but I can blame no one but myself.

I did not want to go to church.

I felt physically bad, and my mind was flooded with depressing thoughts. I thought if I went, I would slide in and out unnoticed, making the depression even worse. As you can see, the enemy was trying every trick in the book to get me to stay home. It almost worked.

The Holy Spirit kept tugging at my heart, encouraging me to go and focus on my contribution to the church rather than what I could get out of it. That's one way I know something is from the Lord—the focus shifts away from me and toward adjusting my attitude.

So off to church I went.

Man, it was awesome.

I was loved on by so many brothers that it was like God sent out a memo saying I needed a little extra that day. For a while, every guy who walked by me stopped and gave me a hug. I also had a great conversation with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, and I was pulled up out of that pit of "poor me."

During our conversation, a brother walked up, hugged me, then handed me an envelope and said he wanted to bless us. I thanked him and put it in my pocket without really thinking much about it.

After finishing our conversation, we sat through an awesome sermon and then made our way to the car. I handed my wife the envelope, and there was $500 inside.

I was already floating out of church because of the love I had been shown, but this was a beautiful picture of God's love through obedience.

Did any of them know I was struggling? No. How could they?

Yet each one answered the call to pull their brother up without even knowing they were doing it. Their obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit put me back on my feet and refocused my mind on what truly matters.

That morning reminded me that God's love through obedience is not always expressed through grand gestures. Sometimes it's a hug. Sometimes it's a conversation. Sometimes it's an unexpected blessing placed in an envelope. Whatever form it takes, God often chooses to work through willing and obedient hearts.

Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for loving me.

I want to encourage you to stay obedient and faithful because you never know whose life your obedience might impact. You never know who is struggling, who is discouraged, or who is one act of kindness away from being lifted back to their feet.

God's love through obedience flowed through His people that day, and I was blessed because of it.

Thank You, Father, for one more day.

Amen.

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