Mrs. PIE

Obedience and Love: Embracing God's Call Through Faith and Prayer

• Shelley Jeffcoat • Season 3 • Episode 69

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Have you ever wondered how obeying a divine call can transform your life, even in the most turbulent times? Join us as we uncover the depths of obedience, love, and prayer in the Christian journey, inspired by the poignant lessons from Isaiah 1:16-20. Through personal stories and insightful reflections, you'll learn how tuning into God's voice can lead you to blessing and clarity, much like a child recognizing a parent's call amidst life's chaos. We discuss the power of purification and the necessity of shedding harmful habits like gossip and overindulgence to align ourselves with God's will. Let our conversation inspire you to step out of your comfort zone, follow Jesus' example, and truly engage with those in need, while embracing the transformative power of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Embark on this journey of faith as we explore the courage needed to stand up for others, overcoming judgmental attitudes that can pervade our communities. Our heartfelt discussions emphasize the importance of living a life of love and obedience, courageously responding to God's call to engage with all people. We conclude with a powerful prayer, inviting you to deepen your relationship with God and find solace in communal prayer, especially if you're a single parent navigating life's challenges. Tune in for encouragement, inspiration, and an opportunity to connect with our prayer line, where we gather to uplift each other twice daily. Let's navigate this path of faith together, blessing each other with love and strength.

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Speaker 2:

no-transcript from my podcast days and try to play some music in the background that maybe y'all can hear. So, good morning, good morning. Welcome back to another. Come Out of the Wilderness. It's Thursday.

Speaker 2:

I'm actually in two places at one time, so I'm here with y'all, obviously live talking about obedience. This is week two of our practical lessons from Isaiah that I think you know all of us could use, and I'm also at a tech summit, virtually. So God is good and I thank the Lord for technology and allowing me to just show up. But that's also an example of obedience, y'all, and obedience yields rewards. So we're going to get into the word. If you see me looking to my left or my left, you're your right is because I'm watching another screen, but obedience means that I have to show up. I have to show up Right, so. So we're going to talk about obedience, but before we go even further, good morning, good morning Makisha. Good morning faithful Tracy. Good morning, good morning y'all. Before I go even further, lord, I just thank you for giving us the opportunity to come before you. There are so many that are standing in need of all the things, lord, and you know all of what those things are that we need. But you know, more than anything, I just need you, I just need you, and so this morning I'm just lifting up your name and just calling you into this particular programming, lord, and teach us, guide us, instruct us and all these things, all the things, lord, god, we want to hear from you about what you have to say concerning our lives and obedience. All right, I think I'm going to kill the music because we both can't be competing for your attention. So, when it comes to obedience, I wanted to take us into Isaiah 1, verses 16 through 20, and I am going to share my screen so that we can walk through it.

Speaker 2:

But we're also going to talk about obedience and again I mentioned I want to do this in kind of a practical term, a practical way because something that we see especially I don't know things feel like it's kind of ramped up the power of obedience. We're talking about really trying to tap into God's best for your life and most of us who've kind of lived a life that's obedient. I'll kind of explain what that means. We've experienced blessings on the other side of that. Even in tough moments, when we say yes to God, we do actually experience blessings on the other side of that. So how do you stay obedient in today's crazy, crazy world? Right, and there's three things and three ways that I do this.

Speaker 2:

So our theme today is really focusing on being obedient to his word and focusing on the blessings that come from living this life and just really, really practical ways. And my whole prayer is that that you'll have a heart that's willing, a heart posture that's willing and obedient to the voice of the Lord, and you trust his promise. Now, I'm saying his voice, not my voice, right, all right. So let me take y'all, let me share my screen, and I'm going to take us to Isaiah 1, and this is Isaiah 1, 16 through 20. I use the ESV version. That's how I roll, and I'm going to bring it up on my screen for those of y'all who don't have the word. All right.

Speaker 2:

So it starts off with wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good, and then it talks about seeking justice. So, before we even move into what an obedient life looks like, there is a purification, if you will, that you have to go through. It's not like you know when you're obedient, you know how you know as parents, as spouses and I won't say spouses as parents, grandparents, cousins, aunties, all the things and you're trying to train a child, you're trying to raise a child and you're expecting them to be obedient. The reason we want our kids to be obedient is because when trouble comes, they need to be able to hear our voice. So when my daughter was younger, we'd go to the grocery store and something that I would always tell her is that you need to be aware of mommy's voice so that if something goes down, when I call you, you will hear me right, and I'll be able to save you, pull you out of that trouble. And so it's kind of like that when I'm thinking in a very practical way in how obedience works with the Lord, we need to be in tune so we can hear his voice, so that when he's calling to us in times of trouble, we can hear him and he will save us.

Speaker 2:

But before all that, when he talks about making yourselves clean and removing the evil deeds from before your eyes, there's things that we have to do. So in the same way, when I was raising my daughter up, when she was younger, she also had to go through a process of almost a process of elimination, y'all, where she could hear me, hear my voice through all the noise, all the things, right. So washing ourselves and making ourselves clean is part of the journey, of the walk, this Christian walk that we're on. For those of y'all who are, you know, following Christ, not following your pastor, okay, but there is a purification that we go through and it says making yourself cleansed there's some things that you're going to have to abstain from. You can't participate in making ourselves clean.

Speaker 2:

And then, when it talks about cease to do evil, like you just got to stop doing the bad stuff, like stop doing the things and I mean all the things the gossip, the lying, you know, the overindulgence, the, you know, loss of self-control, cussing people out, like you have to stop doing those things. You know those things have to come to a halt y'all. Why? Because we need to be in tune. When you have those things happening still in your life, it's harder for you to hear when the father is speaking to you. Right Back to my example of, you know, raising a child. You know we're training our kids to focus and hear our voice. Right, because, I said, if there's times of trouble, they need to be able to hear us clearly. But if you're doing all the things, if you're caught up in all the things and you have no discipline in your life, it's harder to hear that voice.

Speaker 2:

So, when it comes down to verse 19, this is a simple statement and it says if you are willing and obedient, if so, it is a choice, and a lot of us have that. You know, we come to this when we come to make this choice. It is an actual choice. Are you going to be willing and are you going to be obedient? And then it says comma you shall eat. You shall eat the good of the land, right?

Speaker 2:

So let me stop sharing, because when we think about obedience, y'all, I told you, I think about it in four, really in four ways, and so I'm sorry I'll say three ways because I don't want this to go too long. The first one, when I think about obedience is in the company that I keep. It's in the company that I keep. So just thinking about again in Isaiah 1, 16, where it talks about ceasing to do evil, learning to do good. It also talks about seeking justice and correct oppression and bringing justice to the fatherless and plead the widow's case, y'all. And so, you know, even when the Lord says, come now, let us reason together, says the Lord that there is this invitation where, literally, the Lord is saying come, let's reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they should be white as snow. And so he purifies us, but he invites us to come and let us reason.

Speaker 2:

But the company that I keep is really important because for me, right and so we're talking just real, practical terms right, for me, the company that I keep influences my decision and they also influence my will, my own heart, posture, the things that I do, how I spend my time. So I try to surround myself with people who are again, I'm not living in a bubble, right, so everybody doesn't say the same things, live the same way, you know, and they're not clones of me, but I do try, to the company that I keep, to have something in common. So one thing that we have in common is that we yield our lives to the Lord, but we also focus on bringing justice to the fatherless. We, you know, we, we want to take care of the poor and needy. We're not just trying to, you know, trying to have the things you know. We're not just, you know, I'm not just like surrounded by people who are just in it for the coin and you know what I'm saying, like that's not. But the company that I keep, that we live a very um a life and again, we're not perfect, please don't hear what I'm not saying but we live the kind of life where we yield to his call on our life and that does come with that purification. So back to Isaiah one verse versus 16 through 20,. So back to Isaiah 1, verses 16 through 20, right when again it starts out wash yourself, make yourself clean. And it's not saying go wash your neighbor, meaning stop going out there and judging other people's sin when you're not cleaning up the mess in your own life, in your own household. So we start there. So the company that I keep, they keep me in line, they keep me encouraged. And for those of y'all who don't have that kind of company, you don't have that kind of relationship. That's kind of what we do in our prayer group. Y'all we build each other up. All of us are going through different stages in our walk with the Lord, but all of it's still aligned back to being obedient to him. So that's the first thing, is the company that I keep being obedient to the Lord and surrounding myself with people who are kind of living that kind of life.

Speaker 2:

The second thing is the places that I go. Places that I go Now I know I'm on these social media streets, I'm just about everywhere, I feel but I really am a loner. I'm not the person like if you have big concerts or I don't like crowds. I'm a loner. I literally am that person who, if I sit in my library at home, I could do that all day, every day, and I'm okay because it's me and the Lord, and you know we're kind of wrapped in this. I'm a loner. I'm not an introvert, I don't use any of those terms. I'm not an introvert, meaning you know when I'm on, I'm on, but when I'm off I'm totally off. But the places that I go are, you know, places where and I don't I'm not talking about, like you know, I don't go to certain grocery stores, I don't operate like that. I go where I need to go. But the places that I go, the homes that I go into, the churches that I speak at, you know where I place myself right, the places that I choose to go to. You're not going to see me at a bar. I'm just not that girl, you know what I mean, but I really think about where I put myself. So the places that I go are important to me and it's out of obedience.

Speaker 2:

Now, sometimes the Lord will send me to a place and it will take me out of my comfort zone, and this is where obedience comes into play, because there are places I go I'm like Lord, I really don't want to do this, or people that I've got. You know he sends me somewhere so that I can say something to someone, but out of obedience, it might be uncomfortable for me, but I'm still in obedience, going to go show up. You might be called to go see a neighbor that is a hateful neighbor and you're like Lord, why do you want me to disperse on you, smile at this person. You're fighting it. Why do I want to do this? Well, in obedience, you do it anyway. Because you're walking in his purpose, his grace, what he's telling you to do, and because we, again, we profess to be the light, we profess to be the you know the salt, right, y'all remember that from the word Christian people. We profess to be those things. And so he will send you in places so that you show up. You have to go where there is lack. If you, if all, if all you do is go into the places where it's easy for you because you're in that bubble, all you do is I'm around the same people singing the same tune, doing the same things, then you're really not being the salt, you're not really being the light, because you're just surrounding yourself around the same people. It's the same way.

Speaker 2:

You look in scripture and watch where Jesus went. Jesus wasn't propping himself up around the influential people. He wasn't propping himself around people who had everything right. He was in the marketplace. He was in the spaces and places that many Christians today people who profess to be Christians they would say I'm not going there because they're not good enough and I'm not going there. You know what I mean. Many Christians would not show up in these places today, and yet that's where Jesus went.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, lord, that you come to the lowest of lows, because that's where you found me. That's what your real prayer should be right, because he was obedient to his walk. He found me. He came to the lowest of lows and he found me. Thank you, lord, for pulling me out of the valley. Some of y'all have been pulled out of some real pits in your life. You've been pulled back out of obedience. He saved your life.

Speaker 2:

So who are you to not go into these places where people need help? So the places that I go, I ask the Lord like direct my steps. You know those prayers in scripture direct my path and direct my steps. And you know that the Lord is always going to send help. So I ask him, you know where the places, where do you want me to go today? Who do you want me to speak to today? You, me, and then do it y'all. When he drops in your spirit, go so-and-so. Let him direct and guide you right. So that's the second thing. So the first thing I'm talking about practical ways of unblocking your blessings and your purpose and all the things we say right, the company that I keep, the places that I go. And the last thing is the courage to speak up for those in need. The courage to speak up for those in need.

Speaker 2:

Now, like I said, it's really easy to be in that bubble when it's an echo chamber, and it's very easy. I was somewhere. I'm trying to say it so I don't give it away too much. I was somewhere last week and I was around a, a Christian woman, and she said something that was so this is someone who's like, filled with you. Know if you, if you look on the outside, has all the things. She's great in prayer, powerful prayers, knows scripture. The words just kind of fall out and people flock to her. And in a conversation she made a statement about someone in the LGBTQ community and she was very troubled that they were a part of this other thing. And immediately I saw that spirit on her and it was judgment and it was nasty and it was awful.

Speaker 2:

And I'm saying this and again, you can cancel me if you want, but I'm going to show you and remind you, all of us. Now we're talking about obedience, right, obed you want, but I'm going to show you and remind you, all of us. Now we're talking about obedience, right, obedience. Okay, I'm going to talk to you about this and I'm going to leave this here and you do with it what you will, but if I don't say it, I'm going to be disobedient and I don't want to be disobedient. So I'm going to read this scripture to you and again, it's ESV, because that's how I roll. So 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, and I'm just going to start in verses one through three If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I'm a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal, Okay.

Speaker 2:

And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned as a sacrifice, right, but have not love, I gain nothing. And then he goes in to talk about what love truly is and then, in verse 13, it says so. Now faith, hope and love abide Like they live together, these three, but the greatest of these is love. So I'm going to say this one more time, because this is again.

Speaker 2:

I remember I talk about the company that I keep and also for y'all, the company that you keep. When you get around folks and they get into this, it feels like a Christian nationalist, crazy bubble. That's happening right now, and I don't care how anointed and appointed the people are If they speak in tongues of men, great speakers and of angels, but they don't have love. They're just a noisy gong If you have the prophetic powers and you know all the mysteries and you got all the faith and you can speak to a thing, but you don't have love. You are nothing. And if you give away, you're the most charitable person and even give up your own self, right, but you don't have love, you gain nothing. You gain nothing. The greatest of these is love.

Speaker 2:

So why am I saying this y'all? I want to remind you that in order even to exercise this kind of life where we are living out this way of life through love right, god found us through love. Right, he created us through love. It's all love literally right. But in order for us to live a life that's obedient, you have to have that love in your heart for other people. You have to have that love in your heart for other people. You have to have that love in your heart for other people.

Speaker 2:

So my number three on living this life of obedience is the courage to speak up for other people. The courage to speak up for other people. And that takes obedience, because you're going to be in situations where you're going to be around very learned people, the five fold people, the five-fold people, the people who've been church mothers for years. Your pastor, you know what I'm saying You're a choir director, you're going to be around the people who you look at them and you're like they're such strong leaders in the church. You're going to be around your sister, your auntie, your uncles, your friends, right, but you have to have the courage to be obedient, to be able to live a kind of life.

Speaker 2:

That, what the word says, the greatest of these faith, hope and love, abide. They are together, but these three, but the greatest of them is love. The greatest of them is love. So you have to be able to be obedient to that. Got to be able to be obedient to that. So I hope this helped you. Like I said, it comes, it's a, it's a, it's a simple decision that you have to make.

Speaker 2:

I was in Isaiah one, verses 16 through 20. And it says if you're willing and obedient, if you're willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. I hope this blessed y'all. All right, I hope this helped you. I'm okay if you're mad, but I've got to share with you what's on my heart. We want to be obedient.

Speaker 2:

So, lord, I just thank you for this day. I thank you for sharing your word this morning and those of us who are trying to find ways to build a relationship with you. We want to be more obedient to your word and your call in our life. I thank you for the opportunity to come before you and I pray that you'll open our eyes today. I also pray for those who are impacted by the storms today, whether it is the physical storm or the other storms that's happening in their lives health and anything lost jobs, anything, family, anything else that's going on. You'll bless them, but they will come to understand what it means to yield to you and be obedient according to your word.

Speaker 2:

I thank you, lord, for your blessings today and I just love you, lord. Amen. All right, y'all, that's what I have. Happy Thursday, have a good rest of your week. Don't forget we have a phone prayer line that you can call in twice a day on Thursdays, and I really hope to see you there. This month we're praying for single parents, so if you know a single parent, the number's on the screen, so we invite you to please share that number so we can pray with y'all. All right, tough teaching, but I love y'all. All right, take care. Bye, bye-bye.