“I have decided to follow Jesus…. No turning back, No turning back.” ~ Sadhu Sundar Singh
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/starfield/ihavedecided.html
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in His way.” Psalm 37:23 (NKJV)
Are you sold out for Christ? Are you willing to GO wherever He sends you? Are you ready to lay aside all your hopes and dreams and ask for His instead? Has His will become the desire of your heart? If so, be prepared to give God all you value.
Surrender is hard, but knowing God loves your dear ones even more than you do will help in relinquishing them. And what about your prized possessions? As you follow Jesus, keeping your focus entirely on Him, the objects of your affection will fade in significance. They will be like bits of dust compared to the beauty of His holiness.
When (not if) God tells us to GO, we must surely go. The believer who maintains a loose grip on all he or she cherishes, including loved ones, home, and community, has obtained a heart of wisdom. Maintaining open hands will yield far less pain when surrender is required. This stance also makes it easier for God to present His children with new and even greater blessings.
Following Jesus means we have left the world behind. Our attention is no longer on worldly things but rather the cross and our resurrected Savior. With our will aligned with the heart of God, our desires are transformed into His desires. While He guides us down dark or unknown paths, we will discover our hopes and passions right in front of us, lying at our very feet.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. PROVERBS 3:5-6 (NIV)
If God said, “GO, share My Word with that man,” would you GO? If God said, “GO, sell your house and move to Africa. I want you to live with the poor and feed their bodies and spirits.” Would you go? Would you at least consider the idea and ask God for confirmation though His Word and in prayer? We are to do the Lord’s bidding, but only when we are certain HE is the one commanding us to GO.
“Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” Jeremiah 42:3 (NIV)
There are some who would say, “I cannot go right now. My family needs me and I am in the middle of great tribulations.” Maybe so, but do we get a free pass from service every time a storm blows our way? No. Many saints are called to serve because of their suffering. God certainly knows our frame and will not send tests beyond our ability to bear with His grace, but He will use us in spite of ourselves. When we are weak He is strong. He will use our pain for His purpose and His glory, if we are willing vessels.
Maybe God has called you to be a witness for the doctor ministering to your loved one. Maybe a sermon brings you great comfort. The Holy Spirit could prompt you to fortify your Pastor with a word of encouragement, even in the midst of your personal sorrow and pain. Thanking him for his service could be the very encouragement he needs to persevere through another day.
“GO” is a command every child of God will hear at some point in life. Sadly, not all will obey the order. Jonah heard God’s command to GO (to Nineveh) but rebelled and turned in the opposite direction. Only by God’s grace did he come to repentance and fulfill the task purposed for him.
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:1-3 (NKJV)
Many wise saints are in a constant state of readiness; prepared to march forward the instant God commands them to GO. Others, those with a toe in the world, will find themselves surprised by God’s order. If they don’t drop what they are doing and do as told, they might find themselves in the belly of some other whale. Why not learn from Jonah and avoid such discomfort?
MEDITATE ON THE WORD GO. IS GOD CALLING YOU INTO A NEW MINISTRY? CONSIDER THE STORY OF FAITH BELOW AND THEN ASK GOD TO PREPARE YOUR HEART FOR SERVICE.
“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” is a Christian hymn originating from India.
The lyrics are based on the last wordsof a man in Assam, north-east India, who along with his family was converted to Christianity in the middle of the 19th century through the efforts of a Welsh missionary.
Called to renounce his faith by the village chief, the convert declared, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” In response to threats to his family, he continued, “Though no one joins me, still I will follow.” His wife was killed, and he was executed while singing, “The cross before me, the world behind me.” This display of faith is reported to have led to the conversion of the chief and others in the village.
The formation of these words into a hymn is attributed to the Indian missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh. The melody is also Indian, and entitled “Assam” after the region where the text originated.The fierce opposition is possible as various tribes in that area were formerly renowned for head-hunting.
An American hymn editor, William Jensen Reynolds, composed an arrangement which was included in the 1959 Assembly Songbook.
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_Decided_to_Follow_Jesus
This devotion is from FACING ADVERSITY WITH WISDOM, PRAISE, AND PROMISES. Look for it on Amazon this November.
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