Sister Tarpley: Simply Obey

By: Sister Tarpley, NDG Religion Editor

“But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy'” (2 Kings 5:11-12).

Naaman was an army general who needed healing from Leprosy. A young servant girl of the king’s house suggested that the prophet Elisha could heal him.

He followed her advice and Elisha sent a message to him to do the following: “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed” (2 Kings 5:10).

However, when the instruction came as to what he was to do, it seemed ridiculous to him.

Like many of us, Naaman expected God to perform his miracle through Elisha in a dramatic and “religious” way. Sometimes we fail to recognize that God can work through a simple act of obedience that seems unrelated to the problem.

God told Joshua to walk around Jericho seven times to win the battle. He told a man to put mud on his eyes to be healed. He told Peter to catch a fish to get a coin to pay his taxes.

There are other times God calls us to use the natural to receive a breakthrough. Sometimes we simply need to change our diet or go see a doctor see a breakthrough in our health.

Sometimes we need to change the way we are doing our work to get a breakthrough in our careers.

Samuel the prophet told King Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice. Learning to listen to the Lord and following His instruction is the key to success in God.

Sometimes God chooses the dramatic and sometimes He chooses the ordinary. In either case, both are miracles because God is the God over all creation. Ask Him what steps you are to take for your breakthrough.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).

Ask God to work through you and guide you so that you will have the mind of Christ in all you do. Ask for the help that you will not do anything in the flesh and out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

That you will remain humble and never consider yourself better than others. He will provide the means and the desire for you to look after the interests of others as well as your own interests.

Pray that you will have a godly attitude in all your actions and decisions and that God’s love will flow through you. May you be a blessing to God and to everyone around you, in the name of Jesus Christ.