I know its been awhile since I last posted on here. The past month or two has been a whirlwind of going and coming and doing and decision making.....BUSY to say the least. But I am back in action!!
So over the past couple weeks a new situation has arisen where God gave instruction and it was our (Mike and myself) choice to follow or not. In the world's eyes the decision is a BIG one that shouldn't be taken lightly, as far as Gods concerned...its just a matter of DO or DONT. So in our conversations about making this decision an interesting topic came up that really got me thinking. When Mike first came to me and said "This is what God is telling me to do....", I have to admit I wasn't completely on board. Not because I don't want to follow God, but because I was scared and every bit of my thinking said "That's Crazy!" "There's no way God would say that!" We started talking and a statement that I have heard time and time again came up. "God gives you a brain and common sense" Whether it be family or friends or just random people I have talked to over the years, this is a common bit of advice I have been told. When it comes to making big decisions "have faith and trust BUT, you should really think and use the brain God gave you." It has stuck in my head and will play over and over each time I come to an important choice to make. I totally understand the concept. Wisdom is important, there is no questioning that. Time and time again the scriptures tell us to seek out wisdom. In Proverbs wisdom is said to be better than precious stones and even gold, that the Lord founded the earth by wisdom. God gives us wisdom when we seek it out and when we are willing to listen to it. However in pondering this bit of advice, it seems a little contradictory. If God is telling us to make a move, shouldn't wisdom tell us to obey regardless of how crazy it seems. I started reading over Hebrews 11, the Heroes of the Faith, trying to gain some insight on how they made their decisions.....was common sense a part of the process.
Look at Noah: God told him to build a HUGE ark and prepare for rain (something they had NEVER had, by the way). Would common sense say it was a good idea to make yourself the laughing stock of the neighborhood? To commit all your time an attention to building this gigantic boat just because God said He was going to bring a flood? NO, common sense says that's nuts! However, Noah being a righteous and faithful man, obeyed and GOD was true to His word. The flood came and Noah's family was safe on the ark.
Look at Abraham: God told Him to take his son (who was a promise to him) to a place he would be told later and sacrifice him. WHAT? Where does common sense say that's a good idea. Isaac was a fulfillment of God's promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations and he is supposed to go sacrifice him??? And whats up with the whole "go to Moriah to a mountain i will tell you about" Common sense says i need to know where I am going and why...plus....where does common sense say killing my only son makes any sense at all?? Common sense says if i kill my ONLY son, i cant father many nations. But Abraham rose early the next morning and did as he was told. In the end, Abraham was stopped just before sacrificing his son and a lamb was provided. Abraham was then told his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore.
Lastly look at Jericho: Joshua was told that he would conquer Jericho by telling the people to march around the city 7 days in a row. On the 7th day they should blow the trumpets and shout and the walls would fall down. HAHA! I dont know about you, but if I was Joshua and I had to go tell the people that was our great war strategy, I would be a lil concerned. I would be afraid they would laugh me out of my position and right into the nut house. Common sense tells us that yelling loudly at a wall isn't going to make it fall. However, Joshua, being obedient and having faith told his people the plan. Early that next morning they did as they were told. In the end, they marched, they yelled and blew the trumpets, and guess what....the walls fell down.
These three situations are just a few......there are countless stories where God told His people to act, and they did, no matter how crazy it sounded. So i have come to a new conclusion. Common sense isn't going to do us any good when it comes to following God's direction. In fact i think it will more often than not, talk us out of being obedient. Common sense will convince us that what we heard wasn't of God, that its too crazy to be of God, and that others will think we are nuts for believing God would tell us to do something so off the wall. Noah was given instructions by GOD that didn't make sense, and if he wouldn't have obeyed....all of man kind would have been destroyed. God tested Abraham to see how willing he was to do WHATEVER God asked of him. If Abraham would have let common sense rule, he wouldn't have been given the promises that GOD gave him. Sometimes i think we are given instructions by God just to see if we are willing to obey what HE says. Joshua was given instructions on how they would conquer Jericho and make their way into the promised land. He did as he was told and it wasn't the yelling that made the walls fall down, it was GOD who knocked them down b/c of the peoples obedience to His direction. Through our obedience to HIM when HE gives direction we show GOD how committed we are to HIM and how much we truly trust HIM. We need to seek wisdom through reading HIS word and growing closer to Him, so when He speaks we KNOW it is Him. When God tells us to move, we have faith that He sees the whole picture beginning to end and we obey....period.
Looking back at the journey that GOD has had us on the past couple years I can see over and over again where our decisions to obey HIM made no sense at all. So from here on out I want to have that reckless abandon to just obey, no strings attached. I want to be willing to do whatever HE says do, knowing its of HIM, and trusting HE knows all the details. I dont know about you, but I don't want to miss out on a blessing or an opportunity to bless others around me, just because common sense said it was a crazy idea. Go where God says go, do what He says do, move when He says move no matter how big, how crazy, how insane! So.... I choose to have faith .....minus the common sense! :-)
