Obeying God

by Calia Russell

Have you ever avoided a situation due to the opinions of others? This can be a good or bad thing. Most of us carry a trait to stay away from things we know are wrong. Personally, I like to stay within the boundaries of good, but most of the time, my flesh and spirit fight. I have a story I’d like to share with you so you can better understand why I believe this so strongly.

My church, Eleven 22, is where the story begins. We started going there on March 10, 2019. I had a great relationship with the Lord, but I always felt something was missing. Now that I’m older, I know what that is, but that will come later. Our church has an amazing choir. My mom is in that choir. Back then, I thought she bugged me to clap my hands for the entertainment of the church. I had put further thought into this, and it seemed like my mind had two sides. One was that you can just praise the Lord and clap. Another side was ignorantly thinking, “Don’t clap; just stare.” And of course, that Wednesday, that’s exactly what I did.

At church, before praise and worship, our worship leader said, “Everyone, please come to the front.” Back then, I used to value the opinions of others, and this was one of those situations when my flesh and spirit were having a debate. My friend Ma’Ryah and my mom encouraged me to come to the front. We started praise and worship. And of course, being a child, I had forgotten about my plan not to praise for the first song, but then the second song came along. I had an immediate change in mood. I knew it didn’t feel right, but I continued. My mom noticed and mouthed, “I’m gonna get you.” If you don’t know what that means, it means I’m going to get in serious trouble.

After she said that, we went to children’s church. We did our normal service, but at the end, we prayed. Out of fear, I asked to pray. I prayed that I wouldn’t get a spanking. My niece took advantage of this and told my mom everything to get on her better side. Thankfully she did, or I wouldn’t have learned this lesson. She gave me a long talk explaining that it wasn’t about anyone else: just me and God. I didn’t completely understand what that meant, but when she finished, I didn’t get in serious trouble. The following Sunday, I had to go to the front again.

This time, I listened to the better suggestion and praised. And after that, not once did I think about anyone else but the Lord. I felt closer to Him than I ever had before. I felt the need to cry. But my flesh took over, and I didn’t. Writing this now brings pain to the things I’ve missed because of that. But without it, I might have made the mistake later in life, so I’m thankful. To conclude, never let your flesh take over your relationship with the Lord, like I did, because it feels amazing to be connected with everlasting love unlike anyone else’s. He will always be there for you in your toughest times; no matter how much hatred you put toward Him, He still loves you. Talk to Him, read His Word, and feel the love and strength He puts over your life.

About The Author Calia Russell is a fifth-grader at Black Fox Elementary. She attends Eleven22 Church. She loves to write and sing.

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Dr. Andrew Lee is professor of English at Lee University. He also serves as a coordinator for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. He and his wife Esmerelda have three children.

Ken Coleman, a regular on the Dave Ramsey radio show, authored a book last year titled The Proximity Principle which emphasizes the importance of putting yourself in close proximity to others who are working in the career field where you would like to work, with an eye toward landing a fulfilling career. While Coleman’s book is aimed toward those seeking a more rewarding career, the proximity principle—as a concept—is applicable to financial success, as well as numerous other aspects of life. For example, those wishing to lose weight and get fit need to be in the presence of other fit people to watch and learn and ask questions. I’ve talked with numerous people who were unhappily single, yet they never put themselves in situations (i.e.—singles groups at church) to meet potential life partners but rather sat home night after night hoping Mister or Miss Right would appear magically at their doorstep. The proximity principle dictates that we greatly increase our chances of success by intentionally putting ourselves in a position to meet those whom we want to emulate, or those who can help us achieve our goals.

Woody Allen once quipped, “Eighty percent of life is just showing up,” and while this may sound glib, there is some truth to it. By simply showing up and putting yourself in the right place (even if it’s not necessarily the “right time”), you enhance your chances for success. Once you know what your financial goals are, look around for people whom it would be advantageous to meet and pick their brain regarding how they handle their finances, how they balance risks and rewards, and what lessons they have learned along the way. Be sure to choose wisely those people from whom you solicit financial advice. On various financial podcasts lately, I’ve 10 // July 2020

heard this adage repeated: “Never take advice from someone you wouldn’t want to trade places with.” Or, to put my spin on it, “Never take financial advice from someone whose net worth is less than yours.” Beware of smoke and mirrors when ascertaining whether someone is a financial success. That luxury SUV and designer clothes may be signs of financial success—or they may be signs of excessive consumer debt and no real wealth.

Once you have identified those with whom you wish to network, don’t waste time. Life is too short. Put yourself out there and meet as many people as you can; tell them your financial goals and plans, and then listen to their feedback. Don’t get discouraged, and ask God to give you wisdom and discernment to understand and to evaluate their feedback. Consider the difference between sharing your financial goals with someone who is more successful than you, as opposed to telling these goals to those who are less financially successful. Often, the latter group (usually family and friends) respond with discouragement rather than encouragement. After all, they are likely unknowledgeable about how to achieve financial success, and may even resent your ambitions. But those who have achieved what you hope to achieve will more than likely offer words of encouraging, practical advice. The key is to put yourself in close proximity to these people. Then, once you have networked with them, be sure not only to listen to what they have to say, but also to show that you are a person who is willing to take some action to improve your financial situation. James 1:22 reminds us to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only,” and we should likewise act on wise counsel.

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by Paul McGuire

Ihave heard it said, perhaps you may have heard it, “Well, God loves me anyway.” This expression has bothered me for some time. So, recently, I began to look at the meaning, and thus the implications, of the word “anyway.” The definitions and synonyms given all point to some kind of alternative. As we might say, “It started raining, but we took our walk anyway.” There is nothing wrong with such a statement, but can you see that there was an implied option? The subjects might have stayed indoors rather than walking out into the rain.

But if I say, “God loves me, anyway,” what am I implying? Is it that God had some other plan? Did Man get in the way of His ideal Purposes, of His activities?

We learn from Scripture that God loves us regardless of our condition or status. But that is not an “anyway.” His expressed love IS His plan. It is why Jesus, the Word-madeflesh, became a man. Jesus, I hope we all understand this, is the expression of God’s eternal plan to redeem Man from the power of sin, the plan which enables sinful Man to be restored to God’s family. This has always been His plan. To my ear, for someone to say, “God loves me anyway,” implies that He had an alternative plan.

To follow this “anyway” perception further, do I thus imply impotence, ignorance, or limitedness to God? If so, wouldn’t that be blasphemous? Might it not imply that the Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God is limited, just as is Man?

I might well respond that I wasn’t trying to imply such a thought! But if I speak of our God, our loving Heavenly Father, in words which limit His reach, I will weaken my faith. Could I not say rather, “God loves Me. He is for me, not against me. He has wonderful plans for Me. He gives promise and hope, comfort and guidance, regardless of who I am. It’s because of Who He is! He has called me from the darkness of sin to the brightness of His glory. I am alive, for He has given me His life!” You know, just writing that out has encouraged me! The truth of those words stirs my spirit. See how speaking the things that God says over us turns our hearts toward Him? That’s a very good thing! So forget that “anyway” thinking. God loves us. It has always been His plan to rescue us, to bring us into fellowship and friendship with Himself. Read the Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 3. Here are some of his words: “…to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God…according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him.”

There is no “anyway” with God’s love. He loves us because He IS Love.

About The Author Paul McGuire has been born again for almost 60 years, and has pursued to hear God’s Voice through all those years. He and his wife Teresa of 45+ years are active at Living Word Church in Cleveland, Tennessee. They have two children and four-and-counting grandchildren.

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