Joshua 1:8 – This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
DAILY READING; Luke 1:1-25; Ezekiel 33; Isaiah 57
Hien Pham was a friend to the great Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias and had served as his interpreter when he ministered in Vietnam in 1971. However after the fall of Vietnam in 1975, Hien was imprisoned by the communist government on accusations of helping Americans. While in jail they continually brainwashed him with a deluge of communist propaganda until he began to cave in to the communist ideology that God did not exist. One day Hien made the decision to stop praying, but on that very day, while carrying out a cleaning chore, he found a piece of a Bible page, in a refuse basket. He hid it and during the night he opened the paper and read these words from Romans, Chapter 8.” ….for I am convinced that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Hien wept as he read it, knowing that God had somehow sent him this most relevant Bible passage. He then made a decision to remain obedient to God and never give up on his faith no matter the cost.
Soon after this, miraculously Hien was released from prison. Promptly he began to make plans to secretly escape from Vietnam. He and fifty-three other men began to construct a boat with which to escape. However, few days before their departure, four members of the Vietcong guerilla fighters, knocked on Hien’s door. They said they had heard he was planning an escape, but Hien denied it and the men left. Immediately Hien felt disappointed with himself for disobeying God by telling lies. He then promised God to tell the truth if the four men ever returned. On the departure day, just few hours before they were to set sail, Hien was horrified to see these four men return. They again questioned him about his plans to escape. This time Hien confessed the truth. Then to Hien’s astonishment, the men leaned forward and in hushed tones, asked if they could go with him, they too wanted to escape!
The four men joined the group and they set sail. But while on the high seas, their boat was engulfed by a violent storm. Hien and all the other men would have died, had it not been for the extraordinary sailing ability of those four Vietcong men. That day, Hien learned the great lesson of how important it was to always obey God. Eventually they arrived safely in Thailand, and years later Hien arrived on American soil where today he is a businessman.
It indeed pays to obey God. Obedience may be costly, but the rewards are priceless. If you come to a cross road on the journey of destiny, always know that the path of obedience to God is the safest path to follow. When we venture out, based on what God has told us, though the risk may be high, the fact that we obeyed, commits God to our deliverance. Indeed God’s instructions delivers from destructions. And you can never fall standing on God’s Word. Indeed God’s secret agenda for our advancement and lifting is always obedience to His Word.
Deuteronomy 28:1 says ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth’
Every act of obedience is passing the test that results in our change of level. Obedience never brings you down, rather it takes you up and leads you to good success.
Joshua 1:8 – This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Through meditation in God’s Word, our minds are renewed by the Holy Spirit to scale great heights in life. Obedience is always the story behind the glory. All the giants of faith who succeeded in life, were ordinary men, made extraordinary by obedience to God. Some of the instructions God gave Abraham appeared too dangerous but he kept obeying God and it was counted as righteousness for him and he became a friend of God. God’s instructions are never grievous, rather they groom us. And indeed when we are willing and obedient, surely we shall eat the good of the land.
PRAYER: lord, I thank You for granting me the grace to always walk in Obedience to Your every instruction. Thank You Lord, for enabling me to continuously meditate on Your Word so that I can be prosperous and have good success in Jesus Name.
Quote;
The tests you are going through in life today is not for your destruction, it is for your testimony. – WORDBITE 222.