Guarding against Hesitation
Guarding against Hesitation
Words of Faith 7-27-18
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2018
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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Luke 9
[57] As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
[58] Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
[59] He said to another man, "Follow me."
But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
[60] Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
[61] Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good by to my family."
[62] Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
Patience is when we wait upon the Lord for His Word of direction. Hesitation is when the Lord waits upon us to obey what He has already shown us. Here are three areas where we need to guard ourselves from hesitation.
1) Do not hesitate to rid yourself of sin. This is probably the first area in which we are attacked. When God moves into our lives and starts to clean us up there will be direction from Him to repent, to get rid of certain things. If we hesitate, the enemy may have victory. When God convicts us of a sin-- James says-- Get rid of it! Do not hesitate. Make no provision for the flesh. Make no provision for that sin. Do not hang around it. Do not coddle it. Do not pacify it.
2) Do not hesitate to obey the word of god. We often wait on a word from the Lord but we have 3400 years of word that He has already given. When we study together God puts something on your heart. You need to deal with it.
I once had a man get up right in the middle of my message and leave the service. It was really rather disconcerting. I thought, Oh my I must have offended this man. Later, he came back by the church and apologized. He said that God had so convicted him of someone he needed to ask to forgive him that he knew he had to get up right at that moment and deal with it. He said it could not wait. "The devil had convinced me to wait too long. I had to deal with it now."
There is a terrible danger when we hesitate; we slowly harden our hearts to God. When we hesitate we slowly block out the possibility of God talking to us.
I wonder how often we go to God and say-- "Oh God speak to me. Show me your will. Tell me what to do." And there is silence. Why? Because God has already spoken in our lives and we have not been obedient. We looked back. We wavered. We hesitated in obeying word that He has already given.
Tithing is a good example. Jesus was clear that we should not neglect the tithe (Matthew 23:23). God said in Malachi that we should test Him in this one area of the tithe (Malachi 3:10 ff). If God shows us a truth and we have not responded-- guess what? God is still waiting.
The Word says: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). If we are hesitant about gathering for worship and study, hesitant to come and be fed, the enemy does not have to do much to come between us and God.
3) Do not hesitate to obey God. This is where we started with Jesus, on the road. When God does call us we must respond. When Jesus told Levi to follow him he got up and followed Jesus. He did not even resign his position! He did not take a leave of absence.
When Jesus told Peter to come out of the boat onto the water, he did it! When Jesus told the disciples to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, they did.
We must listen and pray but when God speaks, we must obey. Romans 4:20 says of Abraham, he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Elisha. In 1 Kings 19:19 Elijah called Elisha by throwing his cloak over him. Elisha said, "I want to go back and say farewell." But what he did was so powerful, it remains as the definition of a resolute decision to follow. He killed his oxen, burned his plow, and fed barbecue to the people! Elisha had no contingency plans. He had no fall back position. He did not keep the door open to the past.
We are to wait upon the Lord. But when the Lord speaks, we are to obey without hesitation. How many times has God prompted us to do something that has been thwarted by hesitation?
Reluctant service is not fitting to the Kingdom. Backward looking plowing will lead to crooked furrows. Some people are always looking backward either at something they left something that hurts something they missed or just something.
We are certain. We are ready. We will follow. But then hesitation creeps in. Well... I did not really consider everything. I did not really count the cost. I did not really think it through. There are these other things that have come up. I did not really consider my family. I did not really think about the goodbyes.
Where are you today? Hesitant? Is there something that God has been telling you to deal with but you have been saying-- later God. I am not sure. Yes Lord, but first. Some sin? Something in the Word? A call upon your life?
Lord, give me ears to hear and courage to obey. Give me a heart that resonates with Your call and give me the grace and strength to respond. May I always wait upon You, but never hesitate once You call. In Jesus' name.
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