Staying Online

Staying Online
Words of Faith 5-8-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 John 2
[3] We know we have come to know him if we obey his commands. [4]
The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. [5] But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: [6] Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

There used to be a popular online service that would commonly display a periodic prompt on the screen saying, "You have been idle for a while. Do you want to stay online?" If you do not respond, you will be logged off. While the little window was annoying, the message was clear that this "online service" was interactive, and failure to interact would result in being "logged off for inactivity."
In a first-century sort of way, John gives us a similar warning. Being online with Jesus is an interactive relationship. Being online with Jesus requires more than an account number, saying, "I know him." Being online with Jesus requires more than just reading files or downloading information. Being online with Jesus requires an interactive relationship of obedience.
One of my favorite studies is "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby and Claude King. I highly recommend the study. Henry shares these seven fundamental truths about life with the Lord:
1. God is at work all around you.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
5. God's invitation to work with Him always leads you to a crisis (decision point) of belief that requires faith and action.
6. You must make significant adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.
Obedience is the key to experiencing God's will and work in our lives. We will not experience God's power in our lives, no matter how much Bible we absorb, worship we offer, or guidance we hear, if we do not OBEY.
Often, we wonder why God is not revealing a new direction for us. The answer is that we have yet to obey in the area He last revealed to us or in some of the basic matters of Christian living. Praise God-- He doesn't log us off for inactivity! But we may sit still for a very long time when we do not move ahead in obedience.
Where are you today with God? Have you been staring at God's screen for a while? Does the message say, "You have been idle for a while. Do you want to stay online?" Click YES. Click "Of course!" Click "Yes, Lord!"
As John put it, we know we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The one who says, "I know him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Lord, I am committed to Your activity in my life today. No more idle stares in front of the screen of my life! Show me the area in which You want me to obey. I am excited to experience you in new and powerful ways. I choose today to walk with You, Jesus. Yes, Lord Jesus, In Your name, Amen.

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.