Following God…No Matter What

Matthew 8:18-27 both inspired and challenged me. It caused me to desire to follow God no matter what. It also made me stop and think “how far would I really follow Him?”. In verse 18, I notice that Jesus commanded the disciples to get in a boat to cross the sea. Why would Jesus have to command them? They were all probably sons of fishermen and probably grew up on the shores of the sea.  Getting in a boat wouldn’t have been a big deal, right? Reading on a few verses down, we see that a storm came while they were crossing over to the other side. Seeing that they were accustomed to these waters, the disciples were probably hesitant to get in the boat because they could see the storm coming. This challenged their faith in whether they would follow Jesus in the face of danger.

Before the disciples got into the boat to leave, a scribe came up and told Jesus that he would follow Him wherever He went. Jesus told him in verse 20, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”. In other words, He was telling the scribe that following Him would mean giving up the comforts that the scribe was used to. This challenges whether one can give up their common comforts to follow God.

Whether God sends us to the other side of town, or to the other side of the world, following Him is not a matter of geography. It is a matter of the heart. See, radical discipleship is simply absolute obedience. Can we be obedient even if it means becoming an outcast?  How about if it means defying our social, religious, and cultural traditions? We have to check our hearts to make sure that those things don’t hinder our desire to follow God.

I have often heard Joyce Meyer talk about how when she chose to answer God’s call on her life, she was kicked out of her church and she lost all of her friends. If any of you are familiar with her ministry, you can see that God has blessed her tremendously. When God leads us into the face of danger, He protects and provides for us. In Matthew 8:23-17, Jesus and  the disciples were making their way across the sea when the storm came on them. The bible says the storm was so big, it caused the waves to overtake the boat. Jesus rebuked the winds and calmed the storm so they could safely cross.

Following God like this takes faith. If we are too afraid of what happens and where we are going, we are not operating in faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, we can’t please God. So, if we can’t believe on Him enough to deny ourselves and follow Him, we are not pleasing Him. Sisters, let’s take some time to ask God to search our hearts and show us if there is anything there that would cause us to not follow Him. Sitting back and allowing God to take us anywhere He wants us to go can be an exciting experience. We have to simply give up our own desires and say “Here I am Lord, send me”.

Believe Faith Obedience trust Posted under Bible by admin