I was a little nervous. It had been almost two years since my last speaking opportunity. And I find that when I haven’t used a gift or done something I really like to do, I begin doubting that I ever did it very well. So, there I was sitting in a room full of sweet women who had come for fellowship with one another but also to hear wisdom and inspiration from the speaker–me.
I had prayed for God to anoint the message. I had experienced His Spirit crafting the lesson the week before, and I knew there was a word for somebody in that small audience. Yet as I looked around the room of women that morning I wondered if my message would be relevant. Most were older. Would this message about following the call of God be too late for them to hear? Where were the teenagers who had been invited? Yet part of the message was about never being too old to be used by God.
As these thoughts ran circles in my mind my eyes caught a glimpse of something on the wall across the room. The large wooden plaque hung above the windows of the fellowship hall quietly waiting for me to find them. They were a message for me that day: “We live by faith not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). God whispered the words deep into my spirit.
And I was reminded not to trust my eyes. I had to trust God.
The women were very gracious after I spoke. Their kind words were sweet confirmation to my questioning heart. I felt we had been on a short forty minute journey together. Many of their expressions during my presentation told me their hearts were being touched, but I cannot deny that perhaps the person most blessed was me.
The next morning, during my quiet time with the Lord, as I journalled my thanks for the opportunity to speak, Malachi 3:8, the verse above, came to mind so I turned to it in my Bible and began writing it down. As I wrote, it became clear that this scripture is not only about tithing; it is about obedience. It’s the promise that comes with obedience.
[bctt tweet=”Obedience is necessary for us to be able to receive the blessings He has to give.” username=”wordsbyandylee”]
There’s probably a whole book waiting to be written on that topic! But for today, I want to encourage you to be aware of obeying even the seemingly least significant urge of God even when your eyes cannot see why. When we live this way we are promised buckets of blessings from the storehouses of heaven.
I’d rather have heaven’s riches than the earth’s temporal treasures any day.
Has God been tugging on your sleeve about a needed change or a step of faith?
Don’t trust your eyes.
Finding Purpose in Obeying,
andy
This post first appeared as “How to Receive the Blessings of the Storehouses of Heaven”
