Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

Back in the first week of June, 2010 I posted a prayer request: Pray for America and Korea. On that morning when I arose I clearly remembered a dream I had during the night. In the dream I was praying regarding some situations I was facing. At that time I was in desperate need of a financial breakthrough and was about to lose my car and shelter. In the dream I looked off to my far right and there were Angels of God working and doing things on my behalf, working out the situation I was praying about. As I watched them a man came out from among them, he was not an angel of God, but he came out from the midst of them. He had his head down but he looked tired and beaten. As he walked toward me I could see that his man was President Kim Jong-il of North Korea. He walked past me and lifted his and sadly said “it is done”.

Like I usually do when I wake up and clearly remember a dream I prayed and asked God what this dream meant. This is what I heard: 

I have given you instruction to pray for America and Korea. The situation you have been praying about concerning your finances is already done. Walk in obedience to what I have asked of you. Gather the people together to pray for Korea and America. As they pray the windows will be opened and what has been held up will be released. This is what the Lord told me that morning. 

A few days prior I had indeed felt an urgency to pray for Korea and America, but my personal situations took precedence in my prayers and I did not do it. This dream reminded me that God always has my situation worked out (Matthew 6:25-30) and that whenever He instructs me to do something​ He has a reason and a plan (Proverbs 3:5-6). It also reminded me that we are to lay our lives down for others (1 John 3:16). Prayer is one way we can lay our life down and the least that we can do for others.

That day I did pray and post the request to pray for America and Korea on several network groups that I belong to. Once I did the answers to my personal needs manifested almost immediately.

• On June 10th I got a call from someone who wanted to bless me with a car. It was delivered to me on June 18th.
• A week later I received close to $2000 in unexpected funds to help pay my bills.

There have been many times when I was instructed by God to do something and once I was obedient I saw immediately why obedience was so important. I remember one particular time was some years earlier. It was a Saturday and I had been running around doing errands all day. I was tired and hot and intended to stop by the store on the way home to get a coke, go home and take and shower and sit down and relax and watch some TV. When I got home I got home I got busy doing some things around the house and was just about to get in the shower when I remembered the coke. So I thought to myself, “I’ll take a shower and then drive to the store to get a coke” but God had another thought.

I heard Him say, “Go ahead and walk to the store now”. Already hot and bothered I said, “Really God walk to the store in this heat, when I have a car out there?” Again I heard His still small voice say, “Go ahead and walk to the store now”. So I put on my sneakers and dragged myself out the door on what seemed like the hottest day ever. I got about two blocks and the sweat was pouring down my face. I said, “Okay God, I’m out here and it’s hot, why am I out here?” About that time I was approaching an empty field full of bushes. I saw a lady walking through the field and she looked a mess, so I started walking a little faster.

I heard her shout, “Hey preacher wait up!”

But I kept walking. After a couple of steps it dawned on me that maybe she was the reason I was out there so I slowed down and allowed her to catch up to me.

She said, “You a preacher ain’t you?”

“I am a Christian”, I said. I had a call on my life and had just recently started ministering at my church but I hadn't been ordained yet.

She went on to say, “I been in the crack house all night. I am so tired of smoking crack, but I can’t stop. I grew up in the church and I believe in God but I am afraid that He couldn’t possibly love me anymore because I turned my back on Him and I’ve done so many bad things because of this crack.”

I asked God what to say and began to minister to her about the love of God and how nothing that she could ever do could make Him stop loving her, that Christ died to pay for her sin, so she wouldn’t have to. She was His child and she could always come back home. I ended asking her if she believed what I was saying and if she wanted me to pray with her. She said yes, so I started to pray right there, but she was apprehensive about praying out in the open like that. So I suggested that we walk to the back of the store and pray, which we did. 

When we were done I gave her my phone number and told her to call me if she ever needed anything and offered to take her to church with me. It was two months later when I heard from her. She said her grandmother was a preacher and she would go to church with her. I said okay, gave her a hug and went inside the store to get my coke.

“Hey, Ms. Angeline, this is XXXX. Do you remember me?”

Yes XXXX, I remember you! How are you?

“Oh I am doing really good. I wanted to call you and thank you for praying with me that day. I haven’t touched a crack pipe since. I started going to church too and taking my kids. Thank you so much for being obedient. You changed my life!”

No XXXX, Christ changed your life. We both were just obedient and let Him!

I have many testimonies like this and I cannot stress to you how important it is to be obedient to the voice of the Lord, move when God says to move and to pray for others.

Let me ask you:

1. What have you been asking God for? 
2. Who has God told you to bless? 
3. Who has God told you to pray for? 
4. Who has God told you to do? 

Don’t second guess God! Just do it! Remember His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). 

I am still praying for America and Korea and for the needs of others. If you would like to join me or would like to submit a prayer request click here.

Scripture tells us in James 5:16-20 “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. (James 5:16-20 (Amplified Bible)

Remember, your prayers as a child of God are powerful and as you pray for the needs of another, God will touch you too.