The Greatest Walk of Your Life
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” Ephesians 5:2
“You’re facing a lot of obstacles right now,” the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart one day as I listened for His voice which always speaks in line with His Word. I know to test all I believe I hear against the Bible because God will never speak against His own Word. If what I hear is from Him, His Word will back it up. I knew I was hearing from God; the Bible from start to finish is filled with obstacles humans face as God teaches us to turn to Him in all things and desires through Christ to grow us in His image, testing our faith all along the way as He draws us to Himself with the goal we will repent of our sins, trust in Christ as Lord, and live for God.
I figured God would proceed to speak to my heart about how the devil was coming against me. This, too, would have been biblical, for the devil right from the beginning of the Old Testament begins his savage attack against God’s Creation, humanity. But I was wrong; God had a message to give me, one I can’t help but think might be also for you.
“I am testing you,” God’s Spirit spoke. This, too, I knew was biblical. God is continually testing His children. Surely He was testing my faith, right? But there was more to it than this. “I am testing how you respond to these obstacles,” He continued. “Whether you will respond in the flesh,” He so much as said. “Or whether you will respond in love.”
So God was testing me after years of loving Him in my heart but failing miserably in the area of loving Him and others in my words and actions if I had truly begun to learn how to sincerely love at all times in all ways. As He tested my faith, He would be testing my commitment to love Him and to love my neighbors, and, yes, even my dogs, even as I faced various obstacles. Within 20 minutes, I found myself snapping at paralyzed dog Mr. Simeon because he was licking his paw again that had finally begun to heal. Immediately I was convicted of what God had just told me. Though a dog paw issue could hardly be called an obstacle in the grand scheme of things, I believe God was affirming the testing I would be undergoing.
How quick my flesh can be to respond to obstacles with worry, fear, doubt, anger, impatience, bitterness, hurt, rejection, rage, irritability, judgment, condemnation, control, anything but love. God wants us to love Him and others in our hearts, words, and actions through Christ no matter how the world treats us, how our flesh feels, how tired we may be, despite the stress we may be under, no matter our obstacles. I had become totally committed and excited to learn to walk in His love no matter my obstacles. I would not walk alone. God would be with me.
Walk in His love!