Men And Women Of A Different Spirit: A Seven Day Devotional To Greater Faithনমুনা

Fear is only the distraction of a deeper stronghold. 

Fear is just a symptom that arises when rebellion or disobedience or a lack of trust has taken deeper root in our heart in some way or another. The good news is that we have the ability to uproot that mess right out of the soil of our heart immediately and are given the gift to cultivate a spirit of faith once again. We are given the grace to repent and with the very next breath can begin to live out fresh obedience, letting faith take its rightful place in the roots of our hearts.

The only way we will be men and women of a different spirit is when we are men and women of whole-hearted obedience. Thankfully, we get to choose today who we will follow. Right this moment, we can repent of all the ways we’ve been holding back and go all in with undivided hearts.
 

For example (one of many), in Leviticus 26:2-6 God clarifies just how vast and rich His blessings are to a person of obedience, a person wholly committed to Him: 

“‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. “ ‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country.”
 

There is so much to unpack here, but I want to simply point out a few things that could change our lives TODAY:

1. Obedience promises God’s provision. Especially regarding keeping the Sabbath (ceasing to do anything that gets us ahead), this seems counter-intuitive. And it totally is! This is God’s way of giving us an opportunity to show Him how much we trust Him. I’ve experienced this first hand in my own life SO often and when I put my trust where my faith is, God uses that opportunity to build even more trust by meeting every need and MORE.
2. Obedience promises God’s security. When we are living in the wisdom of God we can be confident that we are going to dwell securely in the will of God. This means that when we are fully committed to following Jesus we can be confident that God is our Refuge, and not only do we have no need to hide, but we also have no need to fear because God has will always guard us where He calls us. Another way I’ve heard this is said is “God will not call you where the will of God will not keep you.” IF we go whole-heartedly into the life God has called us to, we can rest assured that the God of heaven surrounds us and keeps us.
3. Obedience promises God’s peace. It’s important to note that this passage doesn’t say that our obedience will guarantee a life free of hardship. The enemies still exist—they are just under the absolute authority of the God who loves us and sees us doing our best to follow Him wherever He may call us. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself reminds those who accepted His invitation to follow Him that when hard days come (not if), that He will get them through it and even in those moments, He will honor and bless their commitment to follow Him all the more.  

If we are to be mighty men and women of God with a different spirit, we must come to the same conclusion as Joshua and Caleb: Because we can count on God to provide, protect, and bring peace when we say YES to whatever He has for us, we can walk forward with a spirit of confident obedience that demolishes any spirit of fear. 

Ready for a challenge? For the next three days, share with someone (or on social media) how you have experienced the blessings of fully following God. Day one, share one way that God has provided for you. Day two, share one way He has protected you or kept you in a specific season or circumstance. Day three, share how you have experienced peace as a result of obedience. (If you share through posts on social media, tag me @rachelsweatt on Instagram so I can see and share your stories!)