Willingness to Change. Many times I find myself having a hard time dealing with a situation or a person. I first believe the problem is other people or circumstances and many times that is true. However, other times, the problem is me—my attitude toward the situation or that person. When I’m in those instances I seek God with all my heart to help me understand what’s going on. He always gives me the revelation and insight of the situation and then helps me fix the problem or gives me the grace to get through it. Part of our daily walk with Christ is our willingness to change our hearts and our willingness to follow Him now. We need drop everything that keeps us away from God and our lives with Him. Today, I want to share a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that reminds us to have a willing and obedient heart.
Do You Have a Willing and Obedient Heart?
# 223
Matthew 4:20, 22 (NLT)
And they left their nets at once and went with him… They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
After Jesus started His ministry He began calling His disciples. In verse 20, Jesus called Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew. They left what they were doing (their profession and job) to follow Jesus at once.
Then Jesus found two other brothers, James and John, and they immediately left their boat (again their jobs) and their father (their family). The key words here are “at once” and “immediately.” The question to us is, are we ready to leave everything behind for Jesus if He asks us to do so? Part of our preparation to fulfill the calling of God in our lives is the willingness to leave our current lives behind and follow Him. It is to leave behind old habits, friends, family, homes, jobs, careers, etc. for His sake.
The Lord doesn’t usually ask every person to leave everything behind for His cause. But He does ask us to leave those things that will keep us from being close to Him and prevent us from fulfilling our calling. Leaving things behind to follow God is our choice daily and in every area of our lives.
The other key is obedience. Are we obeying God at once, or are we doing things when it’s convenient or not at all? Willingness and obedience are critical to our success in fulfilling the calling of God in our lives.