Obedience Is Better Than a Sacrifice!
Obedience is better than a sacrifice! I heard God say that it is only a test of your faith!
I thank God for blind obedience! Why? Because, many times God hides Himself from us to see (test) if we will obey! The reason He does it is to test our obedience and our love for Him and humanity!
There will be times when just like Abraham, God will temp us! For all those who always think that God is going to show you (reveal) everything up front: trying (testing) times are coming!
God told Abraham to take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
I heard God this morning say that He will test you to see how much you love Him: are you willing to give up that thing you love the most? I heard God say that when we don’t yield (disobedience) to both the voice and the spirit of God, it is sin!
That means no quenching of the spirit, or half stepping in this season!
I heard God saying that many times we want to put God in our own little box and to do things the way we want to do them, but as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God ways higher than your ways, and His thoughts than your thoughts, saith The Lord (Isaiah 59:9).
You see, God spoke to me this morning saying that many times He is giving us an assignment and we take our very own time in completing that assignment, but Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and cut the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
I hear God saying that it is time to move out! Obedience is better than a sacrifice, saith The Lord!
God is looking for willing vessels whom He can use in this season! Those who will follow him, even when they don’t see the way! Don’t understand the why’s? Just like Abraham who on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off, and Abraham said unto his young men, abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship (don’t quench the spirit), and come again to you. You see, Abraham feared (obeyed/faith/trusted) God; and he went where God called him without hesitation!
Just as you must, when The Lord calls! Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together (Genesis 22 1:7). The thing that Abraham loved best, God tested him to see if he loved Him enough to give it up for his cause! I hear God saying have you counted up the cost? What are you holding on to in this season?
However, Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, my father: and he said, here am I, my son. And he said, behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb (the sacrifice/offering/ instructions/directions from god) for a burnt offering?
O, but I hear God saying, many times we question God, asking Him, Lord why are you doing this, and why are you doing that? But I hear God saying, is there not a cause?
God spoke to me and said that when He asks you to do something, will He not prepare a lamb? A sacrifice? Directions and instructions?
You see, whom God calls, he qualifies, and He knows what He is asking of you!
I hear God saying that if He asks you to do something and you don’t understand it, don’t try to figure it out, just move as the spirit says! Why? Because, sometimes God will not give us all the instructions, but He just wants to know will you follow and by and by He will reveal to us the why. Will you follow Him by faith even though you don’t have a sacrifice an offering and nor do you have enough information to get the job done, but you just trust that He want let you down?
Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb (instructions, directions, provision etc………… for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. I hear God saying that it is time to move out! All He needs is a willing vessel in this season! Are you prepared? Are you ready to move out, saith The Lord?
And they came to the place which God had (after God showed them were to go) told him of; and Abraham built an altar (his assignment) there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And you see just as Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son, the angel of The Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and He said, here am I.
Won’t God show up? Just when you think He has left you all by yourself to complete the assignment the mandate on your life? Yes, He will! Just as He provided for Abraham,
I heard God say he will do the same for His people in this season!
I heard God saying, will you trust Me even when you don’t understand? Are you willing to put it all on the line?
If you do, saith The Lord, you will not be disappointed, because He will make a way when there is no way, saith The Lord, just as He did Abraham!
God told Abraham to lay not thine hand upon the lad (the lord showed up), neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest (trust/faith/obedience) God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket (God will provide) by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered Him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh: as it is said to this day, in the mount of The Lord it shall be seen. God wants His people to know that if we will trust Him that He will provide for them (provision) and that He will never ask you to do something and leave you, but you must trust Him even when you can’t see the way!
And the angel of The Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, by Myself have I sworn, saith The Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not (obeyed) withheld thy son, thine only son:that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying i will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice (Genesis 22:7-18).
Obedience is better than a sacrifice saith The Lord! Won’t you trust him even when you can’t see the way and you are blind sighted, saith The Lord?
~ Apostle Geraldine Fisher
Apostle Geraldine Fisher has a World-Wide-Social Media Net-Work Ministry. As a Missionary, God moved her into the Office of a Prophet, revealing to her the qualities of a True prophet, humility, humiliation, loving others, interceding in prayer, as she keeps her own life clean to accurately hear from God. Since hearing the audible voice of God calling her to ministry, she’s been called to intercede and pray for others in ministry as God speaks, instructs, directs and gives prophetic words for her to give to others. God promised He would bring her to sit and to learn before great men, all of which He did!
What did the prophet mean by this verse?
But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22 NLT)
Take special note to this verse. Look closely at the words in caps. The first part of the verse says: But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: YOUR BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES OR YOUR OBEDIENCE to HIS VOICE? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22.
During this time the children of Israel under the law. They were to be obedient to the law.Paul writes:For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. (Hebrews 2:2 NLT)
Also stated by the Apostle Paul this the old system:the law which required burnt sacrifices of bulls and goats. Those sacrifices were not acceptable to God. The bible says:
“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. (Hebrews 10:1-6 NLT)
The new covenant calls us to obey God’s only son. He is the acceptable sacrifice that God finds pleasure in…not your sacrifices or obedience to the law.
First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:1-6, 8-14 NLT)
See the old covenant was canceled by God. The new covenant isn’t about our obedience but Christ’s obedience. According to Paul, before Christ we were slaves. “And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. (Galatians 4:3-7 NLT)
Now we are free to fellowship and worship our King! He calls us now to love for which there is no law and to “share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 NLT) It’s about His obedience and us believing in his work on the cross to recieve our forgiveness and righteousness. The word tells us our part:
Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16 NLT)
Thank you.
Wow, this is basically the story of my life! Thank you for this message, I needed it. Amen