Sheen How much do you believe that blessings follow obedience? Have you experienced in your life when blessings started to flow as you obeyed what God asked you to do?
There are times when He would ask us to do difficult things for Him. Maybe we’ll think that He’s being too much but we have to remember that God only wanted the best for us. He always work for the good of those who love Him who are called according to His purpose.
Let me share with you a story of a brother in Christ who was challenged by God in terms of giving but was overjoyed when blessings followed His obedience.
A Heart That Obeys
“God has more in store for you, than you can imagine.” – Ephesians 3:20
There is no greater provider than our dear God. I assure you it is more than what you expect. To start I wanted to share how blessed my wife and I are by the grace of our dear God.
I was 24 years old when I decided that I wanted to end my bachelor days and move on to the next level of my life – marriage. During that time, I realized I’ve already had my own share of fun and I wanted to take new roles: as a husband and most importantly as a father.
March 8, 2014 was the day we exchanged our vows and pledged to take care of each other. Before our wedding I already told my wife that I wanted to start a family and have kids as soon as possible. My wife, being so supportive, just agreed on what I planned for our future. But I knew deep inside her she was not ready to take that role yet.
My Family’s Struggle
Months passed after the wedding and we still couldn’t have what we have longed for even after trying several times. I thought that after marriage our life would be much simpler and easier since I have my wife with me on this journey. But clearly, I was wrong, and it was hard!
Witnessing couples getting married in our church and was blessed with a baby sooner than they expected made me question life and myself. I also started asking the Lord if I was the problem. Boy I was pressured! But our prayers and our desire to have a child made us keep going. Through Jeremiah 29:11, I claimed that we will have a baby and it will be a very cute one!
We decided to seek a professional advice in the medical field, had multiple fertility tests and everything. The doctor said everything is normal and we just have to stop stressing ourselves because it wouldn’t help our situation. Even though it was longer than we expected, we patiently waited.
A Challenge From God
Then here comes the challenge the church gave us when it comes to giving. We were asked to give beyond our regular offering and make a “sacrificial giving”. We took the challenge even though we both knew we do not have much at that moment.
Then I received a message from the Lord saying, “Whatever you have in your hand, you can give it up to me.” It was a hard challenge. Of all the precious things that I own, I don’t know which one to let go.
The deadline is just around the corner. I prayed to the Lord to grant me wisdom and to help me see things out of the box. Then I came up with the thought of selling my precious Honda Wave 100 which was fully set up and upgraded. It was so precious that we had it named “Mot-Mot”.
That was the only baby that we had. Our one and only ride to take us to places. Mot-mot was my only investment when I started my job in the company I work with “The Legend Palawan”. I prayed and told the Lord, “Is this the answer to your challenge? Should I give it up for you? I am willing but please give me time”.
The Battle Inside Me
My mind and heart battled as the deadline approaches since it will be one of the biggest decisions I’ll have to make. It holds a place in my heart and my being because I see Mot-mot as a reflection of my success in my career. It was hard giving it up. We had it for 5 years and we spent much just to upgrade it.
But I know I need to obey the Lord. I do not want to be a disgrace. I need to man up to my commitment to Him. So I asked my wife to post it on Facebook. After she had posted it, a lot of people left comments and personal messages saying they were interested. I was happy but at the back of my mind I was praying, “Please, not yet. It’s too soon.”
The next day, one of the interested buyers went to check Mot-mot. As soon as he saw it he didn’t waste any second and paid us in cash. It was sold right away. Our sacrificial giving was done.
When Blessing Follows Obedience
Regardless of everything that happened my heart was at peace. I believed that the Lord has better plans for us. And yes, He does! Our biggest blessing and surprise in our lives came! My wife took a pregnancy test while I was sleeping and threw it to me. The world stopped for a second. We saw two red lines! POSITIVE! I was ecstatic! We were beyond ecstatic!
Devotional : Receive Your Blessings Now!
The next morning we immediately went to see the doctor for a pregnancy check up. Yes, you guessed it right! It was confirmed that I’M ALREADY A FATHER! We are already parents! We were very excited because first this was what we’ve been waiting for in many years – our first baby! Second, he will be the first grandson of both of his grandparents. And lastly, we know that this baby will be a cute one and I will take credit for that. 😀
One of The Best Blessings Ever
On October 8, 2015, Sean Angelo Raco Gapilango was out in the world. He is the first of our everything! Sean brought our families together.
This day was considered the happiest day of our lives. Yes, he is very cute (told you so!) and a very gentle baby. He is now 3 years old and is on his first step to school. He is very smart, kind, and of course handsome.
Then I realized that the Lord gave me this challenge to give up my treasure for Him so that He can give me one of the best treasures I can ever have. I owe it all to him. We gave up our first baby Mot-mot but the Lord blessed us with an angel, a real baby, and we call him Sean Angelo.
To God be the Glory!
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Share Your Story
I know every one of us has a story to share.A story on how God taught you…
… to forgive,
… to be still amidst the storms of life,
… to be faithful,
… to be a loving and respectful spouse,
…to be a mom or a dad with unconditional and sacrificial love,
… and so much more.
Bless and inspire other people with your own story on how God is teaching your heart to be ..
THE HEART THAT IS GOOD!
You can send me a message on my FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/theheartthatisgood/
or reach me through my email :
theheartthatisgood@gmail.com
Share your story because your story matters to God!
When blessings follow obedience is when we trust God in faith that he knows what’s best for us. It may not feel like it at the time however when we look back on it we will see the good that came from it. Great Post
Thank you for sharing Angie! I agree with that, God always has our best interest!
You told this story very well, I could feel the anxiety building. When God calls me to tithe, I often bargain with Him! and procrastinate and hesitate and walk around with the weight on my mind that I KNOW that He knows that I heard Him clearly and then I finally just JUMP and do it—and always I am blessed immediately–even when I don’t deserve it.
oh I love your story Marisa! Tithing can really be a challenging thing. But as we obey we will experience far more than the blessing we expect. 🙂