What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Chapter 11:  When God Answers…Now Obey Me

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What happens when God answers?  What God always expects to happen—our obedience.

After God has answered our prayer, whether exciting, mind-boggling, or difficult, the next step is obedience.  When God answers our payer with a command, instruction, or an open door, He fully expects us to obey.  We must put into practice what God has told us in His answer.  And our obedience to what God has told us in His answer.  And our obedience to His answer to our prayer opens the curtain on the next act of our lives.  “So shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth, it shall not return to me empty without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11, NASB.

This is the God of the universe speaking, the One whom all the stars, planets, weather, and seasons obey.  The One who spoke, and the universe came into being.  The One who spoke, and the sea was calm.  Who spoke, and the dead came alive.  The One who expects obedience to His words. 

However, God does not coerce us into obeying His answers to our prayers.  He has given each of us a free will, with the privilege of responding as we choose.  And astoundingly, we humans frequently ignore, rebel, make excuses, refuse to obey, or even laugh at a certain answer from Him.  This is amazing in light of the fact that it is the omniscient God of the universe who has answered us. 

Our son, Kurt, said it to me this way:  “Remember, when dealing with the Great Potter, the quality of the pot is solely determined by the malleability of the clay.”  It is our ability and willingness as clay to obey and be shaped by ‘God, the Potter, that ultimately fashions what we are—and what God can do through us.

Have you ever wondered what you have missed in life because of a wrong response to God’s direction?

I must admit that I have wondered what I have missed in my life because of a wrong response to God’s direction.  How do I know I may have gone in my direction instead of Gods?  PEACE, the lack of peace in my life indicates to me that I might have made decisions because of my dreams and my plans. 

I had always believed that God had a special plan for my life.  I also believed that he would get me to that plan in his own timing, but someone I respected told me that God does not have an ultimate plan for me, that there are many paths that I could choose.  It does not matter to God.

So, I went about my life trying all different avenues of serving God and they worked for awhile, but eventually fizzled out.  I got to the point that I was worn out and tired, trying to find the dreams in my heart.

Looking back on my life can often be 20/20 vision.  After spending so much time running around in circles, I started to see what had happened. 

I was working very hard trying to start a ministry and getting no where.  I remembered back to the beginning of all of this that I felt like God was speaking to me that I should be a writer.  Now, I loved writing, but did not feel qualified in anyway to write.  I was doing it all the time, but did not consider myself a writer. 

Looking back, God would show me over and over that he wanted me to write, but I could not believe that he would ever call me to be a writer.  I had published a book called, He’s SPEAKING!  Are we LISTENING? But I would not admit that I was a writer.

Well, my story is long, but the bottom line is that I could hear God speaking to my heart very quietly telling me to write, but my lack of confidence kept me submitting to this call in my life.

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What are you missing that Jesus had planned for you?  Joy, hope, peace?  An intimate walk with Jesus?  Renewed fellowship with Him? Are you living like the disciples—in despair, defeat, fear, tears, unbelief, and disobedience?  Then it is because your response to His words also has been wrong.  Perhaps you are feeling that there are good reasons why you should not believe and obey.  But the hard fact is that you are missing the triumphant, joyous relationship with Him that He is longing to have with you—if you were obedient.

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One of the most difficult aspects of obedience is being willing not to do something.  Obedience isn't only going and doing, it also is not going and not doing.  This is especially hard when we feel that the job or activity is so right and so necessary.

Little by little God began taking each of the things I was doing out of my life.  It was so hard.  All I really wanted to do was serve God, but it seemed like he would take each thing I would pursue out of my life.

So here are my thoughts today:

I believe there is a perfect plan for my life. I have tried going after my plans over and over again, but they never lasted. I want to find God's ultimate plan for my life, so this needs to begin with what I do know he wants for me.  

I know without a doubt that God has called me to be a writer.  I also know that I am not the best writer in the world, but I lay my writing before him and will let him do what he wants to do with it.  I give it all back to him.

I am quite sure he wants me to quit running after my plans and allow him to bless me with his plans for my life.  Please pray for me.
 

I would also highly encourage you to read this book, What Happens When God Answers.  It is truly incredible.  There is so much to be learned from the words of my/your dear mentor and friend, Evelyn Christenson. 

Closing Prayer

Dear Father,

I know the plans You have for me are best.  Forgive me for all the times I have stubbornly gone my own way.  Teach me to listen to Your answers to my prayers, and then to obey exactly what You have told me to do—or not to do.  Thank you, Father for all the wonderful rewards You have ready for me when I do obey You.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

What Happens When God Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Chapter 10:  Restore the Sinner

This chapter is filled with so much treasure it will be pretty hard for me to cover everything.  If this subject speaks to your heart, please find a copy of Evelyn’s book, “What Happens When God Answers and read Chapter 10, or order the book from the following link.

 

http://www.evelynchristensonministries.org/index.html

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When catching a sister or brother sinning, how often we pray, “Oh, God, what do I do now?”  And the surprising answer from God is already recorded in the Bible. 
Restore that sinner.

Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness. (Galatians 6:1)

What does it mean to restore?  Paul had in mind here the mending of something that had been damaged.  Restoration is the responsibility of those Christians surrounding the sinner.  Repentance, reconciliation, and restitution are all the responsibility of the sinner; but, shockingly, restoration very likely must be done by the one sinned against, and it may even be the victim’s job.

However, restoration does not begin while the person is sinning.  It is when he or she is “caught” trespassing that the process begins.  There can be no real restoration without the sinner fulfilling the other three “R’s” preceding it—repentance, reconciliation, and restitution. 

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How do Humans Restore Sinners?

Now that we know restoring the sinning brother or sister is not optional, we ask God, “But how do we go about restoring such a one?” The Bible is full of God’s instructions on this oft-neglected subject.

 

Rebuking the sinner is his first instruction.

Restore by forgiving

Restore by praying for the sinner

Restore by praying with that sinner

Restore by loving, not legalism

When the repentant sinner being restored is truly loved, he or she usually responds to that love and begins the process of loving us and, even more important, himself again.

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God cannot restore the sinner until that sinner accepts his forgiveness.

This chapter was very interesting because this past year I had the opportunity to encourage someone who was a repentant sinner trying to change.  Interesting enough the steps to restoration were the steps that Evelyn talked about.

The first step is the hardest, realizing that they have done something wrong and they need to make it right.  It is never easy to say I am sorry, or please forgive me, but once it is done, the next step is easier.

There is nothing more beautiful than to see someone’s life restored because they followed the steps to restoration.  They accepted God’s forgiveness and were led to a wonderful place of forgiveness.  I will be praying this prayer in my life.

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Closing Prayer

Father, teach me your steps in the restoration process.  Help me to examine where I am in all my relationships with others.  Make me aware of how I am hurting them, and help me correct it.  Make me a restorer to those who need me.  Take my hurts from other people and in Your time, and in Your way, restore me to perfect oneness with them and to perfect rest in You.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

 

What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Chapter 9:  When God Answers…Make Restitution

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Although God no longer holds us accountable to Himself for the sins He has forgiven, we still are responsible to the human beings we have hurt.

After praying, “God, I have sinned,” and taking the steps of repenting and being reconciled to Him and others, are we absolved of all further responsibility and action.  No.  We still have a responsibility to the one against whom we have sinned.

While we must be reconciled to God when we sin, restitution is only made to the persons against whom we have sinned.  There is no way we can repay God for violating His holiness.  All we can do is repent because we have hurt Him so deeply and love Him so much that we will do everything in our power to restore our relationship with him.  Then we can serve Him with a new passion, making up for the lost days of opportunities. But our human relationships are different.  Reconciliation to people against whom we have sinned or committed a crime usually includes making restitution of some kind.

I have tried to live my life trying to build good relationships.  In fact, I cannot stand bad relationships.  I will work at making a relationship right until it is right. 

So, thinking about restitution is a very thought provoking subject.  I think I need to pray about it.

Dear God,

Is there someone in my life that I have wronged and need to make restitution?  If there is, I want to make things right.  Please direct my paths.

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This is the step of restitution. It is making amends, making good for a loss or damage.  It is giving back to the rightful owner something that has been taken away.  When we have sinned, it is our duty to make amends to the one victimized by our sinning.

Honestly, I have never really thought much about restitution.  I almost feel at a loss for words.  One person has come to my mind.  I wonder if I need to make restitution to someone.  It is defiantly something I need to pray about.

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Closing Prayer

Oh, God, forgive me for being insensitive to those I have hurt.  Forgive my selfishness.  Father, bring to my mind all those to whom I need to make restitution.  God, I will wait in silence for You to bring to my mind the steps You want me to take.  Please give me Jesus’ love for them and Your courage to be obedient to Your expectations of me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Chapter 8:  When God Answers…Be Reconciled to Others

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Complete reconciliation to God is not possible without a willingness to be reconciled to others as well.  Why?  Because one of the clear commands in the Bible is that we be reconciled to others.  As long as we are not obeying God’s scriptural commands, we are sinning—and thus not reconciled to Him.  “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

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First John 2:9 clearly states, “The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.” (NASB)

Thus, being unwilling to be reconciled to other people is a sin, which must be confessed, repented of, forgiven, and turned from if we are to be reconciled back to God.

Do I need to restore any friendships?  Do I need to be reconciled to anyone? 

“Forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against any one; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”  Colossians 3:13.

Many years ago I was hired to work in a church as the Secretary.  I was excited about this opportunity, until I met the former secretary and realized that she would be working with me.  I tried my best to be happy and work together with her, but it was so hard. 

My boss would tell me to do something and I would do it, but she did not like it that he told me and not her.  She would be angry at me.  Our working relationship was very strained.  I did not even want to talk to her.

The day finally came that she retired.  I was so happy to have her gone, but God continued working in my heart that I needed to be reconciled to her.  I did not care if I was reconciled to her, but God kept prompting me to talk to her. 

Finally one day I decided that I should ask her to lunch and just talk about the past.  She joined me at Tony Romas and we enjoyed a great lunch together.        I was praying that if God wanted us reconciled that he would help break down the walls from the past.

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Isn’t it amazing how the admonition in Ephesians 4:31-32 really does work?  “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander to put away from you, along with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tender-hearted forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” 

In addition to forgiving another secret of reconciliation is love. In our “What Happens When We Pray” seminars, we have practiced the scriptural reconciliation formula in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 for years, with remarkable results.  After forgiving someone, we ask God for all the love He wants us to have for that person, wait in prayer to feel it come, and then go home to confirm that new love.

God is so faithful when we are obedient to what he wants us to do.  Through our lunch together we forgave each other and then God reconciled us to each other.  It was so beautiful as we let go of the past and began a new fresh relationship together.

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PRAYER

Father, I’m sorry for living as if my broken relationship with people did not matter to You.  Please forgive me.  Help me to make reconciliation as far as it is possible for me to do.  I promise to pray for those who have despitefully used me.  Thank You that Jesus insisted on the reconciliation of members of His body, not so that we could become one, but because we are one.  And I promise to seek out the real body of Your Son, Jesus and practice the oneness He died to give us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.