HOUSE OF ROBERTS BLOG

As a dad in his 40s, I have learned that working out is necessary for my physical and mental health. I have also learned that I have to stretch before and after otherwise I will be making awkward noises when I get up from our couch. Muscles are one of those things in life that need to be worked out. They don’t just appear, especially the older you get. I’ve also learned that this is not only true for your physical development but also for your spiritual development. Dad, there are spiritual muscles that you need to build that are necessary for you to accomplish all that God has for you, and like natural muscles they won’t develop on their own, you will have to train them. One of those “muscles” is the muscle of obedience and Phillip is a great example of a man who was shredded out in that area.

In Acts 8, we see Philip now living in Samaria and because of his obedience to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” revival is coming from a group of people that no one thought could receive the message of Jesus. Then this crazy thing happens. In Acts 8:26, it says, “As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” The part that gets me is the first part of verse 27, “So he started out…” Doesn’t it seem pretty crazy what that angel asked Philip to do? He doesn’t tell him why he needs to go to the road, he doesn’t tell him what he needs to do when he gets there, he just tells Philip to go to some remote area, period. 

What is Philip’s response? He asks no questions, he gives zero pushback; instead, he simply obeys. Philip had developed a necessary muscle and that is the muscle of obedience. When that muscle is developed in the life of a Christian, you don’t ask for more details, you don’t compromise on what you think God is speaking to you. You simply obey. This account of Philip tells us that we don’t need to understand completely to obey immediately. 

Dad, I promise you that as you continue to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit will direct you to do things that you won’t fully understand. It won’t make sense in the natural, you might not know fully why you are doing it or how you will do it, but if God told you to do it then you must obey. And like training in the natural, you won’t always “feel it”, remember you are building a muscle, and that only happens when you introduce resistance. Now some guys have done some stupid stuff because they thought God told them to do it, and I get how that would be easy to do. If you are newer to this life of following Jesus then you might still be unsure if what you hear/feel is the Holy Spirit or yourself. I’ve learned that the longer I follow Jesus and have built this muscle the more confident I am to be able to discern the voice of God from the feelings of Michael. 

With that said, if you are still unsure let me give you these two filters to work your “Word from God” through. The first is the Bible. Listen, the Holy Spirit will never tell you to do something that is contrary to His Word. The second filter is Biblical authority. If you are still learning how to hear the voice of God, you should go to a trusted leader in your life and tell them what you are feeling and ask what they think. Now ultimately you are responsible for your decisions but a good leader will ask you questions that will help you figure out if what you are hearing is from God or not.

Wrapping this up, what we see happen in Acts 8 is Philip obeys, goes to the road, and has an interaction with an Ethiopian Government official. Philip ends up telling the official about Jesus, prays the sinner’s prayer with him, and water baptizes him. Then the man goes his way. What’s cool is some historians believe that it was this government official who brought the message of Jesus to the country and it was all because of Philip simply obeyed what God told him to do.

Dad, you never know what is on the other side of your obedience. Let me ask you this question, “What do you feel like God is telling you to do right now?” Work out that muscle of obedience and do it. It’s okay if you don’t fully understand why or what will happen after. Remember your responsibility is to be obedient, God’s responsibility is the results. So go for it!