“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” Matthew 3:2
When Elizabeth saw Mary, her unborn child – John the Baptist – leaped, because he was filled with joy. Though John wasn’t born yet, he had a spiritual awareness and responded to the presence of the Spirit of God. “This was probably the time when he was filled with the Spirit as the angel had promised (Luke 1:15). Even before his birth, John rejoiced in Jesus Christ, just as he did during his earthly ministry (John 3:29–30). As John the Baptist, he would have the great privilege of introducing the Messiah to the Jewish nation.” – Warren Wiersbe, “Be Compassionate.”
That was the beginning for John. When he became a man and preached in the wilderness, his message came from the Spirit of God. It was a simple, and yet, a hard to believe message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of heaven still is at hand today.
John the Baptist had a mission and he committed to it with all his heart, mind, and soul. He left everything and lived in the wilderness. He left behind all comfort. Matthew says that he wore a garment of camel´s hair and ate locust and wild honey (Matthew 3:4).
What are you willing to do to share the message of God´s love and forgiveness with others? What comforts – if any – are you willing to give up in order to share Jesus? God has given you work to do. Are you full of excuses not to obey Him? Or are you, as John, fully committed to whatever He has commanded you to do?
Dear Father, help me be bold and courageous. Help me obey You with all my heart. I want to commit to the works You have planned for me. If You are asking me to give up things in order to do Your will, help me understand that nothing is wasted in Your hands and that You will give me everything I need. Amen.
Hi Angela, I read your prayer. You asked God to help you obey him and to give up things according to His will. Well, I have a request for you. Do you obey God? What I am really asking is do you obey the ten commandments? Most Christians do not! I am referring to the 4th commandment where Jesus asks us to “Remember the Sabbath day.” Do you do that? Or do you go to church on Sunday. I would like to share with you the “Truth” that is in God’s Word. If you are interested in truth, please email me and I will share with you why we are asked to keep the 7th day Sabbath holy. Do you know that Sunday worship is absolutely controlled by the Roman Catholic Church? The Catholic priests even state that anyone who worships on Sunday is doing so due to the Catholic Church. I never hear from anyone who wants to know the truth. So if you are telling the truth in your prayer that you want Jesus to help you obey Him with all your heart, then please take time to prove me wrong. I will send you $100.00 if you can prove me wrong. Thanks