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Promises of God are Revealed by Obedience
By Ashley June
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” (Psalm 37:4–6).
I literally prayed for a husband who loved to ski, could throw a football better than me (ex-softball player here), would ask me questions, and wanted to wait until marriage to be intimate.
At the top of that list was a husband who wanted to follow Jesus with all his heart. And boy oh boy, did God deliver! Whenever I think about the promises of God being fulfilled, I think about our love story. And to be honest, I feel like I can correlate pretty much all good times in my life back to the cornerstone of committing to obedience in one way or another. Not only in my marriage, but also in my business. Every single time I feel dry, business seems to struggle, or I am just not clear on where I am going—it’s usually rooted in some sort of disconnect from my walk. Which ultimately stems from a little disobedience somewhere, from starting to get a little lax about the company I keep, becoming more apathetic, becoming more selfish, or just not protecting my heart quite as much as I should from outside influences.
Committing to obedience isn’t icky and forceful—but when we love God’s laws and what His Word says, our heart is inclined to desire obedience because we love His ways.In 2010 when Adam and I met, I had recently re-committed to a season of obedience because I had just come out of a season of a lot of “disobedience.” I had reverted back to old ways (I loved being a little wild and enjoyed the party scene a little too much after college), and I didn’t exactly walk away from my faith but definitely got tired of trying to do the right thing in being patient in the waiting season for God’s blessing. I knew what the right thing was and “tried” my hardest…but my flesh would fail (often).
My heart was always to be married younger, and at 24, I felt like I was going to be 30 and single before I knew it. Silly, I know. But I never really loved the dating scene. It felt so meaningless and superficial—but finding a man who actually loved Jesus like I did and desired the same things in life felt practically impossible. Especially when a lot of the company I kept was living a completely different life and set of values even though they were what the world said was “fun.”
After some heartbreak and a season of growth, I remember reaching a point where I just really had to get clear on exactly what my heart desired, which was truly reconnecting back to what God’s will was for me. And so I prayed a very specific prayer—and that was the one I shared above about wanting a husband that could throw a football better than me. Lo and behold, Adam came from a football family in the cornfields of Kansas that had four boys—all college football players—and two that even played in the NFL, as well as another who played professionally in Germany and Italy. Which brings me to this—God has a sense of humor, and it was one of the first times that I felt like a specific prayer I had prayed actually came to fruition.
But with my prayer came the realization that I had to CHANGE my ways. I knew I had these desires to travel, ski, walk with the Lord, finish my MBA program, etc., but I had to make a decision about the path I was going to walk on and who I was going to be around. If I wanted to meet someone who had shared values and beliefs, I needed to put myself in an environment where that would be possible.
I also couldn’t hole away and rely on internet dating (Craigslist dating was all the rage in those days)...But I had to strategically make a decision about where I would thrive while still being true to the God-given desires of my heart, which also included fun and adventure! I had to choose obedience…but I also didn’t have to settle for a boring life (or a boring love story).So right before
I met Adam, I moved to Breckenridge, Colorado. I wanted to ski more and finish my MBA online, as well as get connected in a church with other like-minded young adults. After reconnecting with a girl I knew from college who was living up there (a total God-thing, btw), we became roommates later that summer. But I had a requirement…if I was going to move to the mountains again like I had right after college, I had to be in a church community and not in a party community.
My friend had walked a similar path as me with living in-between both worlds, and was also wanting to recommit to the Lord in that season. She was a member of this little church called the Agape Outpost—and one day we went together, and I noticed this guy with really nice looking calves and red Converse sneakers as he walked to the front of the communion line.
Later we went out for pizza with a group of young adults from the church, and somehow I got placed next to the guy with the red Converse sneakers. We sat at the same table and our knees bumped. About ten months later we were married, and the rest is history.The big takeaway I am sharing here is that God’s promises are fulfilled when we take action in obedience. In fact, the Hebrew word for “obey” in the Old Testament is “shema,” which means “to hear or listen.”
Biblically speaking, to obey means to hear or listen as well as to take action. We are in disobedience if we are hearing but not taking action. Action, ultimately, is making moves that are uncomfortable and putting ourselves in places where we know there is fruit. It’s also delaying the instant gratification that our brains and hearts are so hardwired to crave, because God’s heart is for us to thrive in our environments.
Because I took a risk and moved to a place where young adults were doing things like skiing, walking with Jesus, and choosing a “healthy” community to get plugged into…the promise delivered was exactly what I had prayed for, on top of God’s favor and abounding grace.Of course it wasn’t just because of what “I” did, but I do believe obedience was a huge factor, because when you are in agreement to commit His ways, your obedience is rooted in genuine desire.
The Lord knew I needed to step into His will…and He also knew what my heart desired because He created those desires. But when you take a risk and you get bold in your prayers, as well as take physical action in obedience to place yourself in environments where God’s goodness lives, His promises will be fulfilled. He is not a genie, and it doesn’t mean it will happen overnight, but His laws are about sowing and reaping. If you sow, you will reap. That is His promise!
Whether it’s in finding a spouse, parenting your child, building a thriving business, or even seeing results when you’re working on your physical health…You will walk into His promises when you choose His ways and your heart is focused on true obedience. When you listen and then take action on what you hear, you will see promises of God fulfilled.
After working with thousands of Christian women in the business space, this is one of the biggest issues that I see. So many women are trying to listen to the Lord, but they are failing to act on what He is saying to them. And then they wonder WHY they haven’t seen the promises of God for their businesses or ministries play out yet. They are stuck in forever wilderness seasons.
If you want to see the promises of God revealed, I encourage you to take inventory of where you are not taking action on what He has been putting on your heart to do. Your promises might just be on the other end of obedience.
Ashley June is a seven-figure Christian Business Coach, business strategist, MBA, top 1.5% podcaster, homeschool mom, and surf/ski lover from Colorado. She helps wild and radiant Holy Spirit-led women coaches, course creators, and ministry leaders build generational wealth for their families through monetizing their God-given callings into online businesses so they can build a life of true time, money + spiritual freedom while living counter-culturally and set-apart.
Website: https://ashleyjuneco.com/
FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/setapart
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