Guest blogger author/evangelist Zeke Lam

Zeke, founder of SubMISSION Ministries with children in the Dominican Republic. He also is author of the book, SubMISSION The Amazon link is: http://www.amazon.com/subMISSION-heeding-only-His-voice/dp/193748100X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325343753&sr=8-1

From Ada: We are always happy to host other authors who have an encouragement ministry. The bad news is Zeke Lam focuses on submission--something vital to our Christian walk but often difficult to achieve with our stubborn natures. For instance, God's Word says in Ephesians 5:23-25 "Wives submit to your husbands. in all your ways submit to him (the Lord), and he will make your paths straight. We're told, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:20-22). Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:6-8).
Each new day is an experience of submitting to God. That means when He told me to be content in the little town with only 98 people, four bars and no church, I needed to start a Sunday school. God did His part and sent a helper. When I submit to my husband he knows he has responsibility for his decisions, so takes them more seriously. When we submit to other people out of reverence for Christ, we grow in character and humility and gain respect if we do it correctly.
Submission is all wound up in picking up our cross and following Jesus, and taking His yoke upon us so He can lead us.
So with this introduction, here's Zeke:

                                                 Preparing for Obedience
                                                           By Zeke Lam

            So often we cry out to God for His working in and through our lives. We beg for His will and plan to become clear to us day by day. In those quiet moments when we feel as if God has forgotten about us, our only yearning is His leading. In this condition of longing for His voice, it is absolutely critical that we prepare ourselves to respond when the call comes forth.

             Preparing for obedience is about daily crucifying the desires of our flesh so that the works of Christ can be manifested in our lives. Galatians 2:20 states: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.” Why is this so critical one might ask? Often times, God may bring forth a call that does not come close to what you had in mind. He may ask you to sacrifice in ways you never imagined. He may ask you to do things you never thought you were capable of or comfortable with. If we do not prepare ourselves for absolute obedience, the call may come and we may not answer.
            When we crucify any and all personal, fleshly desires and willfully submit to God’s purpose for our lives, we position ourselves for His glory. As we daily surrender to Him, His desires become our desires and we prepare our hearts to obey no matter what God asks of our lives. In this spiritual condition, we remain active and ready to respond to His call upon our lives.
            Consider an athlete for example. Often times they know not when that BIG moment will arrive, but he or she must steadfastly prepare for that "such a time as this" moment. Are you daily preparing yourself for obedience? If not, one of two things will happen. 1) You will not hear the call. 2) You hear but do not have the courage to obey. God has a mighty plan for you! Prepare to respond to the call.
            Faithfulness and intimacy with the Father is the only way to ensure that you and I remain in a condition that is prepared to obey His voice when it is our time to be used. Consider Abraham as you analyze and ponder this subject. Because he pursued a relationship with God, he was willing to offer his son as a sacrifice. Abraham could have rationalized in a number of ways. First, this was his son! Who could possibly slay his own flesh and blood? Also, Isaac was the promised seed. Sacrificing him had to appear contrary to God’s plan. Despite these two intense factors, Abraham prepared his heart to obey the command of his Father.
            The question is not, “Will God speak?” The question is, will we obey?”

                                                           To order book, use link above