Inspiring Christian Blogs: Going All-In
The "Are You All-In?" Christian blogs has been a series to inspire you to go All-in for God.
Have you ever watched a player go all-in in a poker tournament? What do you think goes through the player’s head? Fear? Excitement? Maybe nothing at all? One thing is certain. That player is willing to risk it all because he/she strongly believes that he/she has the best hand at that table. Similarly, we go all-in for God because we understand that we have full access to Him, The sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent I AM, which means we do have the best hand! Its not just a belief or guess, it is a fact. If you have
accepted God as both your Savior and Lord, you have a bright future. This is what you need to hang on to to go all-in with God. Hang on to the fact that God said that we would have trouble, but He has overcome the entire world… Including our worries, struggles, trouble, and pain. Not only has He overcome the world, He also calls you His child. No other hand can stand up to that! Even though life (the dealer) throws some setbacks, it doesn’t matter what anyone at the table (other non-Christian entities) has because you have a royal flush (God and His salvation, grace, favor, mercy, and goodness), which should be the root of your confidence.
PAUSE... We want to hear from you!
Are you All-In for God, right now?
Yes, I am.
No, I am not.
No, I'm not, but I want to be.
Let’s discuss some examples that depict a person that is All-in for God. The Bible says that Job was a righteous man and the greatest in the East. Job was very wealthy and had 7 sons and 3 daughters. Job sought to obey the Lord in everything he did. His children would often have dinners and parties. Job would arrange for them to be purified after each festive event in case any of them sinned at the celebration. In addition, he would sacrifice burnt offerings (as was their custom in the old testament) in case any of them sinned or cursed God in their hearts. The Bible says that Satan was searching the earth for someone to tempt and test. The Lord asked Satan, “Have you tried my servant Job? There is no one on earth
like him; he’s righteous, a man who fears (obeys) me and shuns evil.” Satan told God that Job was only obeying God because he was very wealthy, was in good health, and had a great legacy through his children. Satan believed that if Job loss everything, he would surely curse the name of God. God allowed Satan to take everything away one immediately after the other, except Job’s life. His flocks and animals died, all of his children died all at once, and he became really ill. Even after all of this Job still never cursed the name of God. Job’s health continued to decline as he developed painful sores all over his body. His wife was estranged; his breath was offensive to her. His wife even told Job that he should curse God and die! Still, job did not curse God’s name. Fast forward to the end. God restored him with even more than he had before! Keep in mind that Job did not know whether God would heal him, bless him, or restore. He was all-in no matter what. Read the scripture below. Notice that Job still lamented. The physical, mental, and emotional pain was real. So he was well within his right as a human being. However, He still trusted God.
Esther went all in and risked her life to save her people. Xerxes was a powerful ruler that ruled over 127 regions. His throne was at the citadel of Susa. One day, King Xerxes hosted a banquet for nobles and officials. King Xerxes summoned his wife, Queen Vashti to attend the banquet, but she refused. Instead, she decided to host her own banquet. This disgraced King Xerxes, embarrassing him in from of a lot of important people. At that time, the law stated that he could, essentially, trade out his wife, the queen to a more “suitable” wife and queen. So King Xerxes stripped Queen Vashti of her crown and status and had his soldiers go out and kidnap beautiful, young women in Susa to choose from. Among those young women was Hadassah, later known as Esther of Susa. Hadassah’s parents died when she was young. Her cousin Mordecai raised her because her parents died when she was young. They were Jews, which were detestable to Persians. When the soldiers began kidnapping women, Mordecai changed her name to something “less Jewish”. Thus, Esther of Susa emerged. The young women were subjected to lavish beauty treatments, good food, and other luxurious care. King Xerxes chose Esther to be his wife and queen. Haman, King Xerxes’ right hand man, loathed the Jews and intended to kill them all. He plotted several schemes, one of which was thwarted by Mordecai, a Jew. Skipping to the end, Mordecai discovered that Haman planned to kill all Jews, Queen Esther’s people. So, Queen Esther decided that she would go to the king. Anyone that approached the king with being summoned by holding his staff out would be sentenced to death. Before she did so, she fasted and instructed all of the Jews to fast with her. Esther said, “If I die, I die.”. She approached the King without being summoned and found favor with him. She not only told King Xerxes about the plan to slaughter her people, but she also told him that Mordecai was the one that saved his life and Haman was the one plotting to kill Mordecai and the Jews, her people. In the end, Queen Esther was used by God to save her people and Mordecai was placed in a high rank position in the palace. The Jews grew strong and flourished. Queen Esther did not know what would happen, but she was ready to go all-in and obey what God had instructed her to do, no matter the cost.
Do you think that you could go through what Job went through and still be all-in for God? Do you think you would have had the courage to obey God as Esther did? Notice that going all-in doesn’t look the same. It is unique to the person and the purpose that God has ordained. Nevertheless, if God has instructed you to do it, He will be with you every step of the way. Our obedience to God enables breakthroughs, His favor, and abundance. We will discuss more people that made the decision to be all-in for God in the next blog post.
CALL-TO-ACTION
If possible, find time to read the story of Job and Esther (found in the Bible books Job and Esther). The book of Job is a little lengthy, but you will get the gist of the story if you read most of it. However, if possible, read it in its entirety. Esther is a fairly short, yet interesting read. It is a page turner.
Reflect on the following:
After reading this segment and the story of Job and Esther, do you know if you are all-in, wholeheartedly willing to obey God, even when it is not convenient?
Can you think of a time or times when you obeyed God, but it was in conflict with the world’s method of doing things?
If you don’t know if you are all-in or know that you are not all in, ask God to reveal whatever is standing in the way and hindering you from wholeheartedly obeying God. Ask God to first prepare you for what He is about to reveal. Then, ask for the strength, energy, and courage to carry out whatever needs to be done to free you to go all-in.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
We are so grateful to call you our Father. Your power is limitless. You are The Source of the entire universe. So you don’t need anything. You are Sovereign and you choose to have a relationship with us! Thank you for Your kindness. We have discussed going all-in for You, knowing that you will be with us through whatever we endure. You promised never to leave us or forsake us. So we need not be afraid to step out, go against the grain of the world, and trust You. Breakthroughs happen, people are saved, and lives are forever changed when we go all-in for You. Strengthen those who are all-in for you so that they may serve as a beacon for others to know You and come to trust You with their lives. Please speak to the hearts of those that are uncertain if they are all-in for you. Speak to each of them in a way that is unique to their circumstance. Open their spiritual eyes and ears so that they are receptive to everything you say. Touch those that are not all-in for You, but desire to be. Give them a revelation about the stumbling blocks and walls that restricts them from wholeheartedly obeying You. Give them the discernment and courage to carry out whatever is needed to remove or overcome those obstacles. And be with those that don’t know you and those that are just beginning their Christian journey. Bless them with whatever they stand in the need of. Make Your presence known, and utilize Your children to reach others for Your glory. Thank You Lord for allowing us to collaborate with You to be a part of our breakthroughs and miracles.
All this we ask in Jesus’s Holy Name.
AMEN.
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If you haven’t accepted GOD’S INVITATION OF SALVATION and want to do so now, earnestly pray this prayer:
God,
I know You love me. I believe You died and rose from the dead for my sins. Please forgive me for my sins. I give you my heart and soul. Please be my Savior and Lord. Transform me. I desire to align with Your Will. Thank you for Your faithfulness and Your Love.
It is in Jesus’s name I pray.
Amen.
All of heaven rejoices when one person accepts THE INVITATION to salvation.
~ Luke 15:10
CONGRATULATIONS!
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Hi Fam!
Thank you for reading. I pray that this has been a blessing to you. Remember, you do not have to do life alone. Let’s walk this journey of wholeness, gratitude, and purpose together!
- Shalan