Yes Sir! Jesus...Obedience

By Salma Bernard

Obedience is something that we all may have struggled with at some point in our walk with God. This book is written to testify, exhort and guide each person who has a heart to obey the Father.

In this book, Salma shares from the Bible as well as real-life experiences about the journey of obedience that the Lord Jesus has called us to walk in.

Are you seeking a job, marriage, financial, child, or any other breakthrough?

Is it practical and possible to obey God in todays pragmatic world?

Why is God testing me?

What next?

Are you finding it a struggle to obey God?

Are there really any returns for obedience?

How do I teach my children to obey God?

Answers to these questions and many more through Scripture and real testimonies of people living in todays times!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512731262

Salma Bernard

Salma Bernard resides in India with her husband, Steven, and their five-year-old daughter, Sharayah. She completed her Masters in Business Administration after which she worked in the field of marketing with a leading media house in India as well as with a multinational bank in Singapore. Currently, she is fulfilling her role as a mother and assists her husband, a film editor, in his work. Her journey from a small-town girl who lacked self-confidence to a successful young woman in every area of her life is truly encouraging. She has been a firm believer in Jesus Christ for over eighteen years and has been serving in the worship and intercession ministry. She firmly believes that our love for God can be summed up in one single word—Obedience!

Book preview

YES SIR!

Jesus…

OBEDIENCE

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Genesis 49:10 NKJV)

SALMA BERNARD

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Copyright © 2016 Salma Bernard.

Cover Design:

Ruth Beverly Aaron

Back Cover Photo:

Nitish Kadam

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible. New Living Translation Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International

Version ®, NIV ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible.

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3004-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3126-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902053

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/24/2016

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PROLOGUE

1 An Introduction to Obedience

2 Is Jesus the Ultimate Authority in Our Lives?

3 God’s Commands are Not Burdensome

4 Yet, a Struggle to Obey?

5 The Basis of Our Obedience

6 Bound to Obey — The Bondservant Concept!

7 Our Attitude When We Obey God

8 Inquiring of God — Part A

9 Inquiring of God — Part B

10 Obedience and the Concept of Testing

11 Obeying God Even When Pain is Involved

12 Obeying God When it Seems Opposed to Natural Reasoning

13 Obeying God in the Midst of Danger!

14 Obedience During Prosperity Too!

15 Teach Your Children Obedience

16 So, What Kind of Obedience are We to Display?

17 Obedience is Better than Sacrifice

18 What Standards are We to Maintain?

19 God Knows Our Disobedience Beforehand

20 A Call to Turn from Disobedience to Obedience

21 In Conclusion

NOTES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

T his book is dedicated to the One and Only Supreme Being in my life—My Father in Heaven! Praise be to God. It has taken me about five years to complete this book and all glory belongs to Him. Now that I am through with it, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy and immense satisfaction at this accomplishment.

I would like to thank my husband, Steven, without whose support my life would never be the same. Thank You Jesus, for having chosen him for me and sending so much love my way through him. I am also grateful to my mother whose relentless prayers enabled me an entry into God’s kingdom.

I need to make a mention of my little daughter, Sharayah, who is such a source of joy in our lives. It was after her arrival that the expectation of obedience as a parent from a child became more real to me. I have a better understanding now of how God, as our heavenly Father, has the same rightful expectation from us, His children!

In fact, the credit for the title of this book, Yes Sir! Jesus…Obedience goes to my daughter. When I would ask her to do something, such as put her toys back or come to bed, she would smile and then do a salute and say, Yes Sir, Mamma! This action would then be followed by her obeying the instruction promptly and joyfully. She probably picked this phrase from an animated television program she had watched, which had a king with the other characters being the king’s subjects.

One day, while I was in the midst of writing this book and she used this phrase, I had a sudden realization. To me these words reflected a parent-child relationship of love, obedience, and respect for authority. Her loving and respectful manner of saying it, and then joyfully doing the task, displayed just that. It was obedience to authority, in love. Hence, I thought this was an apt title for the book—Yes Sir! Jesus…Obedience.

I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the people who prayed for me and supported me in the vision of this book coming to pass. God bless each one of you abundantly!

My journey as a believer of Christ has now been one of over eighteen years. However, it was in the year 2004 that I drew much closer to God, more than I ever had in my earlier years. I had reached a point in my life that made me hold on to Him in desperation. I developed a hunger and a longing for God which made my relationship with Him so much more real and exciting. It was after this phase that God spoke to me about writing a book on something that is of utmost importance in our Christian walk. The subject that He deposited in my spirit was Obedience—His point of view, and His heart on this matter which is clearly reflected in His word, the Bible.

When Moses was chosen by God to deliver Israel, he said that his speaking abilities were inadequate. When Gideon was asked to lead the battle against the Midianites, he doubted it saying that he was the weakest person of the lowest tribe of Manasseh. Noah was chosen by God to build an ark in spite of being an amateur at it. And, the Bible records that Peter and John were untrained men, and yet they turned the world upside down for Jesus.

Ever since I was led by God to write this book, I too had my own excuses and struggles. However, I have written in obedience to what God directed me to do. The purpose of this book is to glorify Him and to encourage His children who, like me, are going through life’s journey, endeavoring to obey Him. After all, that is what loving God really is!

Much prayer, a sincere study of God’s infallible word, and real-life experiences are the basis of this book. My earnest desire is that, even as you read it, you will grasp what the Lord is speaking to you and be richly blessed!

Victorious in Christ,

Salma Bernard

PROLOGUE

My encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ

I spent my childhood years in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, India, and studied in a reputed all-girls convent school. My family comprised my mother, father, an elder sister, and me. Even though my parents are wonderful people, our home, unfortunately had a lot of unrest and turmoil, and relationships were quite strained. Our parents gave us all the attention we needed and the best in terms of education and other comforts. However, a secure and healthy family environment, which is essential for a person’s overall well-being, was somehow lacking.

Subsequent to the completion of my 10th grade, my mother decided to move to Mumbai since her maternal family as well as an apartment we owned was located here. We, as children, had to decide what course of action we wanted to take. I did have a desire to pursue further education in a city with a better educational system. Therefore, my mother and I left and came to Mumbai.

After coming to Mumbai, my life underwent a complete change. Along with the emotional insecurity that came with the turn of events in the family situation, there was also a lot of adapting to be done. For instance, things such as travelling in crowded public transport and attending a co-education-based college was something I had never known before. To be honest, I would get nervous to even cross the roads that were buzzing with traffic. Coming from a very small town and having the best of luxuries, we had lived a quiet and sheltered life. Now, to suddenly be thrown into a fast-paced, buzzing metro and adjust to it was not easy at all. I cried myself to sleep for many nights in a row.

I also became the laughing stock of my fellow students as they saw that my mother came to drop and pick me up from college for the first few months. By that age, especially in an advanced city like Mumbai, one is expected to be quite independent. There was an emotional, mental, and physical strain on me. I also missed our entire family being together and longed that my father, mother, sister, and I would stay under one roof.

As these events unfolded, my father’s business also started going downhill. Suddenly, there was a need to stand on our own feet and be independent. So, all the more, there was an added pressure to study hard, be career minded, and think more seriously about the future. In the middle of all these changes, my mother’s elder brother, who was staying close by, would visit us, and on a couple of occasions asked her to accompany him for some prayer meetings. He was a believer of Jesus Christ and knowing all that was happening in her life, he wanted to reach out and help her.

Well, she agreed to go, and after her visits, I began to notice a sudden and visible change in her. The family issues had resulted in her being discouraged and temperamental. This would reflect in all her interactions and relationships. However, suddenly, I began to observe that she was becoming more serene and seemed at peace from within. I would find her praying and reading the Bible for long periods. I could only attribute this to the prayer meetings she had started attending. There were certain recorded worship songs she would play every day, the lyrics of which expounded the love of Jesus and the freedom and peace He brings. I too, would hear these songs as she played them at home and would get the feeling that there was something different about them. Today, I realize this was Jesus and His love that she had been introduced to and not just some prayer meetings. She had begun experiencing something meaningful that was transforming her and giving her the much needed joy and peace that she had been longing for.

After a few weeks, she asked me to come along with her for these meetings. I agreed to go, but it was more because I did not want to displease her.

I must admit though, there was also a curiosity factor involved. I wanted to know what had influenced her so deeply that after several years of emotional turmoil she suddenly had such a calm persona. So, I did attend the meetings and it was quite an experience for me. This was not at all like the setting of a church that I was familiar with. There was a hall filled with people clapping loudly, jumping, and singing for Jesus. At first, it came as a shock to me, but I noticed that in the midst of all the noise there was also a deep sense of joy and peace that people seemed to have. The first few visits that I made were in order to please my mother.

I would hear people come forward and talk about how they had received Jesus Christ in their life and the positive outcome of that decision. They would speak about their breakthroughs, such as healing from sicknesses, contentment and a change of heart and outlook that they had experienced. They also spoke of the Father’s Love they had come to know of and had received. This, in particular, would catch my attention each time, and I would think to myself, ‘this is what I would also like to have—a true love relationship with God the Father.’

I began attending the prayer meetings at the time when I was just about to complete my graduation. I was a sincere student from the beginning and my results were good but not outstanding. However, that year, something significant happened which was only because of the hand of God. I topped the University of Mumbai in three subjects of management at my graduation program. After this, I wanted to study further and do a post-graduation course in business management so that I could better my prospects of securing a good job in the near future. An entrance examination had to be given and only if high scores were attained one could get into an institute of repute to do the course. These tests are quite tough and one’s aptitude is tested in various areas. I knew this would mean serious preparation and study as this was of foremost importance in my life.

While at this stage, having already been introduced to Christ, I would converse with Him, saying, If You really are the true God, and You love me, then please help me prepare and get through this entrance examination. I would ask for practical help such as, Lord, please wake me up early in the morning at four o’clock to study. Before my alarm could even ring, my eyes would open at that specific time. This would happen time and again. In addition, I would ask Him for help and grace in subjects such as Mathematics, which I was not very fond of. To my surprise, even as I continued to put in hard work, I not only began liking Mathematics but also started enjoying it. In fact, this happened to such an extent that I would solve the arithmetic sums as if one plays a game or solves a puzzle while having fun with it.

There was such a change and improvement in my overall preparations that from being a good student I started excelling. Even the professors took note of the improvement. Finally, not only did I get through the entrance examination but I also secured the highest grades in all the semesters of my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program. I had begun to see the hand of Jesus in my life. It was not just my hard work giving me rewards, but like a sudden favor and push that I had started experiencing. Not only that, my confidence levels began to grow, and I started to open up and come out of my reticent shell. As I continued to attend the prayer meetings and also began to read the Bible, things started to unfold in my life. I began to understand that God had a purpose for me and that I was meant to be a victorious child of God.

My whole body language and confidence began changing. From the girl who was so hesitant and could barely say a few words in a group of people, I now began to talk in public and compere programs at my educational institutes. I also took an active part in several extracurricular activities and enjoyed doing so. I became a national-level debater and won many awards for public speaking at various levels. From a small-town, shy girl who found it difficult to even cross the busy roads of Mumbai city I became a bold and confident, outspoken achiever. What else do I say of the transformation that the Lord brought about in me—from confidence to academics to extracurricular, including the way I physically looked, walked, and talked. He had invaded my life. More than anything, with His entry into my life I had received a sense of security and love that I had longed for through the growing up years of my life.

If I may say so, I literally knew what it meant to be a new creation (Kainos) in God. Yes, this took a period of about two to three years, but the change had come. Beloved, He changed me inside out!

When I say inside out, I literally mean that. I recall a message on being a new creation in God. The pastor had shared how after Jesus Christ came into his life, he was a completely transformed person in every way. Not that he was an addict or a criminal earlier, but his sense of self-worth in every sense was extremely negative. He would have no confidence to talk to anyone, including his family members, except very few people whom he was close to.

He had even shown the congregation, pictures of how he looked in the earlier days. It was not about simple dressing and being an unassuming person but a clear reflection of someone who was insecure and lacked confidence. When Jesus came into his life, a complete transformation took place. He understood who he was in Christ, and his sense of security was deeply rooted in Jesus. It manifested itself even on the outside, like Gideon from the book of Judges in the Bible. The pastor’s entire body language and his outlook underwent a sea change.

The confidence and security that comes with Jesus in our life overcomes fear and ugliness in any form. As we spend time with Him, His Shekinah glory truly transforms us. It is true that we are made beautiful in His image and likeness. However, there is no denying the fact that the darkness of this world as well as the troubles of this life mars that beauty and scars our confidence. When we open our hearts and invite Jesus into our lives this darkness begins to disappear, and His light reflects that beauty in which we were in fact created. And, that is exactly what happened with me. The fear and lack of confidence that I had coming from a small-town setting and a broken family, was completely engulfed by His love and presence.

My first job after my MBA degree was also the favor of