by Alan Langstaff

A couple of years ago, I wrote a Langstaff Letter entitled “Understanding Can Wait, but Obedience Can’t.” It seemed to help people, and consequently, I want to follow up with a further article on that subject. As we enter a new year, there may be tough times when God tells us to do something, and we don’t understand why. We don’t have to understand its purpose and what lies ahead.

I want to share an experience I had where God told me to do something, and I didn’t do it initially. It could have been a very major mistake. Fortunately, God took me to the woodshed and got me back in line. So let’s look at this again: “Understanding Can Wait, but Obedience Can’t.” 

UNDERSTANDING AND OBEDIENCE

“There are two distinct concepts in that phrase: understanding and obedience. Understanding is the ability to discern the reasons and purpose for some undertaking. It involves things big and small, along with the ability to perceive or comprehend a matter. People like to have some understanding of life itself. Christians particularly like to have an understanding regarding being guided by the Lord to act in a specific way. Obedience, on the other hand, is the act of submitting oneself to the direction of another person. It involves compliance, the ability to take orders and carry out someone else’s instructions. Obedience is something that is usually taught to people from the earliest age as a child. For example, “Don’t walk on the road,” or “Don’t touch the hot stove or campfire.”

Let’s look at understanding and obedience in the Bible, as it is important for Christians to see that obedience is linked to faith.

Abraham is known as the father of faith, which involved obedience. In Genesis 12, God said, ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.’ In Hebrews 11:8, it is said of Abraham, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” In other words, Abraham knew that “Understanding could wait, but obedience couldn’t.” And by faith, He obeyed God.”

MY STORY

Now, let me tell you my own story. In 1983, I was down in the Bahamas ministry for Dr. Myles Monroe. I was put up in a hotel on the edge of the beautiful ocean, and I went swimming in it a number of times. It was on that occasion that I received for Myles and his church a significant prophetic word concerning his ministry and their future.

It was while I was in the Bahamas that God spoke a clear word to me, “You are to become an American citizen.” In other words, I have to give up my Australian citizenship (and loyalty to the Queen) and instead become an American citizen. 

When I came home, I shared all this with my wife, Dorothy, thinking she too would become an American citizen. To my surprise, she said no. She didn’t believe she was to become an American citizen at that time. (I should point out that at a later date, she and our two daughters, Beth and Joy, all became US citizens.)

I didn’t know what to do as I had envisioned Dorothy and me doing it together. So I put it off, and I didn’t do anything. 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988. I did nothing. In actual fact, I was disobedient to God’s word to me.

Then God got hold of me and took me to the woodshed. Using the story of Saul and Samuel in 1 Samuel 15. The Word spoke to me:

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

As in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (vs. 22 NKJV)

I realized it applied to becoming a US citizen. 

I came under conviction, and I realized that I had been disobedient. The Lord reminded me that He gave the word about becoming an American citizen to me and not to Dorothy. So I repented and asked the Lord’s forgiveness, and as soon as I could, I applied to become a US citizen. So at that time, I took the oath, laid aside my Australian citizenship and became a US citizen.

Now I must confess I did not at that stage understand why it was important for me to take that step. I still loved Australia, but I knew I had heard the Lord’s voice.

In 1992, I found out why it was important. I had been involved in Christian television from the late 1970s and was then the Australian Representative for Jim Bakker and the PTL Club in America. We had begun to produce an Australian version of the PTL Club show, producing the programs at the PTL Club studios in Charlotte, North Carolina. Then the entire ministry fell apart. You can read about it in Jim’s book “I Was Wrong.”

In the late 1980s, I had been invited to be on the Board of an organization (that later became the Lakeland Foundation), and we were trying to get a Christian TV station in the Twin Cities.

Then in 1992, Channel 23 TV Station was up for sale. It was 20 million dollars in debt, and it was available for 3.2 million dollars. The Board decided to seek to purchase it under the leadership of Linda Rios Brook, who had been the general manager of KARE 11 NBC television station in Minneapolis. 

For some reason, the sale had to be completed by the end of the month. By this time, I was one of the Executives of the Board. We came to the last week of February, and the deal fell apart. The bankruptcy lawyer gave us one more chance. If it didn’t get done by the end of the month, which was this week, then we would lose our deposit of $500,000.

On the Monday morning, I received a phone call, and the situation was explained to me. I was asked the question, “Do we risk the 1/2 million dollars?” The other two ministers of the executive were out of town, and I could not be reached. I had to make the decision. I prayed a simple prayer, “Help!” And I felt God said “Bet the Farm,” i.e., don’t hold anything back. By Friday, February 28th, they still did not have a deal, but praise God it was a leap year, and by Saturday morning, it was all done. You can read the story in more detail in the book “The Best Is Yet To Be.” I with the others, became members of the Board of Directors of TV Station 23. 

Now, getting back to the question, “understanding can wait, but obedience can’t.” I always wondered why it was important to be naturalized as a US citizen. The answer is simple. You cannot be a member of the TV Station Board unless you are an American citizen. I would not have been involved if I had not taken that step. 

Oh, by the way, we later sold the TV Station that we bought for about 2 million, to the Fox Network for about 52.5 million. God knew what he was doing, and he wanted me to be part of it. So I learned a valuable lesson. 

Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

It’s the beginning of a new year. So may I ask you a few questions?

1) Is there anything God has asked you to do that you haven’t yet done?
2) If so, repent like I had to do and start the year committed to obeying him.
3) Make the decision that even if you don’t understand what God is doing, you will obey.

Remember – 
“Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t.”