OBedience.....

I love what Ecclesiastes says in chapter 3:1-To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Come to think of it. Time never stands still. We all have our highs. Today you could be at the top most rung of the ladder. But things do change eventually. The problem with some of the people is-they think they are invincible. Not true.

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. I think we all know what that means. We all think we are nice people-because we don’t want to admit to the truth. But the moment we do not consider someone else’s feelings or emotions, we have to admit it is time to look in the mirror and see ourselves to who we have become.

The truth is we cannot disregard another person and be able to hear God’s voice. Because anger is not what God is associated with? We can fool ourselves-but we cannot fool God.

God’s basic commandment in John 13:34 is-A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Are we even trying? Question, you need to ask yourself.

I love a good conversation. I love debating on a topic, provided it’s a healthy one. 

I believe in the theory fight for what you believe-fight for the truth.

John 8:32 states-“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John 14:6 states- Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Romans 8:37 states-'We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us'.

To know God’s love for you, to know God is on your side, to know God’s desire to bless and prosper you, to know that He offers the hope of eternal life, to know the freedom of peace in the storm no matter how much or how little you have is what makes life abundant. This is the victory in God that we give Him thanks for all He provides us. It is what changes your spirit in a moment from one of failure to one of success, from one of disappointment to one of rejoicing. It is the quiet assurance, the faith, the confidence that you see in every great man or woman. When we truly know the love of God, we become more than conquerors no matter what difficulty we face.

I’d like for you to dwell on this saying by: Ralph Waldo Emerson - “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising up every time we fall.” 

Today’s world believes in this adage, "The moment you settle for less than what you want is the moment you get more than you bargained for."

This is how it is with disobeying God. Once we settle for not going His way, we get less than we imagined and more than we ever wanted. God’s way is always best.

Desperate longings can tempt us to do disobedient things. Desire not submitted to Christ can make us to lose our sensibility, justify our behaviour, and make excuses. When we give in to temptation, it often means we do not trust Him to provide. As a result, we settle for something less than the best.

Tuning-out God will make us act like we haven't heard Him and pretend that we have obeyed him.

To be obedient is to be submissive and willing (Willing-to obey with joy). To be willing to obey means that you should have already realized what needs to be done and do it without being asked.

Job 5:17 says, blessed is the man whom God corrects.

Proverbs 3:12 says God disciplines those whom He loves.

Obedience to God is simple. DO AS YOU ARE TOLD! It's that simple.

Now your flesh will tell you that it cannot be done. 
Matthew 19:26 states-that with God ALL things are possible. 
Now God cannot lie, so what He does for one He will do for you. So when Jesus tells His disciples that all things are possible through God then He is telling that to you also. The sinful nature of man is such that we hate correction, but 
Proverbs 15:10 states that he who hates correction will die. 
Just keep in mind that God only corrects those that He loves.

God disciplines us for our good that we may share in His holiness. The most important thing you learn from being disciplined is you do not repeat your mistakes. 
Genesis 6:3 says that God will not strive with man forever. Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but if you continue to deliberately sin then God will turn away from you and leave you to your sin. If God corrects you it is for a reason. The Lord does nothing without a reason. So, if you are convicted it is because God loves you. 
Hebrews 12:6 states-and you are not yet beyond hope.  
In your obedience you will be blessed, but as with all of God's promises there is a prerequisite. YOU MUST OBEY! It is not as hard as you think.  
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.

If we have sincerely committed our lives to God, then we are going to obey Him; we are going to trust Him and leave all the consequences to Him.

What We Can Expect

Sometimes when we pray, we immediately discern the will of God. Other times, we must wait, trusting Him to show us when and how to move forward. At still other times, He spends a great deal of time preparing us to step forward through an open door. But when the opportunity comes, we hesitate, we worry and doubt. Obey God regardless of the consequences. It is a choice, but one that many of us do not submit to. We often end up looking for advice from people around us and not from GOD who knows everything we need to know. We need to consider only one issue: Is this God’s will for my life?

Yes, it is sinful to disobey God because it hurts the heart of Some-one who has a plan for our lives. It damages our fellowship with Him and leads to feelings of guilt and shame. Our refusal to be open to His plan can bring misery and regret. When all is said and done, only one Person has absolute knowledge, and that is the Lord. And in Proverbs 3:5-8 He has promised to provide the guidance we need:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your body

And refreshment to your bones.    

When we trust God, we will obey Him.

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.  2 John 1:6

We don't often think of love in terms of obedience and yet obedience was so much a part of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on our behalf. It was through obedience to the Father's will that He proved His undying love  both to His Father and for every human being on this earth. By obedience to The Father’s will in our lives, we show Him how much we love Him. Ultimately, love is obedience - It means sacrifice for the good of others it means laying down our lives it means doing whatever is asked of us. Jesus held back nothing to prove His love for us; let us follow in His footsteps and walk in love. We have the opportunity to make an impact for Christ by expressing our love to others through sacrifice. May we never lose that opportunity, but remain obedient to the Father's will.

I will always obey your law, forever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commandments because I love them. I reach out my hands for your commandments, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. Psalms. 119:44-48

Living in obedience to the Word of God is a matter of the will, a matter of continual choice. We must take action—we must set our wills to seek Him and obey Him. John tells us that to truly love God is to do His commandments. 
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” 1 John 5:3.

Seeking God’s commandments does not speak of a whatever-will-be-will-be attitude.

We find great pleasure when we know the Lord more intimately through His Word.(The Bible)

Do you know what happens when we love someone? We talk constantly about that person to everyone who is willing to listen. So it is with the Word and mighty deeds of God. We will speak of His statues, i.e., we will witness to His goodness and the miraculous changes He has made in our lives and circumstances. We will share His Word because it is so precious and life-changing, giving hope and eternal life.

The Psalmist said he would speak before kings. We, too, will witness boldly to all with whom we associate with. Jesus preached to multitudes. Paul spoke before kings as well as worshipers of heathen gods.

When the Holy Spirit prompts us to witness by mouth or written matter, let us do it boldly, never being ashamed of the One who redeemed us on The cross. In writing to the believers at Rome Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” Romans 1:16

The Psalmist states: I meditate (to think) on your decrees. Joshua, Moses’ successor who led the Israelite into the promised land, was instructed by the Lord Himself to meditate on the commandments of God. The Lord first instructed Joshua to be strong, courageous and obedient. Then He said, 
“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” Joshua. 1:8

When we choose to delight and meditate in the law of God, we get to progressively and more intimately know the Author-GOD. Out of the love He plants in our hearts we delight to do His will.

 

Motives for Obedience to God in the Christian Life

We should obey God because we love Him.

• Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" John 14:15 and, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me" John 14:21 If we want to know what it means to love God, John tells us, "This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments."1 John 5:3
• Paul himself said that he served God "with a clear conscience."2 Tim. 1:3. When we pray, a clear conscience gives us confidence before God, because John said, "If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." 1 John 3:21-2
• We should obey God because our hearts delight in the goodness of His commands, and our hearts delight to do what is right. In the Old Testament, David could say, "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart" Psalms. 40:8

Obedience Is a Choice

Peter was faced with a life-changing decision-Luke 5.Many times, the ways of God include specific steps, let us give it a look.

Step 1: Peter was nearby listening to Jesus. The Lord knew that he was there and that he had an empty boat.

Step 2: Jesus entered Peter’s boat so He would be able to address the crowd better.

Step 3: Peter listened to Jesus’ request. He responded by explaining that he was completely unsuccessful the night before in his attempt to catch fish. Nevertheless, he obeyed the Lord, raised the sails on his ship, and headed out into deep water.

Step 4: Peter received the reward of his obedience.

What would have happened if Peter had said, “No”? Remember he was a seasoned fisherman.

Here is what God did so that we know He meant business and was involved. The night before-Peter caught nothing—no fish. He came in the next morning he had been up all night pulling and dragging nets around a small, uncomfortable boat. All he wanted to do was clean his nets and go home to take a short nap so he would have the energy to get up and go back out that evening. But Jesus showed up with a crowd of people, and the next thing Peter knew, he had said “Yes, to Jesus using his boat. It was not a difficult decision, but he had to agree to it. Step 1 was accomplished.

The next step was more difficult: When Jesus told Peter to head out into deep water where he would catch a large draw of fish. A Rabbi, whom they were sure knew nothing about fishing, was telling Peter—the expert what to do.

Scripture just tells us one thing: he obeyed the Lord and stated, “Master, … I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

Trust God! This kind of faith comes by hearing God’s voice and responding in pure obedience. LISTEN!!!

Obedience to God comes from not believing in our own abilities, but in trusting in God's promise to sustain us through whatever we are about to go through, whether that be facing temptations or dealing with sorrow in our lives, or overcoming our addictions to things of this world. On our own, it might be impossible. But with God's help, all things are possible. God promises to aid us in the things that we have to go through. In Matthew 28:20 God said, "Lo, I am with you always." And in Genesis 28:15 God said, "And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

When we obey God, we can trust that He will display His goodness and love to us. Those who are wise will watch for His blessings in all their different forms.

Biblical Examples

• Noah spent years building an ark to God's specifications. Noah’s obedience saved his family from the flood.
• Abraham’s obedience resulted in his becoming the father of a great nation, God’s chosen people, Israel.
• The terrified Israelites reached the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his army in pursuit close behind. Moses, putting his faith, in God, obeyed and the sea opened for them to cross.
  
• Joshua won the battle of Jericho by following God’s supernatural strategy.
• Jesus, having spent three years teaching and performing miracles, was determined to go to Jerusalem even though He knew the Jews, with the help of Roman officials, were going to kill him. His prayer to God shows his complete obedience with death on the cross at hand " ... He went away a second time and prayed, 'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done'." Matthew 26:42

Like Jesus, our desire must be "thy will be done".

Types of Blessing

God’s gifts aren’t always obvious. But when you obey Him, He will bless you with:

• When we step out in faith and obey God-we will feel peace, joy, and contentment.
• We will have more faith to obey the next time God challenges us to do something.
• When we stand before God on judgment day, we will be rewarded for our obedience (Mark 9:41; Luke 6:21-23).

Suffering Before Blessing

Sometimes, what God requires of us will initially lead to pain and sadness. We shouldn’t assume that difficulty means we’ve made a mistake or that He has abandoned us:

• Moses followed God’s command to lead His people out of Egypt. Not only did he experience difficulty in freeing the Israelites from bondage; the people also complained bitterly about life in the dessert. Despite all challenges, Moses is known as the most important leader in the Old Testament.
• Paul obeyed God by preaching the gospel. As a result, he suffered tremendous persecution, danger, and physical abuse 2 Corinthians11:23-27. Paul, was assigned to write much of the New Testament. As he walked with God, that’s what flowed out… much of it from a prison cell.

God’s Purposes for Our Suffering

• We learn to rely on Him completely.
• Suffering reminds us that all good things are gifts from God.
• To deepen our understanding of His ways.
• In suffering, you and I have the opportunity to become living examples of the goodness of God.

  

Conclusion: If you obey God, God's choice of blessing may be different from yours. Perhaps He will use suffering to draw you closer to Himself. Or He may use it to remove from your life those things that hinder fruitfulness for Him. No matter what, if you walk in His will, He will bless you in surprising ways.

REMEMBER: When we choose to delight and meditate in the law of God, we get to progressively and more intimately know the Author-GOD. Out of the love He plants in our hearts we delight to do His will. Our obedience brings us into His presence, the place of His blessing!

PRAYER: Abba Father, Help us to develop the same intense love that Jesus had, a love that never waivers, that always obeys, that seeks the good of others first. Help me to always be obedient to you. Keep me humble and faithful, I pray. And Father, never let go. Amen.