Obedience to God

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As a parent, I have become accustomed to desiring and often requiring complete obedience from my children, even when I've felt some rules I have made for my children are unreasonable. Biblically, we as parents must be intentional about instilling this character trait in our children. Unfortunately, the culture we now live in is lax in raising obedient children. But we need to recognize that a child with difficulty subjecting him/herself to designated authority will undoubtedly have trouble obeying God's word ~ both the Logos (written word of God in the Bible) and the Rhema (God's spoken word at a specific time). 

I have felt the burden on my heart for some time now to write about obedience. It is a subject that every true child of God must honestly confront in our Christian walk. It is no wonder that in Ecclesiastes 12:13, we are told in no uncertain terms that it is everyone's duty to fear God and obey His commands ~

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT

The Bible also clearly makes us understand that to our God, obedience is better than sacrifice ~ 1 Samuel 15:22 

And Samuel said, “Hath 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, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 KJV

As I write this post, I am reminded of the Transfiguration, during which the Spirit of God said the following:

Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, My Chosen One; listen and obey and yield to Him!” Luke 9:35 AMP

Biblical obedience means hearing, submitting, and surrendering to God and His word. Not only does our obedience to God show our love and faith in Him, but it also becomes a source of God's blessings. Come along with me as we review the following scriptures about the blessings associated with obedience to God. 

Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Deuteronomy 6:3 NIV

13 So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. 15 I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 11:13-15 NIV

You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. 18 And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. 19 He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised. Deuteronomy 26:17-19

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. 8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Deuteronomy 28:1-13 NIV

7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; 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 1:7-8 NIV

12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. 1 Chronicles 22:12-13 NIV

He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear[b] of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. 2 Chronicles 26:5 NIV

The sad reality is that disobedience brings curses. Please read it in Deuteronomy 28.

As we wrap up the year 2022, I will entreat you to make a commitment to walk in obedience to God. Let us take the following: 

Prayer Point for 2023: Let us pray that we will be obedient to God's word and guidance in 2023. John‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ reads, “So they said to him, How were your eyes opened? He replied, The Man called Jesus made mud and smeared it on my eyes and said to me, Go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and I obtained my sight!” 

May our blind eyes be opened because we obeyed God. May we be healed and receive abundant provision because we obeyed.  

Shalom! Happy 2023!!! 

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