Obedience as Worship

 

    Obedience to God is a calling.  If you are a Christian, then it is not something you should question.  You have been called and it is expected that you will obey through listening and responding, living a holy lifestyle, study God's Word, prayer life, submission to authority, and God centered mindset.  One way to live out your obedience is through having worship in your heart.

    God understands what you are going through.  He is there in it with you.  All He is asking is that you be obedient.  If you are obedient, then you may just get through things faster.  However you may just get stronger and more responsibility is laid upon you.  It is not punishment.  It is a blessing.  When you need rest, then ask for rest.  God is eager to give you what you need and want when you are obedient as long as it serves you and your purpose best.

    Christians are called to be set apart.  That takes strength, endurance, and faith.  It is displayed in your obedience.  Obedience in worship is how you show your acknowledgment and appreciation for God's mercy and grace given to you.  It is true obedience because you are intune to God and made Him the center of your world.  It gives you confidence and self-worth.  It is not to get attention, but to point attention to Jesus. 

Matthew 5:13-16, Romans 1:1-5, 12:1-2, & 2 Corinthians 5:11-15

Obedience to the Holy Spirit

 

    Salvation gives you a new life.  It is a spiritual rebirth to a sinless state.  However, we live in a fallen world.  We tend to still find sin our lives.  We have to follow the Holy Spirit to really understand sin and turn away from it.  It is in the time you walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit that you start to change in the world around you.

    Salvation allows you to stand righteous before God because of Jesus' sacrifice and God's grace.  You have one spiritual rebirth.  After that, it is about maintenance.  It not asking God's forgiveness once.  It is finding out what your hidden sins that have deep roots and continuing to repent.  It takes obedience to the nudging of the Holy Spirit to be able to dig the roots out and burn them where they will never have control over you again.

    When you become a Christian the Holy Spirit comes in subtly and starts cleaning house.  If you are obedient to Him, then he has a nice warm and thriving home to live in.   If you don't, then you will grieve him.  That will cost you not your salvation, but your piece and blessings.  To follow Jesus means you have to allow the Holy Spirit to saturate your emotions, thoughts, and actions.  

    The Holy Spirit wants to be a part of every aspect of your life.  That means he wants to be included in all decisions from what to wear to who you allow into your life, marriage, work, meals, health, finances, and everything in between.  

    Here is the part no one likes to talk about.  Obedience is hard.  It means willingly giving up what you want to do to do something that you may not want to do.  This is why people fail sometimes.  Everyone gets in their own head sometimes and make bad decisions.  No one remembers to look at the end game or long term all the time.  Sometimes you get caught up in the moment.  That is when you need to repent.  The sooner you do the easier it becomes.  

    The Holy Spirit is what fills all the voids you have in your life or soul.  He makes you complete without anyone else.  Other people are meant to be a gift, blessing, or learning experience.  He can fill your mouth with words of life.  He can purify your mind.  He can help your control your feelings.  He is your comforter, counselor, advocate, and life navigator.  All you have to do is be open and obedient.  

    The Holy Spirit empowers your life to do the impossible.   You can not walk away from your sinful nature without him.  You cannot live the life you were put on this earth to live without Him.  He is the biggest blessing of your life.  You are obedient because you trust and rely on His power.  It opens your eyes to things that were hidden before.  Like it or not you need him.  

John 14:15-26, Romans 8:26-30, 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, 6:18-20, 2 Corinthians 9:6-9, Galatians 3:1-4, & 2 Peter 1:3-4

Obedience as a Response to God

 

    God is pursuing you.  He wants a relationship with you.  He knows all your flaws and he still wants you.  You will never reach perfection in life.  You will never be good enough.  That is why you have to accept His invitation to be a part of His family just as you are.  You will change over time, but it starts today if you are willing to follow Jesus in faith.

    Obedience is not complicated.  You can make it harder than it needs to be, but it is simple.  If you choose obedience out of response to God's love and grace given to you, then that is good.  Do not overthink it.  Do not put yourself through hoops that you were never asked to do.  Simply be still and God will make His direction for you clear in time.

    When you start your Bible study pray over what you will read.  Maybe journal what you are getting out of the study.  If God is giving you direction, then you are likely to find it there.  The point is to be open and willing to respond.  End your time with God in prayer of thanksgiving and try to apply what you learned into your life today.  

    Obedience is not a list of rules or a check off list of specific things that have to be done every day.  It is not something that takes away the fun in life.  It is an act of worship and can be exciting.  You can find  enjoyment in obedience.  It is understanding all that God has done for you and responding in love and devotion.  What could be wrong with that?

    Do not compare your life to anyone else. Your personality, education, life situations, history, and more are yours and no one else's.  Your life will never look like anyone else's life nor should it.  You have your own path to live.  You are not on anyone's time table, but yourself and God.  You can do this.

Zechariah 6:15, Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 3:23-26, 4:4-17, 5:12-19, 6:20-23, 11:5-6, Ephesians 2:8-10, & Titus 3:3-7

How to Focus

 

    When you are reading the Bible with purpose and focus it is not about speed.  It is about impact and comprehension.  You focus on quality of time spent with God instead of going through a routine or checking it off your daily to do list.  

    You can go back to the same scripture everyday for a while until you are able to get a well rounded perspective over it.  It is focusing on a certain area to search for hidden truth.  If you want to do it this way, then have a question in mind.  Find an area that has something to do with that question and read it prayerfully until you get what you are looking for.  It will probably lead you to other scripture over time, but start small so it is not too overwhelming.

    When studying God's Word start with the foundation.  What is the root meaning of this passage?  Does it reference any other scripture?  If so, then what is the context of that scripture?  Ask yourself questions like that when reading.  That is why it is smart to start with a short passage or a few scriptures.  

    Next Look over the details.  What are they telling you?  How does it apply to the culture back then?  How can it apply now?  Next comes clarification.  If it is unclear, then you can spend a lot of time here to uncover the original meaning.  Learning about the cultures, mindset, religions, and politics of that time can take years.  Do not rush it, but seek enough to allow yourself to understand the general context.

    The fourth step is utilization.  How does the scripture connect to your life now or in the past?  What can you learn from it to do better in the future?  How does it make you feel and why?  The last step is summation.  How are you going to respond to what you are studying?  Are you going to allow God to heal you, reprimand you, comfort you?  Will you turn toward Him and lean in or will your reject it and walk away?

    This is why your Bible study does not need to be superficial.  It doesn't have to take hours either.  Invest a set portion of time a day and it will accumulate over time.  If you only do 15 minutes, then you can grow into an hour in time.  If you have hours, then that is great, but it is not the expectation.  It is something you work through with God.  

    I look at it like tithing my time.  If I am up for 15 hours a day, then I can give God my attention 1.5 hours throughout that day, but that is not where I started.  I started with 5 to 15 minutes every couple of days or so.  The point is to grow deeper in your relationship with God.  Your time table is personal, so no one else gets to tell you how to do it.  Only the Holy Spirit can convict you in how you spend your time, energy, and focus.  

1 Corinthians 10:31-33 & Colossians 3:1-17

Start Focused Obedience

 

    Obedience is something you learn over time.  How can you be obedient if you don't know what is expected?  You need to understand boundaries, rules, and consequences.  God's Word takes obedience to a deeper level.  

    It is important to make time to spend in God's Word.  It is great to have a desire, but unless you prioritize it it will never happen on a regular basis.  You need to spend time in God's Word to understand what is required of you and why.  The world will always try to pull you away from accomplishing that, but it is the most rewarding thing you can do for yourself.

    Obedience requires focus.  You have to train your mind to be present for the amount of time you have to be one on one with God.  You will train your eye to see life-changing truths in scriptures.  Start with 15 minutes in a quiet place to give God your undivided attention.  In time, like at the gym, you can extend the time and keep it beneficial. 

    If you are a true believer, then your passion for God's Word will grow and change over the years.  You will use it to look at yourself and make changes.  You will learn how to focus, pray, meditate, and wait.  God's truth will transform your heart over time.  Next, your relationship with change and grow so that you can know God in a more meaningful way.  

    The most important thing about who you are is what you believe about God.  Use your prayer life to understand His truth better.  Study His love letter to know Him better.  He has given you boundaries, rules, and laid out consequences because He loves you.  This relationship will forever change you in the best way possible.  

    If you want to see your growth or how you are changing, then a journal the best way.  If you have a prayer journal, then you can go back and see how God answers your prayers over the year.  If you don't have a physical Bible, then do not let that stop you.  There are several different Bible apps you can get on your phone and most are free.  You can also go to a local church.  They typically are happy to give you a free Bible, but it may be the King James version (old English).  A Bible app can offer different versions for you to find one that is easiest for you to read the Bible and understand God is saying.

    When studying the Bible you can use reference, Bible dictionary, and online commentaries.  You probably don't need it, but as you grow it can help you get more meaning.  Just remember God's Word tells you all you need to know.  Other people's perspectives and ideas can challenge you, but you should always go back to the source.  People can help you grow, but be careful on who you listen to.  If a person does not point back to the Bible, then it is best not to allow them to be your mentor.

1 Samuel 15:20-23, John 14:15-21, & James 1:22-25

Focused Obedience

 

    Focus is hard.  That is why so many people struggle with reading books.  We live in an instant world, so things that take time seem inconvenient when in reality it could be building something life changing in you.  Focused obedience is about taking the time to focus on your relationship with God.  It is pushing aside the distractions of life for a set amount of time, so you can learn, seek, or grow.  Investing a little bit of your time with God everyday will transform your entire world.

    Focus is a still set that you can use in every aspect of your life.  It helps your make decisions.  It makes certain things clear.  It helps you not waste time or energy.  It is like a muscle that has to be worked.  Your first time trying to do a daily devotional will probably not go too well.  You have to learn and be patient as you grow.  The point is that you don't stop trying.

    When you start focused study on God's Word it may feel like a waste of time.  True change takes time.  The transformation is unlikely to be immediate.  You are not going to know how to be a true Christian over night.  It is a life long journey.  The more you practice focus in reading God's Word the quicker you will be able to find what you are looking for.  

    Focus will help you develop a trained eye through memorization, fasting, prayer, and wisdom.  It will help you identify your temptations.  It will help you fill that void that only God can fill.  Obedience is not a check list.  It is not something you can just go to and declare right and wrong.  It is developed in your heart through reading scripture and figuring out how to obey God's commandments on a personal level.

    As you learn how to focus on God you will have ups and downs.  You will not do it perfectly, but as long as you submit your heart to God to develop then He will be pleased.  Never allow yourself to get tired of pursuing Him and doing His good works.  

1 Samuel 15:20-23, Mark 12:32-33, Luke 11:28, & John 14:15-21

Obedience

 

    Obedience is love in action.  It is when you voluntarily submit to God's authority and commands.  It is an act of faith and trust.  It comes from the heart rather than duty.  You hear and respond to God's Word.  Obedience is proof of your love for God.  It is the result of faith that becomes the foundation for your life.  It is not about the rules.  It is about your relationship with God empowered by the Holy Spirit.

    You will never be able to overcome sin or remove it from your life on your own.  It takes having faith in Jesus to have it removed.  Then you start to live your life like him to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to change your heart desires.  It is not about the rules.  It is about wanting to be closer to God.

    Jesus is perfection.  He has already been the sacrifice for your imperfection.  The Holy Spirit enables your heart to change, but you have to choose obedience to able to change.  You will never be perfect in life, but you do change and know more often when you are not obedient.

    Jesus is righteousness.  If you choose to follow him in faith, then you become righteous.  He is truth that feeds life into your life.  You are never without hope.  Don't give up.  Keep pursuing God because He never stops seeking a close relationship with you.  The more you pursue Jesus the more you will become like him.  

    The more you try to be perfect the more disappointed you will be in life.  You will burnout and want to give up.  You will experience frustration and independence that isolates you from God.  Do not try to do it on your own.  It is not worth it.  Don't focus on the dos and don'ts.  Instead focus on where you are with Jesus today.  He is calling to you.  All you have to do is respond and follow.  

    In reality obedience is choosing Jesus everyday.  It is real moments in life, not just one or two choices that make you better than who you were or other people.  It is personal and doesn't involve anyone other than you and God.  Understanding the truth will transform you from the inside out.  The love that drives obedience sets you free.

Deuteronomy 5:32-33, 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Luke 11:28, John 14:15-21, Acts 5:29-32, Colossians 3:1-17, & James 1:22-25