Obedient Attitude

 

    Your attitude is a decision.  There are a lot of factors like your temperament, disposition, how you were raised, and more, but you decide what you are going to do with that.  An obedient attitude is choosing to listen and obey where it is God, government, employer, parent, or spouse.  You are in control of how you act and respond.

    If you are a Christian, then you are called to be holy.  Part of holiness is being obedient.  Choosing to be obedient to God sets you apart.  It clarifies that you belong to Him.  Jesus set the example and told you what you have to do.  All you have to do is obey in love.  If you belong to God, then your identity in Him never changes.  You just need to show up.  He will take the lead and never misdirect you.  

    Pray over your attitude and where your heart is today.  Are there areas where you need to submit?  Have you discovered any hang ups that you need to surrender to be obedient?  Is there anything about your attitude that is keeping you from looking like Jesus?  Give it over to God and embrace the peace you get from letting go.  Find thanksgiving in your heart for all you do have.

    If you feel broken, then let God heal you.  If you are angry, then allow the Holy Spirit take it away.  Replace it with peace.  If you are hurting, then remember that it will serve a purpose.  Endure what you must, but do not allow the world to destroy your attitude because God will restore you.  Be patient, kind, forgiving, humble, and loving.  How you live out today does matter.  It will lead to righteousness or something else.  You are the image bearer of Jesus to the world.

Ephesians 4:20-24, Philippians 1:27-30, 2:5-8, Colossians 3:12-17, & 1 Peter 3:8-12, 4:1-3

Holy Obedience

 

    Holy obedience is putting God in the place of authority over your life.  It is learning to understand who he is while growing closer to Him in a personal relationship.  You realize that you can never have salvation and what your soul is seeking without Him.  Once the pieces are in place obedience is the obvious answer.  It comes from love.

    In holy obedience you choose salvation, baptism, time in God's Word, prayer, meditation, fasting, and sacrifice.  All of this transforms your heart to live your life more like Jesus.  Obedience is not effort for control.  It is accepting God's grace and making it a part of who you are while accepting His favor.      

    Jesus the the only bridge between you and God.  Holy obedience is praising and worshipping in your heart and mind where it comes out in your words and actions.  Obedience is your choice.  You choose to obey your parents, employers, government, and God.  

    How you obey is also up to you.  You can do it grudgingly or in love.  Love is what makes obedience holy and blameless.  It can't be faked.  It turns duty into delight.  Work can become worship. You don't have to complain or gossip to make obedience work for you.  

    When you become a Christian you give your life over to God to mold how He sees fit.  He will mold you to serve your purpose, give you peace, and make you holy.  You were given a new life.  Don't waste it.  Life consist of moments.  What moments matter most to you?  

    When you listen to the Holy Spirit in obedience, then the moments have more impact over time.  It takes time to become obedient.  Do not try to rush the process.  Grow everyday in truth and love to become incorruptible and righteous.  Allow your heart to become compassionate, kind, humble, meek, and patient.  

Matthew 5:13-16, Luke 14:15-24, 16:10-12, 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, Ephesians 3:14-19, 4:20-24, 6:10-18, Colossians 3:12-17,  & Titus 2:9-10

Responding in Obedience

 

    When you respond to God in obedience it is refreshing for your life and soul.  Sin contaminates everything.  It makes life more difficult.  It places confusion upon your mind.  It leaves your emotions in turmoil.  Your body may get sick.  Sin may feel good in the moment, but the long term affects are not worth it.  It poisons your soul.  While obedience gives clarity, truth, peace, and sometimes healing.

    Becoming like Jesus is a process.  You will not be perfect at it.  The Holy Spirit will make you deal with all your hang ups, sin holds, and hidden sin to get closer to Jesus.  Remember what you are working toward and hold onto your worship.  You will get through it if you are obedient.  God is right there going through it with you as you move toward purity and desire to honor God.

    Pray over the sins in are aware of in your life.  Ask God for direction on how to deal with them.  Next ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any hidden sins in your heart and mind.  Just because you are not currently aware of them doesn't mean you don't need to deal with them.  Ask Him to help you deal with it.  He will reveal, convict, and help you process as you work through your sin life with Him.  You just have to be willing to follow obediently.

2 Corinthians 7:1-4, Colossians 3:5-11, & 1 John 3:1-3

Distraction from Obedience

 

    It takes intentionality and self-discipline to stay close to God.  If you don't spend time with a person it doesn't mean you don't care, but you do lose your closeness.  God is not the one moving.  He is always there.  He is always ready for a relationship with you.  You are as close to God as you want to be today.  If you want to be closer, then you have to make time to develop and build the relationship.

    You are either obedient or disobedient to God.  You either pursue that relationship or you do not.  It is when you allow yourself to get distracted that little sins start to become big all  consuming sins.  You may be naturally ambitious, but if you don't keep that in check with God then you can turn money, power, or work into your god.  

    When you pray ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truths about yourself and strongholds in your life.  Be open and accept what He reveals, so that you can decide to become obedient or not in the area.  Distraction is the biggest thing you have to fight to be focused.  When you are focused it is easier to be obedient.  Distraction can lead to covetness.  Covetousness is greedy desire to have more.

    You are not just fighting human nature.  You are fighting against the culture to have a strong relationship with God.  Choosing obedience is how you can destroy the gods you have made in your life.  Obedience leads to mercy.  The process of finding all the roots to your sin to dig them out and destroy them is easy.  It takes work and surrender to God.  You have to become repulsed by your sin or it will always have a small hold on you.

    When you really focus on your relationship with God and decide to remove distractions, then you are able to admit that you have a problem.  You are choosing to allow the Holy Spirit to grow within you, but Satan doesn't want to give up what he has.  You have to put in work to run the good race of love and obedience God's way.  

Romans 6:12-14, 13:11-14, Galatians 5:24-26, Ephesians 4:20-23, Colossians 3:5-11,& Hebrews 12:1-4

Obedience in Righteousness

 

    Everyday is full of choices.  Will I follow Jesus or personal desires?  Will I make time for my relationship with God or will I fill it with stuff?  Will I walk in faith or the flesh?  Even if you are a Christian, you can act like the world at times.  You get distracted or disoriented, but that is why you need invest in time with God.  Obedience comes from righteousness to win spiritual battles, not trying to be good enough.

    Start your day confessing anything that is weighing on your heart, evil desires, wrong attitudes, or sins that you may need to confess to God.  Make room for the Holy Spirit to be able to work before facing your day.  Slow down long enough to really get what you need for the day.  Enjoy your time with God because it produces life into your life.  Embrace your justification and sanctification to become more like Jesus every day.

    Allow the Holy Spirit to empower and transform you into a person that desire obedience so that you can fulfill your purpose in this world in love.  The choices you make today matter.  Allow the Holy Spirit to help you remove sin from your life.  

    Your choices lead you toward obedience or away from it.  What does your heart truly desire?  Will you endure for righteousness or give into seemingly harmless indulgences?  Will you become strong in your faith or be a puppet to your sin.  It is not called spiritual warfare for nothing.  It can tear you apart from the inside or you can surrender it to God to allow Him to fight the majority of the battles.

Romans 5:18-19, 6:15-23, 7:14-17, Galatians 5:1-18, & Colossians 3:5-11

Obedience Process

 

    You will never be able to make God happy until you build a strong foundation in the way that He has instructed it to be built.  You have to make the time to learn God's expectations, love, and instructions to be able to live the life meant for you.  If you neglect to learn, then you will never be able to please God and life will feel like something is missing.  

    True foundation is built on faith in Jesus.  He is the foundation for security, righteousness, and strength.  It takes a long time to build a proper foundation.  Once it is constructed, then everything else moves fairly quickly.  You have to understand who you are in relation to Jesus.  You have to know what you believe and why.  You have to be able to glorify God in all situations.  You need this to be ready to follow no matter what the world throws at you.

    Faith is a commitment to walk with God in obedience.  You don't have to be a scholar to obey God.  At the same time you should not be content with salvation with no growth.  God knows you thoroughly.  He wants you to get to know Him in a similar way.  If you journal, then you can see your growth over time.  You should not be where you were 5 years ago. 

    As you grow in your relationship with God your life should reflect the truth found in God's Word.  Test your life to His Word to see where adjustments need to be made. Is your lifestyle meeting God's approval?  Do you even think about Jesus at all in your day?  How can you have fellowship with God if you don't even think about Him in your day?

Matthew 6:34-35 & Colossians 3:1-4

Obedience Utilized

 

    Salvation is something only those that know, know.  It is a spiritual rebirth that changes something in you that you can't explain.  It gives you freedom to start fresh.  Nothing physically changes.  Your scars are still there.  You look the same.  However, you are different.  The primal part of you died and the Holy Spirit brings forth life in the places that were void.  You know the parts of you that make you feel empty or that you are missing something.  

    Your salvation is the catalyst to true obedience to God.  You will never really be able to make God happy if you don't truly believe.  Obedience is your choice.  He will never force you, but He also will not spare you the consequences if you reject Him.  Obedience to God is faith.  It starts with salvation, then Baptism, maturing, and then being a disciple.  Many people stop at salvation or baptism.  They have no idea what they are missing out on.

    Utilizing obedience is embracing it to please God.  You get a freedom that the world will never be able to provide.  Everything the world gives you is a counterfeit to what God is trying to give you.  You personally utilize obedience by spending time with God.  This is part of the maturing process.  If you are truly invested, then it never gets boring.  Today there are so many ways to help you study too: bible apps, bible dictionaries, commentaries, bible studies, books on culture and history, and more.

    Start utilizing the resources that you have.  As the Holy Spirit makes you hungry for certain avenues of study, then you can spread out.  The point is to seek the truth, closeness to God, and your identity in Him.  Focus on the passage(s) that you are reading today.  What are they telling you?  

    What are you willing to let die or give up for your relationship with Jesus?  He freed you from sin.  Will you still act like it has the control or will you release yourself from the chains he unlocked?  He is clearing the path for you.  Will you follow?  It is okay that the journey is not perfect.  It reveals things to you.  The point is to learn, get up, and keep following Jesus.  You will face temptation, but you don't have to fall for it.  If you stay on your path, then the Holy Spirit will give you an escape from sin even when there are none.

Romans 6:1-7:6, Colossians 3:1-4, & 1 Peter 2:21-25