Walking In Obedience

 

    The guiding principle in walking in obedience to God is to listen, trust, then obey.  Don't jump a head.  Don't assume that you know best or that you have all the answers.  You have to spend time in God's Word, prayer, and meditation to know God's voice.  You have to know God's voice to be able to obey.

    We all fall into the pattern of being content and slowly drifting away from God.  It is like a yo-yo diet.  You realize that you let your spiritual life get flabby and then you work really hard to get back on track, then you find yourself thinking you don't need Him as much and you stop praying continuously.  The next thin you know you are in trouble and have to work to get back on track again.

    God has provided the truth and gave us warnings throughout the Bible, so why do we continue to do basically the same pattern as all people throughout history?  Why haven't we learned our lesson?  It is because of human nature.  We allow it more control than our spiritual nature.

    Noah was righteous, obedient, and blameless.  However, he was not perfect.  He messed up.  He worked so hard, but once he hit the peak, the down hill took a toll.  He started drinking heavily.  He made mistakes that would cause embarrassment, but God still found him blameless.

    It was 400 years later when his people were facing the judgment of God again.  Only 10 generations and they had already forgotten all that God had done in the world up to that point.  They forgot that only God's family will enter Heaven and took advantage of their privilege.  They stopped teaching the importance of obedience and how to obey.

    The number one way to be obedient is to not put anything before God.  Then focus on being committed to learning what you need to know to stay in obedience to God's standards.  If you are not committed then you will have to deal with conflict within your mind and soul.  In time that conflict will spill over into conflict with other people.  

    Throughout the Bible you see this conflict.  When it goes unchecked it destroys nations.  You see families fall apart.  You see emotions controlling people.  It disrupts life in a negative way and has long lasting affects on relationships.  

    When you find yourself in valleys, it is natural to ask yourself how long will this last?  How can I get through this?  The climb in obedience is like a hard hike that pushes your endurance.  You don't always feel like you can continue on, but when you do you discover things about yourself.  You find out that you are stronger than you think.  You rely on God more than ever.  You discover the peace of trying not to do everything on your own and you become a witness to other people who have been watching your journey.

    How can you prepare?  That is easy: read your Bible, pray, and ask God the right questions.  Instead of why is this happening to me. ask what can I get out of this?  How can I push past my discomfort and be there for other people?  How can I embrace this as a part of my lifestyle?  

    When you are at church are you comforted or under conviction?  Both are beneficial, but in different ways.  The point is to drive you to hear God's voice, to know God's voice.  Are you open for what God is leading your toward or have you shut and locked the door?

    The journey is not easy.  It is not easy watching other people struggle and having to allow it to happen because God is working in them.  It is hard to confront loved one on salvation, but the other option is to allow them to die and go to hell without fighting for them.  

    Are you willing to listen to God's voice?  Are you willing to obey what He is instructing you to do?  Are you willing to start over in life?  Are you willing to trust God with every aspect of your life?  These are questions we need to ask ourselves before we declare that we are obedient to God.  They will reveal the truth.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Psalm 1, & James 1:22-25