Time to Obey
by Anika Jones
We are almost there. This fast has been good, but super hard for me. Good in that God brought many things to the surface I needed to deal with, and I experienced the cleansing that comes with repentance. It was hard because my flesh was SCREAMING at me MOST of the time. More than once I had to say, “down you brute!” A sister has been struggling, but the sacrifice has been worth it.
Where do I go from here? What was the purpose of all this? Do I return to the old or do press into what God has done? I think the answer is obvious, but living it out, well, that’s another story. Consecration is a lifestyle, not an isolated event. When we live a consecrated lifestyle, trust and obedience are the byproducts. We have positioned ourselves to hear God, and He has spoken. I must confess that He has spoken some things to my heart that I would prefer not to do. But here is the thing, He didn’t ask for my opinion. He requires my obedience, not my reasoning. He is God and I am not. So now I pray not only for the ability to hear His voice but also for a heart to obey. Obedience to His will is imperative and should not be seen as optional. I cannot claim to love Him and walk in disobedience.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Luke 6:46
Jesus answered him, “if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14:23
Obedience will always be inconvenient to our flesh. But remember, we are people who fear the Lord and walk according to the spirit and not the flesh. We have a great example in Christ who, with a spirit of meekness, could say in the garden of Gethsemane,” not my will but yours be done.” He was utterly obsessed with obeying the will of the Father, even when it meant death. But let’s not forget that obedience to God never ends in defeat. No saints, far from it! Having a spirit of meekness and seeking to do His will, even when it’s hard, is a sure way to be victorious!
“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11
I want to know Christ and my obedience, even when it leads to suffering, helps me to see Him rightly. Obedience gives me a clear vision of my king. May our heart’s cry be like that of the Apostle Paul when he said of Christ, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11
We serve a God who deserves our complete trust and loyalty. He has proven Himself in so many ways, so let us not hesitate to obey Him. May our obedience continue to prepare the way even after the fast ends!
We are almost there. This fast has been good, but super hard for me. Good in that God brought many things to the surface I needed to deal with, and I experienced the cleansing that comes with repentance. It was hard because my flesh was SCREAMING at me MOST of the time. More than once I had to say, “down you brute!” A sister has been struggling, but the sacrifice has been worth it.
Where do I go from here? What was the purpose of all this? Do I return to the old or do press into what God has done? I think the answer is obvious, but living it out, well, that’s another story. Consecration is a lifestyle, not an isolated event. When we live a consecrated lifestyle, trust and obedience are the byproducts. We have positioned ourselves to hear God, and He has spoken. I must confess that He has spoken some things to my heart that I would prefer not to do. But here is the thing, He didn’t ask for my opinion. He requires my obedience, not my reasoning. He is God and I am not. So now I pray not only for the ability to hear His voice but also for a heart to obey. Obedience to His will is imperative and should not be seen as optional. I cannot claim to love Him and walk in disobedience.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Luke 6:46
Jesus answered him, “if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14:23
Obedience will always be inconvenient to our flesh. But remember, we are people who fear the Lord and walk according to the spirit and not the flesh. We have a great example in Christ who, with a spirit of meekness, could say in the garden of Gethsemane,” not my will but yours be done.” He was utterly obsessed with obeying the will of the Father, even when it meant death. But let’s not forget that obedience to God never ends in defeat. No saints, far from it! Having a spirit of meekness and seeking to do His will, even when it’s hard, is a sure way to be victorious!
“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11
I want to know Christ and my obedience, even when it leads to suffering, helps me to see Him rightly. Obedience gives me a clear vision of my king. May our heart’s cry be like that of the Apostle Paul when he said of Christ, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11
We serve a God who deserves our complete trust and loyalty. He has proven Himself in so many ways, so let us not hesitate to obey Him. May our obedience continue to prepare the way even after the fast ends!