God’s
Challenge: Obedience To His Word. This Is The Key To Personal
Satisfaction, Excitement And A Tremendous Sense Of Accomplishment
Are we spiritual
addicts? An addiction is demanding and stimulating, while true joy comes
from knowing and obeying God’s will whether we sense the anointing form
His presence or not. We not only need to be instinctive or intuitive all
the time we need to live in reality or were in trouble. We need to know
God’s Word to walk in the Spirit and maintain our balance to get the job
done. We need to surrender control of our life and rest in God’s care
knowing He is guiding our path. We need to differentiate between
necessity and spiritual addictions.
Life issues are the most
important. Relationships are everything as far as things of the family,
spirit, growth and creativity relate. Things that have to be right:
location, people, concept, and timing. Then whatever we are called to do
is worth doing. The greatest challenge - we need to know we are in God’s
will so we can maintain our personal relationships, as well as our mental,
emotional, physical and spiritual health. We need to know God’s will
according to His Word by following the leading God places in our heart.
Our confidence in Him comes from knowing He has given us a Spirit of love,
power and a sound mind, which manifests Himself through the gifts and
fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Faith is
a certainty of God’s love as it is revealed to us through His Word and
experienced in our life. Our faith or trust in God is a gift; which is
given to us from the witness of the moral law that is inherent in us from
the time God created us.
Obedience
is the yardstick of approval with God and a barometer of our spiritual
growth. The value we place on obedience to God is the motivating force
behind our decision making. Knowing our values are truly based on God’s
moral law is a liberating force that can transform all of our
relationships.
The
rewards are invaluable for those who are obedient to trusting God’s laws.
He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him and are called according
to His purpose. The joy of the Lord is in doing His will. Knowing Him is
the reward for our efforts in being obedient to His calling.
Our
beliefs and values concerning relationships need to be expressed in order
for us to legitimize their influence upon our daily life. The priority we
give to our relationships will help clarify the decisions we make in order
to fulfill our dreams and visions. By placing a value upon the
characteristics of a healthy relationship we will begin to understand the
motivation of our hearts in the light of God’s truth and this will empower
us to change our behavior.
The whole
moral law of God is summed up in two commands; to love God with all our
heart, mind, soul and body, and to love one another as we love ourselves.
Love is the fulfillment of the law in our relationships. When we identify
the attributes of love we see a clearer picture of our heavenly Father.
With a vision of His characteristics in our heart we can begin to bring
about the changes in us which will directly influence our relationships
through the fruit of the Spirit and denying the corrupt nature
As my faith in God grows in
the light of trials and tribulations I am more likely to persist
(persevere under trial). As I persevere and succeed more often, I
reinforce my belief system, which becomes self-perpetuating. Obedience
brings self-respect and attracts the same appropriate behavior from
others. Understand that we are largely responsible for our joy and
happiness. Happiness comes from living out our faith as God intended, and
doing so passionately. To trust God and oneself is to know one is worthy
of his love, which is the essence of a healthy faith.
Our appropriate behavior
allows us to feel better and allows us to live better - to respond to
challenges and opportunities more resourcefully and more appropriately.
Our behavior is inspired by the fact that we know, ‘we are accepted by
God!’ Our joy comes from knowing God’s love for us. We make a conscious
choice to serve God. The power to live obediently comes from actually
living in obedience. Thinking and reasoning scripturally reinforces my
awareness of God working in my life. When I behave appropriately and my
life works, then I am more likely to obey God’s moral laws.
OBEDIENCE SETS THE WILL FREE
Most assuredly,
I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not
abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the
Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. -- John 8:34-36
We have victory
‘in Christ’. We are free from the power of sin but we still have a battle
for the mind. To do God's will we need to accept the truth and act upon
it. God's design is for you to experience rest in your soul, through
reliance on Him.
As we walk in
His life, our soul transforms. The body, soul, and mind God's Word will
transform. The body begins to lose its old stress-induced symptoms, we
have peace of mind, and the emotional damage begins to heal as we are
reparented by God, who is our true Father.
It is our choice
to follow Jesus and be obedient to God's word. This will result in a life
of peace with God's blessings or a life of continued turmoil because of
disobedience and ignorance of his word. Our sanctification is the result
of applying God's word to our daily life. We do not have to understand
His entire word to receive His blessings. It is very clear that whatever
we do in thought, word, or deed will somehow return to us. In a
dysfunctional family, the damage continues from generation to generation
until God sets the individuals free.
In order for us
to live a balanced life, God has given us the Holy Spirit. When we
receive the Holy Spirit, we begin to manifest the fruit of the Spirit.
This promise of the Holy Spirit is to everyone who comes to Christ. When
we received Christ, we received every thing we needed because we are in
Him and God has given us all things in Him. We see the Spirit of God's
character in Gal 5:22, ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.’
Let this mind
(attitude) be in you that was ‘in Christ’. As we allow God to transform
our mind, He will set free our will, heal our emotions, and fill us with
His truth, knowledge, and wisdom. Our strength is in Him, if we allow Him
to live His life through us, for apart from Him we can do nothing. In
return, He promises to supply all of our needs and give us the peace that
surpasses all understanding, that will guard our heart and soul. His
peace will endure through the trials and tribulations of life. Christ in
us secures eternal hope that does not fade away.
God assures us
that whatever we do will also come back to us -- good or bad. Jesus gave
us the direction we need to receive abundant life. Paul promised that we
will reap our reward, when God opens the door of opportunity, if we
continue to do good. The following scriptures are examples of God's
intention toward us.
Do not be
deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also
reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but
he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And
let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if
we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good
to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. -- Gal
6:7-10
Let this
mind be in you which was also ‘in Christ’ Jesus, Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. --
Phil 2:5-6, 4:7
I can do
all things through Christ who strengthens me. And my God shall supply all
your need according to His riches in glory by
Christ Jesus. -- Phil 4:13,19
OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD
One who
looks intently at the perfect law... not
having
become a forgetful hearer but an effectual
doer, this
man shall be blessed in what he does
(James
1:25).
While God has
given us an infallible guide to life, His Word, the Truth, He wants us to
follow, for our freedom can be obscured by our bias and selfish
indulgence. In the twentieth-century Western church I see at least five
major hindrances which affect our understanding and application of the
Word of God.
1. There is
a tendency to make doctrine an end in itself. Christian maturity is
not understanding the principles of the Bible; Christian maturity is
character. If what we come to accept as truth doesn’t affect our love for
God and man, something is radically wrong (1 Tim.1:5). “Knowledge makes
arrogant, but love edifies” (1 Cor. 8:1).
2. We can
learn a lot about God from scripture and not know Him at all. Before
his conversion, Paul knew the law, but he didn’t recognize God in Christ
when he saw Him. We’re not asked to fall in love with doctrine. We’re
asked to fall in love with the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. We often
encourage memorizing scripture instead of thinking scripturally. Our
model should be, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
We are to incarnate the Word of God. We are to have our lives transformed
by it, and our minds renewed by it.
4. We often
hear the Word and then don’t do it. The will of God is thwarted by
educating people beyond their obedience. Jesus taught: “if you know
these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:17).
5. Like the
Pharisees, we tend to neglect the commandment of God and hold to the
traditions of men (Mark 7:8). I believe this is one of the most
serious problems affecting our churches today. Many seminary graduates
are called as “new wine” (zealous to serve God according to the truth of
His Word) to “old wineskin” churches (rooted in the traditions of men),
and the results are disastrous for both.
---Lord, Renew Me Today
By Your Word. I Want To Grow In My Love For You, Not Just The Truth About
You.
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