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Obedience is a difficult topic.
When I hear the word obedience, I cringe a little bit. It implies submission to an authority figure, a lack of choice and an emphasis on following a list of rules. In a church setting, the word obedience often enforces the decisions and beliefs of church leadership, something I’ve seen implode many times over. So, yeah, I’m not really comfortable with the concept of obedience.
A few months ago during a Sunday morning service, the pastor asked, “how do we grow closer to God?” He answered his own question by listing spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, and reading the Bible, but I caught myself whispering the word, “obey”. As a Spiritual Formation Coach, I walk women through a lot of the spiritual disciplines. I spend a lot of time researching them, reading about them and studying them and their purposes. So, here’s the thing…
You can pray, and not grow closer to God. You can fast, and not grow closer to God. You can read your Bible, serve at your church, and run a ministry without growing closer to God. Because if He calls us to obedience and we choose to look the other way, there is nothing we can do that will restore and nurture that relationship other than repentance and obedience.
What Is Obedience?
Merriam-Webster defines the word “obedient” as “submissive to the restraint or command of authority”(citation). This can apply to a lot of different areas of our lives but in this article, we are JUST talking about obedience to God and the effect it has on our soul.
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we come under His authority. We accept that He has a vision for our life, because He made us and knows what is best for us. There are a lot of different ways He asks us to obey Him, and He doesn’t ask all of us to obey Him in the same things. A lot of women, myself included, are just looking for a checklist on how to live life right. But usually God gives me one direction until He suddenly gives me a different direction. It’s all about trusting Him and believing that He is good and has a good plan for your life. That doesn’t mean you can’t ask Him “why”. Plenty of Biblical figures asked God, “why?” But at the end of the day, we have to trust Him.
Years ago, I heard a pastor say, “obedience begets obedience, and disobedience begets disobedience.” Basically, the more we obey, the easier it is to obey. And the more we disobey, the easier it is to disobey and the harder it is to obey again. That’s why backsliding happens so quickly. One moment you refused to tithe the way God asked you to and the next moment you’re considering having an affair. The little decisions not to obey lead to bigger disobedience. But, that also means when we obey in the little things, it’s easier to obey in the big things.
Obedience in Scripture
In 1 John 5:1-4, we see John, one of the 12 disciples, draw a connection between obedience and love:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
In verses 1-2, John explains that obedience to God is a natural expression of our love for Him. And the news gets even better! His commands are “not a burden”, or as Jesus says in Matthew 11:30, His “yoke is easy and (his) burden is light.” The world is in the hands of the evil one (1 John 5:19), but our faith has the power to conquer the world (1 John 5:4). So our faith in God gives us the power to fight our temptations. When we believe in Him, His Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us (1 John 4:13) and it is through Him that we are able to “overcome the world” (1 John 5:4). It’s not all up to us. God is on our side!
Why is it Still Hard to Obey?
So let’s address the elephant in the room: obedience is still hard! There are a few things I’ve found to be stumbling blocks to our obedience, and I’m going to teach you how to address them now!
You don’t love God.
Our understanding of God is informed by more than the Bible. Our upbringing, parents, pastor or Sunday School teacher, and past experiences or trauma also inform our view of God. And the result is not always accurate. Obedience flows more naturally out of love for and trust of God. When you don’t love or trust Him, you’ll struggle to obey. If this is you, take some time to study God and His attributes. Read through one of the gospels or try reading a book that highlights the attributes of God in scripture (I recommend this one – you can also find a pdf copy of it online for free!).
You don’t know how to hear God.
You may have heard someone talk about how they received direction from God and wished you could hear God the same way. Here’s three things you can do to make that happen: One, listen. If you don’t take the time to sit in silence and wait for a response, you won’t hear from Him. Two, make sure you read your Bible. A knowledge of scripture will help you determine that you are truly hearing from God. He sometimes speaks to us as we’re reading the Bible too! Three, think about how you communicate. In short, most people are visual, auditory or kinaesthetic communicators. I communicate kinaesthetically, so I tend to “feel” answers from God, but if you’re visual, you might see them. If you’re auditory, you might hear them. Be open to how God wants to communicate with you, and check the responses you receive with the Word of God.
There is sin in your life you will not give up.
Sometimes we tell God, “I’ll give up anything BUT THAT,” and think we can simply obey everything else He asks and everything will be fine. But truthfully, if we refuse to obey Him in one area, it will get harder to obey Him in every other area. And it will get much easier to disobey. Pray and ask Him to help you let go. Have others pray with you. Set up accountability check ins with trusted friends so you know someone you respect is going to ask you how you’ve been doing. Delete the app, throw away the book, or add a parental protection password to your TV to give you that last chance to change your mind. Make it harder for yourself to fall into temptation.
Obedience is a tough topic. For most people, it carries a lot of negative emotions, including shame and guilt. Don’t forget what God has told us, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Although it may seem difficult in the moment, the weight of obedience is so much lighter than the weight of disobedience. If you have questions about this topic, comment below or send me an email at brigette@brigettehenry.com.
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