Yesterday as we studied the necessity of increasing our trust in God, we were challenged to make waiting on Him a part of our daily lives. Today, we will look at three additional steps that are essential for the obedient life.
Meditate. If we want to know the mind of God, we must meditate upon His
Word. We do not need to pick the “right” verses in order to know God’s will. He has the power to direct us from any portion of the Bible. Our part is to pursue wisdom through Scripture over a sustained period of time.
Listen. Learn to listen to the quiet prompting of the Holy Spirit, who is our Helper. The Word of God is the primary resource through which the Spirit works. If we are studying a passage of Scripture, He will illuminate our minds so that we can understand how God is directing us. Or He will bring to remembrance a passage we have learned and reveal how it applies to our situation.
Walk. Our final lesson to learn regarding obedience is that sometimes we must walk, even when the way is unclear. Abraham is a good example. God told Him to move out of his homeland but did not specify the destination. Abraham complied by faith (Heb. 11:8). We, too, can obey without a total understanding because God makes Himself responsible for the consequences. We are accountable only for obeying. This is good news!
As our class ends, consider the importance of obedience in the life of faith. Then ask God what He wants you to work on first—trusting, waiting, meditating, listening, or walking with Him?
Welcome to God's School of Obedience. Today and tomorrow we will be sitting in on a class called “Obedience 101.” For some of us, the lesson will be new material; for others, a good review. In this course, we are trying to master the essential elements of an obedient, God-honoring lifestyle. Here are a couple of things we must learn to do in order to achieve our goal:
Trust. A key requirement for obedience is trusting in God—this is something the Lord expects of us (Prov. 3:5). He knows obedient responses result from a foundation of faith, while most rebellion derives from a lack of it. Therefore, to live obedient lives, we must believe God is who He has revealed Himself to be. We must also accept His plans, methods, and timing. We can deepen our trust level by obeying and watching for the Lord’s response. Remember, God delights in blessing those who do what He says.
Wait. We seem to find the element of patience particularly challenging. When we don’t know what to do, we often rely on our own understanding, make a move, and then hope God will approve and bless it. That’s not scriptural. God is more than willing to show us what to do. He’s given us His Spirit as our teacher because He wants us to know how to proceed. We must wait in an attitude of trust until we are certain.
God assumes full responsibility for giving us direction in our lives. He desires to let us know each step along the way. But we must come to Him with a trusting heart and a willingness to wait before He reveals what to do next.
What believers do about guilty feelings has a lot to do with what they understand about guilt. By definition, the word refers to a sense of wrongdoing—an emotional conflict arising from second thoughts about a particular action or thought. The biblical method for clearing away such feelings is repentance.
However, many believers are plagued by false guilt, which is not actually rooted in sin. It can develop in several ways:
A church caught up in legalism can foster this unhealthy feeling. A member may not do enough of what is “required” (such as praying, Bible reading, and witnessing). Or she may do things that others in the church categorize as wrong, even though there’s no scriptural basis for their opinion.
Painful memories of abuse in childhood often lead an adult to believe he is somehow to blame for the sins committed against him.
Hearing believers’ criticisms of others can lead to low self-esteem. Without clear discernment, a person may get the sense that he can’t measure up to God’s standards or the world’s.
Genuine, biblically based conviction is an anxiety in the spirit over a definite, willful sin. All the various causes of false shame have one thing in common: They are not the result of sinful behavior. Such feelings are Satan’s tool for harassing God’s people.
When we understand that true conviction is the Holy Spirit’s loving pressure on our spirit to correct a specific wrong, we can reject Satan’s attempts to distract us with lies. Whatever the cause of false guilt, it must be unearthed and removed from the believer’s life.
Guilt can be defined as anxiety in one’s spirit over a deliberate, willful sin. We can trace this emotion all the way back to the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden fruit, they felt ashamed of their nakedness and hid themselves.
During Old Testament times, people would bring a special offering to the temple in order to “pay” for their wrong. Today, we no longer have such a tangible way to release our guilt.
Actually, we have something better. The heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus—who was fully God as well as fully man—to live a sinless life. He took upon Himself the penalty for all of our wrongs by dying a criminal’s death through crucifixion. Praise God, Jesus rose to life again, conquering death and sin. Ephesians 1:7 states, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”
The truth is, every one of us has sinned and therefore deserves to be separated from God (Rom. 3:23). However, we can be liberated from death and guilt by accepting Jesus’ free gift and committing our lives to Him. Of course, in our imperfect human state, we will continue to sin. But our loving heavenly Father will continue to forgive His children (Luke 11:3-4).
Jesus’ sacrifice gives us freedom from shame and death—plus the promise of eternity with God. But that in no way means we have license to sin knowingly. Though we are promised forgiveness, our gratitude and love for our Savior should spur us on to obey and serve the Lord. And, surely, to live a life free from guilt.
When Christ has first place in our lives, we will experience many blessings. These include . . .
A quiet spirit. As we turn our attention to the Lord and meditate on His Word, He “leads [us] beside quiet waters,” where we find rest for our souls (Ps. 23:2). The Holy Spirit will help us shut out the noise of worldly distractions so He can provide assurance of our Father’s love and support. With a quieted heart and mind, we will be able to discern what God is saying to us.
A stronger faith. Studying Scripture will enlarge our view of God and give us insight and direction. Reading how the Lord has helped others, we will gain confidence that He is at our side, enabling us to meet life’s demands. Our faith will grow as we follow His direction and watch how He works on our behalf.
A purified heart. Like a mirror, the Bible reflects back to us who we truly are and reveals where we need to change. When we confess our sin, God promises to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
A prepared mind. We don’t know what’s in our tomorrows, but God does. He wants to prepare us for the future—both the joyous times and the hard ones. Through the Holy Spirit’s ministry, we will be equipped for whatever life brings (2 Pet. 1:3).
Paul’s life demonstrates what it means to give Jesus first place. Because the apostle made Christ the Lord of his life (Gal. 2:20), he knew joy amid trials and received the strength to face turmoil and difficulty. These blessings will also be ours when we give highest priority to our relationship with Jesus.
