Obedience

"My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heartyou, God, will not despise.....Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous" Psalm 51:17, 19

"Be watchful and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 12: 28

"If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father's commandments and live on in His love." John 15: 10

On the heels of blogging about surrender, it seems only fitting that the next step would be a question of obedience and action. After examining all aspects of our lives....ministry, relationships, family, work, finances, desires, emotions...and asking God what might be hindering our walk with Him, what is keeping us from more growth, what is keeping us from true intimacy with Him...God is faithful to speak to us if we are truly submitted. I doubt seriously that any of us could ask those questions before God and not find ourselves faced with some action steps that have to be walked out in obedience to really move to the next level. I ask if we are truly willing to be obedient, at all costs? I know that in my own life, the prayer of surrender can be difficult, because my own will so often clouds things. But harder still is putting that surrender into action.

When we place our lives before God and he points out something or many things that need to change, that's when the sacrifice truly comes. When God asks you to budget your money and quit spending, to quit spreading yourself thin in ministry and focus where he needs you most, to cultivate discipline in your life, to break up with your significant other and embrace singleness so you can grow without distraction, to admit you were wrong and make amends with that person you hurt, to quit gossiping at work, to turn down that job opportunity...are we truly willing to walk that out in faith?

I hope that we are, because as much as it hurts to sacrifice the things we love, or even the things we need, with obedience comes blessing. It's when we let things go, when we are willing to embrace the pain of loss for the sake of our King, who has already sacrificed more than enough for us, that is when we truly are after the heart of God. That's when He becomes FIRST in our lives, that's when blessing, freedom, and favor can become rampant in our lives. I know that it's hard, I know that obedience sometimes hurts more than words can express, but I also know that it's worth it...and the reward is far greater than anything we could possibly be required to let go.