The Will of God 101: Prerequisite…Obedience!

As I sat and watched “The Bible” on the History Channel (which I highly recommend you check out), I noticed all over again, how serious God is about “obedience”. I learned moreover that without it, we won’t accomplish much. God requires it to fulfill His purposes in our lives. And I believe that as we grow in our walk with the Lord, we will learn more and more that in order to really do His will and be blessed untold, will require a prerequisite...our obedience.

Many great leaders in the Bible had to follow God’s commands just as they were instructed for the victory in their lives and the lives of others around them. Some examples are Noah (Building the Ark), Joshua (The Walls of Jericho), Nehemiah (Building the Wall of Jerusalem), and Gideon (Winning a battle with only 300 men). Had these men not obeyed God’s detailed instructions, they would not have accomplished God’s will for their lives, and how sad that would have been not only for them, but for those under their care. This is quite serious. And not just for their day, but for ours as well.

Jesus says clearly in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven.” You’re probably wondering at this point, “Okay Courtnaye, where are you going with all of this?” The point I’m trying to make here is simply that God is serious about us obeying His instruction in order to fulfill His will and purpose for our lives. We are at a time in life where the signs of the return of Christ are so imminent. And we must be found doing the will of God or have completed it at the time of his return.

Let me ask you a question. Do you know the will of God for your life? Pause and consider…Do you know what you were born to do? If you don’t, pray and ask God, and in time, I believe He will reveal it to you. And if you already know, then you should also know that you will not be able to accomplish what you were born to do on your own. You will need His divine help and guidance. And it will require obedience. There’s no other way. Jesus had to obey His Father in order to accomplish Calvary (dying on the cross for our sins). The Bible says, “He learned obedience through the things which He suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8). Thank God, He didn’t try doing His own thing on our account, because had He not obeyed God, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to have everlasting life or even have fellowship with the Father again. So I praise God for Jesus’ obedience! Hallelujah!

With disobedience we can very well miss out on His blessings like Moses and King Saul. By Moses hitting the rock to bring forth water for the Israelites because of his getting aggravated with the people’s complaints, he missed out on going into the Promised Land. All of those years, wandering in the wilderness, and because of one act of disobedience he was unable to enter in (Read Deuteronomy 32:48-52). Joshua had to take his place, because he disobeyed God’s instructions. The Lord told him to speak to the rock, not hit it. And because he didn’t obey, he missed the promise. Wow! Do you see the seriousness in this? I don’t want you or myself to miss it. That’s the point.

Sure, there’s grace and mercy, but that’s to God’s choosing…not ours. I’d rather just obey and avoid the consequences of losing it all like King Saul. 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” This was stated because King Saul disobeyed God’s command to utterly destroy all that the enemy had and to spare them not.” (1 Samuel 15:3) But King Saul did not obey. He did it his way, which was partial obedience. So God took his throne from him, and later David became king. Hmm…so you see? We must follow His instruction as we press to do His will. He has a plan. And it’s for our good, if we follow and obey as instructed.

Listen, my sister. If God has told you to do something that you know in your heart you need to do, I encourage you to do it. It could be simply calling a friend or loved one that He has prompted you to call, or doing something for someone, apologizing, completing a task, obeying what your authority has asked you to do…whatever the matter, just do it (like NIKE). I have to do it too! We should always keep in mind what James 4:17 says, “It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” Come on ladies! God blesses our obedience. Jesus stated in Luke 11:28, “Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” So let’s do this!

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon. Let’s get ready from the Inside Out.

~Courtnaye

Thanks for reading! Like, comment, or share from my Facebook Fan Page and “Like” it while you’re there ( http://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye). Also feel absolutely free to leave a comment here! I’d love to get your feedback! I pray that God will continue to enlighten you to live for Him through His word in your daily life. Stay tuned for new blog posts every Monday at 7:30am on Inside Out with Courtnaye @  www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org.  Also, follow me on Twitter by inoutwcourtnaye. Thanks again![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]