4 Important Truths about Obedience

When you choose to obey God, you are entering into war against your sinful nature. When you obey God, you are coming into agreement with him and declaring what side of this war you will stand on. In Genesis, Joseph had an encounter with Potiphar’s wife because she was trying to get him to sleep with her, which he refused to do.

At this moment of temptation Joseph had a decision to make. He had to choose which side he was going to go to war against. He could agree with his sinful nature and go to war against God, or he could agree with God and go to war against his sinful nature. Joseph chose to go to war with God. Joseph entered into agreement that this would be a sin against God, and thus waged war against his sinful nature.

If you are going to walk in obedience, you are going to have to choose which side of the war you are going to stand on because obedience is an act of warfare.

Because obedience reflects what is inside you, you cannot truly worship God and walk in disobedience at the same time (again, I am talking about a lifestyle of disobedience). Walking in disobedience means your heart is not engaged. If you are going to love God, and worship God, you must also obey God. When you love him and obey him this becomes an act of worship.

If you choose not to obey, then all your worship is just lip service. Remember, obedience reveals. At the core of your obedience is a heartfelt love and affection towards God which sets the foundation, and when this happens, your obedience becomes worship. 

Obedience does not mean you will be perfect, but it does mean you are striving and desiring in your heart to please God. Remember our definition of obedience: a demonstration by your actions, of what you profess with your mouth and what you truly believe in your heart.

The challenge today is for me and you to walk in obedience. This begins by searching your heart to see what dwells in it. I invite you to carefully investigate your attitude toward obedience. This will tell you everything you need to know about the current state of your heart and your relationship with God.

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Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club.  He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.