Obedience

Lets talk about obedience in our journey with Christ. Being obedient to what He is calling us to do requires us to step outside of our wants and desires for something greater. The world that we live in asks us to focus on bettering ourselves, focusing on our self care, and when we focus so much inward we lose the greatest purpose God has called us to. Think about when you were growing up and maybe for some it was a sport you wanted to excel in or something in music, art whatever it was, it required discipline. It required you gathering all the equipment you would need to even begin. It required a lot of practice to be good at what you wanted to do. I remember practicing shooting for hours for basketball. My parents would send me to camps, get the best Swoop basketball shoes (those were popular back in the day) and my uniform to play. All of these things require preparation, dedication and consistent practice to keep your skills up. Why do we think it would be any different in our walk with Christ?

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

Obedience is reminding us that the life we are living and the purpose we are here for has nothing to do with us and everything to do with our creator. Recently I was slapped in the face with having to be obedient when I absolutely did not want too. It was a lesson for that me that even though I thought I knew what was best, God was telling me no. I want to say that it is not like I have ever heard God’s voice speak to me, rather it is the feeling from my heart and the feeling of being pulled in two different directions, and I know who it is.  I think a lot of times we blame Satan when it wasn’t him trying to take you out, it was our loving Father protecting you from yourself. Just as we teach our children lessons so does God with us. I have seen that disappointed look on my girls’ faces when I have had to tell them no, and we forget that we are children to our loving Father even though we are adults. Just as Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 16:24-26, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

In our culture today it is not easy at all to give up yourself, but that is what He calls us to do. He has called us to live for Him not what’s here. If He sees you focusing inward too much, He is going to start pruning you and it won’t be fun. I have learned to start looking at these seasons with a different lens, and it has really helped me. I have started looking at it with the view of, “What is He trying to teach me?” In your pruning seasons He is trying to teach you something, I promise, but if you are not rooted in His truths it will be so hard for you to tell the weeds from the wheat. He doesn’t want perfection, He wants someone who is determined. No matter what tries to take you away, stay strong and fight through it because you know He is the end of your story.

Being obedient in Christ is not always an easy thing. I can promise you even when it doesn’t feel good, but you know you are being obedient as He has called you to do, peace will overcome you like never before. My challenge for you is to look at a door He tells you to close, but don’t look at it in a negative way. Instead pray and ask what He is trying to teach you. You have to change your perspective so that you can grow.

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” Proverbs 4:25