Recently, my children came back from school. After eating and playing for a while, I took a sincere and loving look at my younger daughter. I never said a word, but she seemed to have her interpretation of that look. She said; “Daddy, I know you’d say I should go and sleep. I’d sha obey you.” I was surprised at her response. But I corrected her mindset.
Friend, don’t just obey God. Obey Him with the right mindset (Philippians 2:5). When obedience appears forced, it is no more obedience. It is slavery. God wants us to obey Him genuinely from our hearts (Romans 6:17, Ephesians 6:6). He wants us to obey Him, not because we have to, but because we want to (John 10:17-18).
Obedience becomes easier when you realize that the commandments of God are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). They are for our good. When God told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was not to deny him of pleasure. It was to protect him from danger (Genesis 2:16-17). When you see obedience as divine protection from danger, you would stop seeing God as one who hates your comfort and enjoyment.
When it comes to obedience, you are either in obedience or you are in disobedience. There is no such thing as partial or delayed obedience (2 Corinthians 10:6). When God tells you to do something, do it immediately and completely. Don’t delay. Don’t adjust divine instruction to suit your comfort and sentiments. This was the problem of Saul (1 Samuel 15:13-23).
Most people do not enjoy the full benefits of obedience because they do not complete the cycle of obedience. That you started obeying God does not mean you would get the full benefits until you complete that cycle (2 Corinthians 10:6). The devil’s strategy is to truncate your obedience. He wants you to start out well, but draw back due to weariness and discouragement (Acts 26:19, Galatians 5:7, Hebrews 10:38-39).
Your destiny of greatness is at the mercy of your life of obedience (Genesis 12:1-3). You can always tell where and how you would end by checking where you are disobeying God in your life. You need to do an obedience audit of your life. It is better to go back and obey previous instructions rather than asking God for a new one. Most times, with God, you don’t have a hearing problem. You only have an obedience problem (Luke 12:47-48).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria