Obeying God: The Learning Process
“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked”
(1 John 2:3-6).
Obedience is a learned process, not a natural one. Just look at a two-year-old to see the unnaturalness of doing what one is told. Live with a teenager for a while to see the prevalence of rebellion over compliance. Only when we are born again into new life in Christ and set free from slavery to sin (Romans 6:6) does obeying God become a possibility. In order to make obedience a reality in our life, we must learn several things.
First, we need to develop the art of waiting on God in prayer. It is to be an active waiting time, during which we learn of His character (Matthew 6:9), examine our own (Matthew 6:12) and seek to understand what He is asking. As we practice careful listening, we will learn to recognize His voice (John 10:4, 14) as He speaks from His Spirit to our spirit. We must resist outside pressure, exercise self-control and wait.
Tied closely to living obedient lives is meditating upon the Word of God. (Psalm 119:15) Meditation means reading Scripture and asking ourselves, “What do these verses teach me about God or myself? Is there an example here to follow or avoid? Is this a command, a promise, or a warning that I need to apply? What action do I need to take to align my life with this truth?”
These two spiritual disciplines – waiting in prayer and meditating on Scripture – are foundational to the obedient life. If either is weak, we will waver. In order to develop a pattern of faithful obedience, take action to strengthen both.
Related Links:
Are You Hearing His Voice?
http://www.retirementwithapurpose.com/cshearvoice.html
About the Author
This article was written by Charles Stanley. You can read more about this author by clicking this link:
http://www.talk.thelife.com/charles-stanley/
This devotional is protected by copyright laws and may not be reprinted or posted to a site without permission from TruthMedia Internet Group. All readers are welcome to forward the devotional to a friend or link to it. If you would like to seek permission to reprint the devotional in full, please contact us:
http://www.truthmedia.com/contact/index.html
