Obedience--Our Gift To God

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(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

"Take a moment and think about what sin you want to overcome on purpose, by fully focusing on its dispossession from your heart for good.  It is time that the gods that want to keep you trapped in bondage to sin be removed!  Begin with appropriating the armor of God every day, working on just one idol or sin.  Do this for one week.  God wants your full compliance to His command to be holy because He is.  He has given you the perfect armor with which to protect yourself from that sin, and to stand strong in Him.  And remember, your sin will always find you out.  Take it on today!  Defeat it with the transforming of your mind by renewing it in the truth of the Word!  Your sword, the very Word of God, is a dangerous weapon intended to be used on the father of lies!  Use it to push them out of your heart and mind.

Thomas a Kempis once declared that 'Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience.  Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from grace.'

Walk in obedience to His commands by doing what you are supposed to do, for this is God's plan for you!

INTROSPECTION

1.  What have the results of your willful disobedience been?

2.  What is the difference between telling God you are sorry for your sin and confessing your     sin to Him or another person?  Which on is more sincere?  Why?

3.  How did the response of the Israelites and ten of the spies (when they learned about the giants in the land) differ from Joshua and Caleb's response?

4.  Why does your full compliance with God's commands make a difference to Him?

5.  How can you better use the full armor of God to dispossess the gods in your heart?  Will you?"

God had shown us great favor by blessings our lives with innumerable gifts. But there is only one gift that is pleasing to Him. Do you know what it is?   It is the obedience that flows out of the heart of a child who is surrendered to Him!

Taking a Closer Look

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It is always a good idea to take in information, but an even better idea to apply what you have learned to your life.  But often that will require that you slow down and take a good, close look at your life.  Below are a few questions that will help you both process and apply what you have learned about taking full vengeance on your sins and idols that are a part of your life.  This is your time to introspect.  Take a moment to look within.

1. When we don't take full vengeance on our gods and sin, we actually create an environment in which they will be allowed to grow up in us.  Are you nourishing your weeds, or are you pulling them up and destroying them?
2. What influence do your gods and sin have on your spiritual growth?
3. God wanted the Israelites to eradicate all foreign gods from their lives by taking FULL vengeance on them.  What does God want you to do with your identified gods and sin?
4. There were severe consequences for Israel when the disobeyed God and kept the foreign gods alive by sparing (giving life to) the woman who were so idolatrous.  Are you willing to find out what God's consequences will be for you if you choose to let your gods and sins live, instead of destroying them?  Do you think that you are' bullet-proof'?
5. Why does God discipline us when we disobey?  How do your gods and sin affect your holiness?

It is time to pull up the weeds in your life that are choking out Holy Spirit within you and holiness and purity He longs to bring into your life .  Weeds that are left alone will eventually take over an entire beautiful garden of flowers!

Obedience Is Important To God

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God gave Israel a plan for the destruction of the Midianites:  they were to choose 12,000 armed men to go to war against the Midianites, 1,000 military men from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.   Each tribe stood to loose the same number of men when they went to war.  These men then set out to go to war against the five kings of Midian.  The knew their "marching orders" well.  They were to kill everyone and everything, for that was what God meant by "take full vengeance."  There was no question as to what God required of them, and no other options!

So these 12,000 men of war set out to destroy all of the Midianites.  Even Phinehas the priest went out with them to be God's agent to them, for he carried with him the holy vessels and the trumpets for alarm in his hand.  They wouldn't lose--they couldn't lose!  Just as the Lord had commanded them, they went to war and killed all the men and the kings with the sword.  The captured the women and the children. Then they took all their cattle and all their flocks, and then . . . 

WHAT?  What did they do?  Did these 12,000 soldiers obey God?  Did they comply with God's command?  Had not God said to them, "Take FULL vengeance"? 

Do you understand what they did?  They disobeyed the command of their God.  They killed the men and kings, but they captured the women, kept them alive, and plundered the animals, too!  Why would the do that?  They had been sent to battle  to kill everyone and everything because the Midianites were idol worshipers instead of God worshipers, and they had already had  a great evil influence on the Israelites. 

In a nutshell the disobedience of God's people was a result of this:

1. The Israelite men had a thing for the Midianite women, who introduced them to their gods.  The men then would marry these women who were outside of the Jewish faith, thus destroying the purity and holy calling of the Jewish race.
2. The did not want to destroy what their flesh definitely wanted to hang on to and enjoy--the women.
3. The wanted to be in control and make their own decisions  instead of allowing God to be in charge.  Flesh doesn't normally like to be told what to do by God or anyone else.
4. Maybe they thought God would somehow be pleased with them for keeping the women and children alive.  He might just approve of their "compassion."

Can't you just see them merrily returning to camp with those they took captive and all the spoils, hoping to be rewarded for the fine work the had accomplished and for the wealth they were bringing into the family?  They were surely proud of their increase, and they probably couldn't wait to choose from the booty that would be their reward for a job well done.

No matter what the reason for their disobedience, the truth is that they still disobeyed God and He and Moses would surely have something to say about that!  Moses was angry!  Surely his words to them cut them to the quick!  There was no applause, no congratulations, no heroes' welcome home from battle.  This is what Moses said to them:

Have you spared all the women?  Behold these caused the sons of Israel . . .  to trespass against the Lord . . .  so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.  (Numbers 31: 15-16)

God is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What was important to Him in the Old Testament and New Testament is important to Him in the Church Age right now. Obedience has always been VERY IMPORTANT to God!

(More tomorrow on how this applies to the believer.  Today's quote is excerpted from Chapter 7 of Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory  written by Cheryl Gnagey)

THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 32

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Day 32:  Stephen, Full of Faith (Acts 6-7)

The ministry of the early church was increasing.  The original disciples were dedicating themselves to prayer and the study and teaching of the Word.   There arose a need for men to take food to some neglected widows, so the original disciples charged the other followers of Christ to choose seven dedicated men for this ministry task.

Stephen, being found to be full of faith, was chosen as part of this group of seven.   A good reputation and being full of the Spirit and wisdom were the top requirements for this ministry.  Now in Stephen’s case, the power of the Spirit was quite evident because he had been performing many great miracles and signs among the people he came in contact with.  But as is often the case, jealous men began to rise up against Stephen and tell lies about him, saying that he had spoken blasphemies against Moses and God.  So vicious were the lies that the men brought him and his case before the Council.

With power and great wisdom, and even greater diplomacy, Stephen stood before the Council and told them, in elaborate detail, the story of God and His people, Israel.  He spoke clearly of Israel’s continued disobedience to God’s commands.  Then he compared the Council and the accusers to their disobedient forefathers, reminding them how they themselves had not kept and obeyed the Word.

Incensed by Stephen’s accusations (that were true), these men cried out in anger.  Covering their ears so that they would have to listen to no more, they chased Stephen out of the city, and then stoned him to death.  The conviction of the Spirit in their thoughts and in their hearts was completely ignored by the men who would have rather silenced the truth instead of being transformed by it.  On the other hand, Stephen was a transformed man, with Jesus’ resurrection in his soul, who was willing to put his life in jeopardy for the truth.  He boldly spoke out what he knew would not be received, but was truth nonetheless.

Have you allowed your heart to be resurrected in truth?  Are you more like the men who refused to listen to the truth about their hearts and true change?  Can others see the Spirit’s power and wisdom at work in you?

THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 26

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Day 26:  The Two Criminals (Luke 23: 32-33, 39-43)

The beatings and the trial were now behind Him, but the cross still loomed ahead of Him.  While Simon of Cyrene carried His cross, the two other convicted criminals carried their own crosses to Calvary.  Yes, death was just a few hours ahead.

Crucifixion was a torturous and horrific way to die.  But Jesus kept His eyes fixed on the goals:  the sacrifice to be made once and for all, salvation that would be available to the whole world, and a chance for all to have a personal and real relationship with the Father, the Spirit to come, and Him.  But He also focused on the glorious moment that He would return to His Father and be Home again.  But what would lie ahead for the two criminals?  What were they thinking about on the way to their deaths?  What did they have to look forward to?

As Jesus and the two men hung from their trees of death, some of the rulers, the commoners and the guards began to hurl insults at Him.  Even one of the criminals joined in.  “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us!” he sneered, laughing an evil laugh.

“How could he say those things?” the other criminal thought.  The sheer audacity of that sinful man!  It just doesn’t make any sense that he would be demanding to be saved from the consequence of his own sin!  How could he so blatantly speak out such evil?  Did he not fear God Almighty?

Finding his voice amidst the pain, he had to speak.  “The punishment we received is just and fair for us.  We did what was unlawful and hang here today because of our disobedience.”  Then looking directly into the eyes of Jesus he said, “But this Man, He has done nothing wrong.  Jesus, please remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”  Seeing into the man’s heart, Jesus answered him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Are you looking for Jesus to save you out of the circumstances of your own sinful life, expecting Him to change them?  Or are you recognizing your sinfulness, confessing it to Jesus, and letting Him change you?

Setting Boundaries--Exodus 19: 10-12

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Humankind hates boundaries.  To them they, represent a lack of freedom.  Every boundary screams, "No!"   My children today do not like that word; neither did My chosen, Israel, in the days when I was leading them through the desert to their Promised Land.

On the day that I chose to meet with Moses on Mt. Sinai, in the wilderness, just 3 months after they had made their historic exit from Egypt, I set up boundaries for all the people except Moses.  I asked him to set up a boundary all around the perimeter of the mountain.  If anyone entered the restricted area, or even touched the border of the mountain, there would surely be consequences:  they would die!  

Now, don't misunderstand My heart; the boundaries were not set up to keep them away from Me.  On the contrary, I wanted them to draw near to Me, but spiritually close, not physically close.  You see, I desired for them to love Me by surrendering to My words and obeying what I said.  I desperately wanted My people to experience a special kind of freedom that can only be found in obeying Me.

It is so easy for you to think about My people, associating their desire to draw physically near to Me with their love and reverence for Me.  However, I was asking them to squash their own desires and feelings (what they wanted to do), and obey My voice instead (19:5).  To obey My words, they would have to make a conscious effort to submit themselves to My desires.  That kind of surrender shows Me their love, not running past My boundaries so that they could feel good.  

The same is true for you, My precious one.  When you ignore My sign saying that something is a "Restricted Area," running ahead with your own plans to meet your own desires, you are making an "Unauthorized Entry."  When you do that, you are walking in disobedience, and there are always consequences, whether you notice them or not.  

My boundaries are to protect you, but they are also to test you.  The boundaries I have set before you are not necessarily boundaries that I set for everyone.  I know what areas of your life need My protection and what areas that I need to test you in, so that your faith may be increased.  To enter where I have said "No!" is no freedom at all; it is disobedience that will lead you to bondage.  

Heed My sign, precious one, for what lies beyond it is a danger for you.  Walk the other direction, and you will be obeying My voice and keeping My covenant with you.  In this alone is your freedom. 

 

God's Warnings--Ex. 11

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My Precious One, how easy it is to ignore My warnings, when the one I am warning is you.  How equally easy it is to know of My warnings to another and judge their lack of response.  This morning as you read the passage concerning Pharaoh's final warning, it was easy for you to read it with the mind set that it was foolish for Pharaoh to ignore My 7 warnings and My 9 plagues.  Yet, that is exactly what you do when you know the behavior I desire from you, and you choose instead to ignore what you know that I have clearly asked of you.

Pharaoh could easily ignore My warnings and plagues because, with each time that he followed his own heart, his heart became hardened a bit more.  As he scoffed at the warning, not believing Me at all, it got easier to repeat the wrong response.  By the time I reached the tenth and final plague, his heart was so hard and unbelieving that he thought nothing of what Moses had said to him by prophecy.  He did not count the cost at all for his willful, stubborn disobedience.  His hard heart had already cost him much, but he was willing to overlook it, believing that, in the end, he would prevail over Me.  When Moses told him of the death that would be coming to all the firstborn of the Egypt, Pharaoh never considered that if Moses was speaking the truth (as he had 9 previous times), that he himself would lose his own firstborn.  Because his unbelief prevailed, all of Egypt went into deep sorrow and mourning when they witnessed the devastation that the Angel of Death delivered.

My Precious One, how many warnings from Me will you continue to ignore, believing that no real harm will come to you. Ignoring My warnings, those things that I have clearly laid out for you in My Word, leads to sinful disobedience.   And do you not know that your lack of concern for your disobedience reveals your true heart?  Your disobedience, at its core, is unbelief in Me, the One you say is your Lord.

Disobedience is its own form of unbelief.  When you disobey Me you are telling Me that you believe in your own, sinful heart's desires more than you believe in My ability to provide a way of escape for you.  Did you notice that every one of  My 7 warnings to Pharaoh included a way a repentance for him, a way for him to turn around and heed My warning?  You see, I desire to bring you to repentance, too.  Pharaoh never took Me up on it.  Will you?

Full Surrender

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It is an easy mistake to make.  My children have stumbled on this throughout history.  I require obedience above altars, but often My children offer up their altars and sacrifices in place of true obedience.  Jacob, after wrestling with Me, began to do some very right things.  He began to walk in faith, even leading the way to meet his brother, Esau, instead of cowering in fear at the end of the procession.  He humbly made peace with the brother that he had gravely deceived, in the days that Jacob walked apart from Me.  Yet, Jacob, whom I had renamed Israel, found it difficult to walk in his new name, meaning "God rules".  Once again Jacob deceived his brother by committing to follow Esau southward to Seir, but instead he let Esau get a few days journey ahead of him and then headed north to Shechem. 

In the end, much sorrow would come to Jacob for this decision, for it is in Shechem that his daughter would be raped, and his sons would take out their revenge on the guilty party.  Yes, he did some right things, but I told him to return to the place where he first made a vow to Me, to that place where he dreamed of a ladder to heaven, to that place where he built a pillar for Me and anointed it with oil.  I called him back to Bethel, but he went his own way.  He was not surrendered to My will, therefore, he could not obey Me.  Israel went against his name, and chose to rule his own life.  In Shechem, he erected an altar and he called the place, El-Elohe-Israel, God, the God of Israel (Jacob), his true time of conversion.  But his altar-building was more important to him than his OBEDIENCE to My word.

My precious one, are you making the connection?  You do some very right things as well, but just like Jacob, you have learned to put right sacrifices ahead of the one sacrifice I require of you--your surrender to My FULL will.  Even after you conversion, you have stumbled on the idea of FULL surrender to Me.  Like Jacob, you push others out to meet meet Me more intimately, yet you cower behind them, afraid of what this might mean in YOUR life.  You speak right things, yet you do not follow your own teaching.  Repentance, Surrender, Obedience.  You speak My words all the time, but  "Sayin' ain't doin!'"   Your teaching is one of the altars you have set up.  Yes, they are good words.  But where is your obedience to My word that I have put in your mouth?

There will always be repercussions for lack of obedience.  The way you have been feeling spiritually is a sign of "altars above obedience."  The remedy is clear; obey My words and My will.  Set your goal to seek My face.  Strive after ME!  MY Presence!  For I am the Showbread, your BREAD OF LIFE, the Living Word.  Ingest Me and digest Me!  Search ME out!  I am here.  I can be found, if you would but surrender your all and come to Me!  I know that you are weary of how you live your life.  Let Me revive you.  Let me resuscitate you...              

(Gen. 33; Ps. 27:8; Matt. 11:28)

God's Windex

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Many evil kings in both Israel and Judah had led their people in spiritual harlotry.  In the land God had given them they openly practiced idolatry and sin.  In the city in which God said HIS name would dwell, foreign gods were worshiped.  In His holy temple altars to other gods had been set up for the worship of the people, and the land was littered with the altars of false worship on the high places.  King after king followed in the evil path, each one seemingly outdoing the previous evil worship practices.  Then along came King Josiah.

Josiah was a man whose heart was pure.  Having been shown a book of God's Law, he realized how angry God must have been with the unfaithful hearts of so many generations.  His repentant heart caused him to rip his clothes and weep before the Lord for the atrocious sins of the people. Then he set his heart and mind to reform Jerusalem, the priesthood, the temple practices, and the hearts of his people.  God, knowing all that was in Josiah's heart, saw that his heart was tender and humble.

A heart that is pure and crystal clear, rid of the sins that want to hide there in the darkness, is a heart that God can write on.  When God writes on a heart, the heart is transformed from doing evil (practicing disobedience) to doing what is right in His sight (practicing obedience).  

A pure heart can be seen by the unsaved.  It is pure motives, love and compassion, that inspire truly pure actions.  God uses pure-hearted people to help those who are unbelievers "see" Him.  But all too often our words, our attitudes, and our actions (or lack thereof) show the hypocrisy of our lives.

Bit by painful bit, our hearts have to be surrendered to God, so that He has control of our hearts.  And when we have surrendered ourselves to Him, to do as HE pleases, the joy of obeying His commands will follow.  

How clear and shiny is your heart?  Windex, anyone?

Take Careful Aim

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Before Israel could enter their new land, Moses was commanded to set before them the choice for either blessing or curses, and it all hinged on their obedience to the Lord. God seeks our surrender today to Him so that we might fully obey all that He has declared to us in His Word. We, like Israel, have seen God's great favor upon our lives. Could there be a more proper response than our obedience?

Those who were now preparing to enter their new homeland, had been small children when they left Egypt, or maybe not even born yet.  But those small children had witnessed the mighty arm of God, working in their midst.  They had seen His miracles, favor, and provision.  They had also seen the death that had come to the chronically disobedient.  They had watched as their fathers failed to keep their covenant promises to their covenant-keeping God.  Now it was their generation's turn to make the same promises to obey their God.  How would they fare?  The choice was up to them, and the results of their lives, whether it be God's blessings or curses, be based on the depth of their obedience to Him.


Today, though believers are under grace (God's favor), that same grace does not mean that when we sin and disobey God's word that we are off the hook. God is our loving Father, and out of His love He will always discipline a wayward child.  Consequences are inevitable.  That is why it is critical for us to aim carefully at the right target!  That target is every word of the Word.  

What are you aiming at?  Do you start your day thinking about all the ways that you can be obedient to God, or all the ways you can "fudge" what He is really asking you to do?  Do you begin your days in a posture of surrender?  (Okay, now I really jabbed myself!)  God's is not winking at our disobedience.  It is not His will that we would claim our human nature as our justification to keep on doing what is displeasing to Him.  If the target is walking in the favor and blessing of Almighty God, are your arrows straight and true?  Is your aim?  God is looking to see where those arrows lie....on the ground, all around the target, or in the bull's eye.

 

Fully Following God's Word

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God told Moses to speak to rock, and it would produce water for the thirsty Israelites. Out of frustration and anger at this rebellious, unbelieving people, Moses did not speak to the rock, but struck it instead--TWICE! His personal unbelief and prideful attitude brought him a consequence that he may have thought he was immune to--God would not allow him to lead His people into the Promised Land. (From Spiritual Healing Facebook fan page 2-19-11)

So often we think that our disobedience is just a small thing. We tend to believe that it is not important to God at all, because He loves us and has already forgiven our sins. But we can see from the example of Moses, that God is very interested in our full obedience.

When the Israelites first left Egypt they were thirsty. Moses cried out to God to help His people. God clearly told Moses to strike the rock with his rod, and water would come forth, and it did! But some 38 years later, when this same company needed water, Moses, who was thoroughly fed up with their rebellious, unbelieving hearts, walked in his own flesh and angrily yelled at those he was leading.

After God had told him to "speak to the rock," Moses took his rod of authority and hit the rock instead. To compound his wrong choice, he hit it then a second time. No one could blame Moses for how frustrated he had become in these 38 years of wandering with this obstinate group. But even if we can relate to his frustration, he had not one excuse for disobeying God.

How lightly do you take your own disobedience? Does it drive you to repentance? Do you consider yourself "immune" to consequences because you are one of God's children? God wants you to fully follow His every command, to repent when you do not, and to walk again in the ways that He has set before you. If we continue to walk in disobedience, which in the end is unbelief, we will never experience the peace and rest of the Promised Land, right here on earth.