Philip.2v12: Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Obedience can be genuine or fake! This is why we are talking about the True Marks of Obedience. Obedience is something that is discernible. It can be seen or felt. It’s not something that you cannot hide or conceal. It’s open for all to see to some extent. So are you an Obedient Child of God? What kind of obedience are you practising? Our text scripture shows that the Great Apostle Paul was commending the Philippian Church for their Obedience. Their Obedience was worthy of mentioning and of praise. This is the kind of obedience that God wants you to practice. Your Obedience ought to be void of pretence and hypocrisy (Matt.15v8-9). The essence of this teaching is to help to know if we are truly obeying God or not. True Obedience has certain marks i.e. indicators, signs, traits or attributes. This are the things I will be sharing with you in this series. So if you are ready here, we go!
INDICATORS OF GENUINE OBEDIENCE:
1. Someone who is fully surrendered to his Will. This simply means that God’s will is superior and of greater priority to them. They value God’s will more than their own will or any other will. Are you this kind of person? Do you rate God’s will higher than any other will? If your answer is a Yes, then it means that you genuinely obey God. My dear reader, have you gotten to the point and place in your life where the will of God matters more than any other thing? This is a very important question to ask yourself if you really want to grow in your capacity to obey God. I pray for you today that His grace will help you in Overcoming every struggle or area of contention with his Will in Jesus name, amen (Matt.26v39). I pray that you will come to the point of absolute surrender to his Will in every area of your life. Say this out loud: Lord, I surrender my will to your Will in Jesus name, amen.
2. It’s costing you Something. True obedience is sacrificial in nature. By this, i mean it’s painful and it’s not easy. Obedience costed Jesus Christ his precious life. He gave his life in exchange for you and I. Father Abraham, too, gave up his country and family in order to obey God (Gen.12v1-4). What he did, by all means, is not easy. He relocated from Ur of the Chaldees at a very old age. Naturally, it’s more difficult to leave a place once you are at a certain age but Father Abraham was willing to part away from things in order to obey God’s will. So sacrifice is part and parcel of obedience. This is also something that you will notice in the life’s of those who obey him. So are you willing to sacrifice? The higher you want to go in life, the greater the sacrifice and this is also true in reverse too (Matt.19v27).
So my dear brothers and sisters, how would you rate yourself with regards to Obeying God? Whatever answers you give, it’s time to take your obedience to another level. May this be your reality in Jesus name, amen.
Other Scriptural References: (Matt.26v38-38; 2Sam.24v24; Lk.5v11; Gen.22v1-18: 17v10-14, 24-27; Isa.45v9; Acts 13v22; Jn.5v30: 6v36).
Prayer for Today: Oh Lord, help me to take my obedience to another level in Jesus name, amen.
CONFESSION: I strive to be the best when it comes to Obeying God. I am an obedient child of God. I take delight in doing his will and I place his will above my own will. I am willing to make sacrifices in order to obey my King! Glory be to God for I choose a lifestyle of obedience above pleasing myself!
Yemi Adeoti is a pastor, teacher, life coach and mentor & also a prolific writer.
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