Saturday, March 31, 2018

I MISSED FRIDAY

Day 6 Good FRIDAY:

The Bible does not instruct Christians to remember Christ's death by honoring a certain day. The Bible does give us freedom in these matters, however. Romans 14:5 tells us, "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." Rather than remembering Christ's death on a certain day, once a year, the Bible instructs us to remember Christ's death by observing the Lord's Supper. First Corinthians 11:24-26 declares, "...do this in remembrance of me...for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

Why is Good Friday referred to as "good"? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). However, the results of Christ's death are very good! Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." First Peter 3:18 tells us, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit."

Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a subdued service, usually in the evening, in which Christ's death is remembered with solemn hymns, prayers of thanksgiving, a message centered on Christ's suffering for our sakes, and observance of the Lord's Supper. Whether or not Christians choose to "celebrate" Good Friday, the events of that day should be ever on our minds because the death of Christ on the cross—along with His bodily resurrection—is the paramount event of the Christian faith.

Day 7

Covered by the Blood

…They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses…. —Exodus 12:7

God instructed His people to apply the blood of the lamb to the side posts and upper doorposts of their houses. Thus, they would make a type of the Cross and be covered by the blood of the Passover lamb that had been slain for their deliverance. God was giving His people a portrait of redemption, pointing ahead to the time when Jesus would come and shed His blood at Calvary. God told them, "The blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (Ex. 12:13). That night, death struck the firstborn of every household in Egypt where the blood was not applied. Where the blood was applied, death passed over. Judgment didn't fall on those residing within; instead, they went free. In the same way, when Jesus' blood is applied to us as we make Him our Lord and Savior, final judgment passes over us, and we step into eternal glory. We know from Hebrews 9:22 that without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins. The blood of the lamb was the sacrifice that allowed the Israelites to walk out of Egypt's bondage. And it's the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, that enables us to walk free of every demonic bondage—including the bondage of sickness and disease.

Confession: I've applied the blood of the Lamb of God to my life. Therefore, I'm free from every yoke of bondage, including sickness.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Bible Study: “The Seven Habits of a godly life.” Week # 5

(By Dr. Charles Stanley)

Prayer:

Father God, in Jesus' name, we come to You with thanksgiving in our hearts today. The joy of the Lord is our strength. We desire to live a godly life unto You, and in the presence of others. Glory be to God! Hallelujah to Jesus! We praise Your holy Name. This week is a blessed week because of what our Lord did for us. Thank You for forgiving us. Thank You for Your mercy and grace on our lives. Thank You God, You answer our prayers according to Your perfect will. Help us to know that You know exactly what we need, and what is best for us. Grant us this day the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as we study this lesson. Help us and all that study this lesson to learn to depend on You only even through others as You lead us. This we pray in Jesus' name. AMEN.

Subject Lesson: Dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Let's recap and then study more on

Every believer in Jesus is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but the apostle Paul also tells us to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). The Greek verb signifies that this is a continuous action of filling. It means to live in obedience to Him, relying on Him to equip, empower, strengthen, teach, and guide us each day. Only as we depend on the Spirit will we be and do what God desires.

How do we depend on the Holy Spirit?

John 14:26:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." As Christians, we understand that salvation is not a matter of earning God's favor by our own effort. Rather it is transferring our trust from what we can do to get ourselves to heaven to what Jesus Christ has already done. Yet, the same Scripture that tells us that we are not saved by good works tells us that we are saved to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). To put it another way, the God who has saved us from the penalty of sin now intends to change us--to remove the sinful habits and selfish attitudes in our lives so that we can become more like His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-29). To accomplish this goal, God has not left us alone to live the Christian life in our own strength. Actually that would be impossible. But God's power can do the impossible--that is, enable us to live the Christian life. The following study is designed to help you understand the work of God's Holy Spirit (the third member of the Godhead) and how you can cooperate with His daily work in your life.

What does the Holy Spirit do?

He united you to Christ at the moment of conversion; He caused you to believe (2 Thessalonians 2:13). He placed you into Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12:13), and He is the bond that makes you belong to Jesus (Romans 8:9).

He assures you that you belong to God. He teaches you to call God, "Father" (Romans 8:15-16). He is God's seal of ownership and your guarantee of complete salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).

He is making you to be more like Jesus Christ. By progressively freeing you from sinful habits and transforming you into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). By empowering you to replace ungodly habits with godly fruit such as love, patience, and self-control (Galatians 5:18-23).

You can do what pleases God because His Spirit gives you power. He is your life and strength. That is why you must not ignore Him or try to live the Christian life without depending on Him. His work will not cease until it is completed at Christ's second coming when our bodies will be transformed to be like Christ's body (Philippians 3:20-21).

Because the Holy Spirit is at work in you, you need to understand...

How You Can Cooperate With His Daily Work In Your Life

Cooperating with the Holy Spirit means dependence on Him and His divine resources. We must keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). Keeping in step with the Spirit sounds very mysterious. Actually it means that we submit to and rely on the Spirit. We look to Him for help--daily trusting Him and praying to Him for understanding and strength (Ephesians 1:17-18). We must be filled with (or controlled by) the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18); being filled by the Spirit has the idea of control by (Note the contrast with drunkenness). It has the idea of being totally saturated with (Colossians 3:16).

To be filled with the Holy Spirit and to have Christ's Word dwell in you mean the same thing.

God's Spirit always works in and through His Word.

Cooperating with the Holy Spirit means the disciplined use of His divine resources. Change occurs as you learn to put off the old ways of thinking and responding and put on God's new ways of thinking and responding. This begins by daily renewing your mind with the life-changing truth of God's Word (Ephesians 4:22-24; See verses 25-32 for some specific examples). As you learn to practice the truth, you gradually become more and more-godly--like Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 4:7).

The word train" in 1 Timothy 4:7 is an athletic term. It means: daily sustained effort. Just as it takes practice to be skilled in a particular sport, so it takes practice to be skilled in living the Christian life. God does not expect you to be perfect; He expects you to be growing. Your part in growing is exerting daily sustained effort to apply His Word to your life.

Who do you turn to for daily guidance on how to live or what decision to make?

Scripture tells us the only Guide worth trusting is the Holy Spirit. He is the One who knows our past completely, from the moment we were conceived to the present, and who also knows our futures, from this day to eternity. He knows God's plan and purpose for us today and for each day of our lives. He also knows what is good and right for us.

Jesus repeatedly referred to the Spirit as the "Spirit of truth." Note what He said about the Holy Spirit's activity in your life: "He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come" (John 16:13). The Spirit of truth is like an inner compass in our lives—always pointing us toward what Jesus would be, say, or do in any given moment.

God desires to make His will known to you. He wants you to know what to do and when to do it. Therefore, you can trust the Holy Spirit to be your daily Guide! After the Lord poured out the Holy Spirit on the disciples, they found themselves led in profound ways by the Spirit. The verses below give just a few examples of how the Holy Spirit dealt with His people in ways that provided very personal and specific guidance. What He did for them then, He desires to do for you today.

"The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings" (Acts 11:12).

"While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them'" (Acts 13:2).

"They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6).

The leaders of the early church relied on the Holy Spirit to give them this kind of specific, personal guidance, and we are wise to do likewise. Both Romans 8:14 and Galatians 5:18 refer to our being "led by the Spirit"—the norm of the Christian life.

You may ask, "Are there any conditions placed upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives?"

Yes.

First, we must stay yielded to the Spirit. We must say yes to the Spirit when He prompts us to take a certain action or say a certain word. We must give mental assent to the Spirit's direction, and then we must actually obey His prompting and follow through by doing or saying what He has called us to do or say.

The Spirit often speaks to us in the stillness of our hearts with a word of conviction or assurance. When the Holy Spirit is directing us away from something harmful, we very often have a heaviness, feeling of trouble, foreboding, or uneasiness in our spirits. When the Holy Spirit is directing us toward helpful things, we tend to feel a deep inner peace, an eagerness to see what God will do, and a feeling of joy.

How can you know if you are yielded to the Holy Spirit? You are yielded to Him when you can say to Him, "Here is what I desire. But if Your answer to this is 'no,' it's all right. I'll do what You say."

Second, we must believe and obey His guidance. We are much more likely to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say if we are actively listening for Him to speak. We are much more likely to see the Holy Spirit's direction if we are looking for Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God is a "rewarder of those who seek Him." We are to be diligent in seeking His guidance, asking for it, watching for it, anticipating it, and receiving it.

The Holy Spirit has come to reveal the truth to us. He has come in His all-knowing ability to impart to us what we need to know in order to live obedient and faithful lives. Trust Him to guide you, now and always!

Week #5

Questions:

1). What does it means to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit?

2). How do we depend on the Holy Spirit?

3). What does the Holy Spirit do?

4). How can we do what pleases God?

5). What do it means to cooperate with the Holy Spirit?

6). How does God's Holy Spirit works?

7). What does the Word train in 1 Timothy 4:7 means?

8). Who do you turn to for daily guidance on how to live or what decision to make?

9). What do you think about this statement "are there any conditions placed upon guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives?"

10). How do the Holy Spirit speak to us?

11). How can you know if you are yielded to the Holy Spirit?

12). What did the Holy Spirit come to do for us?

Weekly Stay Focus:

Weekly Life Principle:

Weekly Prayer Focus:

Closing Prayer:

Weekly reading assignments: (Hebrews 9-10)

Closing Prayer

Jesus, my Lord and Savior, help us to become obedient and be like a child so we might enter into You Kingdom. As we study these lessons help us to be obedient to Your Word we study in these lessons. Jesus, come what may, help us to never leave Your love. Give us the child-like trust to keep ourselves in Your love. Obedience is better than all sacrifices as we read in Your Word. Father, we are praying for all Prayer Warriors, and others in our circle of family or friends to choose to live in obedience to the Word...Help them be those who faithfully obey You. May they/we desire to obey You and what You ask of us in Your Word as an expression of our love for Jesus. Your Word says we are slaves to what we obey, so I ask You to help them/me become slaves to obedience, the obedience that leads to right living and holiness. (Deuteronomy 28:11a; John 14:15; Romans 6:16, 18, 19b) Open our eyes to see the wonderful truths of the Bible, and teach us to choose the way of truth, setting our hearts to live as You say we should live. May we be eager to learn what You want us to do, for You have set our hearts free! (Psalm 119:18, 30, 32) Teach us to follow Your commands; help us to understand them. Give us the desire to obey You with all our hearts. Take away our foolish desires. (Psalm 119:33–34, 37) May we love You and follow Your commands, for they’ll not too difficult. In every weakness, Christ, who was obedient even to death, is their strength! And You are faithful to bring us through every temptation;(1 John 5:2; Philippians 4:13; 2:8b; 1 Corinthians 10:13). In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Weekly reading assignments: (Hebrews 7-8)

I have read my weekly reading assignment!

Week # 4 Devotional Sharing:

The Requirements of Obedience

Key Passage: Psalms 32:8-11

Summary:

We all need guidance now and then, but whom are we allowing to influence us?

There are many strange voices in the world clamoring for our attention and offering to help us with whatever concerns us. However, all these voices could lead us astray. The only one who can give us perfect guidance is our heavenly Father. But to receive His instructions, we must listen, trust, and obey Him.

Sermon Points:

Obedience can be defined as doing what God says, how he says, and when He says to do it.

All three of these aspects are required, or it's disobedience. To intentionally ignore what the Lord says and do what we desire in the way we want and according to our time schedule is outright rebellion. In essence we are telling Him that our way is better, and we want control of our lives. Now, we might try to excuse our deliberate disobedience by claiming it was just a mistake, but in reality, we are rebelling against almighty God.

Life at its best is only found in obedience to the Lord. He created us, loves us, and knows exactly how we should live and what we should do. Therefore, to turn our backs on His plans for our lives is equivalent to rejecting the best He could possibly give us. The wisest thing we can do is to submit to the Lord and learn what is required to live in obedience to Him.

Obedience requires that we . . . "not lean on your own understanding" (Prov. 3:5).

Meditate upon God's Word. Since the Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, we need to carefully consider what it says so we won't stumble or lose our way in life (Ps. 119:105). Meditation includes reading the Word, thinking about it, and asking God questions regarding its meaning and application. The world constantly bombards us with messages designed to lead us astray, but when we make the Scriptures a vital part of each day, our hearts and minds are protected and tuned in to the Lord so we can discern His guidance.

Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. God has given us the awesome gift of His Spirit who lives within us. He's the one who convicted us of sin and opened our hearts to accept Jesus' wonderful offer of salvation. Now one of His jobs is to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). When we read the Bible, He helps us interpret it. Then throughout the day, He reminds us of those truths or convicts us if we sin. No one can live the Christian life without Him. Only as we listen to the Spirit will we become Christlike and accomplish what God desires.

Be sensitive to God's timing.Whatever the Lord tells us to do is to be done according to His time schedule, not ours. Isaiah 64:4 says that the Lord acts in behalf of those who wait for Him. If we're consistently listening to God through His Word and His Spirit, over a period of time, He will train us to discern not only what He's saying, but when He wants us to act. Since God is omniscient, He knows the perfect timing for every situation. If we get ahead of Him or lag behind, we'll miss what He had in mind. To help us, He's given us an internal timer in the person of the Holy Spirit. When we're sensitive to His voice, He shows us when to move ahead.

Walk where the way is not always clear. Obedience would be much easier if we knew exactly where we're going, but sometimes God calls us to step out in faith when the way is not clear. When doubts arise, we should remember that the sovereign God of the universe gave us the assignment. Proverbs 3:5 reminds us to trust in Him and not in our own limited understanding. If He chose the path, He will reveal the way as we move forward in obedience.

Follow God's instruction even if it seems unreasonable. The Lord might ask us to do something which seems illogical or beyond our ability. Even if we feel unqualified, afraid, and resistant, instead of making excuses or denying that God could have possibly said that, we should be like Joshua. When the Lord told him to conquer Jericho by marching around it seven times, he must have thought it was the strangest battle plan ever devised. But God knew exactly what He was doing and secured the victory through Joshua's trusting obedience. We can never put the Lord in a box by confining Him to what seems reasonable to us.

Have courage. When God called Joshua to accomplish the gigantic task of leading the Israelites, He told him, "Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (v. 1:9). And the same is true for us today. Courage is essential for obedience in the Christian life. If we're afraid of the challenges God places before us, we need to keep listening to Him and move ahead believing that He will be with us every step of the way.

Accept conflict. Sometimes obedience to the Lord results in conflict with others. This is what happened to Peter and the apostles when they were preaching about Jesus in Jerusalem. When they were confronted by the Council, they replied, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). If we stop doing what God says every time someone objects, we'll never fulfill His will.

Be willing to be corrected by God.There may be times when the Lord alters our course. During Paul's second missionary journey, he was redirected several times until he finally perceived where God wanted him to go (Acts. 16:6-10). We should always hold our plans loosely so the Holy Spirit has our cooperation when He wants to change them.

Our responsibility is to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

Since the Lord has promised to guide us, we have nothing to fear if we're following His leadership. He is sovereign over everything and controls all the consequences. There is nothing He cannot handle or will not provide for us if we'll listen, trust, and obey Him.

Response Personally:

Think of a time you disobeyed the Lord by either not doing what He said, not doing it the way He desired, or doing it at the wrong time. What happened as a result? What lessons did you learn?

Have you ever sensed the Lord calling you to something that seemed unreasonable? How did you respond? Looking back, what have been the results of your choice to either obey or disobey?

Look at the list of requirements for obedience. Which ones have you done or experienced? Which ones do you need to work on?

Weekly Prayer Focus:

Speak Lord Jesus

Come to Me, and rest in My presence. As you ponder the majestic mystery of the incarnation, relax in My everlasting arms. I am the only Person who was ever sired by the Holy Spirit. This is beyond your understanding. Instead of trying to comprehend My incarnation intellectually, learn from the example of the wise men. They followed the leading of a spectacular star; then fell down in humble worship when they found Me.

Praise and worship are the best responses to the wonder of My Being. Sing praises to My holy Name. Gaze at Me in silent adoration. Look for a star of guidance in your own life, and be willing to follow wherever I lead. I am the Light from on high that dawns upon you, to guide your feet into the way of Peace. If you are obedience to My voice, then will you be safe.

Read: Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Matthew 2:9-11; Luke 1:-78-79

Weekly Life Principle:

Obedience/(Life Principle #2)

Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

As we grow in our walk with the Lord, obedience becomes a cornerstone to intimacy with Him. When He calls us to obey Him, He isn't telling us what to do merely to exert control over us-He's setting a framework of goodness around our lives that also forms a hedge of protection from evil.

When we obey God, we choose to follow Him rather than go our own way. Obedience ushers us into the blessing of His life-giving presence-and aligns us with the goodness of His kingdom plans further down the road. That's why He asks us to obey and trust Him with everything that comes next.

When you believe God loves you perfectly and that He is absolutely worthy of your trust, you don't have to worry about the future. You can face any uncertainly with total confidence and joy. Obedience, then, is an act of secure love.

Weekly Stay Focus:

Strengthening Your Roots

When you are obedience you are strengthening your roots. Colossians 2:6-7 "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

Even though you don't always see progress in your walk with God, you can be sure that your roots are going down deep. Beneath the soil, God tends your faith, the longer you walk with Him, and be obedient, the deeper His hold on you. You came to Him with nothing and simply surrendered to His love. And that is all it takes, just a willingness to keep walking with Him and trusting that He's strengthening your roots beneath you. Obey the Lord as you trust Him in all things.

Questions/Answers:

Week #4

1). Think about a time you fully obeyed the Lord in a difficult situation. How did God work in your life?

Wow! God has blessed me over and over and over again these last few days. I thought I was not going to be able to keep my job due to age, but things are working out good, and I am trusting God to continue to work on me and my patient's behalf. Things get so difficult at times, but God always move and give me peace and them understanding. It's a blessing!

2). Now consider an occasion when you either disobeyed or partially obeyed. What consequences resulted? How did it affect you?

Oh my, I hate it when I know I have disobeyed God because of fear; I hate it because I then see why I go through some hard things I don't even have to go through; there are consequences for not obeying God.

3). Give a scripture on obedience, and explain it.

Joshua 1:2, 1:10-11 says that Joshua obeyed God when He told him to go over this Jordan and take the people to the Promised Land; Joshua obey again in chapter 5 and 6 and they came to Jericho and conquered that land with God's help.

4). Why should we teach our children obedience?

Ephesians 6:1 says "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." When we teach our children to be obedient we are doing what is right according to God's Word. Bring your children up in this way, because if we submit to God's authority as we raise our children, they too will learn to follow the Lord.

5). When do obedience starts?

When we begin the morning with a sincere desire to obey the Lord, we'll be reminded to continually turn to Him for guidance and strength throughout the day.

6). When we are filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit, what is our first response to sin?

Our first response to sin will be confession and repentance.

7). What is the opposite of obedience?

Since God is our ultimate authority, any time we choose not to heed His commands, we are rebelling against Him. Rebellion is the opposite of obedience.

8). When we obey God, we are doing what?

Obedience is doing what God says, how He say, and when He says to do it; following His instructions.

9). What is the proof of our love for Christ?

Obedience is the proof of our love for Christ Jesus our Lord. Our love for Him should motivate and prompt us to keep His Word and please Him in all we do.

10). What is our motivation for obedience?

Our motivation for obedience should be our reverence for Who He is. He deserves our obedience because He is our holy, sovereign Lord Who gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross so we could be forgiven. Celebrate Passion Week to honor Him!

Day 6

Good FRIDAY:

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Day 5

Behold the Lamb of God

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. —John 1:29

When God gave the instructions for the Passover, He gave very specific instructions about the lamb: Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. (Ex. 12:5,6). Jesus fit every one of these qualifications. He was a Lamb without blemish for He'd never sinned. He was the firstborn in his family, "a male of the first year." There was even a particular time this Lamb had to die: "in the evening." The very hour Jesus died on the Cross was the time when Passover lambs were sacrificed. Who killed the Passover lamb? "The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel." In Acts 2:23, Peter preached to the Jewish multitude about who was responsible for Jesus' death: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." Jesus was condemned by the Romans and crucified by Israel, but He laid His life down willingly for you and me. He took our sin and our sickness upon Himself. He knew it was the only way you and I could be delivered from the bondage of sin and sickness.

Confession: Jesus was the Lamb slain to take away the sin of the whole world. Yet, Jesus died for me. Through Him I receive all the benefits salvation includes. I'm saved, healed, and delivered!

Bible Study: “The Seven Habits of a godly life.” Week # 4

(By Dr. Charles Stanley)

Prayer:

Glory be to God! God You are awesome! Your Word tells me to worship You, and I am right now because I love You. Lord, You are worthy to be praise because You alone are above all things. Thank You that You promise to be with us wherever we go. Help us to have courage when the task that You have set before us seems too big or too difficult. We desire to obey You always. Bless us to learn from this study for Your glory. Lord, we choose to follow You whatever You lead us. Our future is in Your hand. AMEN

Subject Lesson: Obedience.

Let's recap and then study more on

Moses told the nation of Israel, "If you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I commanded you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth" (Deut. 28:1). In a similar way, we walk on a higher level than the world when we live in obedience to God. It's not a matter of looking down on others but choosing to live by God's standards rather than following the world's lifestyle.

Why is obedience to God important?

Obedience to God proves our love for Him (1 John 5:2-3), demonstrates our faithfulness to Him (1 John 2:3-6), glorifies Him in the world (1 Peter 2:12), and opens avenues of blessing for us (John 13:17).

Faith is necessary to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and if our faith is genuine and true, we will live a lifestyle characterized by righteousness, modeling the example set for us by Jesus Christ. We obey His commands, not because we have to, but because we want to, because we love Him. We are enabled to obey because, once we believe in Christ and are saved, we are remade. We are not the same people we once were. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

When we obey the Lord, we can live a life of joy, without shame, rooted deeply in the Lord and confident in our eternal hope. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). Our obedience is actually part of our assurance that we truly know God (1 John 2:3).

When God's children obey their Heavenly Father, He is glorified. Jesus told us that the plan is for others to "see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Of course, performing "good deeds" requires obedience to the One who calls us to good deeds. A Christian's testimony of holiness is a strong witness that God is at work in the world.

"Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him" (Psalm 128:1). The Bible often tells us that God blesses and rewards obedience. James 1:22-25 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. . . . Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." See also Psalm 119:1-2.

God is gracious. If we haven't been living for Him, if we haven't been following His commandments, if we've been living in and for the world, we can be transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We can ask God for forgiveness, and He will give it. And He will choose to forget the sin, just as if we had never committed it in the first place. God is glorified when He extends forgiveness, because it is written, "I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. . . . Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more" (Hebrews 10:16-17).

Obedience in the Life of the Believer:

The first lesson on obedience is found in the very beginning of the Bible.

Adam and Eve lived in a perfect environment surrounded with beauty and abundance; and when the Lord placed them in the garden, He gave only one prohibition: "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17). If they had obeyed Him, they would have continued to live in the midst of all His blessings; but since they disobeyed, they suffered the consequences of violating His command.

This same principle of obedience still applies to us today. Blessings come with obedience, but disobedience brings problems, heartaches, and burdens.

Obedience is the first lesson we should teach in the home.

Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." The pattern that the Lord established in the home flows from the order He instituted in the Garden of Eden. Just as almighty God is our authority and we are to obey Him, so children are to honor and obey their parents. Our obedience to the Lord includes faithfully teaching our children to obey us. If we submit to God's authority as we raise our children, they too will learn to follow the Lord. However, if we tell them to obey us, but we ourselves neglect God's commands, they will see the inconsistency and experience internal conflict, confusion, frustration, and ultimately disobedience.

Obedience starts in the morning.

Each day should begin with prayer asking God for a sensitive spirit. We need His help to rightly interact with people and deal with the circumstances we encounter. When we begin the morning with a sincere desire to obey the Lord, we'll be reminded to continually turn to Him for guidance and strength throughout the day.

An obedient life is not one of perfection.

We won't always make the right choices and do what God wants, but a godly person who desires to obey will immediately feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled and controlled by the Spirit, our first response to sin will be confession and repentance. And if we've offended someone else, we will quickly go to that person and ask forgiveness. But if we delay, thinking, "I'll take care of this tomorrow," we may end up putting it off for weeks, months, or even years. And that is disobedience.

The opposite of obedience is rebellion.

Since God is our ultimate authority, any time we choose not to heed His commands, we are rebelling against Him. Then we wonder why we're experiencing trouble and conflicts. Samuel told God's people, "If you will not listen to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers" (1 Sam. 12:15). This is a valuable lesson that we need to pass down to our children. Sometimes the anger and conflicts in the home are the result of parents not following the Lord, and children not obeying their parents.

Obedience is doing what God says, how he says, and when He says to do it.

Oftentimes we'd prefer to redefine these terms, but the elimination of any one of them results in disobedience. Partial obedience is still rebellion against the Lord. For example, suppose we believe that God wants us to give a certain portion of our income to Him, but instead of giving Him the full amount, we decide to give less. Or maybe He calls us into ministry, missions, or some other area of service, but we delay or alter our response to the call. Instead of becoming a missionary, we decide to focus on becoming financially successful so we can give more money to the Lord's work. Or maybe we sidestep God's clear call to preach the gospel and opt to teach Sunday school instead. Anytime we dictate the terms of our obedience, we are not doing what the Lord has told us to do. We may think that offering an alternate form of obedience ought to please Him, but it won't. Because God loves us, He wants us to follow His commands so we can receive the blessings that follow. This is the only way to spare us from the negative consequences that inevitably come with disobedience.

Obedience is the proof of our love for Christ.

Three times in the fourteenth chapter of John, Jesus equates loving Him with obedience (vv. 15, 21, 23). Many of us claim to love Christ, yet we'd have to admit that our actions don't always support our assertion. Our love for Him should motivate and prompt us to keep His Word and please Him in all we do.

Obedience is not only the will of God, but it's the best way to live.

The Lord gave us His commandments for our own good. Any time we try to manipulate or maneuver around them, we are settling for second best. We can never improve on what God has said. Like a loving Father, He protects us by giving us rules to guide our lives. And if we go astray, He provides stinging consequences, which motivate us to return to the path of obedience. When we follow the Lord's instructions, they influence every area of our lives. Each day as we encounter various situations, we'll ask ourselves, "What has God said about this?" For instance, if someone wrongs us at work, we'll remember that Jesus said to forgive others. Although we may not be able to quote a verse, we'll know what's right and wrong. Furthermore, we have the Holy Spirit living within us who prompts us to do what's right. And if we sin, He convicts us with deep sorrow over our disobedience so we will repent and change. In our own strength, we can't overcome our sins, but the Spirit gives us the power to develop godly attitudes, actions, and habits.

What is our motivation for obedience?

A reverence for who God is.

He deserves our obedience because He is our holy, sovereign Lord who gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross so we could be forgiven.

A desire to please Him:

If we revere and love Him, we won't want to displease Him in any area of our lives. Furthermore, disobedience never gives us what we truly want—peace, joy, and happiness. Even if the path of obedience is painful, it is still the best option.

Obedience always brings blessings!