Can a Christian actually get to a place of complete, unquestioning obedience to God?
Obedience—now there’s a word. Children don’t like the sound of it. And most adults don’t like it any better.
It’s not a popular topic with most people—but it is with God. And that’s why it’s so important for us to see obedience from God’s point of view.
What needs to happen, in order to for us to get to this place?
It’s all about knowing.
Do you know yourself? Most of us feel like we know ourselves well.
But in truth, God knows you much better than you know yourself. He sees you genuinely, intimately and honestly, without any filters, touch-ups or special affects.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who could know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
We think that we know our own heart, but it’s deceitful thinking. We can’t really trust our own heart. It changes with every circumstance and feeling.
It’s strange to think about, but we actually don’t know what we are truly capable of—good or bad.
So, while knowing ourselves—our genuine self—is very important, it isn’t really possible unless we know the One who knows all things.
In the book of Hebrews, it says that the Word of God is able to discern the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.
If you want to know who you really are—you must look through the eyes of the One who knows you—using His Word, the Bible, as a mirror. This is vital to understanding yourself.
The more we take a good look at ourselves with God’s mirror, the more we learn that we aren’t trustworthy.
We realize that if we are trusting ourselves for life’s successful outcomes, our trust is sadly misplaced.
We come to a greater faith in knowing that only God Almighty—who saves us—is worthy of such trust. Only He can fully understand us, and where our life needs to be going.
But it’s really hard to trust in someone you don’t know very well.
That’s why you must know your Father.
Like a child who jumps from the edge of the swimming pool into the arms of their Dad, our ability to trust God is the direct result of how much we know God.
It’s usually easy for us to trust God to give us a hand for the little things in life. But can we know Him well enough to put our entire lives into His hands? Can we know Him well enough to trust Him with our hopes and dreams—our whole future?
Like any close relationship, spending time with God is the key. But not just any kind of time.
Time can always be spent—whiled away like a lazy afternoon—nice, but not very constructive. Or time can be something wisely invested—intentional, focused and with expectancy—for a greater reward later on.
We invest time learning God’s instructions. We learn to trust the instructions we receive as absolutely essential to know and to follow.
As small children learn to obey their parent’s rules, we—as children of God—learn to be obedient. As we learn to participate in the process—by taking steps of obedience—we become an active partner with God.
This determines our future—which becomes full of God’s purposes—if we are learning to trust Him with our day-to-day circumstances.
Know your destiny by knowing your God. He will clue you in to what is ahead. You’ll know Him—and therefore, you will know His will for your life.
God usually reveals a person’s destiny in stages, with every step of obedient faith. But each step of faith becomes easier as you learn to wait for Him, watch for Him, and walk with Him.
Every step of faith with Him increases our trust—because He is trustworthy—worthy of our complete and constant trust.
He sees the end from the beginning, so He always knows what’s coming next. Therefore, He should always be the deciding factor in any life decision.
Know that your future is secure in the Lord. He is the solid One. The strong One. He doesn’t fail.
Our Father is always ready to pick us up, dust us off, and give us a hug.
Hugs from God are the best, because we usually don’t deserve them. He knows that—and that’s why His hugs are the best. He hugs us with a knowing that only God can possess—and with the wisdom of the ages.
Know that nothing gets past God. We may be totally surprised, even overwhelmed by situations. But nothing takes Him by surprise.
If it moves, He made it move. Everything is under His complete control, even when things seem to be out of control from where we sit.
He knows who we were (even though He purposes to forget what’s been forgiven), and He knows who we are today.
He knows who we will become, and what will become tomorrow. Alive or dead—it almost doesn’t matter, when we’re hidden in Him.
As Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Keeping this mindset transcends our hopes and fears, and conquers all.
Know that if you have lost your way, He will find you. The Good Shepherd knows where to find us.
Like sheep, we tend to get lost in the shuffle of life. But He leads us into sure places and paths for our feet.
As we learn to hear our shepherd’s voice, we learn to trust Him, and to stay within earshot of His instructions.
Those led by the Good Shepherd are led safely into green pastures, and beside still waters. He cares for and watches over all who put their trust in His shepherding abilities.
Ever watch someone without the Shepherd lose their way, or stumble, and fall? It’s a sad thing to see. They must resort to all kinds of compromises in order justify themselves with the world—to gain its favor and acceptance.
But the world is a harsh judge, and a hard task master. It seldom gives anyone a break. It breaks the weak, and uses up the strong. It rarely shows mercy. And it always takes before it gives.
God isn’t anything like that. He showed us mercy long before we deserved any. He gave His Son to die for our sins—past, present and future. He called us to Himself before we had any idea who He was—and before we even cared to know.
What kind of God loves like that? What kind of a God knows us from before the world began?
Our God. The only One who is deserving of our complete obedience—without question, hesitancy or reservation.
Is it possible to know how to get there? Begin by taking these small steps with God:
Purpose to know Him—really know Him. Invest time with Him. Read the Bible, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to reveal your heart, as He sees it.
Purpose to love Him. Jesus states in John chapter 14, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” And He said in Matthew Chapter 22, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
Love Him back with acts of obedience! This is His greatest commandment. It’s okay to start small.
Purpose to help others, who haven’t yet discovered God’s love for themselves. In the same verse, Jesus adds, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Show others the grace and love of Jesus Christ. Dare to let them see your trust in an unseen God.
It’s the greatest thing you can ever do for someone else—and His other great commandment given to you.
Are you looking for a really great career? Something exciting?
Something with awesome pay, raises at regular intervals, and great benefits?
Something secure—maybe long term? How about from glory to glory? For all eternity?
How about the most patient and kind Boss, ever? Some One you can really get behind, and place your full confidence in?
Guess what—this little life you’re living—is the job interview. It leads to the ultimate on-the-job training, with a guaranteed promotion.
Worried about your resume? It just needs to be a simple, one-page presentation, with a single name on the page: yours. One signature—”Jesus”—is written over your name, in His own blood.
Father God is an equal opportunity employer—He loves to hire everybody. That dream position you are hoping for really is about Who you know.
Plan on a future working with God Almighty. He knows what He wants. He knows where He’s going. And He’s more than willing to take you along.
If you haven’t already, apply today!
Does this post encourage you? We would love to know!