“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 1:19-20

Obey is a small word but can be difficult to activate. No one has to teach young children to be obstinate—stubborn and contrary. It’s in human nature to go against what is right and to enjoy it. Disobedience is sin. And all of us sin and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Obedience can be challenging, but it’s the discipline that will cause us to triumph in our circumstances. God told the children of Israel, “…If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God…” (Deut. 28:1-2).

Isaiah wrote, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (1:19-20).

From these Scripture references and many others not listed, you can see that God rewards obedience. God loves a heart that is bent toward righteousness. The kind of heart that King David had. David committed many evils, but he loved God and wanted to please Him. We will sin, but how will we answer this question? What is the state of my heart? A heart like God’s is a heart that finds it easy and quick to repent.

God despises a rebellious heart. He calls it witchcraft—works of the flesh—disobedience (1 Samuel 15:23).

God knows we can never manifest His glory and be the people He meant for us to be while walking contrary to His commands. When we decide to be our god, we are rebellious, and rebellion opens the door for our archenemy, Satan, to wreak havoc in our lives. 

God never meant for us to experience the suffering, pain, and disappointments we realize in our world today. He meant for us to walk in the power and authority He made available to us— thus walking in victory.

For us to experience the “good of the land,” we must listen for God’s voice above all the clamor and noise and walk-in alignment with what we hear. God spoke through Jeremiah, “‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you'” (Jeremiah 7:23).

My beloved, do you want things to go well with you and in our land? Then we must obey the voice of the Lord. I know obeying God is not always easy, but it’s always right. His ways are superior to our ways, according to Isaiah 55:9. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” And He asked the question, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say” (Luke 6:46)?

Moses chose victory, He made a decision, “…to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”

Declare,

Lord, thank You for helping me to have an obedient heart—a heart like Yours!

Posted by on Wednesday, April 21st, 2021 @ 10:00AM
Categories: Inspirational
Tags: Disappointments, Discipline, key, obedience, obstinate, rebellion, rebellious, suffering, victory