The importance of obeying God is foundational to a life guided by faith. Real obedience to the Lord is exclusive, exhaustive, immediate, and indiscriminate. That is the type of obedience that Heaven responds to and honors. Partial, delayed, or selective obedience is just another word for disobedience.
God does not respond to need, He responds to obedience. We cannot dismiss the importance of obeying God. We must obey His will always as disciples of Christ.
‘Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. ” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. ‘ – John 21:3-11
GOD RESPONDS TO OBEDIENCE
Many people were at the Siloam pool but only one of them was healed. It was the one that obeyed the word.
There are many people in church with needs, but God doesn’t respond to needs; He responds to obedience. He says the solution is to give and you shall receive. And when you tap into the miracle, you don’t get it because you need it, you get it because you obey the word. For every miracle that you need, there is a word that you must obey.
There is only one source of infallible inspiration. It is not your dream, it is not that book that you read, and it is not that prophetic word that you got. It is God’s written word and it is the solid rock on which you should stand.
How do you know when you’re hearing from God? When God speaks it lines up with the word. If it contradicts the word of God then you know it’s wrong because it goes against what is written.
You need to keep reading the word and stay grounded. You’ll be amazed at how much you begin to grasp and how much you will begin to learn because the Holy Spirit will bring it to life. As you read the word, the love for the voice of God begins to grow. You look forward to it every day and you begin to treasure the things that you’re hearing from the Holy Spirit. Then, God will begin to lead you and guide you through His voice to your heart and through the words of God. Isaiah 31:20 says, “ And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”
OBEDIENCE BRINGS THE BLESSINGS
You have to do more than read, know, or memorize the Bible—you have to obey it. The one who hears and obeys the word of the Lord is like a house that’s built upon a rock. The storms come and the wind blows, but the house stands firm because it’s built on something solid. Not just the knowledge of the word, but the obedience to that word.
When you obey, you unlock supernatural resources that you would never have access to otherwise.
‘When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ‘ – Luke 5:4-7
Peter did not think putting the net on the other side of the boat would bring about a big difference, but the word of the Lord will always challenge our willingness to believe and obey. It was not about putting the net on the right or left side—it was really to see if Peter would obey the word of the Lord.
Peter’s disobedience was a result of frustration and fatigue because what Jesus asked him to do was essentially what he had been doing all night. Jesus told him to keep doing what he was doing but to do it differently. And sometimes the hardest words for us to obey are keep going, try it again, or don’t give up.
Maybe you’re in ministry or you’re a student and you’ve been met with frustration, fatigue, and failure, and you’ve tried again and again. The most difficult thing for you to obey is to try again.
Maybe you’re sick and everyone has prayed for you and you haven’t seen healing. The most difficult word for you to obey is to ask someone to pray for you again.
Maybe you’ve been praying for that financial breakthrough. You’ve been giving, investing, and sowing, and you’ve been waiting for that fulfillment of the scripture that God is going to open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing on you that you won’t be able to contain. The hardest word for you to obey is to give again.
Don’t be weary of doing well. You will reap, but you can’t faint. You must remain steadfast in obeying God.
Sometimes the Lord will ask you to do something meaningless just to see if you will obey. God is waiting for people who are just simple enough and who are willing to believe and obey.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
How can you be more obedient towards God? In what areas of your life are you struggling to trust and obey His word?
