Are You Willing to Obey?

Genesis 19:15-17

When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he  said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

The year has just begun and people are so excited since there are so many promises that the Lord has promised us regarding the year. It is the year that the righteous shall flourish, the year of fruitfulness and of great harvest.

For all these and more promises of God that He has given us be manifested and fulfilled, He has given us instructions on what we should do. He has given us instructions on what to do in order to experience fruitfulness, great harvest and to flourish. The instructions demands us to remain  connected to Him, positioning ourselves in anticipation, by faith, and remain positive. People tend to focus so much on the promises and not on the instructions, thus forgetting that instructions are guidelines on how to experience the fulfilment of the promises. Instructions are to position us to receive from God. The promises of God will not accomplish God's purpose, if we do not follow His instructions.

Lot and his family were given a very simple instruction, not to look behind, as Sodom and Gomorrah were being destroyed, but Lot’s wife failed to follow the instruction and thus was turned into a pillar of salt. In the same way, failure to follow God's instructions to us will cause us to remain stagnant, in life.

Many people fail to follow the Lord’s instructions, yet expect to experience changes in their lives. We should purpose to obey God’s instructions this year, if we are determined to enjoy His promises.

We often praise God for His faithfulness (2 Tim. 3:12), yet forget the fact that God likewise expects us to be faithful in order for Him to manifest His blessing upon us. 

Luke 12:42   

And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?"

God is seeking for that faithful servant, who He will use to accomplish His purposes on earth. Are you that faithful servant, who will listen and obey His every instruction? God uses people to accomplish His purposes, on earth. For Him to accomplish His purposes successfully, His chosen people must be faithful. Can God count on you, to accomplish His purpose on earth? 

As we remain connected to God, His instructions are for our benefit, and we should be alert, always looking for them. Can we trust God with His instructions, believing they are for our best? Sometimes the obedience of these instructions will not be easy, but rather painful and uncomfortable. Yet we should endure and obey to the end, understanding that all God asks us to do is for our best. Clay cannot ask the potter what he is doing with it. As clay in God's hands, our Potter, we should trust God with what He is doing, in our lives. Obedience is for our own good. God prefers our obedience to anything else we would ever want to give Him:

1 Samuel 15:22-23

So Samuel said:“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. ²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

 

God has already released everything we need. All He needs from us is for us to position ourselves to receive, through obedience to His instructions. When things are not going well and according to God's purpose, it is not God who has failed, but us. Then, as always, we need to ask God what we need to do, and our role, in bringing His purpose to manifestation. 

Dear brethren, we need to be faithful and follow God’s instructions, so as to enjoy Gods promises, because without obedience the year's promises will have come and go without affecting our lives.

Isaiah 1:19 

If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land. 

Blessings. 

-- Josephine Achieng. 

(1/02/15 Sunday Service Morning Teaching, Teaching Transformation Ministry. 

Sister Josephine is a vibrant youth and a member of the Praise and Worship team, at Teaching Transformation Ministry. We are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./ Bypass intersection), Next to Eastgate Restaurant.