A Lifestyle of Obedience

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.
James 2:14, 18-19

In my last post I discussed what faith is. Now I would like to spend some time looking at how it is manifested in our daily lives. Now that we know what faith is, how do we walk in it every day?

Every day we make choices; choices on what to wear, what to watch and listen to, who we hang out with (how long do we hang out with Jesus each day?), and what we say. If we are walking by faith it is through these choices, and our conduct and lifestyle based on those choices, that faith becomes evident to those around us. The Holy Spirit WILL guide us through these choices but it is up to us whether we follow or not. It is important that we ask for wisdom and discernment but it is even more important that when He gives it to us that we listen and obey.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
“Whoever has my commands and obeys the them, he is the one who loves me.”
“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.”
Jesus in John 14:15, 21, 23

In just a few short verses Jesus repeats over and over again that we should be obedient to what He has commanded if we truly love Him. According to Him, we express our love and our faith in Him by obeying Him. If we truly love Him wholeheartedly, we MUST develop a lifestyle of obedience. Easier said than done right? I know for me it is one of the most difficult things to do.......walk according to what He wants instead of what I want. What does a lifestyle of obedience look like and how do we maintain it on a consistent basis?

1)We must trust God and that trust needs to grow. To do this spend time in the word and meditate on who God is.

II Corinthians 1:20 tells us that God always keeps His promises.

Psalm 86:15 speaks of God’s great compassion, mercy, great love and faithfulness.

Hebrews 13:8 states that God’s character is the same and it will not change in difficult circumstances or hard to understand conditions.

2)Develop an ability to wait on the Lord

I know how hard this is but we must resist temptation and wait on Him instead of
rushing ahead and trying to do things on our own strength.

3)Commit to obeying God.

We must make a vow, a pact, and facilitate a strong resolve for becoming an obedient disciple of Jesus Christ. This must happen or else we will hesitate at decision time or allow fear (Psalm 37:8 says not to worry because it leads to evil) to prevent us from choosing His way over our way.

4)Study the Word on a consistent basis.

Believe it or not the Bible is more than just a book to read before turning in for the night. It is better served as a guidebook for life than a coffee table accompaniment accumulating dust. The Bible reveals God’s priorities, commands, and warnings. It acts as a light by illuminating our path that He has chosen for us while revealing obstacles and dangers along the way (Psalm 119:105).

When we become a Christian it doesn’t mean that this lifestyle of obedience will automatically be bestowed upon us. This is a lifelong process of growing in our trust and patiently waiting on God before we take action. This will require a strong commitment. Thankfully we can do everything through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Next time we will look at how we can build this trust and obedience in God consistently.

God bless.