Standing Strong: Overcoming Adversity & Living ConfidentlySample

Get on the Other Side of Obedience

There have been times in my life that I wanted to do ANYTHING other than obey God. He has asked me to be bold when I wanted to cower in fear, to be humble when I wanted to be proud, and to let go of cherished things that I longed to hold onto. While I know that obedience will always be worth it, my fears trick me into believing that the path of obedience is riddled with hurt and harm. 

But can I let you in on something I’ve learned the hard way? Obedience is the only path to security. 

The problem with obedience is that it has been painted in the worst possible light. When we think of obedience, we think of the way our kids obey with attitudes and heavy sighs. Obedience seems like a “have to,” not a “get to,” type of scenario.

But for believers, obedience isn’t the end of our freedom; it’s the beginning of our blessing.

Obedience is recognizing we follow the expert, the maker of the earth, who loves us, is on our side, fights for us, and knows exactly what we should do to live in abundance.

When you obey the Lord, he will bless you. This is because obedience always leads to blessing. That is a big statement, so let me tell you what I do and do not mean by the word blessing. 

I don’t mean we miraculously get rich or we receive payment in kind for our good behavior. Treating blessings like payments for good behavior reduces our lives in Christ to a religious sticker chart and his blessing to a token or a trinket. Blessing is so much more than that.

In the Gospels, Jesus asked Peter to put his boat into the water, just offshore, so Jesus could preach to the crowds that had gathered. It had been a long night of fishing, and Peter had little to show for it. But, Peter obeyed and he heard Jesus teach incredible parables. What a blessing (Luke 5:1–3).

When Jesus finished teaching the crowds, he told Peter to cast his nets into the water. Peter was tired. But once again he obeyed and his nets were filled to overflowing. What a blessing (Luke 5:4–7).

Peter was so overcome by God’s blessing that he fell to his knees and worshipped Jesus immediately. Then Jesus commanded Peter (along with Andrew, James, and John), “Come, follow me . . . and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). Immediately they left their nets and followed him, becoming four of Jesus’s twelve disciples. What a blessing.

Beyond obedience is your blessing.

If you want to see the power of God in your life, if you want to see his promises fulfilled, if you want to access the unlimited, unseen resources of the Lord Most High, get on the other side of obedience, walk in your calling, and bask in his blessing—the most ultimate blessing being the presence of God with you wherever you go.

Action Step: Ask God, “What does obedience look like for me in this season?” Write down what you sense him saying. Read through what you wrote, and identify the one next step you need to take to walk in obedience.

Prayer: Lord, I’ve been tempted to believe that obedience will be dreary and hard. Help me understand that obedience is the path to security and blessing. Teach me that to obey is to follow you, my creator, into the perfect plan you have for my life. Amen.