Be Obedient

Obedience is everything. As I draw closer and closer to Him, my sensitivity to my own sin increases. It grieves me when I sin. I know it grieves Him. Why would I want to cause this precious God who loves me beyond measure more pain? Why would I want to displease Him and take for granted the immense sacrifice that was made for me? When praying for deliverance over a friend, a demon got up in my face and told me it had a right to be there, because there was "willful disobedience." So disobedience also opens legal rights to the demonic in our lives. We know what it is like to willfully disobey. We know it is wrong. We know what it means when our children willfully choose to defy us. It is not showing love and respect for us and it breaks relationship. It is a deliberate choice. On the other hand, we also know when a child chooses costly obedience. We see the struggle on their face and the choice to honor us and it pleases us and touches our heart. We are human. Can you imagine how the Mighty God feels when we defy evil and place our trust in Him and obey...when it costs us greatly and maybe everything in our mind is screaming that this obedience makes no sense? He cares about our HEART.

Obedience is a matter of the heart and it is the heart that He looks into when you stand before Him. As a small child, I had a NDE and met Him. Those indescribable eyes of His looked into me and saw everything that was there and looked at my whole life, with such love and such acceptance, but also great gravity. Even then, He chastised me...a four year old child, and told me, "You will have to be kinder to your brother." I knew my heart's attitude towards my brother displeased Him. Trust me. When you stand before Him, you feel so naked and exposed and you will not want to stand there with willful defiant sin...seeing all the times you heard the Holy Spirit caution you and you went on ahead...and did your will, and not His. This is even worse, when you have allowed him to ransom your life and you have professed to make Him Lord and ruler of your life. If you have not been repenting....you will feel so terrible. If you have repented and He has forgiven...then you will be more comfortable standing in the presence of such goodness and holiness and love.

Finally, While we walk the earth, we are in a battle situation. We either are in the kingdom of darkness or the Kingdom of God and we walk in His light. As His children, we take our marching orders from the one who gave everything to buy us back from satan. That means that we listen to the One whose name is above all names. We obey and it will go well for us, as we listen to the Spirit and do as He prompts. Here is a little example. Today in the parking lot, a car had pulled up and was blocking my access to put away my cart. I thought...I'll just leave it on this side of the cart rack. The Spirit prompted me..."Put it away." I resisted. It prompted again. "Put it away." I heard the door of the car open and a woman tenderly tell a man to watch his step. It caught my attention. I looked at his legs. They were swollen and painful. He was on oxygen. I pushed my cart around their car and put it away. I spoke with them. I said that it looked so painful...I asked if I could pray for him. He said, "What? Why?" I said, " I don't know if you know the Lord, but I really want to pray He bless you and help you. Is that OK?" He nodded and I prayed that the Lord would bless him and help him carry the heavy load that is on him. I asked Him to heal him in Jesus's name. He thanked me and we both went on. I've been praying over him all day today, as the Spirit of God brings him to mind. I pray he have a mighty miracle and that the Lord moves strongly in him today. That all happened because I obeyed and put away my cart.