FROM OBEDIENCE TO SURRENDER

Once upon a time, we were dead in sin, dead to Christ and could not grasp the things of the Spirit. Then, we came into the knowledge of Christ and received the nature of God. It became a walk to maturity for us to understand, recognize and follow His voice.

“And the sheep recognize the voice of the true Shepherd, for he calls his own by name and leads them out, for they belong to him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭10:3‬ ‭TPT‬‬

This brings us to the purpose of obedience in our journey to becoming more like Christ everyday.

Why do we obey? Many times we obey because we believe there is a reward waiting for us. This is absolutely true- there is a reward for obedience- but only if we begin to view God’s nudges and stirrings in our hearts as our chance to come into a life that is pliable to God’s will.

Obeying even the simplest nudge from God is a pathway that leads us to perceiving Him readily so that it is easier to obey Him the next time. Soon, God becomes the beginning and endpoint of our lives and all we seek to do is to obey Him. Obeying God gives us the opportunity to worship Him with our lives and not solely for the reward. Our eyes begin to open to new possibilities as we become aware that this ability to hear God and follow His leading is a miracle in itself. We find out that our constant and consistent obedience to Him opens up our hearts to become more supple, easily moved, easily stretched and malleable, making it easier to obey the next instruction. Obedience leads us to a place of absolute surrender where God has wanted us all along.

“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭TPT‬‬

The more we obey God, the more we come into an understanding that whatever God commands us to do will ultimately lead us into His best for us and that to be outside of Him is a dangerous place. We develop intimacy with the Father as we fellowship with, and pursue the Father’s heart.

Decide today to obey every nudge from God, no matter how small or insane it may seem and soon you will come into a place of constant communion with the Father.

Written by Omolara Kolawole