The Obedience Key

If you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land

Isaiah 1:19

It is the second month of the year and I know most will have been confessing the goodness that God will do for them this year. Most will be confessing that God will do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond that which we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20) And yes He can and He will.

However, when I look at the opening verse of this post, Isaiah 1:19, it is evident to me that there will be some blessings that I will not receive, unless I am willing and obedient to do God's will.

• Willing is to: have desire or the power of choosing one's own actions


• Obedience is defined as: the quality or condition of being obedient


• Obedient is defined as: dutifully complying with the commands, orders, or instructions of one in authority

From the definitions above, it shows that willingness is a decision we must. We much chose to be or not willing to God's commandments. It also shows that it is not enough to be obedient, but the quality of that obedience is important. For example, if God tells me "Remi, go and walk the dog now at 1:00 this afternoon, and then walk him with his blue collar" I hear this loud and clear and then I "go and walk the dog at 6:00 in the evening and then walk him with a green collar". This is disobedience. It means I have not followed the instructions as I have been given them. Firstly, I did what I was told to do, but at the wrong time (delayed obedience is disobedience) and then I did what I was told, but not How I was told to do it. (The quality of my obedience was not as it should be).

When God tells us to do something, He is very specific with His instructions. We might not get the fully understand, but doing the little He asks of us, unlocks understanding, insight and wisdom.

A great man in the bible, who amplifies the intricacies of obedience is Noah. He was a man who did exactly what God asked of him, even when it did not make sense. When we read Genesis 6, we see the specific instructions God gave to Noah about building an Arc. To confirm the nature of Noah's obedience, the bible says in Genesis 6:22 that "Noah did everything God commanded him to do". To do EVERYTHING, means Noah did not leave anything out. He did the tasks at hand, in the exact time, with the exact materials and tools, as God commanded...even though it did not make sense. Remember as of that time, man had not seen rain!

Can God say that we have done everything He has commanded us to do? Selah

Noah's obedience to God led him to experience God's blessing and reward (his life and that of his family was spared from the flood). The disobedience of his contemporaries led to their destruction.

Noah's obedience was the cornerstone of his faith in God. His building of the ark did not bring him any closer to God, however his obedience and faith in God did. The same should applies to us. We obey because we believe and have faith in God,. that He knows what He is doing.

In 2010, I know we believe that God will do tremendous things in our lives, but our willingness and obedience to His word is fervently required. I always say to myself "Remi if you are not obedient in the little things, when the blessings come, will you be obedient in that greater capacity? " Selah

A few ways to become a more obedient child of God is by:

• knowing that all obedience begins with our faith in the sovereign God. If we don't believe in God's sovereignty, it will be difficult to obey Him. The reason why Abraham is called the father of faith is because he believed and had confidence in God, that He would do what He says He would do. This moved Him to be obedient to whatever God told him to do.

• Growing the obedience we currently have by waiting on God's timing. God is very time conscious, but not as we count time. He is conscious of time in regard to our acting in obedience according to His schedule; He moves in the fullness of time as declared in Galatians 4:4-5 Delayed obedience is disobedience.

• Not subjecting God's plan to man's "common sense". Like Noah, some things God will tell us to do this year, will seem and look down right difficult. However, obey we must, for we must have confidence that He knows what He is doing as He declares in Jeremiah 29:11 "...I know what I am doing..."

• Being prompt in Obedience. This is what I like to call 'instant obedience'. If we are willing, that is having made the choice to obey God, then we cannot be hesitant or dwell in the land of procrastination. Many time (pointing finger at self), we fail to obey God because we dwell on what He tells us to do for so long, turning it all upside down, in fear of the consequences. When we eventually move to do what He says, the timing is all wrong and the vision or instructions sometimes has become unclear or faded.

In this year 2010, God IS going to manifest the reality of Ephesians 3:20 in our lives - you must believe, for it is an absolute promise from Him. However, we must increase our sensitivity to His will, we must affirm our choice and desire to be willing and obedient to His instructions. Through willingness, we show our love for Him and through obedience, we gain further understanding and insight to His will for our lives.

When we Obey God, we will indeed eat (have, be established and revel in) the best of this land. To disobey God means that we live under the course of the enemy. The choice is ours to make.

As you make your way through this year, I encourage you to wear the very essence of obedience like skin. I encourage you to be obedient to God's will for your life and watch Him manifest all your heart's desires this year; giving Him the glory and making Him famous along your way.


Much Love , Remi
***pictures by photobucket***