Of all the pieces, I think this is one of the most important. I’m not saying this like God necessarily needs our obedience or else He’ll be at a helpless loss (He’ll find other ways to get His Will done), but because it says the most about our relationship with God, and it totally affects the path our lives take. Whether we obey or not is an indication of if we listen to Him, if we know His Word, if we love Him and trust Him and have really made Him God of our lives, and if we’ll get His blessings … or not.
“But I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.” (Jeremiah 7:23)
“…‘Blessed
rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’” (Luke 11:28)
“If
you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my
Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
(John 15:10)
“We
are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has
given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:32, emphasis added)
“This is love for God: to obey his
commands....” (1 John 5:3)
Not
exactly. Let’s take a slightly closer look. It is written
that in all things God works for the good “of those who love
him.” Those who love Him! And what does it mean to love
Him? Is it warm, fuzzy
feelings? Gratitude? Serving in church? No! According to 1 John 5:3,
to love Him is to obey Him. They are inseparable. Love
and obedience. If we truly love Him, we
will obey Him. And if we don’t obey Him,
we don’t truly love Him.
So
meshing these two verses together: In all things God works for the
good of those who love Him enough to obey Him. If we want all things
to work together for good, for the best, we need to obey Him. He
does not treat obedience and disobedience the same way. How we live and respond to Him will greatly
affect how He responds to us, how He blesses us, how our lives turn out. (Yes, He can and does turn our messy lives
around and work something good out of everything, even our sins and mistakes,
but to stay on the best path requires our obedience.)
John
14:23: “Jesus replied, ‘If
anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.’” Jesus isn’t saying that He will love you
only if you obey Him or that all He wants out of you is your obedience. God
didn’t make man because He needed servants to do a job He couldn’t do for
Himself. He made man because He wanted a family - an eternal family
of those who want to be with Him, who choose Him. He didn’t create
us simply to do His bidding.
And yet, obedience is THE indicator of the quality of our relationship
with Him, if we really love Him or not. To love Him is to obey Him. To obey Him means putting His desires and
instructions over our own desires and our own ideas of what we want His
instructions to be. It means we trust Him enough to do what He
asks. And to trust Him involves knowing Him as He is, His goodness, wisdom,
power, love, faithfulness, etc. And to know Him well involves
spending quality time with Him, in His Word and in prayer. They’re all connected: love, trust, the Word,
prayer, obedience, faith. The more time
we spend getting to know Him and drawing near to Him, the more we’ll love Him
and trust Him and want to obey Him, and the more His Will will get done, the
more people we’ll reach for Him, and the more our faith will grow.
And
here’s a huge secret: We can obey without “feeling like
it.” Sadly, our society has elevated the value of “feelings” and
“following your heart” too much. We make our feelings, our “hearts,”
the ultimate guides. As long as you
follow your heart, you can’t go wrong! Right? Wrong! We’re creating a society of
selfish, entitled, “because I deserve to get my way” people who follow their
every heart’s desire, their every whim, no matter the damage it does to others.
We
have become convinced that we are #1, that our feelings matter above all else,
that we have to “feel like it” before we do it, and that we have to do whatever
we feel like doing. After all, if we
don’t follow our hearts, we’re not being true to ourselves, right? And “be true to yourself” is the highest
truth there is, right? (Wrong!)
And
we hold this up as a valid excuse or reason for everything we do or don’t
do. “It’s just not who I am!” “I didn’t feel like
it!” “It’s not how I’m wired.” “I had to follow my
heart.” “I had to look out for my own happiness first.” It’s all about us and what we want and what
we think will make us happy. And nothing should get in our way. And left in the wake of this teaching are
broken marriages, broken homes, absent mothers and fathers, children having
babies, sexually transmitted diseases, drug and alcohol problems, erratic
spending, etc. Where is the
self-control, the responsible behavior, the integrity and modesty and decency,
the concern for what’s wise and godly and eternal, for what’s really gonna last
when everything else burns up?
While
“our feelings” and “our happiness” may seem like justifiable excuses in our
society (an immature, selfish society that’s determined to erase mankind’s personal
responsibility and accountability), God doesn’t see it the same
way. The Bible is full of times when God says, “If you obey Me, it will
go well with you … If you follow My commands ...”
It’s
not “If you feel like it” or “If you want to” or “If it makes you happy.”
It’s
“If you obey Me …”
And we don’t have to “feel like it” to obey. Our obedience is not dependent on our
feelings, but on our wills, our decisions. We choose to obey
or disobey. And whether or not we feel like doing it, God will bless
our obedience, and our feelings will eventually get in line.
I
think more of us would experience a vibrant, fulfilling life in Him if we were
more diligent about listening to Him (through His Word, through prayer, through
the Holy Spirit) and obeying Him. And if we’re willing to obey, I
think God would ask many of us to do big things, brave things, great things for
His glory. But even if not, I know all of us would be
asked to do the best we can in the daily “smaller” things, for His glory. Big or small, God wants us to obey.
I
think the world is affected more by how common Christians do the “smaller”
things (raising our families, treating others, living by our convictions, how
we speak, if we’re honest, etc.) than by how a few famous Christians preach and
behave. And when most of us don’t look any different from the world,
why would they have any reason to desire the faith we have?
Our
God searches for people who are fully committed to Him, to doing His Will and
following Him wholeheartedly. 2
Chronicles 16:9: “For
the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose
hearts are fully committed to him.”
But
how many people will He find?
It
may be difficult or scary to obey. But God will give us the strength
to do it. We just have to be willing to obey and active about doing
it. Of course, doing the right thing, as God calls us to, is not
always the popular or comfortable thing to do. Many times, it will cost
us something. Our pride. Our time. Our
money. Our image. Our friends. But God has
much greater things in mind when He calls us to do something. Even
if it temporarily stings.
And as much as we like having control and knowing what the future holds,
we don’t need to know what the results of our obedience will be, where God will
take us, or how things will work out. We just have to choose to obey
the next thing God tells us to do, the thing that glorifies Him, and then let Him
handle the results and decide how to bless our obedience.
But
His kingdom will not grow, His Will (the daily things He wants us to do) does
not get done, and we will not get His blessings without our obedience. (I
believe God works in conjunction with mankind’s obedience and prayer, that it’s
how He’s chosen to get His Will and His plans done, in a general sense. And He responds to our choices accordingly.)
Yes, it’s hard to be obedient in the big, brave, great tasks He might give us, but if He calls you to do something, He’ll equip you to do it. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). But it’s almost harder to be faithfully obedient in the small, everyday roles. (I’m thinking of parents and employees at a boring job.)
These things are
often overlooked and unappreciated by others, they don’t make us feel as accomplished
or important as the big things, and they have to be done every day. And this can discourage us from caring, from being
faithful over the long run, because they’re exhausting, monotonous, and make us
feel “less than” those who are doing the big, exciting things. But I think someone like the parent of special-needs
child is just as much of a saint as the person who does the big, glamorous,
public jobs that other Christians praise.
And yet, how overlooked those “secret saints” are, at least on
earth! But I think they’ll shine most brightly
and be rewarded most richly in heaven!
The
Bible is full of many “little things” God calls us to do daily, that relate to
what kind of people we are and how we live our lives: work hard, do the right
thing, confess sin, be kind, tell the truth, honor God, honor your parents, honor
your marriage vows, raise your kids, reach out to the “lowest of the low,” be a
person of your word, watch your tongue, tithe faithfully, be responsible with
your resources, love your neighbor, etc.
But we tend ignore these “little things” if they’re not what we want to do
or not flashy enough. And we won’t often notice the effects of our tiny
disobediences each day, a little here, a little there … not until we wake up
one day and realize what a mess we’ve made of our lives and how far away from
God we’ve drifted, from the path He wants us on. God will let us make a mess of our lives if
it will make us cry out for Him!
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your obedience in the little, daily,
unglamorous things is somehow less important, less noticeable, or less
consequential than the big things.
Remember that God doesn’t judge things the same way we do. He sees the heart, the motives, the small
things, the tiny sacrifices we make for Him, the small glories we bring Him. And He’ll bless our faithfulness, even in the
tiniest things we do, if not on earth than in eternity. We won’t often see the spiritual results and
blessings of our daily, monotonous faithfulness, but it will impact our lives,
the lives of others, His Kingdom, and our eternities in heaven, where the rewards
of our faithfulness – the one that really matter and that will last - are
stored.
1
Corinthians 10:31: “...
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Matthew 6:19-21: “Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do
not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.”
All
things, great and small, are to be done with the same amount of faithfulness
and diligence - for His glory! Whatever
He calls you to do - the big things or the “small” things – remember that you
are working for Him. Not for your boss, your spouse, your kids, your
own satisfaction or fulfillment or happiness. You are working for
Him and His glory and His kingdom. And He has reasons for why He
tells you to do whatever He tells you to do.
That is why there are no instructions from God that are too small to
obey.
Many of us want to
do big things for Him, but I think He sometimes asks us “How are you doing with
the small jobs I’ve already given you?” How
can He trust us with the big jobs if we aren’t even faithful in the small
ones? No
command that God gives us is a “small thing.”
Anything He asks us to do (or not do) is BIG … because it comes from Him
and because He knows how He wants to use it. The question is: Do we trust Him
and love Him enough to obey?
[And don’t
overly worry when you fail. We all
will. And He know that’s gonna
happen. Just be thankful
that He’s an unconditionally-loving, forgiving God. We don’t deserve
His grace and mercy, but we accept it, embracing it humbly and gratefully. When
you get off track with Him, confess it, thank Him for His forgiveness, pick yourself
up again, and get back on the path of obedience as quickly as you can, by
obeying the next thing He tells you to do. This really is a journey of
brokenness, never an ending.
Not until eternity comes.]
We
need to place a premium on obedience, whether or not we “feel like
it.” Whether or not it “fulfills” us or makes us
happy. Whether or not it works for us or makes
sense. It’s not about us. It’s about His plans, His
Kingdom, His Will, His glory. And it’s about His love. He wants the best for us, to bless us
abundantly. But that relates to our obedience. We might
not agree with Him or understand Him, but if we want His best
(which is far better than our ideas of what’s best), we need to be “radically
obedient” (a phrase my pastor used to describe Elijah: radically obedient, even
when it meant following God’s call into a desert, having no idea what would
come next).
[And for the record, God will never tell
us to do anything that violates His Word.
So know what Scripture says, use it as your guide, so that you won’t be
led astray by others, by evil, or by your own desires. Always always go back to the Word for
the Truth!]
Questions for Reflection (work through these questions with God):
1. Did anything in this section stand out to
me? Why?
2. How was I raised regarding expectations of
obedience? Was it a negligent home (parents weren’t there or didn’t
care, kids raised themselves), a permissive home (little discipline, the kids did
whatever they wanted), an authoritarian home (“I’m the parent, I’m in control, so
don’t question me”), or somewhere in the middle? How did it shape me?
3. How do I normally react to authority figures? Do I respect/obey them, do I overly try to
please them, or do I resent/resist them because I don’t like being told what to
do? How well do I take directions from
others? How do I respond to constructive
criticism? Do I apply myself to the jobs
given to me, or do I try to cut corners and get away with
things? What’s my attitude like while I do (or don’t do) my
job?
4. How did I get that way? What does it reveal
about me? How has it affected my life, faith, and relationships?
5. How do I feel (or think) about church, the Bible, being
submissive to God? Do I respect
spiritual authorities or resent/resist them?
Do I listen for what God wants to tell me through the Bible, prayer, and
sermons? Or is it all just part of my
To-Do list?
6. How would I describe my current level of obedience to God? Do I try to find out – through prayer and His
Word - how He wants me to live? Do I
obey?
7. What do I think might happen if I listened to Him and
obeyed Him more? What might He ask me to do? How might my life change? Do I want this or not? Why or why not?
8. What is my view of God? (Let your thoughts/feelings about Him flow
honestly.) Do I love Him? Do I trust Him? Why or why not?
9. Where did my views of Him come
from? What caused them? How
have they affected my life, my faith, my relationship with Him? (Talk to Him about it honestly. He knows it already.)
10. Do I ever feel God’s leading, His presence, or the
Holy Spirit’s conviction? What does it feel like to me? [If not, why? Could it be a hard
heart or that you aren’t listening, don’t care, or that you want to be your own
god and do your own thing, etc.? Confess
this to Him.]
11. How do I know when God is speaking to me, when He’s
telling me something He wants me to know or do?
How do I know it’s Him talking, instead of myself, Satan, or someone
else?
12. Is there any significant instance when I disobeyed God
or ignored the Holy Spirit? What happened as a result? Is
there anything I can do to get back on track?
[Pray about it. Start by
confessing it to God. If we won’t
confess our wrongs, He won’t help us because we’ve chosen to be our own gods,
to push Him away. And He lets us do it,
letting us face the consequences of it - until we are ready to swallow our pride
and turn back to Him again in humility and honesty, acknowledging that He is
God and we are not. Yes, it will hurt,
but confession cleans up our consciences, the guilt that plagues us. It’s the only way to get into His presence
again, to open the door to His help and healing, to sleep in peace again. Isn’t that worth the pain of swallowing your
pride and confessing your sin? He wants
to help. Will you let Him?]
13. What are the areas in my life/heart where I am most
vulnerable to temptation, to “failing”? [Know
your weak areas, where Satan attacks you, how he tries to trip you up. Ask God to reveal these to you, then confess
them and pray for His help in overcoming them.
Read Ephesians 6:10-18, about the armor of God, and ask God to
show you how to put on all the pieces.]
14. What situations do I
disobey most in, with little to no guilt?
How do I typically rationalize my disobedience? Have I ever
tried to twist Scripture to excuse my sins?
[We all have ways of rationalizing sin, excuses to brush aside guilt. Maybe it’s “I deserve it” or “They deserve
it” or “No one will notice/care” or “It’s not that big of a deal … it feels
good … I (don’t) want to do it … it’s their fault … what will others think … I’m
too scared … I have to look out for me … God just wants me to be happy, etc.”
What’s yours? Confess it, and any specific instances, to God.]
15. Do I focus on the big, glamorous jobs, ignoring the “little”
ones God gave me? Why? (Pride, desire for recognition, to please
others, to find my worth, etc.?) What is
God telling me about it? What “little jobs”
does He want me to be faithful about?
What big jobs?
Luke
16:10: “Whoever can be
trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…”
Matthew
25:21: “Well done, good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.’”
It’s not about how big or little the job is;
it’s about how faithfully we do it.
16. Am I more concerned with my service to God than
I am with my relationship with Him?
If so, how can I correct the imbalance?
(He desires our hearts more than He does our service. Because if He has our hearts then our service
will follow, but if He doesn’t have our hearts then our service is hollow.)
17. Why do I do what I do, choose what I choose? What are the main priorities and values I
live by? Where does “bring God glory, obey
Him, build His Kingdom” come in on my list, if at all? [Many of us have been taught that our
happiness matters most. We even think the Bible teaches that, above
all, God just wants us to be happy. And so all decisions we make and
things we pursue are based on how happy it makes us. I challenge you to find one verse that
says our earthly happiness is God’s main priority for us, that it’s what He
wants most for us. But if happiness on
earth isn’t God’s greatest goal for us, what is? How can you live it out?]
18. What does “radical obedience” mean to me and for my
life?
19. Is there any command from God that I am not obeying
right now? Am I doing any wrong “little
things” I am trying to get away with? Any wrong big things? How is it affecting me? What does God want me to do instead? Will I obey?
(Talk it over with Him, confess sins, ask for His help.)
20. How is God challenging me right now? What’s
He telling me to do? Will I listen and
obey? (If you’re afraid, talk it out
with Him, but commit to obeying anyway, even if you’re afraid.) Is there anything I need to seek His help
about? (Do it. And then listen
for, wait for, His answer.)
Bible Work:
1. Do your own study on obedience and
disobedience. Read the Old Testament, as least (according to me)
Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges to learn from other
people’s lives about the results of obedience and disobedience. Take notes.
2. Meditate on verses that talk about how obedience
relates to the fear of God, our love for Him, our security, His blessings, our
eternities, His kingdom, our relationship with Him, etc., such as:
Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” [What is the “fear of God”? How can you live it out? What’s the difference between wisdom/understanding
and just knowledge? “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get
understanding.” Proverbs 4:7. And how does the “fear of God” differ from
the “fear of man”? “The fear of man will prove to be a snare, but
whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25]
2 John 1:6: “And this is love:
that we walk in obedience to his commands.
As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in
love.”
Luke 11:28: “[Jesus] said,
‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’”
1 Timothy 6:6: “But godliness with
contentment is great gain.”
Exodus 20:20: “Moses said to the
people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come
to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from
sinning.’” [How might God test us, and why? How has He tested you personally, and what
did you learn from it? How did it change
you?]
Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and
submit to their authority...” And Romans 13:1-2: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist
have been established by God.
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against
what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (This is
not referring to if a person in authority commands you to do something God
opposes. God’s laws come first. But as long as the authorities are not asking
you to break God’s commands, you must obey them.)
Psalm 25:12: “Who, then, is the man
who fears the Lord? He will instruct him
in the way chosen for him.” 97:10-11: “Let those who love
the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers
them from the hand of the wicked. Light
is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.” 145:18-20:
“The Lord is near to
all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear
him; he hears their cries and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will
destroy.”
Proverbs 8:13: “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” 15:16: “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.” 14:26-27: “He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.” 19:23: “The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” 28:14: “Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.”
James 3:13-18: “Who is wise and
understanding among you? Let him show it
by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish
ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven
but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder
and every evil practice. But the wisdom
that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate,
submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest
of righteousness.”
God places a very high value on obedience, on doing right,
on following Him. Do we?
And be warned, the price for disobedience, for walking away
from God, is high. Very high.
Matthew 15:8: “These people honor me
with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Romans 2:5-8: “But because of your
stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself
for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will give to each person according to
what he has done.’ To those who by
persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal
life. But for those who are self-seeking
and who reject truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
Jeremiah 6:16-19: “ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find
rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We
will not walk in it. … We will not listen.’
Therefore hear, O nations … what will happen to them. Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this
people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.” 9:13-16: “The Lord said, ‘It is
because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not
obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the
stubbornness of their hearts…’ Therefore,
this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I will make this
people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. I will scatter them
among the nations … and I will pursue them with the sword until I have
destroyed them.’”
Psalm 36:1-4,12:
“An oracle is within my heart concerning the
sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too
much to detect or hate his sin. The
words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do
good. Even on his bed, he plots evil; he
commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong… See how the evildoers lie fallen – thrown
down, not able to rise!”
Amos 4:6-12: “‘I gave you empty
stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not
returned to me,’ declares the Lord. ‘I
also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away...
People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink,
yet you have not returned to me … Many times I struck your gardens and
vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew… yet you have not returned to
me … I sent plagues among you ... killed your young men with the sword ...
overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah ... yet you have not
returned to me … Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I
will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel.’”
Proverbs 1:28-33: “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look
for me but will not find me. Since they
hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, since they would not
accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of
fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be
at ease, without fear of harm.”
Proverbs 2:1-15: “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within
you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and
if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look
for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will
understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth
come knowledge and understanding. He
holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is
blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his
faithful ones. Then you will understand
what is right and just and fair – every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and
knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked
men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in
dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways...”
Prayer time/Challenge:
Ask God what He wants you to do, today and in general. If you have any fears, doubts, or sins that block your willingness to obey, confess them to Him (or ask Him to reveal them to you if you’re not sure what’s blocking you). Being honest draws Him near and opens your heart to Him. Tell Him you’re struggling, that you need His help to obey. And then ask what He wants you to do next, just the very next thing. And then obey Him, even if you’re afraid. Follow Him one step at a time. That’s all He asks.
He will be with you every step of the way when you obey. And the more you obey (even if you don’t want to), the more you’ll learn to hear Him and to trust Him, the more your faith will grow, the more He’ll bless you, and the more your feelings will get in line. Don’t let your feelings lead. Let God lead. And then watch Him work in you, through you, and bless you!
[But be aware that as you start obeying more, it may
feel worse before it feels better, as God prunes you of the things that got in
the way before. And Satan will renew his
attacks against you because you’ll now be a threat to him and his plans. Once again, read Ephesians 6:10-18. Put on the armor of God. Pray that He surrounds you with heavenly
angels to keep you safe. And if you’ve
ever opened the door to Satan in the past, through sin or occultic practices, you
need to confess it to God in order to close the door to Satan. Confess your sins, thank God for His
forgiveness, and if you’ve come clean with God and closed the doors to Satan,
tell the demons “In the name of Jesus Christ, get away from me. I belong to God. He is my refuge and my strength, and you have
no right to harass me anymore.”]
Example Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being a good God who cares for me, loves me, blesses me, and wants to use me for Your Kingdom and glory. Your plans for me are not to harm me, but to give me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). I know You want the best for me. Forgive me, Lord, for not trusting You, for not obeying You, for putting my plans above Yours, and for letting my desires and fears direct my choices instead of letting You direct them. Forgive me for living in fear of man (of the future, of my past, of evil) instead of living in a healthy, proper fear of You.
Teach me to fear You alone, Lord, so that I may live in safety and wisdom, in Your love and protection, and bring You glory. Help me, Lord, to discern what You ask of me. Give me strength to obey. Help me remember that You hold the future in Your hands, that You can be trusted with working all things out for good. I don’t have to control all things or rely on myself or know what the future holds. All I have to do is draw near to You and faithfully obey what You tell me to do today, no matter how big or small the jobs are. Help me do this.
Thank You, Lord, for Your amazing love and goodness and faithfulness to me. Keep me in Your hands, guide my path, and protect me from evil as I humbly submit myself to You.
In Jesus’
name, Amen
Jeremiah
29:11-13: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’
declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future. Then you will call
upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me
with all your heart.’”
2
Chronicles 7:14-15: “If my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked
ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal
their land. Now my eyes will be open and
my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”
Psalm
25:4-5: “Show me your ways, O
Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God
my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
