The Power of Obedience

Did you ever think about the fact that there is actually power in obedience?  When the children of God obey, there is indeed power... I'd like to explain...

God's Provision for Obedience 

Through God's Word and through the Holy Spirit, we have everything we need for being obedient children of the Lord...

All Scripture is breathed out by God 

and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, 

and for training in righteousness,

2 Timothy 3:16

 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, 

whom the Father will send in my name, 

he will teach you all things

 and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 14:26

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines obedience as follows...

The highest significance of its usage, however, is that of the relation of man to God. Obedience is the supreme test of faith in God and reverence for Him. The Old Testament conception of obedience was vital. It was the one important relationship which must not be broken. While sometimes this relation may have been formal and cold, it nevertheless was the one strong tie which held the people close to God. The significant spiritual relation is expressed by Samuel when he asks the question, "Hath Yahweh as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22). It was the condition without which no right relation might be sustained to Yahweh. This is most clearly stated in the relation between Abraham and Yahweh when he is assured "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice" (Genesis 22:18).

In prophetic utterances, future blessing and prosperity were conditioned upon obedience:

"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land" (Isaiah 1:19). After surveying the glories of the Messianic kingdom, the prophet assures the people that "this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your God" (Zechariah 6:15). On the other hand misfortune, calamity, distress and famine are due to their disobedience and distrust of Yahweh.

Unlike the Old Testament times where future blessing and prosperity were conditioned upon obedience, we who are in Christ Jesus have Christ's blessing even in our disobedience.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation

 for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

But as the Apostle Paul stated...

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life...

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 6:1-4; 12-14

And Jesus says of obedience...

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

John 15:14

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

2 John 1:6

The Role of Consequences in Obedience 

The Lord will not remove his blessing from us when we disobey.  We are sealed by His blood.

However, there will be consequences as a result of disobeying God, no different than in any time of the Bible, Old or New Testament, or the times we live in now.

The Bible is replete with examples of consequences for disobedience, from Adam and Eve, to Lot's wife, to David, just to name a few...

In the New Testament, not even the apostles were exempt from disobedience.

For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. 

Romans 3:23  

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Romans 7:15-20

And they were not exempt from consequences either...

Consequences in and of themselves provide training.  Certainly not the type of training we should seek after, but even in disobedience, God has built in consequences to help lead us to repentance.

The Power of Obedience

But the Lord has built something else into our obedience training, and that is Christ Himself and His power!  He has not left us alone in our walk of Faith.  

I have been crucified with Christ. 

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. 

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galations 2:20

As the modern day praise song by Tasha Cobbs says...

There is power in the name of Jesus

to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain

The story of the wall of Jericho showcases the power of obedience in a beautiful word picture.

Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.  And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.  You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days.  Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.  And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat,and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”  So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

 And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them.  The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually.  But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”  So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

And as the Biblical account goes, they did this six more days as the Lord had commanded and on the seventh day...

 they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times.  And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction.

So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the

 sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat,

 so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.  Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

Joshua 6:6-11;15-17;20-21

There are many other accounts in the Bible that showcase God's power through His people's obedience.

I think too often, we feel that we couldn't possibly have that same power; that those powerful acts were reserved only for Bible times.

Dr. Goulburn, Dean of Norwich, had this to say in the following excerpt from Streams in the Desert.

"The greatest saints who ever lived, whether under the Old or New Dispensation, are on a level which is quite within our reach. The same forces of the spiritual world which were at their command, and the exertion of which made them such spiritual heroes, are open to us also. If we had the same faith, the same hope, the same love which they exhibited, we would achieve marvels as great as those which they achieved."

The same power that was at work in the Saints of old, is absolutely at work in the Saints of today.

What are the walls in your life that you would like to crumble down?  Is there a besetting sin; a strained relationship; a paralyzing fear; a self-centered bent?  

You need only to rest in the Lord Jesus.

The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:14

It is in stillness that we will find our obedience.

Stillness from striving.  Stillness from worry.  Stillness from control.  Stillness from self.

While reading Guarded by Christ:  Knowing the God who Rescues You, the author, Heather Holleman, shared an interesting fact about eagles.  Apparently, when we see those majestic birds in the air, 90% of the time they just soar, and only 10% of the time flap their wings.  Imagine that!  Ninety percent of the time the eagle is resting into the air currents, trusting them to carry it along. 

Heather encouraged her readers to do the same - to rest and soar on God's power.

For it is God's power that produces Christlikeness, protects us from sin and Satan, and helps us to proclaim His Truth to others.

May we all operate through the power of obedience.

For anyone who does not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, you too can have the power of Christ living in you.  

You need only to recognize that you are a sinner, and that the only way to receive eternal life is through trusting in Jesus's death on the cross, a death He died for you, so that you would be forgiven. For God placed your sins upon Jesus, who was your substitute on the cross, who suffered the wrath that you deserved because He loves you and gave His life for yours.  And because he was raised from the dead, you too have been raised from death to new life, and the power of Christ will raise you up one day to live in Heaven with Him.  That same resurrection power will continue to work in your life all the days He has ordained for you here on earth to love him, serve Him and bring Him Glory.

Wikepedia actually touches on this in its definition of obedience training for dogs.  Yep!  You read that right!....   

The relationship and trust between the dog and handler are important for success.

The only way to successfully obey God, is not by your own efforts or works, but through your relationship with Jesus Christ, by getting to know Him, and most especially to know His commands. Then you must trust His power to be at work within you, and that all of His commands are for your good and His Glory.

And in further Godly wisdom from Wikepedia's definition of obedience training...  ;-)

For a dog to be considered obedient rather than simply trained in obedience, it must respond reliably each time its handler gives a command.

Too often, we know God's commands, but we don't actually respond in our hearts and walk in those commands.  We are then simply trained in obedience, not obedient.

May our head and heart connect in obedience as we soar on the currents of the Holy Spirit's power.

If you would like to read about the The Power of Thanksgiving, you can read my post here.

To read similar posts, please click on the following:

3 Practical Ways Bible Journaling Spurs on Obedience

The Great Rewarder: How to Spur on Obedience

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