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Obeying God When the Struggle Is Real

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Welcome back, friends! Today I’m sharing a follow-up to the disobedience issue I came clean with in my last post. I don’t want my steps to be off sync while I’m walking with Jesus, so today I’m sharing practical ways to obey Him when you feel like He is leading you to do something that’s not so easy!

Several years ago I read a book called Rees Howell, Intercessor. I am still in awe of the gravity of his story of surrendering to the commands of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of his daily life. I prayed a dangerous prayer after that, and told the Holy Spirit I would live my life that way. I definitely haven’t always submitted, but yet there have been drastic moments of yielding in daily details.

Which is why it wasn’t surprising that God took a magnifying glass to the tiny crumb I subconsciously brushed under the rug during my busy day.

It’s just bedtime, God. I feel like a little kid instead of a responsible adult when I can’t have more of “go to bed within a certain range” rather than a specific time.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15 ESV

He likes to respond with scriptures.😉

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Of course, there is no scripture that says, “Thou shalt go to bed at a certain time,” but should I obey God when I feel His leading to do something for which I cannot find a specific command in the Bible? Yes. Of course, the Holy Spirit will never lead us to do something sinful or contrary to the Bible.

Much of Jesus’ ministry was being led by the Spirit. For example, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1).

I often want to fight God for control of my day, but if I keep the first and greatest command that tells me to love God with ALL my heart, soul, and mind, then obeying Him in the details should be a normal practice. I’ve said it before, love is a choice. God is leading; I am not.

If I choose to love God, then I will let Him decide the details of my life when He leads. [Tweet this]

7 Practical Ways to Obey God

  1. Write it down. Write down what you feel like God is leading you to do. This might come in pieces, but write down the big picture, every step. Even the 10 Commandments were written down.
  2. Select foundational verses. Whatever God leads you to do will be biblical. (The directional will definitely not go against scripture in any way; if it does, it’s not God.) Since there isn’t a specific command in scripture in my case of being diligent to keep the strict bedtime that I felt God led me to, I chose verses that went along with calling. Colossians 1:10 reminds me to walk worthy of my calling, and Philippians 4:13 help me lean on God for strength.
  3. Find an “accountabilibuddy”. Even the most well-meaning Christian can become inconsistent. Ask someone to check up on you. Simply giving that person permission to speak into your life and cheer you on can bring about amazing motivation.

The remaining 4 are from the keys of obedience that I started having my kids follow several years ago. It’s funny how sometimes a mom can teach simple principles to her children, but hasn’t applied them to herself. Don’t ask me how I know this. Let’s just say I remember putting these “keys” into place and the Lord was correcting me while I was correcting them!

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For the little ones I had simplified them as “happy attitude, no complaining, right away, and finish all,” however let’s briefly look at these:

  1. Check your attitude. God looks at the heart and motives. My prayer is, I delight to do Your will (Psalm 40:8a NASB).
  2. Watch your words. It’s so easy to start complaining when things start going wrong. Or doubt talk may need to be kicked to the curb.
  3. Don’t delay. “Delayed obedience is not obedience at all, it’s disobedience,” was what I started saying to my kids when we started with the keys. I learned there is a fine line between giving myself grace for mistakes, and delaying because of laziness.😉
  4. Finish all. Do everything He said to do, and then trust Him with the rest. He uses humans to accomplish His purposes, but I’ve had to make sure I don’t try to take things a step further and make something happen on my own. I simply need to finish my part.

What did I miss? Is there anything else we could add to this list?

Love is a springboard and the motivator to obey God when the struggle is real. [Tweet this]

*This post may also be linked up with the following: RaRaLinkup, Testimony Tuesday, Intentional Tuesday,Tell His Story, Tea&Word, Coffee for Your Heart, Christian Blogger Linkup, Thought Provoking Thursday, ThankfulThursdays, FreshMarketFriday, DanceWithJesus, Grace & Truth, Faith Filled Friday, Faith’nFriends, Word of God Speak, Moments of Hope,What Joy Is Mine

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Stop Stumbling, Start Striding

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I confess, I have been lax in obeying God with certain details.

I have set alarms on my iPhone to jog my memory that bedtime is approaching. When the reminder pops up I feel like a little kid who just lost her fun time because Mama just told her to go to bed. Except it’s not Mama, it’s God. And lately I have been ignoring said alarms. By lately, I mean for several weeks now.

What’s the big deal? God made it very clear to me that I was to go to bed at a certain time at night. His instructions were so I could catch enough sleep to wake up at the certain time He wants me to wake each morning to write.

It even got to the point where I would feel the Holy Spirit nudging me, but I would continue right on doing what I was doing as if nothing had happened. (Ouch. That was painful to write.)

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17 ESV

Have you ever linked arms with someone and tried to walk with them while you’re connected like that? When you’re close together in that position, the pace is much smoother when you are in the same stride as the other person. Otherwise, when both persons’ steps are off, one usually is striving to keep up with the other person, or trip in the attempt!

Jesus isn’t my crutch that I use to only walk with Him when I’m wounded. I said I would link arms, and walk with Him for life. My linking arms illustrates my obedience.

Jesus isn’t my crutch that I use to only walk with Him when I’m wounded. [Tweet this]

stride→steps together    stumble→steps off

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! Psalm 128:1 ESV

One time I printed out a long list of very specific directions to another city. I wasn’t familiar with most of the streets, so I found myself using the mile markers to avoid missing the next turn. To follow God’s directions, I follow by my obedience. If I don’t want to miss His next turn, I need to look at the specifics.

When I find myself going through problems, I need to frequently check the “mile markers.” If the mission He gave me isn’t going so great, I might find that I didn’t carry out a specific direction. Along the way I need to obey carefully, and that means that I need to be make sure that I am honoring every detail.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8 NASB

Obedience causes me to link arms with Jesus and walk in stride with Him. Disobedience causes my steps to be off sync. I don’t want to be disobedient. It destroys the anointing, and other has consequences as well.

Obedience causes me to link arms with Jesus and walk in stride with Him. [Tweet this]

 

So how do I obey God? Join me next time as I unpack the practical ways. Be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss it, and I’ll send you my thoughts on how to stay strong with God.

To stride means to walk with long, decisive steps in a specified direction. I want to walk in stride with Jesus. How are you walking with Him?

*This post may also be linked with the following: RaRaLinkup, Testimony Tuesday, Intentional Tuesday,Tell His Story, Coffee for Your Heart, Word Filled Wednesday, Christian Blogger Linkup, Thought Provoking Thursday, ThankfulThursdays, FreshMarketFriday, DanceWithJesus, Grace & Truth, Faith Filled Friday, Word of God Speak, Moments of Hope,What Joy Is Mine

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