There are many examples of disobedience in the Word of God, each one a sermon in itself…but let me give you a few quick ones.
1. God said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die,” (Genesis 2:16,17). Adam and Eve ate of that tree and brought death into the world. Why? They were deceived by the serpent. The serpent asked them the question, “Did God say…?” He planted a seed of doubt and then twisted God’s meaning and motive, making the eating of the forbidden fruit appear harmless and desirable (even logical and necessary?). Unbeknownst to Adam and Eve, their disobedience affected the whole world!
DECEPTION = What somebody else wants you to believe.
2. Moses disobeyed God in Exodus 4:24-26: “At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses, and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,’ she said. So the Lord let him alone.“
Moses had favor with God for sure, but did Moses think he was above the law? Was he so busy that he forgot? Why was Moses disobedient? What strikes me is the fact that God planned on using Moses to deliver Israel. God had BIG HUGE plans for Moses, yet because Moses disobeyed, God was willing to take him out! Yes, He was ready to kill Moses! That tells me a lot. It tells me that no matter what God’s plans are for you, and no matter how much of that He has revealed to you, if you aren’t obedient, He can take you out…you are not above the law, and you are not too almighty important that God can’t replace you! Watch out for pride and presumption!
PRIDE & PRESUMPTION = Who you think you are.
3. Then there is Achor who, in Joshua 7, took some of the devoted things from Jericho when it was destroyed and stashed them in the ground beneath his tent. Achor was covetous and disregarded the command that “the city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord…All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury” (Joshua 6:17-19). Why did he disobey? Covetousness and greed made it seem logical and necessary, yet as soon as he acquired what he wanted, it became a burden and he had to hide it. But he couldn’t hide it for long, and he couldn’t hide it from God. Little did he know that his disobedience would affect the whole nation of Israel!
GREED & COVETEOUSNESS = What you WANT, beyond what you should have.
How far do the effects of our own disobedience spread?
What is required in order that we can obey God?
1. A knowledge of God’s will. How do we figure out God’s will?
a. Ask him
b. Listen to the Holy Spirit in you
c. Know His character
d. Knowing God’s will will prevent DECEPTION from the enemy – knowing truth deflects the lies of the enemy.
2. Knowledge of God’s character.
a. God is HOLY…he does not take PRIDE AND PRESUMPTION lightly.
b. When we know God, we should be able to make choices based on what we know would please Him.
c. There is so much to get to know about God; it will take much practice and time.
d. The Word of God reveals SO MUCH about God’s character. Stay in it, even if it transforms you.
3. A willingness within your heart to obey God. This doesn’t come by forcing yourself to be willing.
a. We must be willing to spend time.
b. We must be willing to listen and respond.
c. We must be willing to be transformed. Ezekiel 36:26 & 27 promises, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” I’m not preaching legalism here, but we cannot obey God, or even desire to obey God, without the Spirit of God. We need His help; we cannot do it without Him.
d. Through willing transformation, you will grow to avoid GREED AND COVETEOUSNESS.
4. Love for God. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
If you find it difficult to obey God, check your heart…do you LOVE him? Obedience is impossible without a love relationship with God, because the first thing he commands us to do is to love him. Get back to basics; you can’t love someone you don’t know. Spend time with God. In these times it is so imperative that we have a right heart attitude.
In Daniel 11, it says that “with flattery [the enemy] will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist [the enemy]” (v. 32).
You can’t know God by studying…you know God by revelation.
Examine yourself now. Ask the Lord, “What is in the way of getting to know you better, loving you deeper, and obeying you more readily?” If you have an obstacle, write it down in order to define it, and get rid of it during The Prayer!
THE PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for wanting to be in an intimate relationship with me. Thank you for all of the ways you show your love for me. Help me to get to know you better because I honestly want to love you deeply and always be obedient to you.
I want what YOU want for me: I want to become who you want me to be;
I want to be free of the false belief systems, baggage and lies of the enemy that keep me from growing deeper with you and receiving healing.
I want to let everything I do honor YOU.
I want to spend more time with you and really get to know you.
So, I submit these obstacles to you. They have formed a wall between you and me. In order to break down that wall, my commitment to you is to spend time with you knowing that you love me so much, to be obedient to your Word, and to believe what your Word says about me.
Father God, please give me courage and strength. Help me remove these obstacles and break down that wall! I want to hear your voice regularly.
King of Glory, I give you my YES!
In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen