How To Be Obedient

How to be Obedient

“So, Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” I Samuel 15:22

In our daily life, we know that obedience is a very essential habit. We follow this common moral in our homes, workplaces and in the communities, which we live in. In simple terms, obedience goes together with an order, request, law, or submission to another authority.

Edwin Louis says, “Obedience is an act of faith; disobedience is the result of unbelief.”

The bible also talks a lot about obedience as it is seen in many scriptures.

Children are asked to obey their parents in Ephesians 6:1 as this is the right way to behave as a child in a family. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right”

ILL: James T. White has said that perhaps the most effective illustration of obedience is the reply of the mother of George Washington made at the banquet given to the allied officers after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. A distinguished French officer asked Washington's mother how she managed to rear such a splendid son. She replied, "I taught him to obey.

Why is obedience important to God and our spiritual growth? Because Jesus calls us to obey. Because it is an act of worship that proves our love and demonstrates our faith to the Lord. Because God rewards those who obey with the blessing of eternal life and freedom from sin and death. As Christians, God calls us to obey Him and His word. And we must obey Him with a heart of integrity, humility, without hesitation, and total surrender. Because, dear brothers and sisters, obedience is the very best way to show that we believe.

I.Obedience through Integrity:

When talking about the necessary qualities for a Christian heart, integrity is one quality that cannot be ignored. Because it is a type of heart that God desires. It was with such an honest heart that God boasted saying that David was a man after His own heart, Acts 13:22.

Heart of Integrity:

David was a King who loved and obeyed God throughout his life. Like King David, we must have a heart of integrity. Integrity is described as meaning to be honest and truthful. David obeyed God with an honest and truthful heart. The Bible says, in Psalm 119:10 “With my whole heart I have sought you.”

Although this may not illustrate how many people see the ‘greatness’ of King David or of how strong and powerful he was. Obedience reveals the hidden character of David that God desires and what God looks for in all of us…in fact in 1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Samuel had said while anointing David as King of Israel, “…man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart…” God is pleased when we walk with integrity. Proverbs 11:20 the Lord says that, “while He detests people with crooked and twisted hearts, He does delight in those with integrity.”

Integrity is about being honest, fair, with a strong sense of what’s right and wrong. It’s holding on to morals and ethical principles. It also illustrates a person’s character and who they truly are. Integrity is about who we are on the inside more than what we portray ourselves to others. It is about what is right even when there is no one else looking. David portrays this as he spares Saul’s life in a cave. 1 Samuel 24:4-6 “And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”

Dear brothers and sisters, we must show obedience with a heart of integrity, a heart of honesty. It is easy to obey God when others are watching, but we must all hold a heart of honesty in order to obey God’s word when others are not watching. We must show integrity through keeping our word even when it hurts, through being honest with our dealing, though practicing morality with both our bodies and minds, and though admitting mistakes and doing what is necessary for redemption.

Practice obedience with a heart of integrity. God is pleased when we walk with integrity.