Obedience
Let’s talk about it for a minute.
Does anyone else find it a struggle to be obedient to the Lord when you don’t know the reason behind the action He is asking you to take?
If, like me, you love details then sometimes taking a step without knowing the reason why can feel very daunting. God has been teaching me the significance of walking and following Him in faith, without needing to know all of the details before a move is made. A ‘yes’ is more important than a ‘why’.
What does it look like to walk in obedience?
5 Tips To Walk In Obedience To The Lord
1] Study The Word Of God
2] Read Books About Obedience
3] Pray For The Holy Spirit To Guide You
4] Take Reflection Time Seriously
5] Write It Down, Pray And Action!
1] Study The Word Of God
Be intentional about taking time out of every single day to sit down and really study the Word of God. When we sit down to study the Word and unpick what is happening in different parts of the Bible then it allows us to understand the Bible in context. We can gain revelation after revelation about the nature of God and we can see how the Bible constantly points to Christ.
Studying the Word of God draws you closer to the Lord, especially as it means that you are intentionally spending uninterrupted time with Him. If you’re not sure where to start Romans and Proverbs are great, one of my personal favourite books in the Bible is Genesis so I’d recommend it as a starting point too. However, the most important thing to do is to pray and see where the Lord leads you to begin your Bible study.
Think about the way you study for examinations, really taking in all of the details and information in a textbook, making notes on it, going over the same notes time and again and discussing those notes in detail. Take the same approach & before you’ll know it, you’ll find that you love spending time in the Word.
2] Read Books About Obedience
How else can you develop your understanding? By reading books that speak about obedience to the Lord. Taking the time to read books where people talk about their experience can help to encourage you in your walk with God. Seeing how other people have successfully walked the path that you’re venturing on can help to ease any anxiety and remind you that learning how to walk in humble obedience to the Lord does indeed lead to good outcomes. It’ll give you some insight as to what you might expect to experience along the way but also provide you with tips on what to do when temptation to do your own thing arises.
One of the books that have helped me to understand the significance of obedience is What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst. If you haven’t read it, you can read our review to find out a bit more about it. If you’re not too keen on reading, maybe you’d be able to find a podcast or even an audiobook where you can listen to a book.
3] Pray For The Holy Spirit To Guide You
Prayer is such a fundamental part of our Christian walk. It’s a fundamental part of our lives.
Prayer is our way of communicating with our Heavenly Father, the One who created us and instructs on what to do so that we may be good ambassadors of Christ. I’ve always maintained that you can pray to God about absolutely ANYTHING. He already knows what’s on your heart and mind, but our Heavenly Father loves it when we commune with Him.
If prayer is such a crucial part of our lives, then it makes sense to say that a part of walking in obedience means praying that the Holy Spirit (our Comforter and Guide) will guide you on how to walk in obedience to the Lord. Ask Him to instruct You on what to do and take the time to listen carefully to what He says. This leads me onto the fourth point…
4] Take Reflection Time Seriously
This year, I started to do something differently. I incorporated stillness and reflection into my time with the Lord. It looks like taking the time to sit still, ask the Lord what He is saying and shutting out the noise of the world so the only voice I can hear is His.
Sometimes, I play hymn or gospel instrumentals in the background. There’s no phone, no people - just me and the Lord. If you can incorporate time to just be quiet with God into your day, I’d highly recommend it. Sometimes, it can be easy to sit down and make endless requests to God but then reflection leads to gratefulness and a willingness to do what the Lord wants.
It’s such a peaceful thing to do and can be a really good way to eliminate fear and worry, instead, placing your hope and trust in the Lord.
5] Write It Down, Pray And Action!
Discernment is key.
If you think God has instructed you to do something, then be in the habit of writing it down, praying and asking God how He wants you to action what He has said. Be confident that if you haven’t heard from the Lord and you’ve made an error (hey, we are human after all) then He will redirect you.
But the more you study the word, pray and spend time in God’s presence, the more you’ll recognise His voice because what He says will line up with the scriptures.
