Obedience: compliance with an order; submission to another’s authority. (Oxford Dictionary)
Knowing the next step to take can feel like shooting into the dark, but there comes a distinction in the life of the child of God, when we walk as the Redeemed of the Lord, where the shot in the dark is no less than a guided bull’s eye. This comes when we walk as Listeners to the Voice of God. It is the walk of Obedience; a walk of seeking God for His instructions, hearing the Word of the Lord concerning your situation, then following through.
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE OBEDIENT TO THE VOICE OF GOD?
Jesus is the Voice of God. John 1 declares Him to be the very Word that was from before time began! While Jesus was on earth, He showed us how to live, feel, and deal in a variety of situations. The Book of Acts tells us that when Jesus ascended into heaven after the resurrection, He promised a new manifestation of the Godhead, Who is Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit (HG, if you will) now interacts with us from the inside and moves upon our hearts, causing us to come into compliance with the Almighty.
Obedience to the Voice of God is simply hearing the instructions He places on your heart, and choosing to heed those instructions. Whether read from the Bible, spoken by a preacher, heard in a song, seen on a billboard, it is Holy Spirit Who amplifies and magnifies the Word being spoken by Father God to you.
Can you recall a moment when you could not shake a thought that came strongly, reminding you to act on a particular thing, move in a particular direction? This is the conviction of Holy Spirit to walk in the way that God wills you to take in a moment.
…blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. Luke 11:28
HEARING INSTRUCTIONS?
Admittedly, because God has left us with free will, it is entirely possible to shake loose of His instructions and run in another direction! Advisable? No (ask Jonah) but entirely possible.
Luke 11 reminds us that there is a blessing in choosing to do what God has asked. As a matter of fact, our times have been preordained by the Lord, and as we walk out His will, we are assured a good and expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11) The converse is also true–disobedience brings a curse upon a wayward Son of God. Plainly put, when we decide against obedience, we choose our own path contrary to the All-knowing One, and it never ends well. (Proverbs 14:12)
It is best, no, it is blessed, to hear God’s instruction and pursue it.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man. John 10:27-28
FOLLOW
“Follow! follow! I will follow Jesus!
Anywhere, everywhere, I will follow on!
Follow! follow! I will follow Jesus!
Everywhere He leads me I will follow on!”
The words of the beloved hymn ring out still. Is this your heart posture? For God says that if we truly hear Him, then our response is to follow Him.
What if the path is inconvenient? Will you still follow? Or if it is an unpopular stance to take, what then? Many examples may be flooding your mind by now; I take a moment to share one of mine.
A NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER WITH GRATEFULNESS
About a year ago I felt a strange prompting to apply for a few weeks of leave in November. “November God?” I mumbled, knowing it was Him. “Who takes leave in November??” Yet I complied. A few weeks later I was invited on an all-island road trip with my father and grand-uncle; guess when the trip was scheduled to take place? You got it; it would fall within one of the very weeks that I had requested for leave. Because I was obedient, my time away was already approved, and I was free to join. Feeling another prompting, I reluctantly agreed to participate in this trip, though wondering inside whether I was defeating the purpose of the leave (as I believed it should be a quiet, restful time).
On November 17, 2023, two days after returning from this trip, I saw clearly what God had done and how He had given one of my biggest obedience tests to date. My father passed suddenly, just two days after we completed the road trip. At that time, being away from home, I saw him very infrequently and was the family member who spent the least amount of time with him. God, in His providence, saw what was ahead and ushered me into an opportunity to experience my father’s last days on earth with him. Priceless quality time was the fruit of my obedience. What a light trade was my inconvenience for such a unique and treasured moment.
Often now, I flash back to those November decisions when God gives me an instruction.
This is the time of day when we “know not the day nor the hour…” We can’t tell which order will be our last, nor do we perceive how our obedience to one instruction may impact the lives of others.
Holy Spirit in us is the power and inclination to obey God today. Is He with you? Why not obey?
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee [Isaac], and will bless thee … and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father … Because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Genesis 26:3-5
Renée McIndoe is an attorney-at-law and a member of Passion and Purity, a high school Christian ministry.
