Sometimes the hardest things we ever do are the things we really don’t want to do – but do because God tells us to. This is not always “extremely deep” either. Something as simple as praying for someone you don’t like… Don’t want to, but you do it because you are being faithful in obedience. Obviously, everything God says is important in the Bible. After all, HE is the one saying it! So if He repeats himself, it must be EXTREMELY important right? After a quick search I located 9 places where God discusses obeying. I know there are many more but in a 30 minute time span, 9 is a lot!
Ezekiel 20:19
19 I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.Leviticus 18:4
4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God.Leviticus 19:37
37 ” ‘Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.’ “Leviticus 20:8
8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.Leviticus 22:31
31 “Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD.Deuteronomy 15:5
5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.Deuteronomy 26:16
16 The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 28:1
1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.
Deuteronomy 30:8
8 You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today.
Again, this is 9 times the Lord tells us to obey. The importance of listening to this command depends essentially on how well you want life to go. You can choose to make life hard by doing things YOUR way – when YOU want things – the way YOU want them done – and for YOUR benefit. Or you can choose HIS ways – in HIS timing – how HE wants them done – and for HIS glorification. At the end of the day, you only have yourself to blame if life is crappy for yourself. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying life is all peaches and cream because you choose to listen to God. There will be trials to pass (Luke 22:28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials, 2 Corinthians 8:2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.)
James 1:2-3
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
For those of you thinking you can do it alone, you can… for a while. And then you will fall and wonder why you are falling. Constantly battling the same things over and over… Always wondering if this is everything life has to offer you… I’m telling you it’s not, but you have to be willing to accept Jesus Christ into your hearts for those new and better things to happen. No amount of money, fame, riches, notoriety, houses, women, men, sex, status or power can make you feel complete. You will always feel like you are running in search of something else to fulfill you. In I Peter 1:24-25 Peter refers to people as grass; their glory is like flowers in a field, the grass withers away and flower fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.
The decision is in your corner. No pressure, but you are running out of time to make a decision.
Confession Letters 