What does obedience mean to you? It seems to be a fairly simple question, yet it could mean a multitude of different things to you. I used to hear the word all the time and it meant so many things to me. Mostly it meant to be quiet and listen and neither of those were attributes I considered strong at the time. Now, I hear the word obedience and it means submission but in the most positive way. God asks us to submit to his divine authority so he can work his will for our betterment and his glory. I believe the words obedience and submission have taken on a bad connotation in the past few decades. More than that, submitting has become so negative in the world view that we as people feel it is a sign of weakness. Jesus himself was obedient to God so he could perform miracles, yes he was God on earth and he still answered to a higher power. I remember not liking the feeling of not being in control of my life and that kept me from so many blessings. Ultimately, we all have choices to make and those choices determine the role God will play in our lives.

“For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” -Romans 5:19-

My youngest brother claims to be an atheist and I am not surprised. He was never the type to give up an argument even when he was wrong. Now with google and the endless flow of information on the internet, he truly feels empowered. We have debates about faith a lot and the foundation for his argument is there is no proof of God. Yet, I can see the proof of his existence all around me, but that didn’t happen until I stopped fighting and excepted the one simple truth. Jesus is my Lord and savior. When I let go of my ego, pride, selfishness and disobedience I was finally able to understand what my mother was telling me all those years ago. “God works all things for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” . I am partially to blame for my brothers lack of faith, I was not a good example for him growing up. Couple that with the world telling him everything from “Black lives don’t matter” to “There is no God” and atheism was the outcome for him. I do what I can to enlighten him about the historical and biblical evidence that prove Jesus was real. My brother’s defiant nature does not allow him to believe anything outside of his personal view of the world. In the end, God changes hearts and I just do my best to let him know that.

“Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray” -Proverbs 10:17-

My view of the world has changed many times over the years, mainly because of one situation or another. That has to stop for us as people and not just non-believers, but Christians as-well. Our faith is tied to our obedience, the stronger your faith the more obedient you will be. That is a hard lesson that I had to learn, if we truly believe in Jesus then we know that no circumstance should change our standing with Christ. I know there is a lot of bad things that happen in the world on a daily basis and that will cause people to question God. Honestly, that is understandable but if you haven’t given your heart to the Lord, how do you expect to be privy to his plans and blessings? I used to treat God like some kind of Genie. When I needed something I would pray. Yet I was not studying his word or living by it and thinking I would get what I wanted. It seems that we have a misconception of who God is and what he will and won’t do. God is our Provider and he is merciful even when we don’t deserve it. In today’s world it seems to be unfathomable that we could be loved like that,Yet God does love that way. Obedience is the key our spiritual freedom and that is what it will always mean to me. So what does obedience mean you, really?

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” -James 1:22-

Through any ups and downs God is just a prayer away all he asks is you believe in his son Jesus and obey his teachings. Thank you for taking time to read this blog post, I pray it finds you well. You are and will always be appreciated. Go with love and remember to chase your Way/ve.