Obedience School

It has been said that there is only instant obedience, delayed obedience is disobedience.
There are several examples of instant obedience in the Bible, but one example is that of Abraham. In Genesis’ 22^nd chapter, Abraham is instructed by God to take his son Isaac, the one God had promised him, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. The scripture doesn’t say that he questioned God or prayed for a number of confirmations. Scripture says that he rose early the next day and with his son, headed to the mountain which God instructed him to go. He loaded the wood on his son’s back and together they walked up the mountain. There Abraham built the altar, placed the wood on it, bound his son and laid him on the altar too. And as he drew the knife to kill his son, an angel appeared and God provided a ram. Abraham displayed an amazing faith in God through his obedience. His heart was turned toward God. He trusted Him with every part of his being.

There are times when I have to ask my daughters several times to do something for me. Eventually, they accomplish the task. However, by that time we are all frustrated with the situation. I’m tired of asking them over and over again. They’re annoyed I keep asking them when they have intentions of getting it done sooner or later, maybe.
I can only imagine how equally frustrated God becomes with His children.

God speaks to us through His word. He lays it out for us how we are to live a life pleasing to Him. But He also speaks to us. He instructs us to accomplish tasks for Him or to put things aside for Him. Do we follow His instructing with instant obedience or do we delay? We find excuses why we put it off or we pray and ask God for confirmations before moving forward. I know I’ve prayed prayers like this, “God, I know you’ve asked me to ____, but I just need some confirmation to really know that it was you!”

Instant obedience… What are we missing out on because we are okay with delayed obedience? What stops instant obedience: laziness on our part; a lack of trust in God; fear to step out in the unknown; and a self-seeking heart! If we would turn our hearts to God and seek a life that pleases Him, we would respond with instant obedience.

Crystal Owens
Crystal is a speaker for the Fabulous You Conference. She’s married with 2 girls. Crystal is currently teaching a weekly adult Bible study and a monthly Bible study for Women. She has a passion for reaching youth and a heart for missions.