Obeying God, Pt. 5

God has a wonderful plan for your life. His will for you is the best way to live! Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Obeying God, Pt. 5

"He replied, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.'"

(Luke 11:28)

There is a popular teaching especially in the United States that is called the prosperity gospel. Adherents to this false gospel claim that God will bless you with wealth and health and little to no suffering if you ask Him and/or do certain other things. It is sad to see so many in our country believe this heretical teaching. To embrace such teaching, you have to throw away much of the Bible and most of the history of God's people. God indeed blesses His people, but He never promises us great wealth, continual happiness, and a pain-free life. In fact, many times we read in the Bible where those who fully obeyed God suffered horribly. For example, after Stephen preached a powerful message in Acts 7, the religious leaders executed him by stoning. Before he died, he saw Jesus in heaven. His spirit left his body to be in the presence of the Lord he loved and served: the ultimate blessing. His blessing came not in this life but in the next.

Dr. Stanley said we will go through hard times, but obeying God leads to blessings from God. It is God who determines the nature, extent, and timing of those blessings. We obey God out of love for Him, not because we are looking for some benefit from Him. It is true, though, that He will bless obedience, as we have noted in this week's devotions. Here are some of the ways, according to Dr. Stanley, that God blesses us when we obey Him:

Great peace. God gives this spiritual grace, this tranquility and quietness of the soul, when we simply do what He tells us to do.
He will assume responsibility for the outcome of the situation in your life. You must put it in His hands. He will take care of it.
Joy. I think about the mission trip I took last week to Utah with some young adults in our church. I strongly felt the Lord impressing me to go on this trip. It was more than an impression; it was more like, "You are going." It gave me so much joy.
Contentment, no anxiety, feeling satisfied. To have peace, joy, and contentment is far better than any tangible blessing like money or physical things. Stanley said wise people choose the non-physical form of the blessing.
Improved relationships with Christ and others.
Our faith grows.
He grants your prayer requests. Stanley said you may not get exactly what you ask for. God may not give what you asked, but He will give you what is more valuable than what you asked for.
Eternal blessings or rewards. Some blessings God has planned for later. (See Luke 6:21-23.)
Obedience can bring hardship and pain before the blessing. We see this often in the lives of biblical characters. Moses obeyed God, and he suffered under Pharoah, and his own people wanted to stone him and kill him!

God has a wonderful plan for your life. His will for you is the best way to live! Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely. I pray for you even now that you will trust and obey God in whatever He instructs you to do. When you do, hang on, because it will be one exhilarating ride.

If we can pray for you, please send your prayer request to: pray@dfea.com