Key Passage: Deuteronomy 28: 1-6

“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” KJV.

Obedience to God is the surest way to success, prosperity, peace and all the blessings of God. When a person lives his life in line with the will of God, God guarantees every good thing for him (Ps 84:11).

Obedience to God involves two main things: Firstly, listening attentively to God’s word; and secondly, totally complying with His commands. Many people live their lives without considering that they are accountable to their Maker. They do not listen to God; neither do they meditate on His word. They consequently lose out on the blessings of obedience. Some others attend church services and even study God’s word but do not obey God. Such people are merely deceiving themselves, for the Scripture makes it clear that not the hearers of God’s laws that are justified, but the doers (Rom 2:13; Js 1:22). It is only when we obey God wholly that we are guaranteed his boundless blessings.

The pathway of obedience is not always smooth as Satan stands on the way of the righteous to entice and manipulate him to disobey God. Adam and Eve were enjoying the blessings of God until they fell to Satan’s temptation and sinned. They lost their place of favor before God and were cast out of the Garden of Eden. When Satan tempted Joseph with adultery, he resisted. His master’s wife pressurized him, but Joseph abandoned his clothes and ran away. He suffered temporarily, but God was with him and preserved his destiny. One day, God lifted him from the dungeon and made him a prince of Egypt.

Obedience has to be heartily and total for it to be acceptable to God. Half obedience is considered as disobedience to God. God sent Saul to utterly destroy Amalek because of their evil; Saul did, but preserved the king of Amalek and the healthiest of the animals for sacrifice, contrary to the commands of the Lord. God considered that as rebellion against Him and rejected Saul from being king over Israel (1 Sam 15:20-23).

Pray: : Lord, I commit myself to always obey You; even when temptations come, help me to stand firm.

Written by – Evangelist Oguazi Onyemobi