“And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil” (Deut. 11:13-14 NKJV).
As I set to write this, I am still overwhelmed with what God did in our Thanksgiving Service – June Edition. The Lord moved mightily right from the beginning of the service, there was no room for sermon, no format, the testimonies were unprecedented and everyone was bathed in the power of God. No doubt God is opening heaven to bring to us floods of His goodness and mercy. He is bringing increase to His people in every dimension of life.
However, to sustain this experience, there are clear directives that we must adhere strictly to. The above passage stipulate conditions for the blessing and outpouring of the Spirit – that people must walk in obedience to the instructions God had given them. The instructions were clear. They centered on a familiar but sometimes still uncomfortable word: obedience. To obey God’s Word, we must make it the first priority and final authority in our lives. Obedience is going where the Lord says to go and doing what He says to do. Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land”(NKJV).
The Word of God emphasis over and over that there are blessings that come with obedience, but there are also penalties for disobedience. Although many people want the blessings, they do not want to obey. If we are to be full of God’s presence and experiencing His blessing, we must cultivate an attitude of obedience and a yielded heart toward God and His Word.
Andrew Murray in his book, “The Blessing of Obedience” says, “Without obedience there cannot be the spiritual power to enter into the knowledge of God’s Word and will. Without obedience there cannot be the confidence, boldness, and liberty that knows that prayer is heard. Obedience is fellowship with God in His will. Without it there is no capacity for seeing, claiming, and holding the blessing He has for us.”
If we will choose to follow the instructions in God’s Word regarding our time, attitudes, giving, priorities, and willingness to yield to His influence, we will create an atmosphere around us in which God can move, bless and be glorified in our lives.