Obstacles to obedience

"Are you sure?"

Are you one of those people who cringe at the word obedience?  Because I grew up feeling on my own emotionally, I developed trust in myself to know what was best for me.  I was obedient in the sense that I wanted to please adults and not get into trouble, but it was to protect myself from rejection and shame.  I believed that if I never caused a problem I could be secure.  As soon as I was old enough to experience alternatives to the way my family lived, I left to try them out.   On the other hand someone with the confidence to believe they will measure up may be motivated by rewards and praise which may have been used to manipulate them.  And on yet another hand, obedience can be manipulated by the fear of punishment if you have encountered harsh discipline from authorities in your life.  In any case, the Bible itself says that the law actually triggers resistance to submission and that is why God wanted to remove it from His relationship with us.  

 

sweet dove

Genuine obedience comes from trust that whoever is in charge has your best interest at heart and is blessing you with guidance for living a satisfying and successful life.  I don’t think it is about expectations, rewards, punishment, or laws at all.  There is nothing to live up to, only the unfolding and becoming of our true selves made possible by the Spirit of Christ in our surrendered hearts bringing about the transformation.  This is the picture of the relationship God desires to have with us as we grow up in faith.
 

Even when God gave the law to the Israelites it was ultimately from mercy.  To my new eyes the Old Testament laws look like God spelling out the many ways a heart of love for self and others can wisely handle various situations of life and relationships.  An “uncircumcised” heart doesn’t see God’s heart – only a picture of control.  It receives Him that way and reacts.  But surrender to Christ gives us new eyes and a new heart to see God’s love and wisdom and His care.

everything stored in our files

It's the knowing of our hearts more than the information in our heads that makes a relationship what it is.  Our child-hearts are filled with experiences of all kinds before our minds are mature enough to understand or accurately interpret what the experiences mean.  Moreover, the conclusions we draw are influenced by the enemy who whispers lies to us.  Beliefs form and become part of the subconscious foundation of our souls.  There they contradict and sabotage our attempts to install Biblical truth.  So what are we to do?

One key to removing the obstacles to faith-filled obedience is the fact that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and that he does not live constrained by time as we do (John 8:58).  The Holy Spirit and Jesus working together help to make us aware of buried hurts and lies in order to heal them.  The memory remains, but the pain is taken away and unbiblical beliefs are replaced by the truth.  The truth in these instances does literally set us free. 

exposed roots

 If you have become stuck and find that something is blocking your experience of God’s love and the faith to see the fulfillment of His promises in your life, you can turn to Him as David did in Psalm 139:23-24.  Ask Him to search your heart, reveal your anxious thoughts and your hurt-filled ways, and ask Him to lead you into the way everlasting.  The process is not a quick fix, but the only path I know to true change of heart, mind, will and emotions. 

When I first prayed these verses, I was really afraid of what would happen.  I was afraid to know what was in my heart because of shame.  I was honestly afraid that I would die if I felt the pain buried in there so I had become an expert at denial and dissociating from my feelings.  I had hardened my heart to disappointment and therefore to hope; to rejection and therefore to love.  I felt unblessed even though in reality God was with me.  These lies guarded the strongholds that God wanted to take down.

the old ways are gone

Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 when he stood up to teach in the synagogue in his hometown (see Luke 4:16-19).  His anointing to bind up the brokenhearted, release prisoners from the darkness, proclaim freedom for the captives (of satan) and comfort those who mourn remains today.  That passage in Isaiah 61 goes on to paint the picture of what the obedience of faith leads to:

“…They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;

They will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”  Isaiah 61:3b-4

from a garden

And Isaiah 58;11-12 foretells what would happen for whosoever came to believe and receive God’s love in Jesus Christ  with an undivided heart:

 “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”  And because our healing affects the way we live and relate to our children and the generations that follow, he foresees that   “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Street with Dwellings."  Hope for the future of my children spurred me on many times in my healing process!

We can’t afford to be deceived about obedience.  What a lovely word when it flows out of a beautiful relationship!