What in the world does obedience mean? Just the sound of the word conjures up thoughts of: don’t smoke; don’t drink; don’t this; don’t that; bla, bla, bla, bla, bla. But, if we want to access the fullness of the Holy Spirit and see answers to prayer, we better get a precise understanding of obedience. Is it vital? Check out the verse for the day above (Rev. 22:14).
Here is the short of it: obedience is simply doing God’s will and obeying His commandments. Do you think God gives commandments men can’t obey? Look at it this way. Do loving parents require their children to perform tasks completely out of their reach? Is our Heavenly Father less kind and compassionate than our earthly parents? What an irrational thought.
Our obedience is an act of love, an expression of delight in pleasing the beloved (1 John 3:22). Here’s what I mean. It is discovering what pleases our Lord and doing it with boundless joy and anticipation. Anticipation? Yes, the great anticipation of the “God possibilities” that simple obedience brings to our prayers.