How to Teach Obedience to God
Being Intentional in How We Represent God
So, last week we talked about “Always on Your Lips-Leaving a Legacy,” & this week, I would like to talk about some more specifics on how to make that happen, in practice. In other words-how to teach obedience to God.
Growing up, I never really understood the importance of obeying God, but as I have been highlighting lately, obedience to God is life-changing & brings into our lives a hope we can’t even begin to imagine.
Because of this, how we represent God to the next generation (& even to our peers & elders) is of UTMOST importance. We need to be intentional in how we represent God to others.
And when God commands us to obey Him, it is NOT something requested of us as a “power move” by God. It is NOT arrogance. Quite the opposite!
Why God Commands Our Obedience
He commands our obedience because:
1. He made the world & everything in it, including us.
2. He has authority over literally everything.
3. He knows literally everything.
4. He knows how everything fits together & has perfect understanding/wisdom.
5. Everything He does is meant to bring about our good.
6. Even in our sin/disobedience, HE made a way possible to redeem us by sending Lord Jesus, His Son, to pay our debts.
And this is where we start in leaving a legacy of HOPE… sharing these points about who God is & why we obey Him.
He Alone Is Perfect in All Things
He has:
- Perfect Authority—which is why we should tremble before Him, determining to do only His will & no one else’s if it contradicts His.
- Perfect in Knowledge, Understanding, & Wisdom—so we know we can trust Him in everything HE says!
- Perfect Love—displayed through His extravagant, beyond-practical design of this earth He created for us to steward… & especially through His Son, Jesus Christ, come to earth (Emmanuel-God with us) to set an example, express His love in person, & ultimately pay our debt, rising again after death as victorious over both sin & death.
- Perfect Holiness–He cannot do wrong, He is completely pure & perfect in all things.
God Can Handle Our Doubts
We also need to teach that God understands when we don’t understand. He is infinite in all things & we are not. He is patient & gentle with us when we don’t understand–so lean into Him for answers & Truth!
Anyone can come to Him for help with a doubt or worry, when something in the world clashes with what He says in His Word, making us tempted to doubt God. He understands & when you come to Him, He will either clear up the doubt or will show Himself worthy of your trust even if you continue to lack understanding.
He is a Good, Good Father.
(See my previous post on “How to Handles Doubts & Still Honor God.”)
Want “More” Faith? Obey Him
We need to teach that to grow our faith, we need to obey first.
LORD Jesus, God’s Son, tells us we need only faith like a mustard seed (very small), because it is not dependent on how big our faith it, but how big our GOD is. (Luke 17:5-6)
This is why the Bible repeats the command to “Fear God” SO many times (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10, etc.), because there will be countless times where His Word doesn’t seem to make sense to us, being finite in wisdom, knowledge, & understanding. But, His judgments are always made in perfect & complete knowledge, wisdom & understanding.
(See my previous post about “Fearing God Is the Beginning of Wisdom.”)
God has perfect authority & say-so, so always defer to HIS judgment, respecting HIS authority in EVERY matter. Because He NEVER gets it wrong or miscalculates.
His judgments are ALWAYS perfect.
And when we live with that understanding, with a willingness to obey first to grow our faith (or, rather… TRUST) in Him… a wonderful thing happens… we always see Him proven right & as a result, we begin to trust Him more & more.
(See my previous post on “Want to Trust God? Obey Him.”)
Pray Without Ceasing
We need to teach how to pray… how to talk to God.
A good starting point is Jesus’ model prayer, in Matthew 6:9-15, meant to show us what we should ask for & how to talk to God.
Another good reference are the Psalms. Raw, real, holding nothing back, but also always remembering that God has a plan, God is in control & asking God to help trust Him in it, come what may.
We should pray for our worries & doubts, we can give thanks when we see Him work or when we acknowledge His beautiful creation around us.
We should pray for peace, knowing His peace doesn’t rely on a bad situation turning good, but that His peace can exist in your heart right as the war is waging.
We should pray for a changed perspective & a changed heart.
We should pray for direction, guidance, or wisdom.
We should pray for comfort & healing in the midst of hurts & long-time heart scars.
We should pray for the words to say when in a tough situation.
We should pray for boldness in sharing God’s GRACE, through Jesus.
We should pray for our leaders.
We should pray for our enemies.
We should pray for the hearts of those who are lost.
We should pray for forgiveness, as we repent over wrongs we’ve done or times where we have grieved the Holy Spirit (done what we knew we shouldn’t) or when we have quenched the Holy Spirit (NOT done or tuned out what we knew we SHOULD do).
We should pray for redemption, a only once needed prayer, recognizing you can’t save yourself & that you need the forgiveness & redemption offered by Jesus’ free gift of His life for ours.
We should pray when we’re anxious or afraid or angry or hurt or worried or lost or alone or sad or overwhelmed or tired or happy or excited or grateful or at peace.
We can & should pray & talk to God about anything & everything… we can turn our inner self-musings to silent conversations with God.
Teach God’s Word
We need to teach Bible reading & Bible study as the most valuable & important endeavor.
(If you’re a woman wanting to learn easy baby steps to studying your Bible, I highly recommend katieorr.me. She has helped me learn so much so that I now have significantly more confidence (starting with little to none) in studying the Bible myself.)
God tells us, in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, that “All Scripture is God-breathed & is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting & training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
In other words, God’s Word-the Bible- is good for telling us what is right, what is wrong, how to get right, & how to stay right.
We NEED it!
PLUS, it is a window into God’s Almighty-ness & His great & awesome love for us (a theme constantly woven throughout it). It helps us see Who God is & what He cares about & how He asks us to live in His perfect wisdom & understanding.
Read It, Think on It, Talk about It, Post It, Study It, Memorize It!
God’s Word is worthy of & should be thought on day & night… something we teach our kids… something we talk about in our sitting, standing, going about the way, & our laying down… something we post on our gates & doorposts & even our own foreheads! EVERYWHERE! Because if we study & live according to His Word, then we will know the Truth, & the Truth shall set us FREE. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; John 8:31-32)
And, last, but not least… we need to teach the importance of memorizing God’s Word. God tells us that part of the armor He provides to us to protect us is “the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)
He also tells us that when we struggle, even if the hurt or frustration is with a human being… that really, it is Satan threading lies & misunderstandings & strife, exploiting our weaknesses & insecurities to create division & isolation. (Ephesians 6:12-13) (We’re easier to pick off & lie to when we’re separated from others, especially other believers in Christ. BE CAUTIOUS!) (John 10:10)
Because of this, when we face arguments or disagreements or insecurities or worries/anxieties, we NEED to have that Truth floating across our minds to set us FREE from those chains trying to latch on to us.
We NEED to know God’s Word because God’s Word—the Bible—is TRUTH… And God tells us plainly that the Truth WILL set us FREE. ( John 8:31-32 )
So, teach His Word & teach the importance of memorizing it & reading it & studying it & dwelling on it day & night. True HOPE is found in those words from God.
How to Teach Obedience to God
So, as much as someone who doesn’t have kids (but has seen through the eyes of friends who are mothers) can know, I know parenthood is hard & sometimes seems all-consuming.
I know there are so many things that are wrapped up in all it takes to parent a child, from feeding to clothing to cleaning up after to teaching manners & obedience & respect to parents, etc. etc. etc., but I promise you that THE most important thing you can pass on to your children is to know & love God MORE & how to live a life of obedience to Him.
Because they won’t always make the right choices. They will mess up. They will have scars on their hearts, no matter how much you want to protect them. They will do things in secret. And, you won’t always be around.
And one day, they will have to answer to God for THEIR choices… & a pass from Mom won’t count.
So teach them, live an example & a legacy to them… teach them how to obey God.
Shine HOPE.
Coming Next Week
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Bold Link Necklace (India)
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