There is Always a Blessing on the Other Side of Obedience

Recently, I have received a few offers to work elsewhere and make more money with more desirable perks and benefits. But my spirit was ill at ease with the thought of pursuing those options. I knew it was not the will of God and I would be disobedient to even explore such options. I wanted it bad, real bad. And although my flesh was saying that I wouldn’t hurt to just see what they have to offer, my spirit whipped out the red light and siren, and screamed out “Holt. Do not go there!”

I must admit, it has been hard for me to sit back and wait out this wave. Things have not been good and there have been times that I am shattered in my heart from the constant lashing that seems to go on. My flesh is bruised, beaten and stripped. Pride, what pride? Humbleness has come out of humility and oh how that hurts. IT DOESN’T FEEL GOOD!

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…“ (1 Samuel 15:22). To sacrifice means the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim (dictionary.com). To obey means to comply with or follow (a command, restriction, wish, instruction, etc.) (dictionary.com). My flesh was not happy because I had to surrender or give up something. I had to surrender a higher salary. I had to surrender some of my pride. I had to surrender prized and desirable things, which my mind calculated out to “defeat”. Although my spirit was obeying or following the will of God, my flesh was feeling defeated. I had to surrender my desire in order to follow (another icky word in our vocabulary) Another’s desire. This goes against the grain of our (humanly) well being. After all, it is the “It’s all about me” era.

But oh, what a friend we have in Jesus! Now this is where Jesus is so good. In all of my surrendering, it never occurred to me that I have been accumulating towards God’s blessings. There is always a blessing on the other side of obedience! God will not punish us for our obedience, but He may punish us for our sacrifice (Check out the story of Cain and Abel). YOU CAN’T GO WRONG WHEN YOU OBEY GOD. God is not going to turn His back on us and say “You shouldn’t have listened to me, stupid”. He does not play games. There are blessings in obedience, multiple blessings! When we obey God, he is happy with us; when He is happy with us, we are happy. When we obey God, we receive His favor; we are directly dialed into The Blessing Line. When we obey God, we are protected and secured; no weapon formed against us can prevail. Plus when we obey God, we are helping others; “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 KJV)

Wow! I can’t even put into words what this makes me feel. I couldn’t do this feeling justice. What I will say is this, I surrender! There is something better waiting for me behind door #2, OBEDIENCE. Where there is obedience, there is favor. Where there is favor, there is God. Where God is, is where I want to be. Where I want to be is in heaven. There is a higher claim and a higher name! His name is JESUS.