How many times have you heard
the excuse, “But I am afraid I can’t live the
Christian life”?
The badge of the true disciple
of Jesus Christ is obedient faith.
Jesus told His disciples, “If
you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John
14:15).
He has commanded us to go and
make disciples of every nation. And when we are
obedient He gives us the power to obey His command
(Acts 1:8).
He gives us Himself, and in the
giving of Himself He gives us all that we need to
obey Him.
The power we know we need to
accomplish His will can be ours if we obey His Word.
As we yield ourselves to Him He will fulfill His
will in and through us. He does not ask us to do
anything that He does not enable us to do.
The indwelling Holy Spirit is
in us an all-prevailing source of power to obey His
commands. He abides in us and we in Him. Our
greatest needs are fully met in Christ and all that
He provides for His people. He gives us the
vitality, energy, and spiritual power to do
everything God asks of us.
We are by the divine power of
the Spirit of God set free to serve Him, and obey
Him.
A true Christian knows the
power of obedience. Christian liberty is not a
license to sin it up. There is
freedom in the liberating good news of Jesus Christ.
But it is not a freedom to give ourselves to
licentious pleasures of the flesh. It is a new
freedom to serve God in righteousness (Rom. 6:12ff).
He gives us the freedom to love Him with all our
heart. “If we love Him we will obey Him.”
We get our freedom through
surrender to Christ. We get the power to obey by
obeying. We have been set free to do the will of
God.
Have you ever tried to witness
to an unbeliever without being in fellowship with
the Holy Spirit? Our words are
like dead lives fall on frozen ground during the
winter. But when the Holy Spirit quickens the heart
and we are in fellowship with Him they penetrate the
heart of unbelief and He uses them to accomplish His
purpose.
What blessed joy when He gives
us power to declare the Word of God with power. We
are told that He can be grieved by our
unyieldedness, but we can also bring joy to Him as
we yield ourselves to His control.
Jesus gave to His disciples
through the gift of His Spirit the power to speak
and be witnesses to His death and resurrection. The
power of the Holy Spirit is the power to think God’s
thoughts after Him, to speak His words to all men.
Jesus commands us to go and
preach His good news. When we do He gives us His
enabling power. “They were all filled with the Holy
Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness”
(Acts 4:31).
Are you spiritually anemic?
Have you gone to Him in humility, confessing your
sins, turning from them and making yourself
available to Him to do anything He wants to do in
and through you?
When He has us ready
spiritually He will use us. The Holy Spirit indwells
us, giving us the power to obey God. All that He
asks is total obedience. The Holy Spirit is within
us, and by His power we can do His bidding. We will
receive His power to obey. He even gives us faith to
trust Him.
Will you make yourself
available to Him to do anything that pleases Him in
and through you? It may scare you to death. But that
is all that He asks. Don’t think up a bunch of
excuses. Just say, “Here am I, send me, Lord.” And
then step out trusting Him for His enabling,
anointing and power. The moment you act upon what
you know to be God’s will, God answers that prayer,
and He empowers you to do what you cannot do in
yourself. The Holy Spirit gives us the desire,
ability, and power to do the will of God.
If you love Him, you will obey
Him.
Love solves our obedience
problem.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's written consent.
Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB." "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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