The Heart of our Faith                    3.      Obedience

Matthew 7.21 says “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”

Obedience to God’s will is a crucial part of our lives as Christians, and as a Christian Church. Our Church mission statement says “We have a heart for God..through obedience to God’s will and to God’s Word”

But how can we know what God’s will is?

God uses certain ways to guide us into his ways

1.     He gave us common sense

2.     He gave us His Word – the Bible.

3.     He guides us by the wise counsel of other Christians

4.     He guides us through our feelings and emotions

5.     He guides us through circumstances, when we commit them to God

All of these have dangers, and can be misleading – for example, we may be tempted to listen only to the parts of the Bible that say what we want to hear – or only to listen to the advice that agrees with what we want. Our feelings can often mislead us too. But if we prayerfully ask God to reveal his will to us, and commit all our ways to him, he will not fail to guide us in his will and purpose.

Once we know God’s will, we must then obey it – listening is not enough we must become doers. “Trust and Obey”

Try using this prayer this week:-

Dear Lord, forgive us that we are not always obedient to your will. We much prefer to go our own way, and do our own thing, without listening to you. Help us to seek your will – to pray, and study the Bible, and listen to the advice of others, so that we can discern what you are saying to us. Then Lord, help us to trust and obey, both in our own lives and in the life of our Church family. For Jesus’ sake we pray, AMEN.