Does Obedience Work?

The struggle I was experiencing was real. So real that my emotions were telling my mind what was “true.” My emotions were dragging me down like a weight tied around my ankles in a raging sea. I could see the bottom of the pit looming before me as I held on to the side of the cliff in a half-hearted yet desperate attempt not to reach the bottom. I was desperate. After all, I knew if I reached the bottom, it would take some time to get back up and half-hearted because I somehow wanted to feel what I was feeling. I liked the feelings because they seemed to justify the truth of what I was thinking. Why can’t life be like I think it should be? Why can’t people do what I think they should? How come my best efforts don’t always result in success? Why can’t God do what I think He should when I walk in obedience? Does this obedience thing work, or am I kidding myself?

The thoughts, although questions, could have easily been belief statements in my mind. Life should be like I think it should. People should do what I think they should. My best efforts should result in success. My best efforts will never result in success. God should act in a certain way when I obey Him. Obedience does not matter because I don’t see my desired results. These thoughts then bred the emotions I was feeling. Anger, frustration, discouragement, hopelessness, and even numbness were my frenemies as I held on to my thoughts, not willing, at the time, to let them go. As I slid farther, I was reminded that the weight pulling me down could do damage. It had before. The climb back up had left wounds and mud under my nails. Coming back would be quicker if I untied the weight of my emotions that were becoming more unpleasant for me to feel. Now the question was, how?

How? How do you go from what the Word of God tells about how to live and live it? How do you experience what it says you can? This is a question someone has recently asked me. I was in free-fall, and the answer to this question would be the hook to stop my descent. My mind began to take a serious look at my thoughts. I even said them out loud to make sure I clarified them to myself. I challenged them and lined them up to what I knew to be true in the Word of God.

Psalm 19:7-8 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

John 8:31-32 says, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate equipped for every good work.”

Reminding myself of truth found in the Word was vital to my victory in overcoming this emotional dark cloud. Not only did I remind myself of the truth, but I just talked to myself out loud about the goodness of God. I said, “God, you are good. You give good things to your children.” As crazy as it sounds, speaking to myself was what I was already doing before, but they were words that tied the weight around my ankles tighter. The how-to factor looks like this, me speaking to myself the truth about my circumstances and the truth about my God.

I have discovered in speaking to others that many of us as believers are lazy when it comes to walking in truth. I don’t mean to be critical because I include myself in this laziness. We say we believe that God “satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness (Psalm 107:8-9) ” but we remain longing and hungry when we face circumstances we don’t like. We forget that we have a path to fullness in God’s economy. The hard truth is that the promises of God are there, but we have to walk in the belief of them. It takes some time and energy to claim what is promised to us, not that our endeavor creates the promise and its outcome. It is the way God intended it to be, just like the Israelites had to claim what was already theirs in the promised land. God told them to go and take the land He was giving them and had given them. We have the promise that God causes us to will and act for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13), so let’s walk in the manner worthy of this calling.

I was able to get out of my downward spiral by speaking the truth to myself and reminding my mind and heart that God is good and acts in ways for His glory. The key is to speak this truth to yourself until you believe it again, and then your emotions fall into place. My obedience is worth it because His ways are worth it. The effort and energy it took to set my mind on His truth were worth it. As a result, my descent was stalled, the weight was gone, and my heart could see the light again. My obedience to taking God at His Word is vital to living this life He has called us to and for which He has equipped us. Obedience is not for the lazy, but it indeed gives us the strength not to fall.