Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 129

Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Abraham continued...

Do we do as God commands? Do we obey the voice of the Lord? The key to Abraham’s effectiveness in prayer, as well as the level of intimacy he shared with God, is applied obedience. There is a difference between the theory of obedience, and the practice of obedience. Applied obedience is the theory turned to practice, and it is something we as believers must endeavor to remain in, in perpetuity.

We cannot be selective when it comes to obeying God. We cannot obey simply what we deem beneficial or profitable, or those things with a low level of difficulty. Obedience is a must even in difficult circumstances; it is a must even when God asks the difficult things of us, because we know the end result is for our good, our growth, and our maturing.

We have close to one hundred children in our orphanage, so I could only imagine how maddening it would be for the staff if the children only obeyed them fifty percent of the time. If you have children, perhaps you can relate and understand how God feels when we selectively obey Him, choosing to ignore Him in certain areas, or when it comes to doing certain things.

Nowadays everyone wants God to hear and answer their prayers, but simultaneously desire to be able to ignore certain times when God is speaking to them. Such a mindset does not a relationship make, and if there is no relationship between us and God, then we cannot hope to dialogue or fellowship with Him as we would desire.

Proverbs 1:24-25, “Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, because you disdain all my counsel, and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.”

Disobedience is not inconsequential! Throughout the word of God we see the consequences of disobedience, and they are, without fail, always dire. We cannot refuse the call of God, disdain His counsel, reject His reproof, disregard His stretched out hand, and still expect Him to save us from calamity, and shield us from the terror when it comes like a storm.

There are countless souls walking about today thinking themselves sons and daughters of God, whom God has never known. Men and women, who at best are illegitimate children and at worst self-deceived individuals who expect God to bend to their will and not the other way around.

Such individuals never bothered to be still and hear the voice of the Lord, they never bothered to receive His correction and walk the paths of righteousness, yet they expect and feel entitled to God’s protection and sanctuary whenever distress and anguish come upon the world.

We cannot love what God abhors, receive what God rejects, embrace what God spews out, then still live with the expectation that when the time comes He will save us from the midst of destruction.

If we are of God, then we love what He loves, hate what He hates, embrace what He embraces, and obey what He commands. It’s that simple! It’s not complicated! Men however attempt to complicate the truth, and in the process water it down for fear that those who would receive the undiluted, unadulterated truth are too few to support their lavish lifestyles and propensity for the finer things in life.

Because they place their own wants, lusts, and comfort above the saving of men’s souls, they wholly disregard the words of Jesus, who spoke of the narrow path and the few who find it, and who spoke of the many called and the few who were chosen.

Proverbs 1:28-31, “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.”

Obedience is a choice, as is the fear of the Lord. Depending on what we choose, we will either walk in the protection of almighty God, or eat the fruit of our own way. It is, and always has been an either/or proposition, and the word of God is clear on this matter, as it is clear on so many matters which seem to be an issue with some believers.

Yes, the day will come when men will call on God, and He will not answer, when they will seek Him diligently but not find Him. That day is fast approaching, and no man can stop it.

Love knowledge, receive the counsel of the Lord, esteem the reproof of God, and choose the fear of the Lord, that He may know you as His own, and keep you in the days of darkness.

We’ve been preaching butterflies and lollipops for so long, that when the Lord does reprove us, we bristle and conclude it couldn’t possibly be Him, because we were never told that God chastens His children.

Although man continues to try and redefine God, making Him in their image with each subsequent try, God remains the great I Am, and no amount of philosophical red herrings and no amount of feelings, will change who God is.

As individuals we choose obedience, we choose the fear of the Lord, we choose to receive the counsel of God, and for these things we will receive our just reward when that Day of Days is upon us.

Just remember, all those lovely people with the bright smile and the private jets that insistently tell you God has changed, will neither be able to, nor have any inclination toward lifting a finger in helping you when the day of terror comes like a storm.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.