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The Struggle for Obedience

August 28, 2019 By Jennifer H. Yates Leave a Comment

28 Aug
The Struggle for Obedience

Have you ever wondered what it was like for Noah’s wife? To spend over a year on an ark with all those animals, feeding them, and smelling them every day? We think our house is a zoo. We have no idea.

But then after a year cooped up on the ark, can you imagine stepping out onto a fresh, new world, clean, pure, and quiet? Man, the potential.

Yet, the renewed earth they looked out on still wasn’t Eden–and they still had the potential to sin.

Like the people of Noah’s day, our sin also deserves judgment. Just as Noah’s family found refuge in the ark, we find refuge in Jesus.

When we come to Christ in faith and repentance, He cleanses us from all our sin and shame. He washes us as clean and pure as that fresh earth after the rushing waters purged the evil and darkness from the land.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV 84

Yet, we still have the potential to sin. We are redeemed but not yet made perfect. We are citizens of a new kingdom and yet still abide here on earth.

I imagine Mrs. Noah was disappointed to find that even after the cleansing flood, sin was still right there with them. The world was new and yet still the same.

In Christ, we are new creations, but our challenge is to not conform to the world from which we were rescued.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:1-2

Jesus is our sacrifice for sin, but that fact doesn’t absolve us of the responsibility to choose obedience. We are called to be living sacrifices and to not conform to the ways of the world.

I don’t know about you, but that is a daily struggle for me. I desire to do what is right, yet my heart can be so easily led astray by my own selfishness, pride, and greed.

And the world can sometimes seem so appealing.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

1 John 2:15-17

John is not talking about loving the people of the world, such as in John 3:16 when he said, “God so loved the world….” Instead, he is referring to the world of sin controlled by the devil.

Think about it: our sinful cravings, the worldly things that look good to us, and the boasting of who we think we are or what we think we have–none of that brings glory to God. It’s sin, plain and simple.

So, how can we live each day as new creations bringing glory to God?

First, we have to have a heart that wants to please God. If we belong to Jesus, our desire to please Him should outweigh all other desires.

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'”

Matthew 22:37

Second, we need to renew our minds in the Word. The more time we spend in the Word, the more our hearts and minds become aligned with God’s values.

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit, have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

Romans 8:5

Third, empowered by His Spirit, we choose. That’s right. We have to choose to do the right thing, even when it hurts our flesh and makes us uncomfortable.

“Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

James 1:22

We may have to turn off the TV or computer, separate ourselves from ungodly relationships, walk away from gossip.

We may have to choose to set aside that little extra sleep to spend time with God; we may have to choose to close our mouths when we want to complain or argue; we may have to choose to let our spouse be right.

We may have to choose to not tell the lie that makes us look better; we may have to choose to turn the other cheek; we may have to choose to humble ourselves and let others be first.

Obedience is not our default setting. We have to be intentional to choose to obey. We do so because we love God, and we want to please Him.

And when we mess up, we ‘fess up. We admit our sinfulness, accept His forgiveness, and continue on our journey with Him, growing from faith to faith.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come to near to you.”

James 4:7-8a

Obedience doesn’t come natural to our flesh, but it is the desire of our spirit if we belong to Jesus. And every day His mercies are new (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Like Noah’s wife, we run to the refuge of Jesus for salvation, and we step out into a new creation by faith–one that is groaning as it awaits the day when we will be made perfect forever (Romans 8:20-23).

What sin are you struggling to overcome? Confess it, resist it, and run into the arms of Your Father. Then continue on your journey as you follow hard after Him.

Want more encouragement from women of the Bible? Get my book, Just Like Us: 7 Ways Biblical Women Were Just Like Us (and Why It Matters).

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Filed Under: Bible Study, Women Tagged With: Bible studies for Women, Biblical Women Just Like Us, Christian Bible studies for women, Christian devos for women, Christian devotional for women, Christian discipleship, Jennifer H Yates, Jennifer Hayes Yates, Seeking to Please God: The Struggle for Obedience, women of the Bible

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About Jennifer H Yates

About Jennifer H Yates

Hey, friends! I'm Jen--wife, mama, and empty-nester. I love to write, read, and drink coffee, especially with friends.

I've found that many women struggle to find time and focus to grow their relationship with God through studying His Word. I encourage and challenge women with practical strategies and helpful resources for quality study in as little as fifteen minutes a day.

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We all have a place in the Kingdom. ⁠
⁠
Click

We all have a place in the Kingdom. ⁠
⁠
Click link in bio to read post.⁠
⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel--the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 1:1-4, NIV).
All of Scripture, all of history, all of time has been about Jesus Christ, Son of God. 
Do you know Him? You can. His life, death, and resurrection are historical fact. All so that you could know Him and have eternal life.
Jesus loves you! ❤

"The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee fo
"The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment" (Luke 23:55-56).
Can you imagine the horror these women had witnessed? Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others had followed Jesus and helped support his ministry (Luke 8:3).
Now all their hopes had been crushed as they stood at a distance and witnessed Jesus' agonizing death on the cross (Luke 23:49). His own mother had to stand by helplessly as her son cried out, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
As we women often do, they looked for a way to still serve Him, even in His death, by preparing His body for burial. Sometimes, it's the little things.
When our hearts are breaking and we think we can't take another breath, sometimes we need something in our hands--a burial spice, a casserole, a text that says I'm here.
We can't make the hurt go away, but we can channel it into something useful, something hopeful, something comforting.
As they rested on the Sabbath, I'm sure they anticipated the opportunity to see Him one more time, to minister to Him once more with the spices and perfumes they had prepared.
Hearts crushed, hands open.
Grieved but grateful. Resting but ready.
Because if there was anything they knew for sure, it's that Jesus was no ordinary man. And when hearts are turned toward Him, anything can happen.

God never called us to “blind” faith. We may b
God never called us to “blind” faith. We may believe without seeing, but faith is being sure and certain of what we don’t see, not what we don’t know. ⁠
The Israelites had historical facts on which to base their faith. That’s why God constantly told them to remember what He had done and tell it to their children. Their faith was in what they knew to be true, even though they didn’t always see it with their own eyes. ⁠
We, too, have facts on which to base our faith. The Bible is historically accurate and verified. If ever we needed to know what we believe, it’s now.⁠
⁠
Click link in bio to read post.⁠
⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus

It’s something I have a hard time doing. Like mo
It’s something I have a hard time doing. Like most women, when I do get still, my mind is still going 90 mph. I’m so distracted by all the preparations for the day. Sounds a little like Martha, who, by the way, is the one who invited Jesus over in the first place. But like Martha, I have felt the Lord’s gentle rebuke. He wants me at His feet. And really, that’s where I want to be. It’s not about time and focus. It’s about heart and desire. The rest will come. ❤️ #growingyourfaith #jesusfirst #wordbeforeworld #seekhimfirst #javawithjesus #womenintheword

Do you really want to grow your faith? What we fee
Do you really want to grow your faith? What we feed the most is what grows the most. 🍽️⁠
⁠
What are you feeding?⁠
⁠
Click the link in my bio to read this week's post.⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus ⁠


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