In Touch 06-10-04

In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley

Thursday June 10, 2004
InTouch Early Light Devotional

Obeying God: The Learning Process
1 John 2:3-6

Obedience is a learned process, not a natural one. Just look at a two-year-old to see the unnaturalness doing what one is told. Live with a teenager for a while to see the prevalence of rebellion over compliance. Only when we are born again into new life in Christ and set free from slavery to sin (Romans 6:6) does obeying God become a possibility. To make obedience a reality in our life, we need to learn several things.

First we must develop the art of waiting on God in prayer. It is to be an active waiting time, during which we learn of His character (Matthew 6:9), examine our own (Matthew 6:12) and seek to understand what He is asking. As we practice careful listening, we will learn to recognize His voice (John 10:4, 14) and to comprehend what God is saying as He speaks from His Spirit to our spirit. We need to resist outside pressure, exercise self-control, and wait.

Tied closely to living obedient lives is meditating upon Scripture. (Psalm 119:15) Meditation means reading Scripture and asking ourselves questions: What do these verses teach me about God or myself? Is there an example here to follow or avoid? Is this a command, a promise, or a warning that I need to apply? What action do I need to take to align my life with this truth?

These two spiritual disciplines - waiting in prayer and meditating on Scripture - are foundational to the obedient life. If either is weak, we will waver. In order to develop a pattern of faithful obedience, take action to strengthen both.

For free online one-to-one mentoring with Dr. Charles Stanley, visit www.charlesstanleyinstitute.com.

To delve deeper into this subject and more, visit the In Touch Web site: www.intouch.org.