4 Important Truths about Obedience

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. Contributing Writer
Updated Jan 18, 2023

There is an element of your walk with God which ultimately determines how high, how far or how fruitful your walk with him will be. Without question, this element is the most important and most critical aspect of your relationship with God. I am talking about your obedience.

Obedience is not always the fun, happy word we like to talk about in church, yet it is essential in your walk with Jesus because of what it represents in your life. Obedience is what separates the winners from losers, the overcomers from the underperformers, the ordinary from extraordinary, and those who live a victorious Christian life from those who don’t. You will never get to the place in God you want to get to or become the person God has created you to be without obedience. That’s why this is the most important and critical aspect in your walk with God.

For today, I want you to do one thing, turn the spotlight inward. Examine what is in your heart, because you attitude regarding obedience will tell you all you need to know.

4 Important Truths about Obedience

1. Obedience Reveals What Is Inside You

The number one reason obedience is so important is because it reveals what is inside you. To help you understand this point, let me give you a definition of obedience. This will help you grasp the gravity of it. When you go to the dictionary this is how they define obedience: “To walk closely after or follow, to submit or yield; To conform to another’s desire.”

While that is a textbook definition, I want to take it a little further. Here is my definition of obedience: “A demonstration by your actions, of what you profess with your mouth and what you truly believe in your heart.”

We don’t always equate these two things, but obedience reflects and reveals what is inside of you. Listen to the words of Jesus on this matter.

“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (John 14:23-24).

Do you know people who declare how much they love Jesus? Well, the proof of their declaration of love is not in their words but in their obedience. It doesn’t matter who you are, you cannot say you love Jesus and not be willing to obey him.

Perhaps the truest measurement of your love for God is your willingness to obey him. If that does not exist, then your disobedience reveals you don’t truly love him. To clarify, I am not speaking of a momentary disobedience which we are all prone to. I am talking about a lifestyle where a person knowingly continues to walk in disobedience. As much as they may proclaim it, this person does not love God.

2. Obedience Is an Act of Your Will

One of the key components of obedience is you have the freedom to decide if you will obey or if you will not. Therefore, obedience is a choice and a decision of your will. If you remove the ability to choose, then it is no longer obedience. If you hold someone against their will and force them to do something, that is not obedience, that is either slavery or prison. No one can ever force you to obey. Even God does not force us to obey. Though he encourages us to obey, ultimately it is your decision whether you will comply or not.

One thing that encourages obedience is consequences. Have you ever noticed how cars speeding down the highway will generally slow down when they see a police car? The reason they do this is because of the potential consequence of getting a speeding ticket. They weigh the options and choose to slow down. Sometimes when you can recognize upfront the consequences for your disobedience, you realize obedience is the better option. This is further proof that obedience is a choice and an act of your will. Whether your obedience is motivated by love or an avoidance of consequences, it is still a decision you are free to make.

3. Obedience Is an Act of Warfare

“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:17, NLT).

When you choose to obey God, you are entering into war against your sinful nature. When you obey God, you are coming into agreement with him and declaring what side of this war you will stand on. In Genesis, Joseph had an encounter with Potiphar’s wife because she was trying to get him to sleep with her, which he refused to do.

^“But Joseph refused. ‘Look,’ he told her, ‘my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God’” (Genesis 39:8-9, NLT).

At this moment of temptation Joseph had a decision to make. He had to choose which side he was going to go to war against. He could agree with his sinful nature and go to war against God, or he could agree with God and go to war against his sinful nature. Joseph chose to go to war with God. Joseph entered into agreement that this would be a sin against God, and thus waged war against his sinful nature.

If you are going to walk in obedience, you are going to have to choose which side of the war you are going to stand on because obedience is an act of warfare.

4. Obedience Is an Act of Worship

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God” (Matthew 15:8-9, NLT).

Because obedience reflects what is inside you, you cannot truly worship God and walk in disobedience at the same time (again, I am talking about a lifestyle of disobedience). Walking in disobedience means your heart is not engaged. If you are going to love God, and worship God, you must also obey God. When you love him and obey him this becomes an act of worship.

If you choose not to obey, then all your worship is just lip service. Remember, obedience reveals. At the core of your obedience is a heartfelt love and affection towards God which sets the foundation, and when this happens, your obedience becomes worship.

Final Thoughts

Obedience does not mean you will be perfect, but it does mean you are striving and desiring in your heart to please God. Remember our definition of obedience: a demonstration by your actions, of what you profess with your mouth and what you truly believe in your heart.

The challenge today is for me and you to walk in obedience. This begins by searching your heart to see what dwells in it. I invite you to carefully investigate your attitude toward obedience. This will tell you everything you need to know about the current state of your heart and your relationship with God.

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.