Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

by Contessa Long

Oh my, obedience is so hard! Obeying goes against every part of our flesh. It rips our flesh wide open so that the intentions of our hearts are laid bare before God’s eyes. Obedience says we have to give up our will and our plan for the good of something better. When people say, “I’m so thankful you are obedient to what God called you to do,” it is not something that should be taken lightly.

Obedience to God is heavy, but it is also freeing. This word in Hebrew is “shama,” and it carries with it the meaning of hearing and obeying. Most of the time, Hebrew words have numerous meanings, but not obedience. God used it the same way all throughout Scripture. He meant for it to carry the meaning of listening to His voice and acting on what He said. When God calls you out of your comfort zone into the deep, it takes faith. “God has allotted to each a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3b). Jesus said, “…if you have faith like a mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20). It is our faith in God that pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6). So how does our faith affect our obedience? It is the diving board into the deep water of God’s faithfulness.

Father God knows that we are not equipped within our flesh to do the things He has ordained for our lives. He equips us through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer who has called upon the name of the Lord. Our job is to trust Him enough to step out in faith. Even if it is a tiny seed of faith, it moves God’s heart. At this point, obedience comes through relying on His character and His strength to see you through. Obedience sheds the baggage of self. Obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22), and it postures our hearts upward in surrender to give God free rein of our lives.

I said all of that to ask you this: is there something God has put in your heart to obey Him in today? Is it the process of it that brings about a spirit of fear? Is there a step of faith

toward the vision He has given you that you need to take? Remember, it is your faith that moves God, and His strength will carry you all the way. Changing you from the inside out is His character. He looks at the heart, but He brings about His perfect plan through His creation by the obedience of His people. He does not need us, but He wants us. Obey Him even in the little things today. Step out in faith, trust His process, and watch Father God bring His promises to pass. “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL!