Daily Devotionals- December Edition by Pastor Ike J. Monye

Daily Devotionals- December Edition by Pastor Ike J. Monye
December 2, 2017.

TRUE SUCCESS BEGINS BY OBEYING GOD IN THE BIG AND SMALL THINGS.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 22:1-18
Additional Bible Reading: Job 36:11-12, Isaiah 1:19-20, John 2:5

For a child of God, the one powerful secret to the success that God has planned for us is obedience to Him. Walking in obedience to His word and to His revealed will put us in a very powerful place. Obedience to God brings us in alignment to His will, purpose and power. I like to say that the most powerful person on earth is the one that is in the perfect will of God. Obedience is what brings you into the perfect will of God.
The one powerful thing that distinguished Abraham was his life of obedience to the revealed will of God. As you do a study of his life, you will see him obeying God in the small things and also in the difficult things. No wonder God made a great nation from this man from Ur of the Chaldees.
If you are a student of the Old Testament you will see that God tied all His significant blessings to obedience and conversely we see that all the terrible curses were linked to disobedience- Deuteronomy 28.
One of the reasons you should do all in your power to obey God is because of His wisdom. The Bible describes Him as the all-knowing God. He is the fountain of all knowledge and wisdom. He is the omniscient God. Now if the all- knowing God instructs you on any matter, wisdom dictates that you should obey. God's instructions and commandments are not in vain or futile. He is also not a megalomaniac who is just demanding obedience for obedience sake.
There is always a blessing on the other side of obedience. This is why it is too risky not to obey God. You will lose the blessing attached to the obedience if you do not obey.
Beloved, God will ask you to do many things either through the clear logos - the written word of God in the Bible or through the revealed word-rhema or through His promptings in your spirit. Once you confirm that God is asking you to do anything or asking you to stop doing something, please follow the timeless counsel of Mary; please do it!
Many times obeying God may not be easy. This is why we will ask for His grace to help us. In my years of walking with God, I can assure you that the risk and sacrifice of obedience is worth it. All the times I have obeyed God in the small things and the small things, almost immediately I have seen the reward and in many cases the reason behind the divine mandate.
However, it is also very important that we obey God because He is God. We do not necessarily obey Him because of the rewards and benefits attached to the obedience. It is like worship, we worship Him because we were created to worship Him and He deserves our worship. Abraham obeyed God unconditionally not because of any benefit. This is the highest form of obedience.

Life lessons: God deserves our obedience, so we will obey Him in the small and the big things. There will be many rewards and blessings attached to a life of sacrificial obedience. However just as parents expect their children to obey them unconditionally and not necessarily because of any rewards, so we should obey our Lord and Maker.
As the old year winds down and the new one approaches, make a determination to ruthlessly deal with every act of disobedience in your life and put on the garment of active obedience. Remember, He will even punish all disobedience when your own obedience has been fulfilled (2 Corinthians 10:5-6)
Have a blessed day!!

Today's Prayer: Father, release upon me the grace to obey you in all thinks. As I approach the New Year and exit the old, place me in the most powerful place through my deliberate acts of obedience to your will. Thank you, Lord Jesus.