Obedient Lifestyle

*This is the third post in the series, Journey to Joy. To start from the beginning, click here.

Perhaps the most profound way God used the wilderness to train me was to teach me about His will. John 4:34 (ESV) says, “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.’” Jesus is speaking on a spiritual level, and the food He speaks of nourishes abundant life. Jesus came to live in physical form to show us how to live life completely in sync with God through the Holy Spirit. We cannot experience His presence, His pleasure, and His life without obedience to the Holy Spirit. All throughout the Old Testament, the prophets wrote that God will put His law within our hearts (Psalm 40:8), and the Holy Spirit is revealing His law to each of us in a very personal way. God desires to have an intimate relationship with us in which He can speak to us about the details of our life.

Often we see God’s will as a destination, something to be found and hit like a target. However, I was beginning to see His will as a way, or a flow. He is a living and breathing God, constantly moving in our midst. I began to think about His Spirit as a steady moving train. I had the opportunity, even obligation, to move and flow with Him. I found that I could hop on and enjoy the ride, or hop off and act independently. It was when I tried to do it on my own that I experienced loneliness, guilt, fear, and other feelings of judgement. When I was doing life with Him, according to the prompting and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I experienced peace, joy, and satisfaction in life. I was becoming more and more sensitive to His presence.

God used my anxiety and sensitive nature to train me to move with the Holy Spirit in obedience as a lifestyle. He was teaching me to worship Him in every moment of my life. Learning to follow His promptings was a bit mechanical at first. I would get going in my day, doing my thing, and when the anxiety swelled, I would stop and submit to God. I would ask Him what He would have me do in that moment, and listen for His answer. During these early stages, it would simply be an inclination, or leaning, on my heart. Like most people, I wouldn’t know for sure if this was God or my own desires, but with a willing heart and teachable spirit I remained open to whichever direction He was leading. I trusted He would redirect me if I erred.

Once I began to recognize His promptings, He would give me small tasks. He’d prompt me to drop someone a note or invite a stranger to join us on a ride at Kings Island. It’s these little things the Lord uses to teach us to recognize His prompting and to live according to His will. As we mature, we simply flow in Him naturally, and the relationship becomes less mechanical.

One thing I had to let go of was the need to understand. I had to be willing to make a mistake, and I had to put down my natural tendency to argue. With a logical mind, I had developed a habit of reasoning away His promptings when it didn’t make sense. I had to resist the fear that caused me to tell God, “I can’t, and here’s why.” Fear and pride had become a stumbling block which caused me to disobey. I had a big fear of what people would think and a fear of looking foolish or dumb. I needed to get over myself in order to do God’s will. What I found with great joy was that understanding often came after obedience. Once I understood God’s perspective, the thoughts of other people began to loose their grip on me. God was more interested in my trust. Wisdom and insight flowed in abundance as a result of obedience to the Holy Spirit.

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