21 Days

Day 21- Obedience

Author: Theron Hatch

The Three Phases of Obedience

In the Biblical story of Abram and Lot, the families, servants, and herds of both men had grown so large that they needed to separate because conflict began to rise up between their two kingdoms. As you read the account from Genesis 12:1-8 and 13:5-12, you’ll notice both men were very successful. But the similarities end there.

Both lived in promise, but Lot’s promise was what the fertile land could provide. Lot saw with his eyes. Abram was given a promise by listening to God. Abram saw with his ears (2 Corinthians 4:18). Abram was obedient to God, having received the promise. Lot was obedient to his flesh, his hope misplaced by worldly things. Both chose a way. Only one chose rightly. Just like Abram, we too have a promise (Romans 8:28). With this promise as our backdrop, let’s look at three phases of obedience that were present in Abram’s life that can also apply to our lives in Christ today.

Phase 1 - Listening. The root of the word obedience is actually to hear, not to do. Abram intentionally listened for God’s voice. We too must begin to cultivate an attitude of listening. Listening is active, requiring us to be intentional with our ear focus. Jesus told us why listening is so important: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” (John 16:13 NLT)

Phase 2 - Trusting. When the Spirit speaks, we have a choice to make. Do we trust the One speaking? Abram believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6) We want to trust Him too, but how do we learn to trust God? Through faith. This faith comes from trusting God, and trusting means making one choice at a time. “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see..” (Hebrew 11:1 NLT)

Phase 3 - Doing. Ok, breathe. The hard work is done. It’s time to step out into the action that He called you to, always looking ahead because your promise is bigger than this one decision. It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. (Hebrew 11:8 NLT) 

These three phases repeat themselves as we learn to trust Him. As trust grows, an amazing thing happens. Phase 2 disappears, as trusting Him becomes our default response. Soon our ears will crave to hear His voice, not just when we have a big decision to make, but at all times. Those little random decisions we make everyday take on a new light of not being so random after all when under the headship of Jesus. This, my friends, is truly walking by the Spirit.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, in Jesus You’ve made a way for us to be restored to You. Your promises for us are true. Through Your Holy Spirit, You’ve made a way for us to hear from You. We want to be a people connected to You so intently that Your very Word causes us to move with You. Guide us by Your truth as we advance Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen. 

Day 8- Peace

Author: Theron Hatch

In Colossians 3:15, Paul exhorts the church at Colossae to “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (NIV) In it you’ll notice two references to peace. Both are vitally important and need to be activated in the life of the body of Christ for the work of the body to flourish.

The first peace is personal and internal. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 NIV) And this peace is, after all, one of the nine attributes of the fruit (or result) of the Spirit’s work in us. This is so important to understand, since our attempts to find peace outside of us will never satisfy. Translators used the word “hearts” here to represent that part of our mind that makes decisions. To rule is to have authority over something or someone. So, the first part of this verse can be reframed as “Give Jesus authority over your decisions so that the Holy Spirit can do His work producing peace within you.” This requires us to trust that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV) Paul again exhorts “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7 NIV) Now we’ve settled the first peace. You’ll have to trust Him for it.

The second peace is related to relational peace between us and other believers (the body). When Holy Spirit peace is expressed through us individually, without any hindrance, we will truly be able to minister to other believers “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3 Berean Study Bible) The visible manifestation of this peace at work within the body is expressed through the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12, which results in thankfulness to God. What other response can there be?

PRAYER

This season as I seek peace, I pray that You, God, would reveal to me the peace that’s already available to me in the person of the Holy Spirit. I pray You would reveal any blocks or sources of false peace that I need to release and the grace to stay in community with other believers. I pray that praise and thanksgiving be my response, no matter what chaos is happening in the world around me.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NLT)