O God of Wisdom, in Your Word You instructed me to obey those who rule over me because they have responsibility to watch over and care for me. While I strive to do this, my heart belongs to You and I want to do the things You ask of me. You have told me that obeying Your voice means more to You than any sacrifice I could make. Therefore, I must be watchful, sober and discerning in order to insure that the voice I am hearing is Yours. Rather than follow after my own urgings, I must look to You alone to guide me in righteous living and unconditional obedience. As an obedient child, I must not let what I want to supersede what You want for my life … nor should I rebel when I don’t like what You are asking me to do. You have reassured me that if I am willing and obedient, I will eat of the good of the land … but, if I rebel and refuse, I will be devoured by evil.
Submitting my will to You and doing good provides a good example to others and pleases You. A portion of my success in shunning rebellion and disobedience is allowing the mind that is You to become the mind that is in me. I can do that by reading Your Word, meditating on its meaning to me and allowing the Holy Spirit to show me how to apply it in my life. The basis for learning obedience and shunning rebellion rests in humility. Humility puts me at Your feet listening to every word You speak and becoming willing to do whatever You ask. Your Word tells me that You resist the proud (those who want to do things their way) and give grace to the humble (those who think Your ways are the best). I can also learn obedience and conformity by the things I experience. You allow trials and testing to come into my life to examine the depth of my faith and determine how willing I am to follow Your lead.
I can also become more obedient and less rebellious by listening to those who are wise in the things of God and have learned the art of submission to Your will. Submitting to my Christian brothers and sisters provides me with a way of overcoming my own desires and the deceptions of my enemy. I must not let sin reign within me for its poison causes me to be selfish and serve my evil desires. My goal must be to offer myself as an instrument in Your hands and a source of unconditional love. No longer do I want to walk under the influence of the world or the vain imaginations of men because they lead me into darkness and cloud my awareness of You. Your coming has provided a light to the world and my obedience allows me to walk in it. Therefore, by shunning evil, I am resisting darkness. And, by drawing closer to You, I allow myself to overcome rebelliousness. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Hebrews 5:8 Though He was the Son (of God), yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.