Obeys the commands and instructions of God
14 In righteousness you will be established:
Tyranny will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender to you.
16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;
17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord. (Isa. 54:14-17, NKJV)
Imagine this scenario: you are grappling with financial hardship when suddenly, out of the blue, someone sends you some money that is enough to alleviate your troubles. But, almost immediately, the Lord asks you to give away all or part of that money. Would you do it?
The believer’s walk of faith is not easy and every once in a while we find ourselves in the midst of tough battles. While we fight our battles in prayer, it is not always that the intensity or fervency of our prayers results in victory. There are times that victory is dependent on our ability to obey God’s commands.
Even so, obedience is not always easy. Sometimes God gives us instructions that push us out of our comfort zones and demand sacrifices that we may be unwilling to make. During such times, prayer becomes our lifeline and while it’s tempting to ask God to change the instruction, the better prayer would be to ask him to flood our lives with his light and transform our hearts so that we are aligned to his purposes and receptive to his leading.
Sometimes your victory hinges on your willingness to change some habits that hinder you from entering your rest. Change may not be easy. This is where you enter into fasting and ask God to give you the grace so that you don’t resist his promptings.
“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways (Deut. 28:7, NKJV).
The instructions of God may not always be sweet to our ears and the devil may amplify our supposed losses from our obedience. Nevertheless, anytime you act in obedience to God, there is always a reward; he scatters your enemies in seven ways. Because you have fought the Lord’s battles, he fights your battles.
What is the last instruction or command you received from the Lord? Ask him to align your heart and enable you to obey his commands regardless of what it costs you.
