The Four Keys to Obeying God
Deuteronomy 26:17 NIV says, “You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him.”
Once the Israelites enter a covenant with God, God makes many wonderful promises to them, but the Israelites must uphold the covenant by obeying God. Deuteronomy 26:17 says that obedience to God means keeping his decrees, commands, and laws; however, living under the law and maintaining perfect obedience to God is impossible. So, what does obeying God mean? How do we obey God?
As we study the Scriptures, we learn that obedience to God is less about our actions and more about our hearts. In John 14:15 NIV, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.”
What does it mean to obey God?
According to the Bible, obeying God includes the following four actions:
- Love the LORD your God
- Listen to God’s voice
- Hold fast to God
- Love others
I love to pull out my old journals to read the Bible verses and prayer requests from days past. The first verse listed in my 2007 journal just happens to be Deuteronomy 30:11.
Deuteronomy 30:11 NIV says, “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.”
I wrote that verse in my journal at a time when I felt that life was difficult and obeying God’s commands was impossible. I was trying to do things for God, but God does not really need us to do anything for him. I mean, He is God!
God really desires our hearts: He desires that we pursue Him and abide in His love.
Take a few minutes to read the entire chapter of Deuteronomy 30 in your Bible, because it answers the question, “What does it mean to obey God?”
Deuteronomy 30:20 NIV says, “and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life…”
There is no command to do something for God other than to love Him, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.
In John 15, Jesus adds one more action for obeying God. Jesus prefaces this verse with John 15:10 NIV, which says, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
Then, in John 15:12 NIV, Jesus says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
We remain in Jesus’ love when we love the LORD, listen to His voice, hold fast to Him, and love others.
How to walk in obedience to God
Love the LORD your God
To walk in obedience to God, we must follow the first and greatest commandment, which is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 NIV)
Take a few minutes today and allow God to search your heart to reveal anything that is preventing you from fully loving God. Maybe there is something more important to you than God or maybe distractions are taking your full attention. If there is anything between you and God, throw it off and pursue God with your entire heart, soul, and mind. That is what the greatest commandment truly means.
Consider drawing close and loving God through a 30-day faith journey by committing to spend 30 minutes for 30 days seeking God with your entire heart, soul, and mind.
Listen to God’s voice
Listening to God’s voice can be one of the most difficult things for a Christian to learn how to do, but we know that God commands us to do hard things.
When my children were little, I would not discipline them the way other mothers disciplined their children. My primary focus on discipline was for them to obey my voice. I knew that if I could teach them to listen and obey my voice at a young age, they would listen to God’s voice when they became adults.
Now is the time for us to learn how to listen to God’s voice. God primarily speaks through the Bible. Reading your Bible daily and studying His Word are the keys to listening to God’s voice. Then, you can take a few minutes and ask Jesus to come. Sit in stillness and listen for the Holy Spirit to speak. You will quickly learn that God not only asks us to do things for him, but he often tells us how much he loves us.
Hold fast to God
Another key to obeying God is to hold fast to Him through reading and study the Bible, spending time in His presence, and prayer.
My friend shared her morning routine during one of our Bible studies. She has many beautiful scriptures highlighted in her Bible. When she wakes up, she reads and declares those verses out loud first thing every morning. It sets her heart upon Jesus and allows her to hold fast to God every single day.
Love others
The second greatest command in the Bible is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39 NIV)
One of my daily prayers is asking God to fill me with so much of the love of Jesus Christ that His love would ooze out of me and onto others. Since I have begun praying this daily, I see others with different perceptions than I had before. I have more compassion, love, and understanding for those around me. Then, I see others the way God sees them, and I pray and serve much differently.
Bible verses about obeying God
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination and arrogance like the evil of idolatry…” ~ 1 Samuel 15:22-23 NIV
“But if anyone obeys his word, love of God is truly made complete in them…” ~ 1 John 2:5 NIV
Obeying God
God desires that we are deeply rooted in a relationship with Him based on love. Staying in God’s love is the true meaning of obeying God. We stay in God’s love when we love the LORD, listen to His voice, hold fast to Him, and love others.
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