As children of God, obeying God from a heart of love is a particularly important step in really knowing God. The Bible stated that loving God is shown by obeying His word as stated in John 14:15, 21; 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.†Jesus makes it clear that if we genuinely love Him then we will show it by obeying His commands. This kind of obedience to God is not a mechanical outward performance but actions naturally flowing from a heart filled with love for God. We will not base our love for God on feeling alone but by deliberate actions honoring and obeying His word. The Word of God are His principles revealed in the Scriptures (Logos) and words given to us by the Holy Spirit who searches the heart and mind of God (Rhema). The Holy Spirit quickens a specific word to a person and His directions are always in line with the scriptures.
How to Apply and obey the word:
Study the Bible:
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God stated the Lord Jesus in Mathew 4:4“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.†As you eat food to thrive so you should ingest the word of God to grow spiritually.
Through reading the bible, we get an idea of how God interacted with actual human beings throughout history for example His interaction with Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob etc. The characters that He exhibited of Love, patience, constant communication, and faithfulness. The promises that He made and kept like giving Abraham a son in his old age. His protection like going to Abimelech to tell him not to touch Sarah because she is Abraham’s wife and provisions during famine. His mercy, compassion and faithfulness and His plans to redeem us from our fallen nature. These experiences will encourage us to walk with God as those people walked and He never will disappoint us in this life and in the life to come.
Commit to studying the word by setting aside undisturbed time and a quiet place to prayerfully have an in-depth study of the word. Study with bible commentaries and various free standard online teachings on many subjects. Do not rush through the Bible or take on large passages to show that you have completed it but gradually and persistently study small portions with the intent to completely understand and assimilate what you have read by the help of the Holy Spirit. The Bible encourages us to study to show ourselves approved unto God; a watchman who needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.(2 Timothy 2:15)
Meditate on the word of God:
Start by praying and asking God to help you as you meditate on the word of God that you are studying so that you will not be distracted by your thoughts or any ongoing challenge in your life. Ask him to help you understand the truth in the passage that you are reading and help you in its application. God will help you by transforming your heart so that you are willing and able to obey Him in that area of life. Meditate on what you have read by thinking and pondering on it. Determine from the text what to be learned from it and write them down under the following:
What does the passage teach about God our father, The Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?
What biblical principle is the context of the passage teaching because we should not interpret a verse of the scripture in isolation.?
What did the Bible teach about how you should behave to other members of the body of Christ and what it teaches about the body of Christ in general?
What did the Bible teach about how you should behave to non-believers and what it teaches about non-believers in general?
As you reflect on it, is it shining light on actions and motives that you need to repent of and shed from your life; those that you are encouraged to continue practicing or to adopt?
Are there promises to claim and conditions precedent before claiming the promises?
Commit what you have learned to memory so that you can recall it to practice it consistently as Psalms 119:11 rightly stated, “thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.†Hold yourself accountable to keeping the principles that you have learned by keeping a journal of your progress (I do) and ask God to help you achieve this through the Holy Spirit who is our helper. The Holy Spirit will help you once you are genuinely and sincerely seeking to please God as stated by the Lord Jesus in John 14:15 -16: 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
Apply the Word of God:
Most of us study the bible in our private time and once we close the bible, we close everything that we learned and do not take it with us everywhere that we go. This means that when a situation arises, we will not apply the word and will not even prayerfully consult the Holy Spirit who is right there with us, but we act according to our natural inclination.
I am having that challenge of study, document and forget with inconsistent application. But I am seeking the Lord in prayers to help me and give me grace to be more consistent. He is helping me, and I am getting there gradually. This is the reason I started this blog so that we encourage each other because obedience to the Word of God is not an automatic process but a gradual consistent lifelong process of growing in our dependence on Him in all areas of our life. This trust and dependence will enable us to choose His leading rather than going the way of the world and as we continue to abide in him and obey Him, our love and faith will blossom.
James 1:22-25 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.â€
Psalm 1:1-3
- Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
- but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
- He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
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