As I laid in bed on this past Labor Day thinking, random thoughts begin dropping in my mind. The night before I watched a video of Pastor John Kilpatrick preaching about Genesis chapter 6. However, he referenced the Garden of Eden and the commandment that God gave to Adam. The commandment was not to eat of the tree.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Pastor Kilpatrick was preaching that God gave Adam a commandment but did not tell him anything about the serpent that would come and tempt him, how he looked, how strong the temptation would be or anything other than do not eat of the tree. My wife and I often talk about God and how he does things. Sometimes God is extremely specific and detailed. At other times he is general with not few details, but there is room for you to interpret and act based on your circumstance. Lastly, God is at times very direct with no explanation or details.
The Lord gave me these thoughts about following his commandments. How much better off would we be if we just followed simple and clear instructions from the Lord? I know quite well that the circumstances of life, the unseen spirits that we wrestle with will provide extremely easy, unassuming opportunities for us to do the opposite of what God commands. Once we are outside of the jurisdiction of God’s boundaries, we are in trouble. How do we practically apply the principles of God’s Word? How do we know what to do?
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
You must know what God has said. It is non-negotiable. The Word is your life. Your consistent study, thinking, meditation, and consumption of the Word of God to overflowing of revelation and understanding will lead to speaking the Word with confidence. But first meditate, ponder, study, read, and pray. Get understanding and then allow the Word to depart from your mouth with clarity backed by revelation.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.
King David says that he has stored up the Word of God like a treasure so that he does not sin against God. Lack of the Word of God is the lack of light. Where there is no light, darkness reigns.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Let us learn from the young prophet. 1Kings 13:11-24
The young prophet was given specific instructions from the Lord. He knew what they were and repeated the instructions from the Lord. Another prophet came to him and asked him to do exactly what the Lord commanded him not to do. The young prophet ended up losing his life due to his disobedience. We must pray that we have the grace to obey the instructions of the Lord.
Lastly, the perfect example that we should follow is Jesus. He knew the commandment of God.
Psalm 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: In the volume of the book, it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: Yea, thy law is within my heart.
King David was prophesying of the coming Messiah. He delighted to do the will of the Father. Jesus knew what the will of God was for his life, and he obeyed faithfully even ‘til death. Even when he was about to die, he prayed, if it be possible remove this cup from me, but not my will but your will be done. This is what surrender looks like.
We see that following God’s instructions and commandments are not always convenient or easy, but always rewarding.
Thanks.