Step 4: OBEDIENCE
Topic 3: Obedience demands Willingness
Pastor Maselo Mosomane
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” Isaiah 1:19-20
The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. All that God has created on earth He created for His children to enjoy. God is our Father, and like any other father He works for His children. All that is in the world belongs to God’s children. None of these things were created for angels. As a matter of fact; angels are also created to serve us. “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14
“If all that God has created were created for us; how come we are faced with so much poverty?” One may ask. Although all was created for us, none of them will fall on our lap like ripped fruits. There are some procedures to follow in order that what was meant for us finally becomes ours. If you are given a chicken for food, it won’t come running into your mouth; no. You must first follow the rules. First; you slaughter the chicken and then cook it before you can enjoy it. The same is true with all that God has for us. There are rules to follow.
The Sprit spoke through Isaiah when the vision of the Lord came to him as recorded in chapter 1 verse 19; “if you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land.” The nation had rebelled against God and provoked Him to anger. We see God reaching out to Judah and Jerusalem inviting them to repentance. Look at verse 18; “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Thought your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool”
The same way that God is willing to reason with us and reverse our calamity resulting from sin; He is ready to reason with us and release His resources in every area of life. God has put a simple condition for us to meet. He says if we are willing and obedient we will eat the good of the land. This is the procedure we must follow in order that what God has for us should finally be ours in material form. Many times we say we believe that all that God has created on earth is ours; but there is no sign of any of such in reality.
The way to manifestation is the way of willingness and obedience. There must be a will to see the fullness of God’s promise before anything can happen. There is an old saying that goes like this; where there is a will there is a way. I don’t know who said this but I seem to agree with what he said. There must first be a will to see the manifestation. How do you win if you don’t have a will to win? Did you know that we win with our will before we can win physically?
What does it mean to be willing? First; a will is one dimension of one’s three dimensions of the soul. When we talk about the soul we are talking about our will, emotions and intellect. With our intellect or mind, we think and remember. With our emotions we express how we feel, and with our will we make decisions. We can therefore safely say, to be willing is to make a decision. To will is to determine; to purpose in your heart – to decide.
God is saying those who will eat the good of the land are those who will dare to make a decision; those who have purposed in their hearts and are determined to pay the required price. It is this kind of determination that will move you into action. Therefore those who are willing are those who are determined and are willing to act on their determination. The bible calls this act obedience. When you make up your mind and act on what is said (especially what God said in His word) you are obedient.
It is only when we take a resolution to do whatever the word of God tells us regardless of the consequences that we eat the good of the land. I believe this is what Jesus meant when He said “the violent will take it by force.” Matthew 11:12. This kingdom is not the kingdom of cowards. It is a kingdom of men of valor.
If you are willing and obedient you will eat the good of the land. Are you aware that you can obey but not with a willing heart? How many are giving tithes and offerings and yet don’t see the promises manifesting in their lives? What do you think is the problem? Friend, it is not your offering that pleases God; it is the willingness of your heart; it is the attitude of your heart that makes God smile. Stop giving with an unwilling heart and start giving willingly and God will honour your offering. “If you will willingly obey, you’ll feast like kings” The Message
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