Psalms 63:8
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

Are you obedient?

When soldiers are in the middle of a war, they fight. They do not stop to ask the commander if he is sure. They don’t do part of what they were told. Soldiers follow orders, or they die. You are a soldier of the Lord. You are in a war, on assignment. Your instructions are explicit; follow hard after the Lord.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition AMPC)

Your obedience has to be without question. There is a blessing in being obedient: God protects you.

Exodus 23:22 But if you will indeed listen to and obey His voice and all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition AMPC)

Do you realize you walk out of the divine protection of God when you don’t do what He commands? Do you understand what happens when you disobey? Read Leviticus 26:14-39.

Hebrews 12:25 Make very sure that you never refuse to listen to God when he speaks! For the God who spoke on earth from Sinai is the same God who now speaks from heaven. Those who heard him speak his living Word on earth found nowhere to hide, so what chance is there for us to escape if we turn our backs on God and refuse to hear his warnings as he speaks from heaven? (The Passion Translation TPT)

If you were wondering if you could do some of what God says and not all; there is no such thing as partial obedience. Saul learned that in 1 Samuel 15.

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” … But Samuel replied: “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. (1 Samuel 15:13-14, 22 NIV)

Please agree with me as I pray:

Father, I can remember times when I told my mom or my dad that I did almost all of what I was told to do. Somehow, I felt like I could have some level of pride attached to that “almost” accomplishment. Though they may have spared me, I repent for thinking I could do the same thing with You. I understand, when it comes to obeying You, there is no almost, there is no most of it, there is no gray. I have either been obedient or I have been disobedient. That’s just the way it is. So, I ask You to forgive me for presenting half of what You told me and thinking it was OK. For the times I almost loved everyone; I almost turned the other cheek; I almost showed kindness and mercy when needed. Help me follow through and see each assignment to the end. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, who always lets me know if I have completed the task…

Ask the Lord what He wants to say to you about today’s devotional and journal His response as described here.