Obey God Rather Than Men

Living by Faith - Step 29

By Bonnie Ricks, This Day's Devotional Saturday, March 24, 2007

Acts 5:29 NIV

But Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We must obey God rather than men."

When you reach this final step in learning to live by faith, you will have victory ... victory over all the faith-shattering things that affect your life. When you can say, "I will obey God rather than men," you will have achieved a level of faith far beyond anything that has gone before in your life.

What does this mean? It means that you will have every scripture we've studied over the past few weeks etched deep within your heart. You won't be giving lip service to faith, you will be living it. You will understand that faith is something that has grown in you to a powerful level - because you've allowed Jesus to illustrate His faithfulness in your life. You will believe that He is who He claims to be. You will believe that all things are possible through Him. You will have prayed for help in your unbelief, and you will know Him and obey Him in all things. You will know that He abides in you, and that He hears you each time you speak to Him. You will have been transformed by the renewing of your mind and spirit, and you will have the right motivation - a desire to glorify God - in everything in your life. You will seek Him first, not your friends or "how to" books or an analyst. And everything you do will be done for His glory. You will spend all day, every day, tuned in to Jesus. If you become confused, you will immediately seek wisdom from Him. All of your prayers will be within His will. You won't seek signs and wonders. You'll seek Him in everything, even those things that seem too small. You will know that your requests will be granted, but also be aware that sometimes He says no. You will be joyful through your trials, and you will pray continually, all day, every day. You will have unnatural expectations regarding the answers to your prayers. You will be of one heart and one voice with other believers, and you will never quench the Spirit when you see Him working. You will never be afraid of anything again, knowing that He is in control. You will hold fast to those things that are good, and avoid those that are evil. You will be prepared for and expect the best, no matter how things look on the surface. You will praise Him when others hate you. You will rest in His love, waiting patiently for His answers. You will know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the war is already won, and that God's greatest riches in Christ Jesus are yours!

Used with Permission