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The Body of Christ must realize that if we are ever going to fulfill every promise of God in our own lives, and be able to come into our "promised land," then we will have to learn how to completely obey God.

The "land of promise" for the Christian is what God has promised to us in His Word. The Bible tells us about every good thing that already belongs to us. And these promises are our "Canaan" - or Promised Land. We enter into the richness of our promised land in just the same way the children of Israel were supposed to enter into theirs - through obedience.

Some think it's burdensome and difficult to live a good Christian life, and that obedience is a hard taskmaster. Actually, the opposite is true! Disobedience is the hard taskmaster, and all of our difficulties arise from not obeying God. Disobedience allows the devil to bring things against our lives, and it's not God's fault at all. A lot of people would like to blame God for some of their trouble, when actually it was their own disobedience that gave the devil an entrance into their lives in the first place.

The "land of promise" for the Christian is what God has promised to us in His Word. The Bible tells us about every good thing that already belongs to us. And these promises are our "Canaan" - or Promised Land. We enter into the richness of our promised land in just the same way the children of Israel were supposed to enter into theirs - through obedience.

Some think it's burdensome and difficult to live a good Christian life, and that obedience is a hard taskmaster. Actually, the opposite is true! Disobedience is the hard taskmaster, and all of our difficulties arise from not obeying God. Disobedience allows the devil to bring things against our lives, and it's not God's fault at all. A lot of people would like to blame God for some of their trouble, when actually it was their own disobedience that gave the devil an entrance into their lives in the first place.

Promises fulfilled and rewards given come from being obedient to God's Word. Disillusionment, dissatisfaction, depression, fear, and failure all come from being disobedient: They are the offspring of disobedience. So to achieve great faith and to receive your own personal promised land, you must first practice obedience!

It's easy to talk faith! It's easy to talk a good fight. And there are many who have learned how to talk the "faith-talk." But without obedience to God and His Word, they cannot really produce anything for God!

What made Abraham the great man of faith he was? What enabled Abraham to receive the promises of God for his life, against all odds - even old age - and to receive his promised land?

We find the answer in his complete obedience to the commands of God. In Hebrews 11:8, we read, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." Without even knowing where he was going, Abraham left everything to obey God!

It took complete, utter obedience and leaning on what God had said to Abraham to enter the land of promise. But Abraham obeyed, being fully persuaded that what God had said, He was also able to perform (Rom. 4:21).

Let's contrast Abraham's obedience with Saul's disobedience. Both Abraham and Saul heard the command of the Lord. Abraham chose to obey what he heard, and his life was successful because of it.

King Saul, on the other hand, heard the command of the Lord, but refused to obey. And it marked the beginning of his downfall as king of Israel. Saul refused to "hearken," as Abraham had; that is, to hear and to obey. Up to this time, Saul was very humble before God: That meant he obeyed God.

But by refusing to obey, Saul actually gave the devil a platform - a foothold - in his life, one from which he was never able to dislodge himself.

Finally, toward the end of Saul's career as king, he was forced to admit, "&behold I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly" (1 Sam. 26:21).

Do you realize the far-reaching effects of Saul's disobedience? Because of it, Saul lost his inheritance - his promised land!

Was it some great "catastrophe" which ultimately destroyed Saul, and over which he had no control? No! It was merely his own disobedience!

Also notice that this disobedience was spiritual. In other words, to begin with, it wasn't gross outward sin which was readily apparent to all. Rather, it was an inward attitude of the heart that finally resulted in open rebellion to what God had commanded him to do.

Saul played the fool in not obeying God. His life ended by his own sword. Why? Did it have to be that way? Was that God's plan for Saul when He anointed him to be king? Emphatically no! God meant for this young man, the first king of Israel, to lead the whole nation of Israel to great heights. Yet because of disobedience, Saul lost his entire inheritance and never fulfilled the exciting things God had destined for his life.

Many Christians today are in a similar kind of disobedience, although they probably don't realize it. But is has hindered them from receiving God's best in their lives. God also has great victories He wants to lead them into! Yet for some, disobedience is the reason their prayers have not been answered, nor have the longings to their heart been fulfilled.

It may be that God has spoken to their hearts to do something for Him, but they have flatly refused to obey. For others, it may be that they are in opposition to certain principles in God's Word, and therefore, God cannot answer their prayers until they come into line with His Word.

Only you know what God has been speaking to your heart about. All others see is your outward appearance, and even then, sometimes it's only what you wish to portray. No one else knows what God has told you to do.

Now at first glance, receiving God's best just by being obedient sounds so simple and easy. But upon consideration, we sometimes think that it can't possibly be that easy. So we go into a long drawn-out discourse with seventeen steps on how to receive from God and twenty-five more steps on how to obtain the highest kind of faith.

But the highest kind of faith simply comes with one step: Complete obedience to all that God has said - "If God said it, I believe it." That's all there is to it. That's real faith - and obedience is how you get it!

It's so simple. Yet we have made obedience seem so difficult! Any time we do not receive from God, we need to find out if there is any area in which we have failed to obey God. There is never any problem has to be with the receiver - us. Most of the time, when we fail to receive from God, there is some disobedience standing in the way, though it may be ever so subtle.

Usually, when the word "disobedience" is mentioned, everyone immediately thinks about the obvious overt sins such as lying and stealing. But the Body of Christ needs to recognize some other areas which God also sees as disobedience.

For example, not obeying God in the principles of His Word, is disobedience. When you get up grumbling in the morning, instead of praising God, that's disobedience. Because God said through David, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it." (Ps. 118:24).  

We really disobey the Lord in ways that we don't think of as sin, and then we complain when we can't seem to come into all of the bountiful of God.

Or, suppose someone gives you a job to do, and you're not qualified as you feel you should be. Complaining that you are not qualified is disobedience. Why? Because in my Bible I says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4: 13). Notice that it says ALL things - not just spiritual things, but all things.

Another area that Christians may fail to recognize as disobedience, is the area of doubt. In the Old Testament, when the people doubted and refused to believe God to take them into Canaan, God called that an "evil report." They couldn't enter their promised land with an evil report, and neither can you!

The promises of God have already been given to you. They contain all the good things that are yours by inheritance. But you will have to believe them, and completely obey God, in order to receive them. And you will have to go back to where you missed it, and get back in line with God and His Word before you will qualify as "willing and obedient" (Isa. 1:19).

If you really believe what God said, then you will obey Him. And you will receive from Him whatever you need!

Source: The Life of Obedience by Kenneth Hagin, Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications

Author Biography

Kenneth W. Hagin
Web site: Kenneth Hagin Ministries
 
Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, ministers around the world. Known for calling the Body of Christ to steadfast faith, he seizes every ministry opportunity to impart an attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.”
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