02/04/2026
Obedience.
What does that mean to you?
What does it make you think?
When my kids were young I wanted them to obey. I remembered my frustration when they chose not too.Through the years, God used them to step on my toes about my relationship with Him.
I Samuel 15:22 Samuel tells King Saul:
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams."
Saul chose to people please rather than obey God. His greatest enemy was his own insecurities. He longed for approval.
Instead of seeking to please God, he turned to men. I wonder if he was still wrestling with the fear of not being enough?
* Shāma - hearing & obeying. It is not just hearing. There are no excuses, no performance.
*Zebāhîm - sacrifices. Religious activity can be faked, obedience reveals the heart.
*Qōl /kohl/ voice. It is more than a sound. It represents His authority, His presence, His will.
Abba's full pleasure is when we Hear-Listen-Obey Him.
Ignoring His voice is NOT a passive mistake, but a relational offense. It is choosing me/man over Him.
Partial obedience is not obedience. It is management. God is not looking for managers. His kingdom and mission is too valuable and important. He is, however, desiring and looking for Sons and Daughters who will listen to His voice and obey after receiving revelation of what He wants us to do in the moment we are in.
Will I trust Him and obey or walk and do things My own way?
Father, you have made it abundantly plain in scripture that your desire our surrendered heart. Flesh-man tends to get in the way. Jesus taught us that the hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers will worship You in spirit and in truth; that is the worship You seek.
So, today I want to slow down, lay everything down and ask you to examine and test my heart, my motives. Show and tell me what I need to know. Do I need to repent? Your word reminds me that the heart can be full of deceit (deceitful). I remember when You told me several years ago that there was pride and rebellion in my heart. I had said I didn't know what you were talking about and asked you to show me. 😔
Thank You for your patience and faithfulness. It was a long process of repeated fasting and seeing ugliness exposed. Confessing, renouncing, and allowing You in to heal and make new. Even though there has been a lot or repentance, is there anything else? I want a heart, mouth, life that is fully submitted and committed to pleasing You and You alone. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in me. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one. Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the power, and Yours is the glory forever. Amen.
Abiding in Him,
Valerie Jones
Menõ - to be still, to wait and lean into the moment. In the waiting and connection to Him, fruit will be produced in this life He has given me to live. John 15:4-8
