No More Buts

Obedience to God is surrendering to Him. Surrendering to God is letting Him decide for you. You might be saying that you have given God the authority to decide in your life but deep down you may be thinking, “But, Lord, if You could just let this happen… or if You could just do this one thing for me.” In reality, you still want things to go your way and not God’s way. Remember the words of Jesus, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” – Luke 6:46. When you treat God as Lord, He has a say in all you do and He never makes a mistake!

Obedience to God is submitting to His will. It is a “Yes, Lord!” It does not seek for excuses. It does not procrastinate. It does not reason out. It does not dwell on the “buts”. It says, “Let your will be done, Lord.” When walking with God, learn to respond with “So be it, LORD.” Such was the response of Prophet Jeremiah to God’s message to him and Israel. Jeremiah said to God, “So be it, LORD.”-Jeremiah 11:5. That is just similar to saying your “amen” at the end of your prayer. Amen basically means “so be it”. It connotes your reliance on God. When you pray and say amen, you are actually professing and declaring that you agree with God and you trust in His will for your life. That amen then translates out into an ongoing obedience. Living out the amen in your prayer is that daily surrendering to God. You show it in your obedience to Him. Furthermore, obeying God is an indication that you abide in the love of God. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” – John 15:10. The truth is, sometimes, it is not easy to say “Yes, Lord, so be it!”. The flesh is at war with the spirit. But as you consistently trust God to do things His way and allow Him to work in your life, the act of saying yes to Him becomes easier. It takes daily practice of faith in God. You cannot say yes and so be it to someone you don’t trust. So for you to be able to say that to God, you have to trust Him. You have to give total faith to God. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6.