Walking in Obedience pt. 1

King David illustration

David was a man after God’s own heart. The Holy Spirit indwell him because he was a king. God did not take His Holy Spirit from him when he sinned w/Bathsheba & her husband. His life, though not always, was overall characterized by walking in obedience. Yet, sin infiltrated & kept him from JOY & FELLOWSHIP for 9 months (Psalm 51:12)

What is “walking in obedience” or “walking in the light”?

possible answers:

Repentant heart (1 John 1:6; 2:9-11)

Acting in a way consistent with Truth, choosing not to be “carried away” by our flesh (James 1:14)

Actively putting off sin & putting on fruit, living out the identity we already have been given!! (Colossians 3)

DEPENDENCY

Walking IN STEP with the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16)

Inner integrity

King David, in his great psalm of confession after his sin with Bathsheba, gives expression to a simple yet profound truth. He says to God, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts.” (Psalm 51:6). In another psalm we read, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” (Psalm 66:18). And in the Book of Proverbs we are told, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13). Clearly, God values inner integrity, and the absence of this in our hearts is precisely what it means to “walk in darkness.”

- Zane Hodges, Walking in the Light of God’s Love, p.64

Standing of righteousness

Jesus is CONTINUALLY cleansing us from known & unknown sin. If we confess it right when we notice it, this evidences INNER INTEGRITY.

“If I fail to confess a sin that I’m not aware of, is fellowship broken? No.

Confession is for when I’ve been persisting in known sin; disagreeing with God about it.” - Mark Strout

this is because what God desires is our hearts before our actions. He wants dependency and repentance. Repentance signifies agreeing with God about our sin, knowing it is not okay because of His holiness. Sin does not remove our righteousness or ability to approach God at ALL, it does hinder our fellowship & therefore our joy. Psalm 16:11 says IN HIS PRESENCE IS JOY. the closer in fellowship we are with Him, the more full our joy! if we choose harboring known sin in our lives over loving Him most, fellowship is hurt. If I were married and cheating on my husband, obviously our relationship would be affected and hurt! That is what it’s like to choose sin over God.

Repentant heart. Choosing to live according to truth. Integrity. Dependency. Being filled with the Spirit.

What are specific ways you can walk in obedience tomorrow? This week? On break? This summer?

God deserves nothing less than us walking in obedience. it is for His glory and our good.