Saying No to God: Is Your Disobedience Causing You to Fail?
How many times have we told God, ‘No’? Have you ever told God no, blatantly or indirectly by not following His instructions?
We can enter into a place of disobedience when we do not follow God’s instructions. The Word of God tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Obedience is greater to God than anything else than you can offer or give to Him. Disobedience is not only refusing to obey rules or His authority, but by also failing to obey. The Bible tells us that disobedience is not keeping his commandments and when we don’t follow them, then it is not demonstrating love to God (John 14:15). Timothy also said that in the last days when people will be lovers of self, disobedient to their parents; if we look at God as our Abba, then we are such people that Timothy told others to avoid. This questions God’s authority in our lives. We declare that we surrender and give our lives away to Christ, but yet we still desire our own way. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord; and do not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)
Until we embrace that our lives are not our own, then we will remain unhealed, in bondage, and not delivered. Everyone knows what happened to Jonah when he refused to give God his ‘yes’. and take the cruise over to Ninevah. His life ended up off course and he suffered many setbacks because of it. It wasn’t until he obeyed the instruction of God, that his life then began to change for the better
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In 2 Kings 5, Naaman was a great and honorable man. Through him the Lord brought deliverance to Syria, but the Bible says that Naaman was a leper. He received instructions from Elisha to go and wash in the Jordan river seven times in order to be healed, but Naaman became irritated and upset by the instruction. Naaman questioned God’s instruction and wanted to know why he could not just go to another river and wash there. It vexed him that he had to go specifically to the Jordan to get his healing.
Sometimes, we can’t be picky or choose our place of healing and deliverance. Naaman’s servants had to convince him to follow the instructions of the Prophet Elisha. Once he followed this instruction, going to the Jordan and washing seven times, he was healed of his leprosy and his skin returned to a childlike state. For some of you, there is a designated place that is assigned to your breakthrough. You must be mindful when you find yourself catching feelings about an instruction given;it could mean the difference between you being healed or you remaining afflicted.
Thank God for Naaman’s servants who were in his ear about following instructions. Get some good people of integrity around you that have your best interest at heart. They could have very well agreed with Naaman and said, “You’re right, you should be able to wash seven times in your own well, Master.”
How many times have we told God, no through our disobedience and actions or refusals? What happens when we disobey God? Disobedience often results in failure. We close our ears (our hearts) to his instructions. The Bible says Naaman was wroth and went away (2 Kings 5:11). He left his place of healing. He said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.” Naaman wanted a quick fix. He wanted a pop-up blessing on new wave oven time. He didn’t want to put in the work. It made him angry to know that he had to do anything to be healed! Some of the very things that you’re waiting for God to heal you on requires you to move towards healing first. We must get our hearts right to be able to receive next level instructions from the Lord. Hardened hearts don’t get healed; but God can work with a heart of flesh (Ezekial 36:26). This is really a matter of the heart.
Like Naaman, many of us become angry at the instruction of God rather than just obeying it and we send our own lives off course. There is nothing special or magical that you need to do except follow God’s instructions, which is where the blessing is. Jonah, Naaman and others have disobeyed, but through obedience they were able to be healed, set free, and delivered. If you have been in a place of disobedience and your life has gotten off course, it’s not too late to go to Abba, repent and go back to the instruction given to you. Naaman’s obedience healed him while his disobedience delayed his healing. His blessing was in the instructions all along - not the act of him washing in the water seven times. Be careful not to get angry and dismiss divine instructions for your life.