Obedience Brings Blessings!

How important is it to obey and what happens when we choose to disobey?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Ephesians 6:1-3 "6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth..”

Colossians 3:22 "22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;."

Hebrews 13:17 "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."

1 Peter 4:16-17 "16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

Deuteronomy 4:1 “4 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you."

1 Samuel 15:22 22 And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams."

John 15:14 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (Jesus’ speaking)"

Galatians 5:13-14 "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

2 John 1:6 "And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it."

We lose blessings when we disobey

Numbers 20:7-12 … "7 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them."

Judges 2:1-3 2 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.”

Joshua 5:6 "6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey."

Nehemiah 9:20, 26-27 "You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. (Israel confessing their sins to the LORD)"

Romans 2:6-8 "He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury."

Blessings for Obedience

"Genesis 22:17-18 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (The LORD speaking to Abraham through an angel)"

Proverbs 13:13 "Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded."
Psalms 1:1-2 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night."

Luke 11:28 "But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Jesus speaking)"

Ephesians 5:6 "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."

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Covert Aggressors, Avoid Them

This is a very common tactic with narcissists! There are many forms this takes, but the goal is clear and that is to devalue the target to do harm, after which the narcissist will act innocent and hurt that anyone would accuse them of their covert tactics. My goal in spending time on this is to bring healing. When we know what we are up against, we can take steps to remove ourselves while choosing healthy friends who don't play these games. Those who have the love of Christ in their hearts do not do these things. Many who claim to be "Christian" will use these tactics, they are either new believers or unsaved. A seasoned believer understands the love of God and do not do these things.

John 13:35 ""By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." 

https://www.facebook.com/PsychopathFree/photos/a.188747811259454.46559.188069334660635/699581130176117/?type=3&theater

Beware of the Covert Manipulator

Beware of those who would tell you what others are saying about you. It is not one of good character who would deliberately relay a message from others about you, that they know will only upset you.

Remember that if they will be so unkind as to created hurt and anger in you with this information, then they are likely to lie outright about what really happened. After all, isn't their aim to cause strife and division, making themselves the hero in your eyes, for disclosing a secret or confidence.

I have never met a person of integrity who goes to someone and shares something mean said about them. Anyone who will do this, is probably lying, perhaps distorting truth to make it seem bad or wrong when the comments might have been completely innocent.

A person who lacks integrity will change the story to make it something that it was not, using embellishing language, for no other purpose except to destroy relationships, even making them look like the hero for disclosing information.

2 Timothy 3:13 "But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."

Psalm 109:2-4 "For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer."

Jeremiah 9:3 "They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the Lord."

Romans 16:17-18 "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve."

Get away from such people as the Scripture says, they work to destroy relationships even lying against God.

Watch Out For These Depraved Individuals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fadWCj7_5qI

Godly People Love Truth, They Do Not Hide

When we put the truth above all things, and another person we are friends with also loves truth, then that person is our brother or sister.

Matthew 12:48-50
"But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

1 John 4:20
"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."

John 13:32-35
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1 John 4:12
"No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."

Matthew 12:50
"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Romans 12:9
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good."

1 Corinthians 6:17
"But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him."

1 John 3:14
"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death."

When we encounter people who lack love, then we have found someone who pretends to be a brother/sister, but does not possess the fruit of the Spirit. When we encounter those who work to demean, malign and attack us, even showing disdain for correction in the Word, then we have met someone who is not our brother/sister. Not everyone who claims to be a brother or sister has been born again, Matthew 7:21-23 tells us this.

Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

A brother or sister deeply loves his/her siblings in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:26
"If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."

Romans 12:15
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."

I believe there are not many of these devoted and loving people left in our culture today. We are living in the end days of 2 Timothy 3. Don't feel as though something is wrong with you because of the constant rejection or gossip against you, it is now normal for a believer to be targeted for emotional abuse by those who have rebellion in their hearts. They will work to turn others against us without a cause, even concocting a cause to deceive.

John 8:44
""You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Galatians 3:1 "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?"

Many families have been bewitched by the liars and deceivers, they are under the spell of a fraction of people who have displayed a persona of righteousness while their heart is a ravenous wolf who desires to devour the one for which they have contempt.

Galatians 5:9
"A little yeast leavens the whole lump of dough. "

One or two people in a family can control the thoughts of all the others by their cleverness.

We can rejoice that Christ has a purpose in all that we go through, every person we encounter who has attacked us, is nothing more than training in how to respond and even to let go when there is no possibility of change. I glory in the lessons I have learned, when the lesson is over then the Lord moves me on to new people and new circumstances.

Romans 8:28
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Hallelujah!!! Remember that the Lord does not require us to remain in relationships that do not encourage us in the Lord, perhaps even discouraging us by their tactics.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."

Romans 12:19
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

We do not desire to exact revenge, but we are never commanded to remain in the lives of those who seek to destroy us.

Proverbs 29:11
"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back."

Exodus 14:14
"The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

James 1:19-20
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

Ephesians 4:31-32
"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Ephesians 6:12
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

When we have forgiveness in our hearts and the evil man is broken and repentant, then we can forgive and restore the one who went astray.

Proverbs 17:13
"He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house."

Proverbs 28
"The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long continue.
3 A poor man who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law strive against them.
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit[a]
gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.
9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.
10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way
will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
17 If one is burdened with the blood of another,
he will be a fugitive until death;
let no one help him.
18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,
but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.
19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is not good,
but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
22 A stingy man hastens after wealth
and does not know that poverty will come upon him.
23 Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
than he who flatters with his tongue.
24 Whoever robs his father or his mother
and says, “That is no transgression,”
is a companion to a man who destroys.
25 A greedy man stirs up strife,
but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
28 When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,
but when they perish, the righteous increase."