In this journey I found Dr. Mike Murdock; I am so grateful to God for him. In September I had written down this list of things he has taught me. It is a true and heartfelt list. I share them in honor of his great life and example:

1. Thank you for teaching me that I must talk verbally with the Lord; that thoughts are not prayers.
2. Thank you for teaching me that God does not respond to our pain, but to our pursuit.
3. Thank you for teaching me that God is not in charge of my decisions, but that I am responsible for pursuing wisdom and understanding and making decisions based on what I know.
4. Thank you for teaching me that God’s Word is the basis of every decision and that it does not work unless applied in obedience.
5. Thank you for teaching me that God’s judgments and curses are as much a part of the covenant as His blessings and that it is my responsibility to know if I have done wrong and am being judged, or if I have done well and am under attack–that the Holy Spirit will discern the difference with His Word.
6. Thank you for teaching me that God will not teach me what He has given another to teach, so I must pursue godly counsel as well as pursuing God.
7. Thank you for teaching me that the Holy Spirit is the only person of the Godhead presently on the earth and that I must stay in constant relationship with Him.
8. Thank you for teaching me that I shouldn’t and don’t have to give up, that I can always reach out for God in my darkest hour.

Thank you, Dr. Murdock.

If you are looking for sound, biblical guidance, I wholeheartedly endorse Dr. Murdock. You can find him online at http://wisdomonline.com I highly suggest subscribing to his Morning Motivation daily devotional–it’s short and always great.

Obedience is self abandon. As Dr. Mike Murdock so aptly says, "Submission does not begin until agreement ends." Obedience is submission to an instruction. What has God spoken that I have not submitted to? Has any one else given me an instruction I have not followed? The heart of obedience is in submission.

Authority is the right to give an instruction and expect it to be followed. Submission is the recognition of the right of the authority, and choosing to honor the authority by the act of obedience. Intention, while important at every level, is not submission nor obedience. The intention to submit is not submission. The intention to obey is not obedience. I can hide rebellion by saying my intention was good even though I did not do the act of obedience, but in the end I was rebellious to the instruction and to the authority who gave it.

I should never justify my wrong motives or intentions, nor should I allow them to take precedence over obedience. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is not my optimal goal, but not doing the right thing because of a wrong intention is rebellion. I can choose to submit to an authority even if I do not have the desire to submit. God will honor the submission, and will help my intentions become more pure if I am honest with myself and willing to come into God’s Presence for His transforming grace.

Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. (KJV)

Jeffrey C. Tratt 2009-09-06