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