Vital signs- Thursday, January 20th, 2022

“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’”

(Acts 5:29)

You cannot obey God unless He enables you to do so: “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). And “it is God who works in [us] both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Obedience to God is like breathing. Is breathing a gift of God? Of course it is. God gives you lungs and God gives you air. But you can suffocate if you want. Obedience is a gift of God in the sense that God gives you the will—God works in you—but there comes a decision, and God is not going to force you to obey Him. We can’t shrug our shoulders and say, “Well, if God wants it to happen, it’ll happen.” No! There is a decision to be practiced. You must say, “I will obey Him.”

• Where are you currently faced with a decision of obedience or disobedience?

• How will you respond today?

Take steps toward obedience in a specific situation in your life today.