When we give God only partial obedience, it can ruin our chances of experiencing God’s best for us. Partial obedience in God’s eyes is total disobedience. No matter how we obey or what the circumstances are, God says it’s disobedience.
MY STORY
My parents owned a restaurant for 21 years and I was their manager. We needed to hire a new waitress. A woman had come in and filled out an application and I went ahead and gave her an interview the same day. I told her that I would have to pray about my decision first and that I would give her an answer in the morning. I had also asked her if she could start training the following day if I get an ok from the Lord in prayer. She said yes she could.
When she left a customer that was sitting in the dining room called me over to the table and proceeded to tell me that the woman I was interviewing had a bad reputation and he warned me not to hire her.
I had pretty much decided that I wanted to hire her before I talked with the customer, but after the conversation we had, I started to doubt my decision.
The next morning in prayer God shows me this verse.
Isaiah 2:22 which says, "Don't put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?"
Of course, I kept thinking about what the customer had told me. And the what-ifs and the doubt made their way into my mind and convinced me to hold off a few more days to make sure I heard the Lord correctly.
Reasoning, questioning, confusion, and doubt all come from the devil. God does not make you question what he has told you to do. So when you start to make excuses and reason with the Lord’s answer to your prayer then you need to tell the devil to leave!
Which is not what I did! I chose to listen to the devil.
So I called her and told her that she can start on Monday (2 days later).
Then sometime that afternoon, God shows me that I had only given him partial obedience. I should have brought her in for training the next day as I told her I would do when we spoke during the interview- not 2 days later. He clearly showed me in the bible that I was not to put my trust in what others say. He had given me the ok to hire her, but I chose to wait out of fear, because of the warning I received from the customer.
I was afraid of what the customers would say if I had hired her. Their opinion was more important to me than obeying what God said. And I thought that I was still obeying cuz I hired her. I just chose to have her come in on a different day instead of the next day like I should have done. She did start on Monday, but only lasted 2 days before she quit.
GOD’S REACTION TO PARTIAL OBEDIENCE
If I had only obeyed God’s voice, yes, she may or may not have worked out, but because I partially obeyed I was being disciplined. So of course I had some anger at myself and God. And I was wishing I could go back in time and tell this lady she could start the next day.
You know how you used to feel when you were disciplined at home as a child. You knew the discipline would only be for a short time. But you still had to throw a fit about it. A part of me knew God was going to provide a waitress for me. I just had to ask for forgiveness and be thankful for his correction. And definitely try not to do it again the next time.
Hebrews 12:5-7 says," My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves…Endure hardships as discipline; God is treating you as sons and daughters. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"
His judgment is perfect. You don’t need to know why he does what he does. You just need to trust him. He already knows what is going to happen in the future. God is completely and perfectly in control of everything. So you have no reason to worry.
Matthew 10:29-31 says," Are there not two sparrows sold for a small coin? But not one of them will die without the Father knowing about it already. Even the hairs on your head are all counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows."
CHOOSING TO TRUST GOD
So when you do not understand, you must choose to trust him and stay close to him. God controls your boss at work. He controls your spouse, your employees, children, friends, everyone, and everything that walks this earth.
God doesn’t want you to partially obey him. He wants you to fully obey him. And that means you must choose to trust even when it doesn’t make sense. He is like your parent. He wants what is best for you and sometimes that means being disciplined for not obeying completely. It’s his way of showing you that he cares enough to not want you to do it again. And believe me if you have ever partially obeyed you don’t ever want to do it again. It taught me to obey God immediately no matter what I thought or anyone else thought. God got his point across and I learned my lesson.
A PRAYER FOR AN OBEDIENT HEART
Heavenly Father, Thank you for correcting me and showing me the pride that I have inside. Please help me to overcome the fear of what others think. And help me to have an obedient heart. I want to be able to trust you no matter what and to have faith that you will provide. I know now that whatever your word says I am to obey immediately. Help me to obey no matter what I think. Thank you so very much for your grace. I love you. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
CONCLUSION
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- All verses are in the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.
