Thank you for visiting again. This post is the continuity of our previous post. We will briefly discuss the remaining items of the list (“Obstacles to Obedience”).
Inner Tug
Ever felt pulled in two directions? That’s the struggle between what I want and what I know is right—God’s will. It’s that inner battle between comfort and conviction. Remember the rich young man who wanted eternal life. He found it hard to part with his riches and possessions (Matthew 19:16-22). Jesus taught him that following God isn’t just about checking boxes. It’s about what’s in your heart. Sometimes, it means giving up what you value most.
It includes going along with the crowd even when I know it’s not the right thing to do. This tug-of-war is normal; it’s part of figuring out my faith. True obedience is not just knowing what’s right, it’s choosing to do right even when it’s tough. Trusting that God’s plan is better than mine brings real peace, even in the struggle.
Overwhelming Commands
Sometimes God’s commands can feel super overwhelming. Like being told to climb Everest without any training—you’re just like, “Uh, where do I even begin?” That feeling can totally block us from being obedient.
There are few very good examples, Imagine being Noah. God instructs you to build a massive boat. It is something no one had ever seen before. You have to do this in the middle of dry land. Not only that, but you have to gather two of every animal on Earth. Putting it all together it was an overwhelming task! It must have felt completely overwhelming. Put yourself in the tracks of Moses, he felt inadequate and overwhelmed by the task, despite his feelings of inadequacy. He led one of the greatest acts of deliverance in the history of mankind.
When we feel overwhelmed by God’s commands, we should remember these examples. It’s essential to focus on doing our part. We should take the next step in faith. We must trust that God will help us on our journey of obedience.
Inconvenience
Obedience is rarely convenient. In fact, it’s often downright inconvenient. It disrupts our carefully laid plans, demands sacrifices of our time and resources, and pushes us outside our comfort zones. This inconvenience can be a significant hurdle on our journey of faith.
Why is inconvenience a challenge? We naturally seek comfort and ease, wanting control over our lives. Yet, obedience often means giving up that control. It requires trusting that God’s plan, even if it’s inconvenient, is for our good and His glory. It’s during these inconvenient times of obedience that we often grow and receive the greatest blessings.
Pride
Pride creates a barrier between us and God. It inflates our ego. It makes us believe we’re the experts. We think we don’t need direction. We assume that rules don’t apply to us. It feeds us lines like, “I’ve got this,” or “I know what I’m doing,” fostering a sense of self-sufficiency. But this independent spirit directly opposes obedience, which is rooted in humility and submission to God.
The example of King Uzziah, a powerful and successful king, who allowed his pride to lead him astray. He entered the temple and attempted to burn incense, a sacred duty reserved only for the priests. Despite warnings from the priests, the king stubbornly insisted on performing this priestly act. This act of blatant disobedience, driven by his pride. This pride became the cause of his leprosy. For us this is a reminder of the pitfalls of pride and its consequences.
There is a lot of learning in the examples of these obstacles to obedience. However, let me remind you that this is not an exhaustive list. Please feel free to share. This section completes this post.
Let’s meet again, hoping to see you visit again.
