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Practical Christianity:  Obedience, Part 3

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Don

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Practical Christianity:  Obedience, Part 3

(Part 3 of 3)

⚓ Floatie:  The Practice of Obedience

1 John 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.  And his commandments are not burdensome.(ESV)

Obedience sounds heavy until you remember who gave the orders.  When love gives the command, obedience becomes the natural response of the heart that knows it is loved.  The more we trust God’s goodness, the lighter obedience feels.

That’s why John could write that His commands “are not burdensome.”  Obedience becomes suffocating only when we treat it as performance rather than participation.  But when we obey as sons and daughters—participants in the Father’s heart—it becomes oxygen to the soul.

Obedience isn’t about doing more for God; it’s about doing life with Him.

✒️ Forge:  What Obedience Looks Like in Motion

We talk about obedience as if it’s a moment—one act of surrender or one big decision—but it’s really a pattern.  It’s built from thousands of small alignments over time.

  • Obedience in thoughts:  taking every thought captive before it turns into attitude.
  • Obedience in words:  choosing honesty when silence would protect image, or silence when words would wound.
  • Obedience in relationships:  forgiving faster than pride wants to, loving when the return isn’t guaranteed.
  • Obedience in work:  doing the unseen right thing when cutting corners would be easier.
  • Obedience in worship:  praising when you don’t feel it, trusting when you don’t see it.

Each of these is a micro realignment—a step that keeps the compass pointed toward God’s heart.

Note:  This isn’t about living under constant self-scrutiny.  I’ve learned that if obedience feels anxious, I’m trying to earn again.  Real alignment is peaceful, even when it costs something.

⚒ Anvil:  How to Recognize and Correct Drift

Obedience rarely fails in an instant; it erodes in small compromises.  The goal isn’t perfection—it’s awareness.  Here’s how to keep watch:

  1. Ask the motive question.
    Am I obeying out of love or fear?  Love draws you closer; fear builds distance.
  2. Watch the fruit.
    Jesus said we’ll be known by it (Matthew 7:20).  Obedience that produces humility and peace is aligned.  Obedience that produces pride or resentment is not.
  3. Invite examination.
    Ask trusted believers to speak truth into your blind spots.  True obedience welcomes correction.
  4. Respond quickly.
    Delay is the breeding ground of disobedience.  When conviction comes, act.  When confusion comes, wait and listen—alignment requires both motion and stillness.
  5. Return to grace.
    The purpose of obedience isn’t to prove love; it’s to express it.  When you fail, repent, realign, and move forward.  Grace isn’t the opposite of obedience—it’s what makes obedience possible.

Note:  Every one of these steps came through failure first.  I’ve had to relearn obedience through consequences more than through success.  That’s the mercy of God—He uses even my disobedience to teach me His heart.

The Test of Disobedience:  When Not Obeying Becomes the Right Obedience

There’s a fine line between rebellion and discernment, and every believer must learn to walk it.  Scripture shows both sides clearly:  Adam’s disobedience brought death, but the apostles’ disobedience to human authority brought life.  The difference is motive.

Disobedience becomes holy when obedience would require sin.
Disobedience becomes rebellion when pride refuses surrender.

Many of us wrestle here.  Some disobey because they can’t bear being controlled; others because they see hypocrisy in the one commanding them.  That tension isn’t new—it’s the echo of Eden.  Every “Do this” still collides with the question “Why should I?”

Note:  I wrestle with this often.  I resist control instinctively, even when obedience might not cost me anything but pride.  The question I have to ask myself isn’t “Who’s telling me what to do?”  It’s “Who am I refusing to trust?”  God sometimes uses human authority—even flawed authority—to shape humility in me.  When my rebellion is about dignity, He can redeem it.  When it’s about ego, He has to confront it.

Why We Resist

We resist when obedience feels like surrendering control.  That’s not always wrong.  Some authority misuses obedience to manipulate.  God never blesses that.  But we must learn to discern whether we are resisting evil or resisting humility.

  • Righteous disobedience defends truth and protects conscience.
  • Rebellious disobedience defends ego and protects comfort.

Both feel the same at first.  Only fruit reveals which one is speaking.

How to Discern the Difference

  1. Check alignment with Scripture.
    God never commands what He forbids, and He never forbids what He commands.
  2. Check motive.
    Am I resisting because this violates God’s truth—or because it violates my pride?
  3. Check fruit.
    Righteous resistance yields peace, even when costly.  Prideful resistance yields bitterness, even when justified.
  4. Seek counsel.
    Ask a trusted believer who loves you enough to tell the truth.  Pride isolates; wisdom invites community.

Redeeming Rebellion

God doesn’t crush strong wills—He redirects them.  Moses was defiant toward Pharaoh because he first learned obedience toward God.  The same trait that makes you unwilling to be controlled can make you unshakable in conviction when surrendered.

The goal isn’t to silence rebellion but to sanctify it.  Obey God without hesitation.  Resist sin without apology.  And when obedience to man conflicts with obedience to God, stand firm with humility—not hostility.

Disobedience isn’t always failure; sometimes it’s faith refusing to bow to false authority.  But the heart must stay soft enough to hear correction when the refusal comes from pride instead of principle.

🔥 Ember:  The Joy of Hidden Obedience

Some of the greatest acts of obedience never make it into anyone’s testimony.  They happen quietly—when you refuse to gossip, when you choose to pray instead of panic, when you show kindness to someone who cannot repay it.  Heaven notices what the world ignores.

Hidden obedience forms unshakable character because it aligns us when no one else is watching.  That’s where communion deepens.  When we obey unseen, our heart learns to love God for who He is, not for what He rewards.

🌿 Covenant Triumph:  The Freedom of Alignment

We began this series with the fall of obedience—a heart that added rules to protect holiness and ended up breaking intimacy.  We saw Christ restore obedience through perfect alignment:  “Not my will, but Yours be done.”  And now we see that same Spirit teaching us how to live aligned every day.

Obedience, once twisted into control, has been returned to love.
What was once a burden is now a bond.
What was once a test is now a trust.

When the will of man and the will of God move in the same direction, peace replaces striving.  That is freedom—not the freedom to do whatever we want, but the freedom to finally want what is right.

Romans 6:17–18  (17)But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, (18)and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.(ESV)

Freedom and obedience are not opposites—they are identical twins born at Calvary.

So may our obedience no longer be about what we must do, but about who we belong to.  May every “yes” we whisper become a love song in the language of alignment.

Series Reflection:
The fall of obedience revealed our pride.
The restoration of obedience revealed His grace.
The practice of obedience reveals our partnership with Him.

And in that partnership, we discover what Jesus knew all along:
Obedience is not the death of will—it is the resurrection of it.

[⚓ Floatie] [✒️ Forge] [⚒️ Anvil] [🔥 Ember] [🌿 Covenant Triumph]
This post follows the Forge Baseline Rule—layered truth for the discerning remnant.

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4 responses to “Practical Christianity:  Obedience, Part 3”

  1. cleaners4seniors Avatar
    cleaners4seniors

    Good afternoon,
    Still reading as always. Still reading again ….
    Comment/Question
    Strikes me immediately, the word ; Attitude 😖. I’ve always been told since I was a tiny tot, ‘ my attitude’
    Was and (still is), disliked .quite sure I always agree. In knowing the intent of my heart and motives along with how I express myself, the way I speak (think) and respond is not always an attitude problem 🤭
    “Obedience in thoughts: taking every thought captive before it turns into attitude.”

    Reading on . Im sure I can figure this out. Or at least work on defining the word. Certainly I cant have this problem! 😭

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Don Avatar
      Don

      I love how honestly you shared this. The word attitude can feel heavy because it’s usually been used as criticism instead of observation. The truth is, attitude itself isn’t bad—it’s neutral. It’s the outward echo of whatever has been living in our thoughts for a while. A grateful heart shows up as patience. A fearful one shows up as defensiveness. A joyful one shows up as gentleness.

      When I wrote “taking every thought captive before it turns into attitude,” I didn’t mean that every strong reaction is sinful or wrong. I meant that our thoughts always grow roots somewhere, and eventually those roots break the surface. The goal isn’t to suppress emotion but to trace it back to its source and make sure it’s still aligned with the truth.

      And honestly, the fact that you’re reflecting on it like this already shows a teachable heart. People who truly have an attitude problem rarely stop to ask if they do.

      Keep wrestling with definitions and motives—that’s where growth happens. You’re already doing the very thing that obedience in thought looks like: noticing, questioning, and inviting God to help you realign when needed.

      For what it’s worth, I was always told the same thing growing up. I was called loud, obnoxious, arrogant, rude, and more. In recent years I’ve realized that I have a lot of autistic tendencies that can rub people the wrong way. I’m very blunt and usually have no filter. I try to shape the messages I give so they’ll be received in the spirit they’re sent, but doesn’t always land that way. I’ve learned that many people layer meaning into their words; I can’t do that. I prefer clarity. To me, it seems wasteful to make someone guess how I feel or what I mean.

      As far as attitude goes, I will say that some of the upcoming messages may help put language around it. I don’t think attitude will have its own post, but it’s woven through several of the topics ahead.

      This series currently has forty-two messages total. The first twenty-two are focused on biblical topics that need practical teaching—how to live them out day by day. The remaining twenty explore modern issues that need a biblical framing, built on those foundations.

      The first nine are already published. Here’s the working outline:
      Part 1: Foundational Biblical Topics That Need Practical Teaching
      01 Forgiveness — distinguishing between release, reconciliation, and restoration.
      02 Faith — walking in trust beyond visible evidence; faith vs presumption.
      03 Love — covenantal action, not emotional sentiment.
      04 Repentance — posture and direction, not guilt or punishment.
      05 Fellowship — biblical community vs social compatibility.
      06 Discipleship — accountability, growth, and the cost of following.
      07 Worship — lifestyle obedience over musical expression.
      08 Wisdom — silence, discernment, and applied knowledge.
      09 Obedience — not legalism, but alignment of will.
      10 Pride — the drought that devours virtue.
      11 Humility — the soil in which all virtue grows.
      12 Stewardship — of time, money, talent, relationships, and influence.
      13 Holiness — separation unto God, not mere avoidance of sin.
      14 Justice — as covenant restoration, not revenge.
      15 Mercy and Grace — understanding both as extensions of divine authority.
      16 Prayer — alignment of heart, not manipulation of outcome.
      17 Spiritual Warfare — daily discernment, not dramatized conflict.
      18 Identity in Christ — breaking false labels, living as adopted heirs.
      19 Patience and Endurance — long obedience in the same direction.
      20 Temptation — practical strategies for resistance.
      21 Fruit of the Spirit — measurable transformation, not personality traits.
      22 Hope — grounded expectation, not escapism.
      23 Part one capstone.
      ——————————
      Part 2: Modern Topics That Need Biblical Framing
      01 Mental health and spiritual health — understanding trauma, anxiety, and peace biblically.
      02 Identity and purpose — confronting self-definition without divine context.
      03 Fear, control, and faith — learning trust amid uncertainty.
      04 Addiction and deliverance — spiritual roots of bondage.
      05 Suffering and endurance — refining faith through hardship.
      06 Sexual ethics — purity, covenant, and the sanctity of body and soul.
      07 Gender and authority — scriptural design and mutual honor.
      08 Marriage and family — covenant love versus consumer love.
      09 Community and isolation — the loneliness epidemic versus fellowship.
      10 Work and calling — seeing labor as worship.
      11 Wealth, debt, and greed — biblical economics and contentment.
      12 Leadership and accountability — servant leadership versus celebrity culture.
      13 Justice and mercy in society — compassion without compromise.
      14 Politics and kingdom citizenship — loyalty to Christ above ideology.
      15 Technology and distraction — attention stewardship and digital idolatry.
      16 Entertainment and idolatry — what we celebrate reveals what we worship.
      17 Deception and false teaching — discernment in an age of influencers.
      18 Truth and relativism — holding conviction with compassion.
      19 Artificial intelligence and creation — stewardship of human innovation under divine order.
      20 Death and eternity — recovering a biblical hope of resurrection.
      21 Part two capstone.

      Let me know if you see anything that seems missing or if there’s a topic you’d like me to address more deeply. I love insight from readers who are willing to think and question; that’s what makes this project worth doing.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. cleaners4seniors Avatar
        cleaners4seniors

        I see plenty here to work with (through). Im very grateful I can keep coming back and back some more as needed …
        This is also helpful in building my vocabulary. Im a school drop out left home gone off to work.. self taught, went back to pass GED (thanks dad) , and dabbled in trade schools and college classes of interest. Such as physcology and language (espanol) for work communications .
        Attitude for instance, is an example of a word I only know in negative form. Im definitely trying to improve my characteristics. I know I have this stop mode (automatic). Not sure ‘ where’ that stems to. I can see and understand so much more each time , the first step for me to change. Sometimes I dont see, dont get it or understand. But I know enough God Will definitely show me.
        I have a pattern (habit), of shutting off people once they purposely criticize me , make false accusations or give me neck pain.
        I avoid anyone who lies or causes me confusion or creates unnecessary drama and chaos.
        But I cant let this (habit), become a bad block to potentially good/healthy relationships with people.
        I see that. Soo balance as Im learning to not judge harshly and reject often.
        Im pretty sure praying first…will be the right first step here.
        Ugh .. Im a mess apparently.
        But Im grateful you are sharing all this , or else I could be really stuck longer.
        Filter 🤐 thats me. Zip it.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Don Avatar
        Don

        No worries. Always remember that two proverbs on this topic:

        Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kissed of an enemy.
        Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

        A friend can give criticism that hurts, but you’ll know that they are speaking truth for your benefit rather than simply to hurt you. The trick is to find or make a friend that you trust like that. Trust is a very hard thing for me. It’s one of the hardest parts of my journey so far. I find that trust is built over time and through thousands of small interactions that show the character of the person.

        Liked by 1 person

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