I believe I’ve finally developed a definition that is simple, accurate, and easily understood concerning… Disobedient: anytime we act (including speak) contrary to what we KNOW the Lord wants us to do, say. I think that there really isn’t unthinking disobedience. And yet, we may not be aware of the fallout and ramifications from our disobedience…. however, there are always results. I sometimes think we don’t realize what we are doing when we respond with a ‘no’. Do we appreciate that the Lord chose us for something special? Our view of the importance is really irrelevant. However, what is our action once we are aware?
Consider the example of Jonah. Jonah said ‘no’ to the Lord sending him to an enemy – consciously and deliberately and then tried to run away, and look what happened. In a whale. When he (kinda) repented and said he would do what the Lord asked, he was incredibly effective. Don’t get me wrong. He was also irritated that what he did resulted in the positive outcome – he was not pleased. This shows us a number of thigs about when we are disobedient: Did we know what we had been asked to do? What was/is our whale? Have we repented and finally done what was asked? The effect of this? How did we feel? And know that nowhere does it tell us that we have to like the result
One of the realities of when we say ‘no’ to God is that we ARE being disobedient. And this act compounds the situation in that we are then missing a blessing. We do need to realize too that the Lord never leaves a dire situation to chance – He always has a backup plan and then the person who responds to the Lord with a ‘yes’ receives the blessing. I have never believed that we are indispensable… that the fate of (fill in the blank) is entirely in our hands. While the Lord chooses to work through us, He will never put someone else at our mercy. I do believe that what happens is that we, who have been asked, lose a blessing.
The question remains… what do we do with our disobedience? Once we realize our sin, do we simply ‘stiff upper lip’ it? And this gets us….? Perhaps we acknowledge and seek restoration? Maybe we attempt to ignore and hope it goes away? Fortunately for me, I remember the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Quick summary: once the son realized that he had sinned and that his father’s servants were better cared for then he was, he determined to come back to his father, repent, and ask to be a servant. And his reception? The father threw a feast for the errant son.
Point? That we don’t need to fear rejection but that we will be welcomed back into the family once we recognize our disobedience, repent of the behavior, and vow to not repeat that heart and mindset. It won’t continually be held over our head. (Read the story in Corinthians of the sinning man and his repentance.) However, we did miss the blessing of obedience but we don’t have to continue to compound it.
I believe that the bottom line is who we become as a result of the things we do/say and how we repent and move on. Remember – in repenting if we hold onto what we did and shouldn’t have done, we live in bondage. That’s not the Lord’s plan for any of us. We may be wounded but there is always a place for us. Disobedience does have its own results, but the examples in scripture of those who sinned and still were used, some mightily, by the Lord should serve as our hope. We aren’t cut off, we are still part of the family.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, AMP)
