Dear church,

“Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.” – Joshua 11:18

True obedience is not achieved overnight. Yes, we might muster, in a moment, a very strong act of faith in following God’s call on our lives. This should be celebrated. Suddenly, we find ourselves doing something God has been asking us to do for some time. Perhaps we are tithing for the first time, or perhaps we are breaking off relationships that pull us away from God. 

This is obedience. But it is not the end of obedience. Obedience lives primarily in the “follow through.” Day after day, moment after moment, we must continue to say “yes” to God’s commands for our lives. We must continue to believe in God and his plan in a steadfast way, even when things get difficult and even when we continually run into roadblocks. 

The first step is that big moment when you break the inertia and move in the direction of God. The next step is not so glamorous. It’s a small step, where you continue moving in that direction by doing the next thing God has called you to do. The smallest of steps can be the hardest.

For instance, the first step may be to delete the computer apps that show you inappropriate material. The second step is to resist the temptation every day to reinstall them. Sometimes those temptations are brutally hard. But we have help (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Chris