Obedience

to Father God

Genesis-Chapter-2/:16  The LORD God commanded (Adam) the man,
saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil, thou shalt not eat of it:
for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou (and all thy seed/DNA) shalt surely die.

Genesis-Chapter-3/: 11  (edited) He said, (to Adam) Hast thou eaten of the tree,
whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 The man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, & I did eat.
13  The LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?
The woman said, The serpent beguiled me, & I did eat.
14  The LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above: all cattle & every beast of the field.  Upon thy belly shalt thou go & dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15  I will put enmity between thee & the woman + between thy & her seed, who shall bruise thy head; & thou shalt bruise his heel.
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow & thy conception. 
In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.  Thy desire shall be to thy husband, who shall rule over thee.
17  Unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife & eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt NOT eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake. 
In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also & thistles shall it bring forth to thee.  Tthou shalt eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground,
for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art & unto dust shalt thou return.
20 Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21 Unto Adam also & his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins & clothed them.
22 The LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as 1 of us, to know good & evil:
Now, lest he put forth his hand & take also of the tree of life, eat & live for ever:
23 The LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man.  He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims & a flaming sword which turned every way, to protect the tree of (Eternal) life.
(From now on eternal life is not automatic, but rather elective. Regular repentance is mandatory: 
My Son, Yeshua/Jesus & My Holy Spirit both must be invited into your life. 
3rd, the ministry of My army host must be invited into your life. 
This is My protocol for each human physically born on earth, in order to be spiritually born-again into & to progressively function in My spiritual kingdom.)

To the Law

Acts 5:7-10 TPNT  Ananias & Sapphirah -
7It was about a 3 hour interval when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 
8Peter declared to her, "You must tell me, if you sold the field for so much?"  She said, "Indeed, so much." 
9Peter said to her, "Why was it agreed between you to test the Spirit of the Lord? 
Behold the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door & will carry you out." 
10She fell at once at his feet & expired.

Commentary

Ananias & Sapphirah had a number of problems.  1 of them was to compromise (come short) in their obedience to God; for the disciples were His stewards, but the congregation were also stewards. However, Sapphirah is the focus of this message.  Seemingly, she was obeying what she understood to be the letter of the Law (or her husband, who spiritually is the head of the household & family business), rather than the Heart of the Law (intentions & purposes of God).  When a mate, an employee, a soldier, nurse, etc. obeys to the letter, any law (legal ruling/doctrine/dictate/order) & disregards the heart of it, that becomes sin or spiritual disobedience.  Killing can become murder.  God's highest law is Love.  [1 woman after marrying her boyfriend, asked him for permission to retrieve their infant being put up for adoption.  He refused.  Years later they both greatly mourned this final choice.  (If the wife had acted on her heart & disregarded the decision of her husband, perhaps that child could have been spared of many heartaches.)]  Sapphirah's catering to what she perceived to be her mate's (secret) intentions, forfeited her life.  Likewise, Ananias forfeited his life.  They both thought they could conceal their shortchanging God in their tithe.  1 of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is revelation of hidden things. 
God looks at the heart.  The disciples discerned that a lie needed to be exposed.  Most of the generation in which Jesus lived, missed recognizing Him as Messiah, because they were looking at the letter of the law in stead of the heart of the law.  Adam, when he conceded to Eve regarding eating the forbidden fruit, is another example of allowing another person (or idea of mandatory obedience) to short circuit our right choices. 
When we use our head rather than our heart in matters of love & obedience to God, then we can end up sabotaging ourselves, our health & some-times even our relationship to God. 
Father God, in Jesus name, come daily & help + protect us in our choices.  Thanks.  Amen.
Finally, some allow their emotions to dictate their actions.  Dangerous. 
Only the word of God should be our final guide. 
If our religious understanding of Scripture contradicts Love, then beware. 
It is likely spiritual law, rather than Love.  In an emergency, yell out to God to help you decide. 
Often the FIRST thoughts are His, while the following thoughts come to argue or contradict Him.  Blessings.

Obedience to the Holy Spirit
Scripture

Genesis 22:18 NIV -
In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

Numbers 20:7-13 TLB in Kwikscan  7He said to Moses,
8"Get Aaron's (literally, 'Get the rod.') rod; then you and Aaron must summon the people.  As they watch, speak to that rock over there & tell it to pour out its water.  You will give them water from a rock, enough for all the people & their cattle."
9So Moses did as instructed.  He took the rod from the place where it was kept before the Lord;
10then Moses & Aaron summoned the people to come & gather at the rock; & he said to them, "Listen, you rebels.  Must we bring you water from this rock?" 
11Then Moses lifted the rod & struck the rock twice.  Water gushed out.  The people & their cattle drank. 
12But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did NOT believe Me [literally, "did not sanctify Me"
The Lord had said to SPEAK TO the rock.  (Instead) Moses struck it, not once, but twice.] & did not sanctify Me in the eyes of the people of Israel, you shall NOT bring them into the land I have promised them."
13This place was named Meribah (meaning "Rebel waters"), because it was where the people of Israel fought against Jehovah, & where He showed Himself to be holy before them.
Numbers 20:23-24 TLB in Kwikscan
23Then the Lord said to Moses & Aaron at the border of the land of Edom,
24"The time has come for Aaron to die, for he shall NOT enter the land I have given the people of Israel, for the 2 of you rebelled against My instructions concerning the water at Meribah."

Jeremiah 7:23 KJV This is what I commanded them, saying, "Obey My voice, & I will be your God, & you will be My people; & you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you."

Obedience to the Holy Spirit
 Publications

Bevington, G. C. - Remarkable Miracles (Easyread Large Edition) - Google - Read on-line.  Edited Excerpt:
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11351&forum=34 -
"Well, as the meeting progressed, these 4 said several times that I must come over into their neighborhood, to which I paid no attention as my hands were full there.  But they kept urging me until finally I said...
'Well, have you the permission of your pastor for me to hold a meeting in said church...
It belongs to the M. E. Conference, & you would have to get permission.' So I went up to my room, got on my face, lay there for 26 hours & then felt led to go over.  I kept trudging on in the snow. 
It was so very cold that men were cutting solid ice 22" thick out of a pond.  I soon got tired, set the grips down, & said, 'Lord, where am I going?' 'What’s that to thee? Follow thou Me.' was all I got in answer. I said, 'Right,' picked up the grips & started on...I said again, 'O God, where am I going?'  Again came the answer, 'What’s that to thee?' So on I trudged...& soon ran into...a straw stack. A voice said, 'This is the place.' I said, 'All right,' threw off my coat, & went to pulling straw, at which I got nicely warmed up. I pulled straw until I was back in the stack some 12 feet, about 3 feet from the ground, so as to be warm. Then I packed the straw all out, took in my grips, put on my coat, used 1 of the grips for a pillow, dropped down on my back & said, 'Well, praise God, I don’t reckon Jesus ever had much better than this, & probably most of the time not nearly so good.' 
At that the straw stack was lighted up so that I saw the most beautiful sight I ever saw. It looked just like crystallized straw, nearly as large as my little finger, lying in all positions, crossing each other, forming a beautiful network.  Well, I was frightened, as I feared that I had gotten a match lighted while pulling straw; my fear was soon banished, for I threw up my hands & there were the cold, damp straws.  Oh, beloved, I will never be able, this side of Heaven, to draw a worthy picture of that scene & also of the dazzlings going on down in the soul.
I have often thought that was a foretaste of what Heaven is going to be. We are taught down here to view things according to (earthly) laws.  The appearance of those straws did not allow the working of natural laws, as each was apart from the others & did not appear to touch one another. I have thought many times that is the trouble with us: We must see things down here as under the lights of natural laws, while God often breaks through the natural order of things completely setting the natural aside; hence we fail to get the real import of His designs. That experience in that cold straw stack has been a great help to me many a time, enabling me to accept things that before I would have rejected on philosophical grounds. While God works through natural laws very much, yet I have found that He has special lessons for us which go far beyond the natural laws.
I have learned that ruts are dangerous channels to travel in. God wants us so pliable that He can twist us up, or throw us here or yonder, so we will recognize His hand though in other garbs or along other lines than those in which similar incidents have appeared. 
There is no doubt but that God would give us wonderful revelations if He could get us in condition to receive them.
I am well assured that the deeper lessons which God wants us to have are all in line of the apparently ridiculous. They are not on the public highway. The casual traveler never sees them, for they are not on his route.
‘Tis on the unreasonable, out-of-the-ordinary route that these lessons are to be learned, generally routes similar to my getting into this straw stack.  I learned invaluable lessons from that.
As I told this to dear Revelation John Fleming one time, he burst out crying & said, 'Brother Bevington, I would have given $100.oo  to see that straw stack when it was so luminously lit up.'
Had I appealed to reason as I came up against that stack, I would have taken the ground that to go in there when the thermometer was registering below 20 (degrees) would be altogether out of reason.
Everything would have stood against such proceeding. I would have produced about this sort of an argument: God has set forth His laws & demands of us obedience, relative to taking care of our bodies.
So I can’t accept this as the place where God wants me, as He has called me to preach.
He said that the laborer is worthy of his hire. I am His child, Mr. Devil, I am not going to allow you to run me into such a place as this, on such extravagant lines, to bring on a tremendous cold, probably, pneumonia which would more than likely cause a premature death. So I could quite logically have reasoned this all out; though had I done so, I would have lost 1 of the grandest lessons of my life. So we need to get where we will be willing to break all laws in order to get some of the private lessons the Lord has for us. Just those few words of acquiescence to His will, when I said, 'Well, I suppose Jesus never had a better bed than this,' gave me 1 of the grandest visions I have ever beheld. Yes, those few words spoke volumes which have enabled me to store up great quantities of knowledge of His will relative to me.  Well, now I will proceed with the marvels of God. He will open up great unheard of things, if we will just allow Him to get us where these great unheard of things are in operation, or where He can consistently operate them without knocking others of His lambs flat. So while this great manifestation of glory lasted only a short time, yet there were raptures of exceeding great joy which came in waves 1 after another so that I lay there wrapped in great splendor until, when I struck a match & looked at my watch, I was surprised to see that it was 4:30 a.m. Well, I turned over & went to sleep.  When I woke up & struck a match, I found that it was 5:30 PM. I crawled out, shook off the chaff, took my handkerchief for a towel after washing well in the snow & started back to the house that had been offered us to continue the meeting in.
I found 25 people there, with saws & horses. They had been drawing & sawing logs into blocks 22 inches long for seats. Both rooms were nearly seated.  I said to the man of the house, 'I suppose these 2 rooms are about all you have.'  'Well,' he said, 'these will hold more than the schoolhouse.' 'Is there a room upstairs?'
'Why, what do you want to go up there for? ‘Tis a sort of unfinished attic.'  'I want a place to pray,' I answered.
I spied a door on the ceiling, & said, 'Can’t I get up there?'  He said, 'I suppose so; but there isn’t any floor & it will be cold.' 'Let me get up there'. So he got a ladder & up I went. I got close to the large chimney, across the joist & burst into great sobs. I just lay there & wept.  I could hear a noise downstairs, supposing that they were finishing up seating.  I could see that God was working.  Hence, how foolish it would be for me to take the work out of His hands.  Up to the 9th morning. I had not:had a mouthful to eat nor lain on straw.  As my straw stack experience had capacitated me for a good meal, I had it at the parsonage, but after that ate only 1 meal a day, during the 3 weeks.  I preached only 2 sermons...on the last day of the meeting. I lay on my face on the platform day & night...Over 300 people fell at the altar.  That someone was getting through (to God) most all the time, day & night. Wonderful was the preaching of many who prayed through. Restitutions were made in many instances.  I never caught cold, nor was incapacitated in the least from struggling for souls. 
All the sleep I got in the 5 weeks was in the daytime." 
(9 days praying under an oak tree @ http://www.missionsforchristministries.org/Maynewsletter.html )

Sithole, Surprise - Faith to Raise the Dead - www.mountinofworship.com -
Chapter 1 The Joy of Obedience - "Whenever I hear that loud voice (of God) and He says, 'Go.' I always obey."
Chapter 2 Iris Ministries - "June 1997 the Lord took me to heaven...I looked on the side of the street and there were clusters of leftover gold on the ground.  On my left, a cloud was talking to me, and this cloud was more intelligent than I was.  He was giving me answers to the thoughts of my heart, explaining to me the things that I was thinking in the deep parts of my mind.  As I was looking at this leftover gold, immediately the cloud said, 'Look at this gold; we throw it on earth & the kings of the earth fight for the leftovers, because they do not know the real wealth is here in Heaven... God doesn't need all you think He needs; He just needs your obedience.'

White, Ellen - section 27. The Snares of Satan...337 from http://www.gilead.net/egw/books/spirit-prophecy/The_Spirit_of_Prophecy_Volume_Four/index.htm - "It is a masterpiece of Satan's deceptions to keep the minds of men searching and conjecturing in regard to that which God has NOT made known, & which he does NOT intend that we shall understand.  It was thus that Lucifer himself was cast out of Heaven.
He became dissatisfied because all the secrets of God's purposes were NOT confided to him, & he entirely disregarded that which was revealed concerning his own work in the lofty position assigned him. 
By arousing the same discontent in the angels under his command, he caused their fall.
Now he seeks to imbue the minds of men with the same (evil) spirit, & to lead them also to disregard the direct commands of God. Those who are unwilling to accept the plain, cutting truths of the Bible (were individuals to read it for themselves), are continually seeking for pleasing fables that will quiet their consciences."
(Few in recent generations have the excuse of not having a Bible available to read and study.)

Brother Yun, Paul Hattaway - The heavenly man: the remarkable true story of Chinese Christian ... - Google - or snippet at http://thetruthaboutthelivinggod.com/index.php?p=1_22_Brother-Yun - "I have learned that when the Lord tells us to do something there is no time for discussion or rationale, regardless of the situation we face. When we are sure God has told us to act, as I was on this occasion, blind obedience is called for.
Not to obey God implies that we are wiser than him, & that we know better how to run our lives than he does.  God reminded me how 13 years earlier, during my 74-day fast in prison, he had given me a powerful vision of a series of iron gates opening, 1 after another.  Now, all these years later, his promise had come true.
I marveled at God’s goodness and faithfulness to me. To this day I consider my escape from prison the most amazing experience of my life."

Obedience to the Holy Spirit
Internet

Hormann, Dr Aiko - Oneness of God - http://vimeo.com/5402050 2010 interview with Sheila Skiba
It's a New Day interview #31173 -
Hebrews 4:11 words of God is a surgical laser beam wielded FROM the Throne room. Ephesians 5:2-3, Hebrews 10:19, John 16:23 Heal and restore organs via re-creative miracle. 
Joshua 1:5 Meditate to DO (act on God's Word).

Commentary

Be reminded that God's work is largely done by speaking out loud His word, even from the creation of the world.

1 Samuel 16:12-13, Psalm 89:20, Acts 13:22: TPNT   
After He removed him (King Saul), He raised David for them as king, of whom He also said when He bore testimony, "I found David the son of Jessee, a man according to My heart, who will do all My will."

Commentary

Obey God immediately or decay (both spiritually and physically).
The sooner we respond & without argument, the sooner we will blossom.

Obedience to Honoring What You Promise

Meyer, Joyce - 06/13/2010 - Patience and Faithfulness - "What if God...didn’t keep His promises?
Thankfully, He does...He expects us to do the same."
http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/Broadcast/TV/Archive/20100613.htm