DISOBEDIENCE

22 BUT PROVE YOURSELVES DOERS OF THE WORD [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and NOT merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth].
23 For if anyone only LISTENS to the word WITHOUT OBEYING IT, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately FORGETS what he looked like.
25 BUT HE WHO LOOKS CAREFULLY INTO THE PERFECT LAW, THE LAW OF LIBERTY, AND FAITHFULLY ABIDES BY IT, not having become a [careless] listener who forgets but AN ACTIVE DOER [who obeys], HE WILL BE BLESSED AND FAVOURED BY GOD IN WHAT HE DOES [in his life of obedience]."
James 1:22-25 (Amplified Bible)

• Disobedience to the Word of God in a believer's life will give a room or an opportunity to the enemy, the devil, to operate in his or her life (Ephesians 4:27).

• Disobedience also will strengthen the attack of the enemy in such a person's life. Thus, when you live in disobedience to God, or you live contrary to His Word; you are undoing yourself.
• Some people think when one chose to do something in the Bible way, God's Way, one is being stupid or daft.
• Nowadays, some, even so-called Believers, have the thoughts that doing things in God's Way is being daft or stupid.
• If you are not living by the principles of the Bible as a professed Christian, there is a little or nothing God could do in your life, and in any affair of your life.
• Obeying the Word of God gives Him the opportunity, chance, room, to operate in your life and meddle in the affairs of your life. If you are living contrary to the Word of God, you are undoing yourself.
• Some people think, one has to be smart, clever, and know how to outwit or beat others in whatever one is doing.
• Human wisdom can only produce little or no result when the Word of God is NOT given the first place in your life.
  The Scripture says:
  19 FOR it is written: “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND BRING TO NOTHING THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRUDENT.”
  20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? HAS NOT GOD MADE FOOLISH THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD?" (1 Corinthians 1:19,20 NKJV).
• Using worldly wisdom to outwit others could make you look smarter in the sight of the people, but God is being sidelined in your life with such an act.
• God does not want His own, His children, to live independently of Him. He wanted to be carried along in all the affairs of your life.
• There are things that the people of the world believe one could tell a white lie, in order to get it done. But a believer should not do that.
• Some are fond of cutting corners in their works, yet, they want God's blessings on whatever they do.
• God may be reluctant in blessing what is founded on deceit, or duplicity, and being built on unrighteousness. Righteousness exalts and Sin is a reproach, the Scripture says (Proverbs 14:34).

• When you live contrary to the Word of God, the Bible, you do not Walk by its principles; the devil may take an advantage of your disobedience to the Word and strike you big time!

• Walking in the light of the Word of God, operating by its principles, might look odd, crude, primitive, or uncivilized; yet you would have God's backing in whatever you do—as you kept to it.
• Those who left God behind in all they do, in their daily living, would still want God to help them or bail them out, when they find themselves in any mess.
• God would help if any of His children called on Him, however, He could only do that based on the place or room you give to Him in your life and your affairs.
• God could help so far, only to a limited degree, in the matter of some Believers' lives; because, the room they have given to Him in their lives was limited.
• However, in some Believers matters, He wants to be fully involved, even in the minutest details of their lives; because they have followed Him with all their hearts unreservedly and unwaveringly.

• To a large extent, you determine the level of God's relationship with you; through the activeness of His Word in your life.

• If you give priority to the Word of God in your life, above every other thing, God will also see to it that you are not disappointed at the time of distress or predicament:
  25 I have been young, and now am old; YET I HAVE NOT SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN, NOR HIS DESCENDANTS BEGGING BREAD. 26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed" (Psalm 37:25,26 NKJV).

• God would always be there for whoever lives by the principles of His Word. However, those who PROVE to be smart, clever, and Wise, would always wait, plead, and beg to get His attention at the time of need or any predicament.

• God is not partial (Romans 2:11), He treats all His children equally; however, some are occupying an important place in His heart, because they are obedient to Him—they trust Him enough to live by the principles of His Word.
• Such Believers know He cannot mismanage their lives and destinies, they trust Him wholeheartedly and depend on Him, His Word, for everything they might want to do.
• This is the level, frequency, which God wants every believer to relate or walk with Him; absolute trust in Him—unwavering and unreserved commitments.
• You will do well to move up in your relationship with God, and be committed to Him unwaveringly and unreservedly.

• Thus, living in disobedience is detrimental to your relationship and fellowship with God, and to your spiritual development.

• Obeying God's Word and living by its principles endeared you to God's heart.
  He will preserve you when you did!
• Those who serve Him, whom He promises to preserve and distinguish in the Book of Malachi, are the people who obey and practice His Word.

16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him FOR THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD AND WHO MEDITATE ON HIS NAME.
17 “THEY SHALL BE MINE,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them MY JEWELS. AND I WILL SPARE THEM AS A MAN SPARES HIS OWN SON WHO SERVES HIM.”
18 Then you shall again DISCERN BETWEEN THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED, BETWEEN ONE WHO SERVES GOD AND ONE WHO DOES NOT SERVE HIM."
Malachi 3:16-18 (NKJV)

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!