As the Creator of the entire universe, God has the full right to expect His creation to function according to the purpose for which He designed it. He made us for a specific purpose—His purpose—and therefore He rightly claims authority and control over our lives.
How Do We Respond When God Directs Us?
For many of us, the honest answer is that obedience often feels incredibly difficult. We can feel as though we have already failed before we even begin. Limited in strength and resources, the path God sets before us can look overwhelming. This is precisely where Life Principle 2 becomes essential:
Do what God asks and leave the outcome to Him.
Biblical Illustration: Israel in Egypt
One of the clearest pictures of this principle is the story of the Israelites enslaved in Egypt. God brought them out through the Exodus with powerful miracles. He shattered Egypt’s power and poured out abundance on His people—gold, provision, and freedom. Over and over, God has shown Himself to be gracious.
Job’s question still echoes: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). We are called to receive both from His hand.
What Does “Obey” Really Mean?
Charles Stanley points out that the word obey fundamentally means “to listen.” It also carries the ideas of agreeing, consenting, understanding, and yielding. Ultimately it means listening carefully and then responding.
God told Israel that if they would listen and obey, they would be His “treasured possession” and a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:5-6). Being called God’s special treasure gives deep purpose. It also means we are meant to be prominently displayed in His house—living testimonies of His grace.
Why Obedience Matters
God had to teach the Israelites how to live. His commands were given for their good and protection, yet they still had to obey in order to receive His blessings. Disobedience always carries consequences—just as it did in the Fall.
When we refuse to obey, we are essentially saying we do not trust God, that we lack confidence in Him. There can be no real fellowship with someone we do not trust. This struggle often surfaces in the middle of temptation or trouble, when we fear that obedience will cost us something we desperately want, or when we suspect God will simply dismiss our concerns. Yet when we protect the relationship and trust that God truly has our best interests at heart, we frequently receive far more than we could have imagined.
Even so, honesty is needed here. There are moments when the thought of Jesus’ earthly life—its suffering, rejection, and cost—makes us hesitate. Intimacy with God is not always easy; parts of it still challenge us.
Moses’ Struggle in Exodus 3
A clear example is Moses at the burning bush. When God commanded him to go to Pharaoh, Moses immediately wrestled with identity, fear, and inadequacy:
- “Who am I?”
- “What if they ask for credentials?”
- “I could be killed.”
- “I am not eloquent.”
Unbelief caused him (and us) to focus on personal lack instead of God’s provision. Yet God answered in Exodus 3:12: if Moses would simply obey the instruction given, God Himself would be with him, and the sign of success would come later.
Notice that the same mountain where God met Moses in Exodus 3 is the mountain where He met Israel in Exodus 19. God kept His promise.
The Unchanging Name of God
In Exodus 3:14 God reveals His name: “I AM WHO I AM.” This name declares that He has always been, He is, and He always will be. God never changes. The same God who was faithful to Moses remains faithful to us today.
Our success or failure is not ultimately measured by how smoothly the assigned task goes. It is measured by whether we stay intimately close to the God who gives the task.
A Call to Response
We are invited to spend time in prayer, asking God to draw us into deeper communion with Him. Ask Him to increase our faith and to transform our lives so that we become effective servants in His Kingdom.
Practical Encouragements
- Trust the Lord with your whole life and every concern — Proverbs 3:5-6
- Wait on the Lord in your difficulties — Psalm 37:9
- Seek first His kingdom and meditate on His Word — Matthew 6:33
- Be willing to wait, or even walk away, when the way is not clear — Psalm 27:13-14
- Be prepared to endure conflict if necessary — Matthew 5:10-12
- Leave the consequences entirely to God — Exodus 14:13-14
The principle remains simple and demanding: do what God asks, and leave the outcome to Him.
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