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John 15: 10, If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. NKJV

How much do Christians love the Lord? According to Jesus' teaching in the gospel of John, we will abide in His love IF we keep His commandments. However, if we don't seriously keep His commands, we really don't love the Lord. It all comes down to obedience doesn't it? Jesus obeyed His Father's commandments and, therefore, demonstrated His love for the Father.

How can we say that we love Jesus or the Father if we only obey the commands that we agree with in our hearts? Scriptures such as this one from John 15 have a way of getting down where we live, and they make us confront our own hearts. Anyone can say they love Jesus, but He is looking at our actions, not just the words we've spoken. James teaches us that faith is dead apart from obedient actions. The Apostle John instructs us in 1 John 3: 18 - 19, My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. NKJV

When we say we love the Lord, but don't keep His sayings, we won't have confidence when we come before Him. Please hear what the Holy Spirit is revealing to His children. There is a direct connection between a Christian's disobedience and our struggle with a lack of confidence when we come into God's presence. If we aren't bold in our hearts because we have kept His sayings, then we will feel "less than" whenever we have a need, and we enter into the Lord's presence to petition for that requirement to be met.

Disobedience will adversely affect our faith because it is based in selfishness and not in love. Faith operates through love. Consequently, if we love God enough to keep His Word, then we will have the faith that is necessary to enter into His presence with boldness. We won't be hesitant or apprehensive when bringing our prayer needs before the Lord. Many Christians struggle with guilt and condemnation simply because they choose not to obey the Word of God.

If this word has described you, then there is a simple solution. Just submit more of your heart to the Lord by obeying more of His Word every single day. Love puts the Word into action in our lives as believers. For example: God so loved the world that He gave His only- begotten Son. Love moved God into action. What do you suppose would have happened if God had only said He loved us, but He didn't follow through with action? We would all die in our sins. It's just as important that we obey as it was for God to act on His love for us. IF we obey, we will be blessed by our love for God. You can do this! It will make a huge difference in your faith walk and in your prayer life.

Obedience Is Better than Sacrifice,
Pastor Asa Dockery