Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. (Deuteronony 5:32, KJV)
In August 2014, I was hurrying home from work so that I could attend the Ministers Conference that was scheduled to start that day in Redemption Camp, Ogun State, Nigeria. But when I got to Jibowu in Lagos, I heard the Holy Spirit speak very clearly to me, instructing me to go straight through Oyingbo to Apapa but I responded that I was running low on fuel and that the Ojuelegba route was shorter and faster for me.
The instruction came a few more times again but I gave same reason to ignore, only for me to turn at the route that I thought was shorter and faster, to be arrested by the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), because one of my vehicle document had expired and my car was impounded.
At the end of the day, I missed the Ministers Conference that I was in a hurry to attend and also paid Twenty One Thousand Naira penalty fee for a document that costs less than Three Thousand Naira, and that is besides the stress I went through to secure the release of my car.
From then on, I have learnt to obey instructions no matter how foolish they sound.
Commandments are sets of instructions that MUST be obeyed. And instructions are directions meant to guide us in the right path.
When the Lord gives us instructions, they are not meant to profit Him in anyway, but to guide us aright and a violation of it sometimes brings unfavourable consequences.
In 1 Kings 17:5, the Bible speaking about Elijah said:
“So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.”
He did according to the instruction given to him by the Lord.
In 1 Kings 13, God sent a man of God to Jeroboam and instructed him not to return by the way he went and to neither eat nor drink anything while there, but another Prophet came with a contrary message to which he obeyed and paid the cost with his life because He violated God’s instruction.
Instructions are highways to distinction.
A lot of the time people say they heard God say so and so and wonder why they still didn’t get any result. It is because most times they do not follow the instructions given as God commanded.
Pastor Creflo Dollar once asked God servant, Bishop David Oyedepo how he managed to accomplish great feats in ministry and God’s servant answered and said: we do nothing except it is commanded.
“Doing as commanded keeps you in command!”
In Luke chapter 5 and verse 4, Jesus told Peter to launch into the deep and let down his net. In verse 5:
“And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”
Peter could have replied and said: “Sir, I have been fishing all my life so take it when I say we have toiled and there’s nothing to catch tonight, instead he obeyed. And verse 6 says:
“And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.”
Dear friend, what has the Lord instructed you to do that you think devising your own means is a better option or alternative?
Partial obedience is absolute disobedience.
Remember King Saul in 1 Samuel 15?
In verse 3, he was commanded to go and destroy the Amalekites, animals inclusive. Instead they spared King Agag and took for themselves the best of livestock and destroyed the things that were vile and refuse.
The summary of it all is that he lost his kingdom to David.
If God says go, then go because divine instruction do not have to make sense, it only has to make God; His Word is all we need.
We do not need to allow life use us as negative examples for others to learn from because there are a thousand and one replacements for anyone who refuses to act on divine instruction.
It is my prayer that you will not learn the hard way, in Jesus Mighty Name!
It is well with you!
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