Picture this:
Every morning your dad asks you to make him coffee. Honestly, you’d rather the extra 7 minutes scrolling through TikTok, but because you love your dad and want to please him, you choose to make him his favored hot treat.
Now it becomes muscle memory: every morning at 7:30 am you make that hot brew automatically. BUT, one morning you father is super ill and coffee isn’t the best thing to drink. Instead, he asks you to make a cup of green tea.
Do you do make a cup of coffee because you’re used to it or do you do make the anti-inflammatory green tea to help him recover from the flu?
Think deeply about your answer.
Obedience vs sacrifice
Sacrifice will always feel like a loss. It’s in the very definition:
“an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.”
In the old testament the people of God were required to make a sacrifice by killing an unblemished animal and offering it to God to atone for their sins.
In the New testament, Jesus served as the ultimate sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world.
As Christians we sacrifice our old sinful ways of living, and by faith we put on the righteousness we receive from Christ who sacrificed Himself for our sins:
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:16-18)
Our obedience to God requires sacrifice.
The definition of obedience is:
“compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another’s authority. Simply put, obedience is following an instruction EXACTLY as it is given.”
In 1 Samuel 15, king Saul only PARTIALLY followed God’s order from the prophet Samuel to completely annihilate the Amalekites. Although he killed most of the nation, he still decided to spare some sheep and cattle to sacrifice to God.
Samuel rebuked him strongly:
22“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” 1 Samuel 15 22-23
Even though animal sacrifice was the usual practice in the old testament to atone for sin, the Lord required something different from king Saul in this instance.
Don’t get it twisted, sacrifice and obedience aren’t always synonymous.
Even though obedience may require a sacrifice on some occasions, there are other times when NOT doing the sacrifice that you’re used to, is obedience.
Don’t aim to do what you are used to, aim to follow the instructions of God.
Don’t give God the usual cup of coffee when He’s asking you for green tea.
“Obedience is better than sacrifice. “
“I know what to do but I don’t do it.”
Repetitive cycles have been a struggle of mine throughout my Christian Journey: lust, procrastination, doubting God. I know what to do but I just don’t do it. Then, the avalanche of gilt tumbles after the sinful sweet tooth has been satisfied.
Excelling in a spiritual gift or natural talent doesn’t exempt us from spiritual struggles. Our sanctification is a process will involve us making mistakes. You should expect a wrestle between the fleshly nature and the spiritual man.
Though we are born with a sinful nature, our faith in Jesus, our repentance and submission to the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome it and live a righteous, blameless life through Christ Jesus.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25)
I did not choose the way of escape (2024) by Xandria Stennett
Winning the War with Within
In the midst of this flesh vs spirit showdown, God has given us the power to overcome by the Holy Spirit. We are promised a way of escape!
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Cor 10:13 NIV)
This is a primarily spiritual fight so you need to know what you’re up against. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify generational sin patterns.
The aim of the enemy is to trap you in the guilt and shame of your sins so that he has the legal right to wreak havoc in your life and that your focus turns from God.
But don’t just jump into the spiritual war bare.
Invest in your spiritual man by putting all the full amour of God so you will have the stamina to fight effectively and sustainably.
Main Takeaways
When it comes to obedience and sacrifice, aim to follow God’s specific instructions rather than just sticking to routine sacrifices. Obedience often involves personal sacrifice but isn’t always synonymous with it.
Through our struggles to be obedient we must humble ourselves, repent and allow the holy spirit to take us though the lifelong process of sanctification.
Being obedient to God means your flesh will die. But take heart in the fact that at the end of the tunnel shines the light of spiritual maturity.
I’d love to hear some of your stories of obedience and sacrifice in the comments below!
Profess Creatives 
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