In the GSNL class, Obedience to God, we teach the students to learn to obey the Word of God. Obeying God goes deeper and is much more personal that just obeying commandments. Obeying God means being sensitive and obedient to the Holy Spirit. Being “led of the Spirit” is daily giving my life to God asking God to guide my speech, thoughts and actions for His glory and honor. The Holy Spirit is there every moment to lead, teach, comfort, convict, etc. It’s just a matter of being sensitive and obedient to His voice.
Charles Stanley wrote in Keeping Your Kids on Your Team that he tried to teach and allow for his children to experience for themselves – God as their Father. He told them that one day he would not be around to tell them what to do or to even discern what was right and wrong for them to do. They must learn to be sensitive and obedient to God as their Father. He will always be there for you. So he would teach them to ask God, “can or should I do this or that,” and to listen for His answer and then obey it.
Charles Stanley gives the example of one of his children asking to go to a secular rock concert. She was of the age that he felt she could handle the consequences of a wrong decision, so he told her to go pray and ask God what He wanted her to do. The daughter went to her room and came back shortly and said “God said I could go”. Though not in agreement with her, Charles allowed her to go. Later, after she had gone to the concert, she came back and confessed to her dad that she really didn’t believe that God wanted her to go but she wanted to go anyway so she did and now she realized she had not listened to God and was sorry.
She may have not initially listened to and obeyed God as she should have; however, she began the important journey of learning to be sensitive and obedient to God in a safe environment. God is Spirit and learning to communicate with him is an ability that is learned by experience, by trial and error. He wants to lead and guide us with a sill my voice that is spoken from where he dwells – within us.
This is an important key to the long term success of living for God. We as TC staff will not always be there to try to instruct the student in what is right or wrong for them to do. The more important lesson is teaching them to be sensitive and obedient to the voice and heart of God.
Galatians 5:16-25
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
