Obedience

I came across these excerpts in the book Heroic Faith, published by The Voice of the Martyrs. In my opinion, they show the power in obeying God, and challenge us to be obedient like our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.

•God’s clarion call to His children is obedience. He wants us to understand what He wants; then He wants us to do it. It’s as simple as that. Those with heroic faith take God seriously and do what He says.

•Obedience is not a gift or a gift-inspired trait. It is a choice that we must make everyday. Obedience contains no “ifs” (“If this happens, then I will obey”). When obedience leads to trouble, a hero has the faith to know who will lead him or her safely through the trouble. Heroic Christians do not have to be brave or fearless; they have to believe God and then act on that belief with obedience, totally depending on Him.

•If we are determined to obey God, we must continually ask, “Do my actions express love for God and my neighbor?” and “What can I do to bring the Good News of Christ to others, to make disciples?”

•That’s how heroic believers live, in every nation. In fact, those who are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith are attacked because of how they live, because they obey God, regardless of the consequences.

Pages 102-103