Mike Focht 9/5/2025
Obedience puts me in agreement with God. Do you want to walk with God? Do you want to know Jesus Christ more? Do you want to experience the communion of the Holy Spirit in greater ways? How does that happen? What does the Bible tell us?
The prophet Amos gives us clarity with a simple question: Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? If I want to grow in a relationship with God, I cannot live in conflict with Him. The same goes for any human relationship. If I want to build a friendship with another person, we must share mutual interests, give ourselves to mutual pursuits, and agree on mutual issues of importance. If I don’t share interests, pursuits, or priorities with another human, we will not grow in a relationship. If we are in active conflict, our relationship will deteriorate.
How can a Christian tell if they are walking in agreement with God? The Bible is clear. Obedience puts me in agreement with God. Disobedience puts me in conflict with God. Am I obeying God’s interests in my life? You do know that God has interests in your life, do you not? God has interests in your marriage, family, friendships, workplace, personal life, etc. Are you obedient to God’s interests in those spheres? If we are not, we will miss out on a certain level of intimacy with Him.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer asks this pertinent question in his book The Cost Of Discipleship, “How can you hope to enter into communion with Him when at some point in your life you are running away from Him?” We cannot sincerely expect to commune with God while actively ignoring His clear commands or the personal prompting of His Holy Spirit. I cannot walk in agreement with Him while choosing a path He cannot travel.
How did this work for the disciples? They literally had to walk with Jesus and allow Jesus to define all their priorities, pursuits, interests, and lives. Their choice was to join themselves to Him and His life. They lived with Him and responded to Him. Following. Abiding. Obeying. What was the outcome? They learned the truth of God’s Fatherhood, Jesus’ Lordship, and the New Covenant promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit, all through simply following Jesus and doing what they were told.
If we want to experience more of God, we must determine if we are sincerely walking in agreement with His desires in every sphere of our life. If we are feeling distant, it is likely because we are not walking in agreement. How will you know if you are walking in agreement? Are you obedient? Obedience puts me in agreement with God.
What if you realize you are not in agreement with Him? What if you know you are on separate paths? Well then, repent, turn around, and join Him again! Repenting is an act of obedience. He is the One calling for us to turn back to Him! Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.