June 2, 2024

The Cost of Disobedience

In our last devotional, we read the story from 1 Kings 13 about the lion that killed the prophet for his disobedience. We learned how that story illustrates for us the importance of obedience, and how disobedience opens the door to calamity in our lives.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us,

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

I believe God wants you to get a snapshot of that lion in 1 Kings 13 imprinted in your mind. He wants you to understand that if you willfully disobey God, your adversary, the devil, is not going to just be roaring at you. Like that lion, he is going to be putting a paw on you.

Frankly, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want his paw on my finances, on my family, on my health, or on anything else. I don’t want him sinking his teeth into my marriage. But disobedience opens the door to that.

James 4:7 says,

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

You see, you have been given authority in your life over the devil. This verse makes it clear—you can resist him. But your authority in Christ as a believer only operates as you have submitted yourself to God’s authority through obedience.

If you are disobedient in areas of your life, knowingly disobedient, your authority in Christ will not work.

So here is the question: Today are you being willfully disobedient to God in any area of your life? If so, confess and repent. Otherwise you can be sure the devil will get a paw on your life.

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