The Rudder...

The Rudder of Obedience

There’s a pattern throughout Scripture that makes me pause whenever God’s people drifted into evil, and consequences followed. Not because God is cruel, but because He is holy. Look at Israel—fresh out of forty years of miraculous provision, and the moment they turned aside, God delivered them into the hands of the Midianites. They weren’t free to live however they pleased and still expect His blessing.

And yet… how often do we do exactly that? How often do we cry out for favour while refusing to confront our own behaviour?

For New Testament believers, this becomes even more layered because of the finished work of the cross. “It is finished.” Not poetic language—actual reality. Salvation accomplished. The blood of the Lamb covers His people. The resurrection sealed it, witnessed and confirmed beyond legal dispute—though our faith never depended on the courtroom. If this work has been finished in Christ, and it has, then the real question stands before us: How should we live?

This is where deception finds cracks in our armour. Our selfish wants. Our excuses. The small compromises that grow into strongholds. I’ve often spoken about the “mirror” in my own life—looking into it honestly and asking God to show me who I truly am. Skip this step, and we’re no different from the ostrich burying its head in the sand when pressure closes in.

We say we love the Lord—and I believe many do—but without obedience, that confession gets thin and hollow. Jesus made it painfully plain:

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word… Whoever does not love Me does not keep My word.”
(John 14:23–24)

And again:

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
(John 14:15)

These verses trip many of us up—including me at times. But thank God for His kindness that leads us to repentance. Thank God that when His children come in humility, mercy flows like a river.

It’s worth noting that John, known as the disciple of love, is the very one who connects love and obedience. The man who leaned on Jesus’ chest, the one who wrote more about love than anyone else, reminds us that love without obedience is incomplete. Real love responds to Christ with a yielded heart. Obedience isn’t about perfection—it’s about direction. God disciplines His children not to condemn but to guide, keeping our hearts soft, teachable, and hungry for Him. When love and obedience walk together, faith is alive, active, and fruitful.

Still, there must come a point where we admit that God’s commandments aren’t optional extras—they are the rudder of our lives. Ignore the rudder, and we drift. Embrace it, and we walk in truth. If altars of Baal have crept into our lives—altars of self, compromise, comfort—we tear them down just as Gideon did. No excuses.

And here Solomon steps in with timeless clarity. The wisest man who ever lived summed up the posture every believer must have:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
(Proverbs 9:10)

Not cleverness. Not discipline. Not religious activity. Wisdom begins with honouring God—revering Him, esteeming Him, bowing before Him. Lose the fear of the Lord, and you lose the foundation of a godly life.

But we must also consider another truth God has given us:

“Perfect love casts out fear.”
(1 John 4:18)

This is not a contradiction; it is a revelation of balance. The fear Scripture commands is not the fear Scripture casts out. Reverent fear draws us near. Tormenting fear drives us away. One produces obedience, the other produces panic.

Perfect love removes the terror of judgment because the judgment we deserve has already fallen on Christ. The wrath that should have crushed us was absorbed at Calvary. So, the believer stands before God without dread—loved, accepted, redeemed.

We now live in two powerful realities:

Reverence that shapes obedience.
Confidence anchored in His love.

Lose reverence, and compromise overtakes us.
Lose confidence, and condemnation controls us.

But when these truths walk hand in hand, our faith stands strong. We obey because we love Him. We draw near because He first loved us. Perfect love does not remove reverence—it removes terror. And that is freedom purchased by Christ Himself.

A storm is coming. Scripture is clear about that. And like any soldier worth his salt, we need sharpened skills and settled convictions before the battle breaks. For me, it’s time—past time—to put God first without apology or delay. “Let God be true and every man a liar.” My desire is simple: to please my heavenly Father with my conduct and obedience. Pray for me in this pursuit; I need it.

To understand God’s character, we must read the Scriptures. The law—yes, the Torah itself—reveals dimensions of His holiness, justice, patience, and faithfulness that modern believers often overlook. It is there, in those early pages, that we learn the fear of the Lord and the seriousness of His call.

 

Signing off,

Tyrone