James Arendt
A. Obedience to God is our duty:
Eccl.12:13 - Keep His commandments: for this is whole duty of man
Deut.13:4 - Walk after the Lord...& keep His commandments, & obey His voice, & serve Him
Deut.27:9b,10 - Thou art the people of God...therefore obey the...Lord
Jer.11:7 - I earnestly protested... saying, Obey My voice
Jn.2:5 - Whatsoever He (Jesus) saith unto you, do it
(See also Lk.17:10.)
B. Obey wholeheartedly:
Rom.6:17 - Ye have obeyed from the heart that doctrine
Deut.26:16 - The Lord hath commanded thee to do these statutes... keep & do them with all thine heart, & all thy soul
Psa.119:34 - I shall keep Thy law...with my whole heart
(See also Psa.119:69b)
C. Obey in all things:
Deut.5:32 - Observe to do as the Lord...commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left
2Ki.22:2 - He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord...& turned not aside to the right hand or to the left
(See also 2Cor.2:9)
Jn.14:15,21 - If ye love Me, keep My commandments (See also vs. 23)
1Jn.2:3 - We know we know Him, if we keep His commandments
1Jn.3:24 - He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him
1Jn.2:4 - He that saith, I know Him, & keepeth not His commandments, is a liar
2Jn.6a - This is love, that we walk after His commandments
Deut.11:26,27 - I set before you...a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God
Josh.1:8 - Meditate therein (the Word)...observe to do all that is written therein: then shalt thou have success
A. Souls are saved:
Rom.5:19 - By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous
1Tim.4:16b - Heed the doctrine...in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, & them that hear thee
B. Spiritual blessings:
Exo.19:5 - If ye will obey My voice...ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people
Jer.7:23 - Obey My voice, & I will be your God, & ye...My people
Jn.13:17 - If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them
Jn.15:10 - If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My Love
Jn.15:14 - Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you
Acts 5:32 - The Holy Ghost...given to them that obey (God)
1Pet.1:22 - Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
(See also Jam.1:25)
C. Material blessings:
Deut.28:2 - All these blessings shall come on thee, & overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the Lord
Deut.32:46,47 - Set your hearts unto all the Words...& through this ye shall prolong your days in the land
Job 36:11 - If they obey & serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, & their years in pleasures
Isa.1:19 - If ye be willing & obedient, ye shall eat good of land
Jer.38:20 - Obey...voice of the Lord: so it shall be well unto thee, & thy soul shall live
Heb.11:8 - Abraham, when he was called to go into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed
(See also Deut.28:1-14; Jer.35:18,19.)
D. Protection:
Exo.23:22 - If thou shalt obey & do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies
Lev.25:18 - Do My statutes...& shall dwell in the land in safety
A. Exhortations to submit to pastors & spiritual brethren:
Heb.13:17 - Obey them that...rule over you, & submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls
Heb.13:7 - Remember them which have rule...whose faith follow
1Cor.11:1 - Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ
Phi.3:17 - Be followers of me &...them which walk so, as ye have us for an (example)
(See also 1Cor.16:16; 2Cor.2:9.)
B. Obeying wholeheartedly, "as unto the Lord & not unto men":
Eph.6:5 - Be obedient...in singleness of heart, as unto Christ
Eph.6:6 - Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart
Col.3:22 - Not...menpleasers; singleness of heart, fearing God
Col.3:23,24 - Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, & not unto men...for ye serve Christ
Phlm.21 - I wrote...knowing that thou wilt do more than I say
Lk.22:42 - Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done (See also Mat.26:39,42)
Jn.5:30 - I seek not Mine Own will, but the will of the Father
Jn.14:31 - As the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do
Phi.2:7,8 - (Jesus) took upon Him the form of a servant...& became obedient unto death
Heb.5:8 - Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience
A. Let the Lord have His way in your life:
Job 1:21 - Lord gave, &...hath taken away; blessed be the Lord
Isa.64:8 - Lord...we are the clay, & Thou our potter
Mat.6:10 - Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done
Jn.3:30 - He must increase, but I must decrease
Rom.12:1 - Present your bodies a living sacrifice...unto God
Jam.4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God
(See also Mat.26:39; Lk.1:38; Rom.6:13,16.)
B. Submit your plans to God:
Heb.6:3 - This will we do, if God permit
Jam.4:15 - Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall do this
C. Obeying God even when it hurts:
Gen.22:2,12 - Take thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, & offer him for a burnt offering (See also Heb.11:17-19)
Jer.42:6 - Whether it be good, or whether it be evil [hard to do] we will obey the voice of the Lord our God
Mat.26:38-54 - [Jesus agonised in prayer, knowing the cost, but then yielded to God's will. See also Lk.22:44; Jn.18:11.]
D. Yield to God & pray for His leading:
Psa.27:11 - Teach me Thy way, O Lord, & lead me in a plain path
Psa.139:23,24 - Search me, O God, & know my heart...know my thoughts: & lead me in the way everlasting
Psa.143:10 - Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God: lead me
E. Yielding to God spares you from judgments:
2Chr.30:8 - Yield yourselves unto the Lord...that His wrath may turn away from you
Mat.21:44 - Whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him
Acts 4:13-20 - Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you (Pharisees) more than unto God, judge ye
Acts 5:29 - We ought to obey God rather than men
(See also 1Sam.22:17; 1Ki.18:3,13; Ezra 4:21; 5:1-5; Dan.3:1-25; 6:1-13; Heb.11:23.)
1Sam.15:23 - Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, & stubbornness is as iniquity & idolatry
Mat.7:26,27 - Heareth these sayings of Mine, & doeth them not...a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand
Jam.1:23,24 - A hearer of the Word, & not a doer, is like a man beholding his face...& straightway forgetteth
A. Merely "agreeing" is not enough:
Ezk.33:30-33 - They sit before thee as My people & they hear thy words, but they will do them not
Mat.21:28-31b - He answered & said, "I go, sir": & went not
Mat.23:2,3 - Do not after their works: for they say, & do not
Lk.6:46 - Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, & do not the things I say?
Tit.1:16 - They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being...disobedient
(See also Jer.42:1-22; 43:1-4.)
B. "Good works" not a substitute for obedience:
1Sam.15:22 - Hath the Lord as great delight in... sacrifices, as in obeying? To obey is better than sacrifice
Jer.7:22,23 - I spake not...concerning sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, Obey My voice
Mat.7:22,23 - Have we not...in Thy name done many wonderful works? Depart from Me (Jesus), ye that work iniquity
Lk.11:42 - Ye tithe...& pass over judgment & love. These ought ye to have done, & not to leave the other undone
C. Half-hearted obedience:
2Chr.25:2 - He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart
Jer.3:10 - (She) hath not turned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly
Acts 5:1-11 - [Ananias & Sapphira pretended to give all, but kept back part of the money from the sale of their land]
A. Being deceived:
Gen.3:13 - [Eve said:], "The serpent beguiled me, & I did eat" (See also 2Cor.11:3)
1Ki.13:1-26 - [The young prophet was deceived by the old prophet & disobeyed the Lord's original instructions]
Gal.3:1 - Who bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?
Gal.5:7 - Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
B. Having a "better idea":
1Sam.15:2-15 - Thus saith the Lord, "Utterly destroy all they have!" (Saul) spared the best...to sacrifice to the Lord
Pro.3:5,6 - Lean not unto thine own understanding
Act 21:4,10-14 - [Paul was warned by the Spirit to not go to Jerusalem, but his heart was set on it]
C. Lack of love for others:
Jon.1:1-3; 4:2 - [Jonah disobeyed & fled from God, knowing God would be merciful to the Ninevites, his enemies]
1Jn.3:16,17 - Whoso hath this world's good [& doesn't help a needy brother], how dwelleth the love of God in him?
D. Fear of man:
1Sam.15:24 - I transgressed the commandment of the Lord...because I feared the people, & obeyed their voice
Pro.29:25 - The fear of man bringeth a snare
Jer.38:17-20 - [Zedekiah disobeyed God out of fear of his opponents]
Jn.12:42,43 - Many believed on Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him
E. Lack of faith in the Word:
Gen.3:1-6 - [Eve believed the devil's lies & doubted God's Word]
Gen.19:14 - [Lot's sons-in-law thought his warning to flee Sodom was merely a joke]
Num.20:7-12 - [Moses hit the rock twice instead of speaking to it]
1Sam.13:8-14 - [Saul, doubting that Samuel would come, sinned by impatiently offering the sacrifice himself]
1Pet.2:7,8 - Them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient
2Thes.2:12 - Believed not the truth, but had pleasure in (sin)
F. Being distracted by less important things:
1Ki.20:39,40 - "Keep this man." As thy servant was busy here & there, he was gone
Lk.14:15-24 - [The Lord invited men to His supper, but they all made excuses, saying they had other things to do]
G. For material gain:
1Ki.20:29-34, 42 - [Captured king promised king Ahab cities & markets, so Ahab let him go, instead of slaying him]
2Ki.5:14-16, 20-27 - [Elisha refused to receive any reward, but his servant, Gehazi, disobeyed & accepted it & was judged]
H. Pride:
2Chr.26:14-20 - [King Uzziah, lifted up in pride, broke the law]
3Jn.9,10 - [An exalted pastor refused to obey the apostle John]
I. Allowing disobedience to become a habit:
Jer.22:21 - This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not My voice
Jer.3:25 - From our youth even unto this day, (we) have not obeyed the Lord (See also Eccl.8:11)
A. Use the Word to teach & warn them:
Ezk.2:3-7 - Speak My Words unto them...they are most rebellious
Ezk.3:17,18 - Hear the Word...& give them warning from Me
B. Win them with your example, not just your words:
1Cor.9:19 - I made myself servant to all, that I might [win them]
2Tim.2:24-26 - Servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle... patient...instructing...to acknowledging of the truth
1Pet.3:1-4 - That, if any obey not the Word, they may without the Word be won by the [way of life]
(See also Jam.5:19,20.)
C. Try to get them to change:
Lk.1:17 - Turn the...disobedient to the wisdom of the just
D. Keep an eye on them:
Pro.29:15 - A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame
E. Do not keep company with them:
Eph.5:11 - Have no fellowship with [them], but rather reprove them
2Thes.3:6 - Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, & not after the (instructions)
2Thes.3:14 - If any man obey not our word...have no company with him
1Tim.6:3-5 - If any man...consent not...from such withdraw thyself
F. If the offence isn't serious, don't give up on them:
2Thes.3:14,15 - If any man obey not our word by this epistle...count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother
Deut.11:26,28 - I set before you...a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord (See also Jer.11:3)
Josh.5:6 - (They) walked 40 years in the wilderness, till all the people...were consumed, because they obeyed not
Judg.2:2,3 - Ye have not obeyed...I will not drive (enemies) out
1Sam.12:15 - If ye will not obey...the Lord (will) be against you
1Sam.15:23b - Because thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king
1Ki.13:all - [Young prophet disobeyed God by heeding the old prophet, & was slain by a lion]
Psa.68:6 - The rebellious dwell in a dry land
Isa.1:20 - If ye refuse & rebel, ye shall be devoured with sword
Jer.3:25 - Confusion covereth us: for we have...not obeyed
Jer.18:10 - If (they) obey not...then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them
Dan.9:11 - (Did) not obey Thy voice; therefore curse is poured
Dan.9:14 - The Lord watched upon the evil, & brought it upon us: for we obeyed not His voice
Mat.7:26,27 - Every one that heareth (My) sayings & doeth not...foolish...house on sand...great was the fall of it
Lk.12:47 - (He) which knew his Lord's will, & [did not] according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes
(See also Gen.3:6,16-19; Deut.28:15-67; Jer.9:13-16; 12:17; 32:23; Eph.5:6.)
Mat.7:24,25 - Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, & doeth them...wise man, which built his house upon a rock
1Cor.3:11-14 - [Jesus is the foundation; build with gold of obedience not with wood, hay & stubble of disobedience]
1Cor.15:58 - Be steadfast, unmoveable...in the work of the Lord
My name is James Arendt. I was raised in the Hegewisch neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, served in the USAF from 1970 to 1974, and became a full-time missionary for Christ living 40 years in Japan, 3.5 years in Russia, and a few months in other countries such as Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China where I also served the King of Kings, Jesus, as an Ambassador for His Kingdom. My full bio.
If you like this article and my work on this website, you can show your appreciation by sending me a gift. Both my wife Tess and I are now unemployed and now live in the Philippines.
On July 31, our pastor drove us 70 kilometers south from our home in the city of Allen to Caybayog City (Samar, Philippines) where there's an immigration office. There I successfully applied for and received a 6-month visa extension! But the cost was higher than expected, 12,450 Philippine pesos, roughly $235 USD. Thankfully, I received one gift so far that covered half of that. If any of the visitors to this website who are not regular contributors to my work would like to help us cover the other half, it would be greatly appreciated. I will immediately send you an email to thank you.
You don't need a PayPay account to send me a donation! Just click on the donate button and you will see an option to send through your credit card.
PayPal QR Code
My PayPal ID: james.arendt@jamesjpn.net
• Recognize you have violated in some way the laws of God. Violation of legal law is called a crime. Violation of God’s moral law is called a sin. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; - Romans 3:23
As it is written (in the Bible), There is none righteous, no, not one: - Romans 3:10
• Recognize the penalty of sin: Death! For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 6:23
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: - Romans 5:12
• Recognize Jesus is the Saviour! Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. - John 14:6
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. - Acts 4:12
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. - Acts 16:31
• Recognize our lives our sinful by nature. We can do nothing of our own to merit eternal life. Salvation is completely by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ! For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: - Ephesians 2:8
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. - Isaiah 64:6
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; - Titus 3:5
• Recognize Christ paid the sin debt we owe! But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. - Romans 5:8-9
• Recognize you must receive Christ as your personal Saviour! For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. - Romans 10:13
• Ask Jesus to be your Saviour!
Dear Jesus:I know I am a sinner. I know if I were to die right now, I could not go to Heaven. I ask you, right now, to come into my heart, forgive me of my sin, and be my Saviour. Thank you for saving me and giving me eternal life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer with all sincerity, you have passed from death to life and have been born again into the family of God!
Read my bio
Switch to a printer friendly page. / Switch back to formatted page.
If you'd like more inspirational material,