The Trap of Selective Obedience

But if we get real with ourselves, we will discover that as much as we want the new, sometimes we fall into the traps that the enemy sets to keep us stuck in the old.

One of these traps involves small choices.

When confronted with decisions that we know could result in a little discomfort if we chose the right thing, we tell ourselves: I’m only human. I’m a pretty good Christian. No one’s going to notice. It’s just my one little thing. God knows my heart. What does it really matter anyway?

Selective obedience is the dangerous illusion that doing some of what God commands is enough, when it is really disobedience in disguise.

In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul was told to utterly destroy the Amalekites—all of their people and all of their possessions. He was instructed not to keep any of the people or livestock alive.

In verses 7–9, Saul attacked the Amalekites, but he took Agag, the king, alive and destroyed all the other people. He and the people also kept the best sheep, oxen, and lambs.

Verses 20–21

“And Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have obeyed the voice of the LORD and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.’”

How many times do we justify not being totally obedient to what God is asking of us?

Where are you allowing sin to whisper its way into your life?

Selective obedience is disobedience, and it will prevent us from moving into the fullness of the freshness that we desire.