The Key To Obedience

Recently, J hasn't been very obedient. Or rather, he is not responding as quickly as before to what my wife and I say. We have to say a few times before he would respond accordingly.

This morning, as I was reading the Word, a verse jumped out at me. When the Holy Spirit 'zooms' in to a verse, God is definitely speaking.

I have read this passage so many times, but I never saw this.

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife... disobedient to parents," - Romans 1:28-30

The Holy Spirit spoke to me, "The key to training your son to be obedient is not telling him to be obedient. Look at the passage again."

And I saw it.

"...retain God in their knowledge."

The Holy Spirit spoke again, "The key to training your son to be obedient is simply by connecting him to the Father."

The more I train J to be connected to the Father, the more he will grow in obedience effortlessly. It is by fathering him to know God in his heart where he develops his identity as a son of God will he walk out his true identity - obedience. When he walks in the Spirit, he will not satisfy the desires of the flesh.

My focus should not be getting him to be obedient - that's setting my mind on things below. My focus should be on connecting him to the Father - setting my mind on things above.

What an amazing fathering truth! Thank You Jesus!