"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. "All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God:" — Deuteronomy 28:1-2

Obedience is something we often learn at a young age. For some of us, it sticks easier, and we know that we must live and obey those in charge to get a reward. For others, it takes longer, and they fight against it forcing their own will thus resulting in punishment.

Regardless, the principle is still there: if you listen and cooperate, you will be rewarded. If you don't, you'll get a timeout.

It's a somewhat similar concept in our relationships with Jesus, too. God gives us decrees and commandments to follow, and if we follow that, we will live prosperous lives.

"Blessed, happy, fortunate, spiritually prosperous, and to be envied is he who waits expectantly and earnestly [who endures without wavering beyond the period of tribulation] and comes to the 1,335 days!" — Daniel 12:12

Don't get me wrong, sometimes those who don't know the Lord don't follow His ways, and they seem to have a perfect life. But Satan uses that to pull us away from the truth.

He makes sin look inviting, fun and perfect. But the only thing that ever was, and ever will be perfect, is God. His Love, His Will. Just Him.

He is perfect.

Please don't be pulled into the pretty traps that Satan sets for us each day. It's so easy to get sucked in but so difficult to get out of if you're not strong in your faith.

God's timing is so much greater than ours, and that is sometimes frustrating to accept. While we want things done now and how we want it, God is more focused on the journey and how we get there, rather than the end result.

He gives us lessons along the way, tests us, and grows us. And here's the kicker. Are you ready?

We have to be obedient through it all.

Even when it is tough and it's a battle. We have to remain faithful to Him, to His Word and to His promises. He is always faithful to us.

And even when things don't work out the way we plan right now, He sees the end result, and He has a purpose for the journey you're going on. Trust in Him.

Blessings follow obedience.

Not just obedience to what the Bible says, either, though. It is also obedience to what God tells us directly. I go to a Pentecostal church where we are really big on the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and hearing God's voice.

And sometimes we receive personal messages from God. You can feel it, and you can hear Him.

It's the best feeling in the world, to be honest.

But, it's often difficult. Sometimes, that message is to go talk to someone new or someone you may not like. It's hard to listen to that when you don't want to. But blessings follow even obedience to something that small.

Sometimes, the message is something bigger like, "Wait on Me" or to go to a certain school that you never had in mind. Maybe it's to end a relationship with someone you thought was forever or it was to cut out a friendship with someone you love hanging out with.

It's hard to follow things like that, and it's really easy to fall back into ourselves because we don't want to lose people we care about or we don't want to step out of our own plans.

Trust me on this: some of the absolute best things in your life will come when you least expect it and when you put yourself second. Keep Jesus' plan for your life first...no matter how difficult it may be.

You may have days when you fall into yourself, and that's alright. Jesus is full of endless forgiveness. But don't use that as an excuse to do things that you know aren't in His will. Don't go out of your way to disobey Him and then say, "It's OK, though, because He'll forgive me."

Being obedient to God means following what He has for us, even if it's not what we had planned. His plans are greater than ours, and in the end, will leave us feeling more fulfilled than we could ever feel on our own.

Ask God what His plans for your life are. Seek Him. Press in, and when He tells you where to go, or what to do next, obey that. Blessings will follow, even if it's not right away.

It's all in His timing. Don't expect to find 100 dollars on the ground after you're nice to someone. Maybe the blessing of going to a school that God called you to that you never even noticed is a lifelong friend.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." — Jeremiah 29:11