Surrendered, Not Just Serving

Obedience Above All

“To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” — 1 Samuel 15:22 (TS2009)

Your obedience means everything to Yahweh.

King David once declared, “I will not offer to Yahweh that which costs me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). He understood that sacrifice without obedience is empty. Yahweh doesn’t delight in offerings rooted in convenience or ritual—He’s after our hearts, yielded and willing.

You can pray, serve, give, even fast. But if it’s done from a place of disobedience—clinging to your own will or ignoring His voice—then Yahweh is not pleased. He would rather you stop doing and start obeying. Your acts of devotion mean nothing without a surrendered heart.

> “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” — Matthew 15:8

 

Even in ministry or service, there’s a risk of offering “strange fire”—worship or actions not commanded by Him (see Leviticus 10:1-2). Yahweh desires that we walk in truth, not in the appearance of holiness.

> “And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands.” — 1 John 2:3

 

This is why someone who’s lived a life of brokenness—whether in addiction, rebellion, or sin—can still enter the Kingdom through repentance and obedience. And yet, someone who lived “the right way” outwardly but never yielded to Yahweh’s will may be turned away.

> “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens.” — Matthew 7:21

 

It’s not about religious performance. It’s not about checking off the boxes. It's about a heart that is truly surrendered.

So ask yourself:
Am I doing this for Yahweh… or with obedience to Yahweh?

Because at the end of the day, Yahweh doesn’t want your performance.
He wants your heart.

> “And now, Yisra’ĕl, what is יהוה your Elohim asking of you, but to fear יהוה your Elohim, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being.” — Deuteronomy 10:12