Daily Devo
Following Instructions
By: Keefe Wilson
Friday, December 12, 2025
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22
Have you ever ignored instructions because you thought you already knew what to do? My dad was famous for that. When I was a child, I had a bad cold, so my mom gave me some cold medicine and went to work. After she left, my dad reached for the one cure his family trusted for everything, Vicks VapoRub. He smeared it all over me, then he told me to open my mouth and made me swallow a big glob of it! Within an hour, my stomach felt like it was in knots. When Mom came home and found out what happened, she got upset. Then she told my dad "The Bottle says for external use only! You didn't follow the instructions!" Dad felt awful, but mom was right.
God tells Christ followers the same thing. We must always follow the instructions in His Word. If we ignore them, bad things will happen, and we might get hurt! That is why James admonishes us to be doers of the word, not hearers. God's Word is a roadmap to freedom — and it is our instruction manual for life. The scriptures aren’t just a list of rules; they are divine guidance that is meant to protect, bless, and fulfill us!
Every instruction God gives us is for our own good. It started in the Garden when God gave Adam and Eve one simple command: "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," (Genesis 2:17). When they ignored God's instructions, the results were devastating. Sin didn't enter the world because God was harsh, it entered when Adam and Eve chose to be disobedient. Their story reminds us that disobeying God leads to painful consequences.
God's instructions aren't designed to limit us; they are safeguards designed to protect us. When He instructs us to forgive, He's shielding our hearts from bitterness. When He says "Wait" He's keeping us from rushing into harm. When He calls us to trust Him, it's because His plan for us sees farther into the future than we can.
At first, not following God's instructions might seem harmless. But like skipping a vital step in a list of instructions, it will lead to confusion, regret, and failure. But when we obey His commands (instructions), we will find peace, direction, and blessings!
...lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Christ follower, have you been ignoring any of God's instructions? If you have, ask God to help you trust and obey Him completely!