What motivates us to disobey God?
Hebrews 3:12Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:18-19To whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.
Hebrews 4:2,6This good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. . . . So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.
An unbelieving heart leads to disobedience. We cannot accept the good God offers if we do not believe.
Numbers 20:24“He [Moses] will not enter the land I am giving the people of Israel, because the two of you rebelled against my instructions concerning the water at Meribah.”
Isaiah 1:2Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the Lord says: “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.”
Ezekiel 2:3“Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day.”
A rebellious heart leads to disobedience. Every person is born with a heart that is prone to rebel against God.
Psalm 78:8, 57They will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. . . . They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow.
1 John 3:10So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
A disloyal, unfaithful heart will turn to disobedience.
Hebrews 3:7-12That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience.” . . . Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.
A hard heart will lead to disobedience. We may desire to disobey because we have turned away and want nothing to do with God.
Ephesians 2:1-2Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
A heart that has not yet turned to God will turn us toward disobedience.
Exodus 16:19-20Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.
A greedy heart will lead to disobedience.
Genesis 3:6The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
Joshua 7:20-21Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them.”
James 1:13-15Remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
A heart that desires things it cannot have will lead to obedience.
2 Corinthians 11:3I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
A deceived heart leads to disobedience.
Exodus 32:23They said to me, “Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
1 Samuel 13:8-14Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So . . . Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” . . . “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
An impatient heart unwilling to wait on God’s timing will turn toward disobedience.
John 7:13No one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.
John 12:42Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue.
Galatians 2:12When he [Peter] first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision.
A fearful heart leads to disobedience.
Exodus 5:2“Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”
2 Chronicles 26:16When he [King Uzziah] had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.
A proud, arrogant heart will turn to disobedience.
John 14:24“Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.”
1 John 2:9If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.
1 John 3:15Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.
A heart that does not love God or love others will turn to disobedience.
Deuteronomy 8:11-14“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, . . . be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God.”
A forgetful heart will lead to disobedience. We tend not to pay as much attention to God and his Word when things are going well.
Joshua 18:1-3Now that the land was under Israelite control, the entire community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle. But there remained seven tribes who had not yet been allotted their grants of land. Then Joshua asked them, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?”
A procrastinating heart, possibly fueled by laziness or fear, leads to disobedience.
Psalm 106:25Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.
A grumbling, frustrated heart leads to disobedience.
Isaiah 42:20“You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.”
An indecisive heart can lead to disobedience.
Zephaniah 1:12“I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the Lord will do nothing to them, either good or bad.”
Hebrews 2:2-3The message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?
An indifferent heart leads to disobedience.
Deuteronomy 21:18“Suppose a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him.”
Nehemiah 9:16, 29“But our ancestors were proud and stubborn, and they paid no attention to your commands. . . . You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen.”
A stubborn heart leads to disobedience.
