Welcome to the In-Touch podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, July 4th.

Most of us would like to have a do-over on a few of those decisions we've made along the way.

Today, you'll get help in evaluating long-term consequences before satisfying short-term desires.

God the Father called us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And when I think about

how serious obedience is, one of the reasons that it is serious is because of who it is who gives

us the commands. It is God. And the Bible says that he is the Holy One. That is he is not only the

one, but he is the creator. He's the source of everything.

Everything you and I have, we are absolutely completely and totally dependent upon him. He's the source

of it all. He's the one who sustains us. He's the one who keeps our heart beating day after day and

week after week and year after year. He's the one who holds the keys of life and death in his hands.

So when we talk about being obedient, we're talking about doing what the father says to. We're

talking about being obedient and submissive to the God who has the right to control, dominate,

dictate every single solitary thing we do and has the power to enforce every single law

that he's ever given to us. So when it comes to being obedient to him, it's serious business.

Now, I want you to go back, if you will, to Deuteronomy for just for a moment. And let me remind

you of what Deuteronomy is all about. Before God brought his children

to the promised land, he took time to instruct them. You recall that he took them from Egypt,

across the Red Sea, down to Sinai, and then up to the Jordan and to carry them in the

promised land.

Well, of course, you know what happened at that point, but the book of Deuteronomy is God's

instruction book, getting them ready for their new life and a new land.

And I want you to see how often he says the same thing in different ways, but how often he says,

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