Bobby Bosler: Welcome to the Thee Generation Podcast. I’m Bobby Bosler, and I’m speaking to you today from [unclear phrase], Wisconsin. Our guest today is one that many of you know well.

Caleb Reed is going to be sharing something that God has put on his heart for you. So listen up. Caleb, take it away.

Caleb Reed: Thank you, Brother Bosler. All right. I want to talk for a few moments about obedience, personal obedience.

Here’s a thought for you: Have you ever considered that you can be right accidentally? But in order to do right, you must be intentional. In other words, there have been times when I’ve been driving somewhere and I was confused about which turn I was supposed to take.

There was a corner and I was not sure, and I thought I missed my turn. I decided to go to the next road up and found out, “Oh, this is the road I was supposed to be on.” I was right accidentally. I didn’t mean to be right, but I just happened to be right.

Certainly, there are times when that happens. But in order to be obedient, to do right, I’ve never been obedient or I’ve never done right accidentally. It’s always been intentional.

I made the decision: I am going to do right. I am going to be obedient. I am going to do what God wants me to do.

A preacher one time told me, or I heard it in a message, he said this: “Obedience is not a momentary option. It’s a die-cast decision made beforehand.” Because, young people, there are times when in order to do right, you have to make a decision, sometimes even before the temptation arises. You’ve decided, “I will do right.” Or maybe in some situations you have not decided; you didn’t know the particular scenario that would happen.

But when the temptation came, because of your process and because of your constant growth in choosing to do right, when the temptation came, you also made another decision: “I will do right now.” The reason I bring this all up is because in practice, on a daily basis, I am faced with a decision to do right or to yield to my flesh. In Romans chapter 6, here’s the text I’m thinking of.

Romans 6 explains that we are free because of what Christ has sacrificed and rose from the dead, because of His work on the cross and the resurrection. We now have freedom not to sin. Romans chapter 6, verse 12, says this.

It’s a command: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lust thereof.” Verse 13: “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness.” So verses 12 and 13 explain that you must make the decision not to let sin reign and not to yield your members. You must instead make the decision to live according to the truth that you are free from sin.

Here’s what it looks like on the job, at home, at school. Someone says something to you that’s cutting, that’s degrading, that’s slanderous. Or maybe they didn’t mean to; it just hurt.

The first thing that your flesh wants to do is respond—maybe respond back with a name, respond back with your quick defense, be sharp with your tongue, or maybe even just be silent and hope that, boy, they get the message that that hurt and I’m not going to respond to them. There have been times when I’ve heard people—boy, they opened themselves up for a good comment—and someone just zinged them with a real sharp remark.

Then they made this statement: “Well, I’m not going to lower myself to your state in order to respond and cut you back.” Well, what you did by your snooty responses, you just slandered them back, even though you were trying to be above them. Here’s the point, young person: On a daily basis, you have options. When a temptation arises, you can either yield to your flesh or choose obedience.

Now, according to Romans 6, you have the power and the authority to choose obedience because you do not have to yield. You are freed from yielding to the flesh. But have you considered that you must make the decision to just not sin?

When I was actually traveling with Brother Bosler back in September for a few weeks, he recognized that there could be personality dynamics between the team that could make things difficult.

He said to us, “Now, fellas, just decide that when conflict arises and you want to get upset and you want to get irritated and you want to make a comment, just decide, ‘I’m not going there.’” He said, “Just don’t go there.” In the simplicity of his statement, I’ve thought about it ever since September: I can make a decision, “I’m just not going there. I’m just not going to yield.

It’s not worth it.” If I respond wrong, I’m now irritated. I’m in the flesh. They know I’m in the flesh, and the rest of the time I’m grumbling or I’m silent.

I can actually make a decision in the moment of temptation: “I’m just not going there. I’m going to yield; I’m going to be obedient. I’m not going to go there.” There was a situation this week where someone made a comment to me, and I don’t believe it was in any way malicious.

I think they were just talking. Yet, right or wrong, it bothered me. There was a moment of decision where I had the choice to let that comment bug me and bother me, or I could just not go there.

In that moment, by God’s grace, I just smiled and laughed. There was such freedom because I made the decision: “I’m not going to let that bother me. I’m not going to get mad at them.

I’m not going to go there.” One preacher said one time in a message, “In a moment of temptation, you’ve got four seconds—four seconds to make your decision.” In those four seconds, you can decide, “I’m either not going there; I’m not going to yield to that,” or “I’m going to yield to my flesh.” Four seconds. You have four seconds to make the decision. If you don’t make it in four seconds, you’re going to yield to your flesh.

But in those four seconds, make the decision to be obedient. I hope that is practical and helpful, because I often find myself facing a temptation, and in four seconds I have the choice in my mind: yield to the flesh or yield to the freedom not to sin. I want to challenge you: the freedom that comes when you just say, “I’m not going there.

I’m not going to give in to that. I’m going to rejoice. I’m going to smile.

I’m not going to let that bother me. I’m not going to respond in the flesh. I’m not going to get angry.” It is amazing how free you can live when you make the decision, “I’m going to be obedient.

I’m just not going there.” I’m going to be obedient. Amen.

Bobby Bosler: Caleb, thank you so much for that. Young people, I trust you take this to heart, and I trust that you don’t wait till the temptation comes to decide to do right, but that you will decide right now as you’re listening to this podcast.

In fact, I would encourage you, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, why don’t you stop and just take a moment and tell the Lord concerning that issue that seems to be getting you down, concerning those areas where you seem to struggle: “Lord Jesus, when those issues come up, I will, by Your strength and power, choose not to even go there.” Thank you, young people. And you know what?

Honestly, this is just another way of talking about what we’re so passionate about. It’s deciding ahead of time to totally surrender that moment to Jesus Christ and to totally depend on His power to do what God has called you to do.