EP 42: Obedience the key to Gods heart

Obedience to God is not optional for the follower of Jesus it’s the heartbeat of faith. In this scripture filled episode, we journey through Gods word, seeing why obeying Him changes everything, and how it unlocks blessings, peace, and strength for every season.

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
The wooden cricket. Family, I don't know who this
for today, but I need you to hear me.
God is calling you to obey Him, and you've been wrestling.

(00:25):
You've been feeling that tug, that whisper on your spirit.
Maybe it's been days, maybe it'sbeen months.
You know exactly what he's been asking you to do.
But fear has been holding you back.
Pride has been holding you back.Your comfort's been holding you
back. Listen.
Delayed obedience is disobedience, and disobedience

(00:50):
will cost you more than obedience ever will.
When God says move, move. When God says stop, stop.
And when God says wait, you wait.
Not because it makes sense to you, but because you trust the
one who sees the end from the beginning.

(01:10):
This isn't just about rules, this is about relationship.
Obedience is the proof of our love for Jesus.
John chapter 14 verse 15. It says if you love me, obey my
commands. Jesus isn't speaking to the

(01:31):
crowd here. He's speaking to his disciples.
That means he's speaking to us. He is making it clear that the
love and obedience are inseparable.
If we say we love Him but ignoreHis commands, our love is just

(01:51):
talk. Love without obedience is empty.
It's like telling someone you'reloyal while you're living like
you're not. Jesus is looking for a love that
shows up in how we live, in our choices, in our priorities, and
in our willingness to lay down our will for His.

(02:14):
And if obedience really is the proof of love, then it makes
sense that God attaches a promise to it, not to bribe us,
but to show us the life that opens up when we walk his ways.
And in Deuteronomy 28 versus 1 and 2, it says if you fully obey
the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands, you will

(02:36):
experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God.
God doesn't attach blessings to obedience as a bribe.
He attaches them as a promise. Walking in His ways naturally
positions us to receive His protection, provision, and

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peace. The blessings of obedience
aren't always flashy. They're often quiet but
powerful, a piece that guards your mind, a strength that
carries you through the day, a joy that no circumstance can
take away. But here's the thing, you can't

(03:20):
walk in God's ways if you don't know them.
And that's why the next verse isso critical.
Joshua one verse 8. Study this book of instruction
continually. Meditate on it day and night so
you will be sure to obey everything written in it.

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Only then will you prosper and succeed at all you do.
Obedience flows out of intimacy with God's Word.
If you aren't in the Word, you're relying on your own
wisdom, and that road always ends in trouble.
The more His Word fills you, themore natural obedience comes.

(04:06):
You start to recognize His voicefaster.
You stop second guessing His leading and begin to walk with a
confidence rooted in truth. But knowing the Word isn't
enough. God's not after hearers only,
He's after doers. And in first James 22 it says.

(04:28):
But don't just listen to God's Word.
You must do what it says, otherwise you're only fooling
yourselves. Hearing without doing is like
reading a life saving instruction manual.
Are you listening? It's like reading a life saving
instruction manual and ignoring it.
The enemy doesn't fear a Bible reader, he fears a Bible doer.

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The moment you act on God's Word, forgiving, giving,
stepping out in faith, you're walking in Kingdom power.
And Jesus himself reminds us that the greatest blessing isn't
in the hearing, it's in the doing.

(05:15):
Luke 1128. But even more blessed are all
who hear the Word of God and putit into practice.
Let's read that one more time. But even more, blessed are all
who hear the Word of God and putit into practice.

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The blessing is in the doing. Obedience turns the seed of the
word into fruit. Without obedience, the seed
stays in a packet, doesn't grow.You could fill your head with
sermons, devotionals, podcasts, whatever, but until you plant
that seed in your daily life, itis not good to grow.

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Obedience is the planting. God brings the growth and just
in case we think we can replace obedience with religious
activity, God makes a very clearobedience is greater than
sacrifice. First Samuel 1522 Obedience is
better than sacrifice, and submission is better than

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offering the fat of Rams. Saul thought his offerings would
please God while ignoring his clear instructions.
But God wanted Saul's heart not just as rituals.
God is not impressed by our religious business if our hearts

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are in rebellion. Real worship is surrender, and
real surrender looks like obedience, and every act of
obedience is building something,even if we can't see it yet in
Matthew 724 and 25. Anyone who listens to my
teaching and follows it is wise,like a person who builds a house

(07:06):
on solid rock. Though the rain comes, the house
stands firm because it is built on bedrock.
Storms are going to come, friends.
The difference between collapse and survival is obedience.
Every choice to obey is like adding another brick to your
foundation. And if we still need one more

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reason to obey, God gives US1 through the prophet Isaiah.
One that makes the steaks crystal clear.
Isaiah 1 versus 19 and 20. If you will only obey me, you
will have plenty to eat, but if you turn away and refuse to
listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.

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I, the Lord, have spoken. Every time we choose obedience,
we're choosing life. Every time we choose rebellion,
we're stepping towards ruin. God's path is narrow, but it is
safe, and Jesus ties obedience not just to blessing, but to our

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identity as His friends. John 15 verse 14.
You are my friends if you do what I command.
If you are my friends, you do what I command.
Friendship with Jesus is not casual, it's aligning our lives
with His will and walking with afriend who laid down his life

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for us. That kind of friendship is
worthy of every yes that we can give.
From the book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, God calls
His people to obedience not because he's controlling, but
because He's loving. Obedience is not about earning

(09:06):
His love, it's our grateful response to the love He's
already shown us through the Cross.
And when we obey, we step into the life He designed for us, a
life of peace, strength, blessing, and unshakable
foundation. So I ask you, what is God

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calling you to do today? What step of obedience have you
been putting off? Whatever it is, the time is now.
Say yes. Trust Him, obey Him.
Cricket family, thank you for spending this time in the Word
with me today. My prayer is that you don't just

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walk away with more head knowledge, but that you walk
away ready to act. If God has been stirring
something in you during this episode, don't let the moment
pass. Don't let the enemy talk you
into delay. Write it down, pray over it, and
then take the step. If you've been obeying God in a

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hard place, be encouraged. He sees you.
Your faithfulness matters more than you'll ever know.
And you've been holding back. Or if you've been holding back,
let today be the day that you lay it all down and say, Lord
Jesus, I am yours. Because at the end of our lives,

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it's not going to matter about how much we knew or how much we
built or how much applause we got.
It's going to come down to this.Did we hear His voice and did we
obey Him? So go live it in your home and
your job, in your friendships with strangers that you meet out

(10:54):
in the world. Let your yes to God be loud
enough to shake the walls of doubt.
Until we meet again tomorrow, keep walking close to Jesus,
keep your heart soft to His voice, and keep saying yes every
single day. This has been Lawrence on the

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Wooden Cricket Podcast, and until next time, I'm telling you
peace.