We’re talking about obedience today. On our most recent episode of the Everyday Faith podcast, we continued our conversation about the pillars of our podcast. Our friend Jon Odom was our special guest and his wisdom on the topic of obedience will wow you! Keep reading to learn more about why obedience changes everything, what obedience to God even means, and how to surrender in everyday life.
Let’s Talk About Obedience to God
SUBHEADING: Pillar #2 of the Everyday Faith Podcast
PARAGRAPH: Obedience is the second pillar of everything we do at the Everyday Faith Podcast. Belief is the first! But once you believe, you’re responsible to share your faith with others, becoming obedient to the Father, just like Jesus. As you continue in your faith in Jesus, you embrace your mission, commit to obedience, and pursue healthy community. We believe this is a recipe for how to live out your faith, every day, no matter what season of life you’re in.
QUOTE: “One of the biggest struggles in the Christian faith is to actually obey.” - Jon Odom
During our talk with Jonathan, he shared with us that even though people think obedience is ambiguous, it’s not. Obedience has a clear and simple definition.
Obedience: compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority.
But what does it look like to live a lifestyle of obedience to God? Who is our sense of authority? Who are we choosing to submit to? The challenge with obedience comes as we wrestle with who we’re submitting to and our perspective of the God we’re submitting to. Our view of God can easily get distorted by the world, sin, our brokenness, and lies we believe about God. As we learn more about the character, kindness, and perfect nature of God, obedience to Him becomes easier.
Read more about the character of God: Never Too Far Gone for God: A Real Story of God’s Redemption
HEADING: Understanding Obedience to God
QUOTE: “We’re always obeying something or someone.” - Jon Odom
PARAGRAPH: Wow. Think about that: we’re always obeying something or someone. Will we obey sin or will we obey the fruit of the spirit, like self-control? Will we obey selfishness or will we obey God’s way of generosity?
QUOTE: “The challenge of the Christian faith is, are we going to comply and follow God’s instructions given to us by God and through His word?”
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9
HEADING: Joy in Obedience
PARAGRAPH: What comes to mind when you read the words joy in obedience? Do you think joyful, cheerful obedience can be possible? When we come to realize that obedience is actually for our good, and not our detriment – joyful obedience can become a reality.
As we see in the Ten Commandments were written for our benefit. It’s good for us and our neighbor when we are free from lust, murder, and jealousy. It’s good for us to have no other gods except God alone. It’s good for us to tell the truth. There is joy and peace that comes from obedience!
When we’re struggling with obedience, it shows us that we are struggling to trust God. Choosing our own way rarely results in the joy that Jesus promises us. But as we see in the life of Jon Odom, as we follow Jesus, we receive His joy, which then inspires us to follow His ways and stay obedient to Him.
HEADING: What Does the Bible Say About Obedience?
PARAGRAPH: Throughout the Bible we read stories and verses about obedience to God that remind us that faith isn’t about religious rules. Our obedience is out of a loving response to a God who cares deeply for us. In Christianity, obedience is an invitation to walk in harmony with God’s wisdom and path that leads us to blessings and a closer relationship with Him. Think of these Bible verses about obedience as a friendly guide, showing you how to experience the fullness of life He intends for all.
SUBHEADING: Bible Verses on Obedience to God & Submission to God
PARAGRAPH:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. - James 1:22
Bible verses about obedience to God always encourage us to live out our faith, rather than just say we are Christians. This scripture about obedience comes from the book of James and it’s a strong, unwavering reminder to not just listen to the scriptures, but to follow them so we can be true followers of Jesus.
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. - 1 John 3:21-22
This Bible verse about obedience to God comes from the book of 1 John. In the Bible, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John are three short books towards the end of the New Testament. Because we keep God’s command and do what pleases him, we have confidence before God and can even receive answers to our prayers because of our obedience! We’re so thankful that God answers prayers.
Learn more about prayer in tough circumstances and how to believe for the impossible: How to Have Faith in the Fire with Brian Zimmer
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. - John 14:23-24
Here at the Everyday Faith podcast, our favorite Bible verses about obedience are ‘red-letter’, meaning when Jesus is speaking to us. If Jesus said it, it must be very important. Obedience in Christianity is one of the ways Christians grow in following God. Because we love Jesus, we obey His teachings and follow in His ways.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” - John 15:9-12
God’s will is that we follow His commands and that we remain in His love. Earlier in the book of John, Jesus refers to Himself as the vine and to His followers as the branches. Following Jesus in this Bible verse about obedience to God looks like choosing to love others because He has commanded us to do so.
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. - Psalm 33:18
This Bible verse about obedience encourages us to press in to the fear of the Lord. The spiritual discipline of the fear of the Lord was never meant to be a scary thing. The fear of the Lord is just a big phrase for reverence and submission to God. It’s where we choose the fear of the Lord rather than the fear of man or the fear of the Lord instead of the fear of failure. This spiritual discipline is simple: we read the Word, we revere Jesus, and because of this, we follow His ways!
“What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." - 1 Samuel 15:22
This Bible verse about obedience to God shows us a glimpse into God’s will for us. Submission, obedience, and faithfulness to God is better than sacrifice. In Israel, when the book of 1 Samuel was written, priests would sacrifice an animal to God to atone or cover the sins of Israel. Through this Bible verse about obedience, God is telling us that obeying God’s word is better than trying to cover sins.
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! - Acts 5:29
This Bible verse about obedience to God is a wild one! It comes from the book of Acts, right after Jesus rose from the dead, and the Holy Spirit came to the apostles who were in prayer. In Acts 5, Peter and the apostles were healing many in the name of Jesus and the religious leaders at the time weren’t too happy about that. The religious leaders had them put in jail, but God miraculously let them out and told the men to preach the good news in the temple courts! Because Peter and the apostles were surrendered to God, they obeyed God’s will and responded to their accusers with, “We must obey God rather than human beings.”
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. - 1 Peter 1:14
This Bible verse about obedience reminds us that when we accepted Jesus, we received new ways and started following His path. Submission to God isn’t a scary thing, it’s a wonderful thing. Remember: obedience to God is for our benefit. These scriptures about obedience to God remind us that God’s ways are better and more awesome than ours, even when it doesn’t seem like it at first.
Curious to learn more about giving your life to Jesus? There’s no better time than now to surrender to Him! Learn more about Jesus and how much He loves you: This is For You!
HEADING: Testimonies About Obedience to God
PARAGRAPH: One of our favorite things about getting to interview amazing people like Jon, is that we get to hear awesome stories and testimonies!
Jon shared a profound story with us about how he found his way into ministry. It started all the way back in high school. During his school years, Jon was in a church service where the pastor began explaining how he believed God was raising up leaders and pastors in the church. The pastor had an altar call and invited those who felt called to ministry to come forward. Jon felt the Lord pulling on his heart to respond to this call for leadership.
Jon felt the Lord say, “I want you to communicate my Word.”
And Jon responded with, “Okay, but not right now.”
Jon resisted the voice of the Lord for a long time. He went to college, got his degree in biomedical science, went to medical school, and was even the national liaison for orthopedic surgery. He had accolades and accomplishments, but the Lord still had a heart for Jon to be in ministry.
10 years later, Jon began fasting and praying for a week. In the middle of his fast, he heard a Bible verse about obedience to God from the book of Galatians:
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:10
After reading the Bible verse, Jon decided to be obedient and pursue the Lord’s path of him becoming a minister of the Gospel. He quit medical school on a Friday, and by Monday he had been offered a job to be a professor. Shortly after this, he received a call from a local church plant asking for him to be the pastor. God works in mysterious and awesome ways. Despite resisting the call of God, through the Lord’s divine guidance and will, Jon finally ended up in ministry and still serves there today.
His favorite scripture that reminds him of surrender to God is from Psalm 119. It reads:
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. - Psalm 119:105
HEADING: Growing in Obedience to God by Hearing the Voice of God
SCRIPTURE: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:27
PARAGRAPH: As we wrapped up our interview with Jon, he shared wisdom for our listeners on hearing the voice of God. The only way you can know the voice of God is by spending time with Him. It’s just like any other relationship. Relationships take time, attention, effort, and consistency.
While humans rarely hear the audible voice of God, we can discern His voice by reading the Bible, being consistent in prayer, and growing in Christian community.
The more you spend time with the Word of God, the more sensitive you’ll become to the promptings of God in everyday life. Jesus is patient and thorough: He teaches us one step at a time! Over time, you will begin to learn the tone, the sound, the love, and the clarity that the voice of God brings.
Learn more about the power of prayer: 8 Ways to Pray Throughout the Day
CONCLUSION:
As we wrap up our exploration of obedience to God, let's remember that the reason we obey God is because we love God! Just like how a father doesn’t want his son to touch a hot stove is the same posture the Lord carries towards us, His children, as we’re learning to trust and obey.
Obedience is about recognizing that God's ways are higher than ours and ultimately are for our good. And just like Jon Odom shared, even when obedience feels like a struggle, it's ultimately a journey of trust and joy.
This week, we encourage you to continue to listen for His voice, trust in what you hear, and embrace the joy that comes from walking in His ways. We're all in this journey together, and we're cheering you on!
Want to learn more about growing in sharing your faith? Download our free e-book today!
Further Reading:
Start with Belief | Pillar #1 of the Everyday Faith Podcast
Front Yard Missions: How to Change Your Neighborhood
10 Bible Verses for When You’re Under Financial Stress
