WHY DO WE STRUGGLE TO OBEY GOD—EVEN WHEN HE HAS SPOKEN? Featuring Noah and Travis Greene’s Story

Date: Sunday, 25th

Texts: Matthew 7:24–29 | Luke 8:4–15

Context: Discovery Bible Study Reflection from Today’s Fellowship

📖 Read the Scriptures:

• Matthew 7:24–29
• Luke 8:4–15

🎥 YouTube (Full Message / Teaching): https://youtu.be/OjA18ik3kIw?si=1xcQTGEfZVB_dfq4

🎧 Podcast (Audio Version):

https://open.spotify.com/episode/734nDh6bAhbJ2pEaQpuiT8?si=NwJt5tZHS-yj4ivPkMRkRg

📝 Blog (Full Written Message): https://www.otakada.org/why-do-we-struggle-to-obey-god-even-when-he-has-spoken-featuring-noah-and-travis-greenes-story/

Today, as we sat together in Discovery Bible Study, something became very clear.
This was not a silent room. People spoke. Observations were shared. Scriptures were read slowly.

And one question kept surfacing—not as theory, but as confession:

Why do we struggle to obey God, even when we know what He wants and we have heard Him clearly?

Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with builders.
Jesus explains the kingdom with soils.

In both cases, the failure is not hearing.
The failure is what happens after hearing.

POINT 1: WE OVER-ANALYZE WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY MADE CLEAR

(Luke 8:12 – the word is stolen before it settles)

There are moments when God speaks plainly, and we respond with delay disguised as wisdom.

A person hears God say, “Leave this relationship.”
Instead of obedience, they begin analysis:

• “Let me pray about it more”
• “Let me see if things change”
• “Let me wait for confirmation”

What started as clarity becomes complexity.

Noah’s Story (Deepened)

God spoke to Noah in a way that left no room for negotiation.
Not a suggestion. Not a vision to interpret. A command.

“Build an ark.”

Noah lived in a world that had never experienced rain.
Every day he worked, his obedience looked unreasonable.

Children laughed. Elders shook their heads. Friends questioned his sanity.

But Noah did not ask God for meteorological evidence.
He did not ask for a committee vote.

He believed that clarity demands response, not debate.

Life Insight

Analysis becomes disobedience when it postpones action.

Reflection Questions

• What instruction from God am I still explaining instead of obeying?
• Am I seeking understanding—or delaying surrender?

Declaration

I respond quickly to God’s voice.
I do not bury obedience under analysis.

Prayer

Lord, forgive me for delaying what You have made clear.
I choose action over excuses. Amen.

POINT 2: WE ENJOY THE FRUIT OF DISOBEDIENCE

(Luke 8:13 – joy without root)

Disobedience often feels productive at first.
Someone knows God is calling them to integrity, but cutting corners is producing results.
Someone knows God is calling them to purity, but compromise is easing loneliness.

Disobedience feeds today; obedience prepares tomorrow.

Travis Greene’s Story

Travis Greene was not rebelling. He was sincere.
But sincerity does not cancel idolatry.

He belonged to Kappa Alpha fraternity, whose oath required praise and allegiance to another god.
God confronted him—not gently, but clearly:

“You cannot pledge allegiance to Me and vow worship elsewhere.”

Leaving meant:

• Explaining himself repeatedly
• Being misunderstood by people he respected
• Letting go of an identity that had shaped him

Staying meant comfort.
Obedience meant loss.

He walked away not because he felt strong—but because obedience demanded loyalty.

🎥 Watch Travis Greene’s testimony here:

Life Insight

Whatever rewards disobedience today will demand payment tomorrow.

Reflection Questions

• What benefit is making obedience feel too expensive?
• What am I calling “temporary” that God calls “dangerous”?

Declaration

I choose obedience over immediate comfort.
I release false rewards.

Prayer

God, loosen my grip on anything that competes with You.
I want You more than benefits. Amen.

POINT 3: WE FEAR LOSING CONTROL

(Luke 8:14 – cares of life choke the word)

Control feels like safety.
A person hears God calling them into something new—but hesitates because they don’t know how it will affect finances, reputation, or relationships.

Noah Again

God controlled the design, the timeline, the outcome.
Noah controlled only his obedience.
Every plank he laid was surrender.

Life Insight

Faith begins where control ends.

Reflection Questions

• Where am I obeying selectively?
• What outcome am I trying to manage instead of trusting God?

Declaration

I release control to God.
I trust Him with outcomes.

Prayer

Lord, I surrender the need to control.
Lead me fully. Amen.

POINT 4: THE COST OF OBEDIENCE FEELS TOO HIGH

(Luke 8:14 – pleasures and riches)

There are people who know obedience will cost:

• Friends
• Status
• Comfort
• Familiarity

They don’t doubt God. They fear loss.

A person remembers obeying God once and being misunderstood.
Another remembers losing relationships.
Another remembers sacrifice with no immediate reward.

Life Insight

Obedience always costs something—but never wastes anything.

Reflection Questions

• What loss am I afraid of?
• Do I trust God to replace what obedience requires?

Declaration

I trust God with what obedience costs me.
Nothing surrendered is wasted.

Prayer

God, strengthen me to obey even when it costs.
I trust You fully. Amen.

POINT 5: PAST OBEDIENCE BROUGHT PAIN

(Luke 8:13 – withering under pressure)

Some people obeyed before—and it hurt.
They were faithful—and still rejected.
They did the right thing—and still suffered.
So now their heart hesitates.

Life Insight

A painful outcome does not invalidate a divine instruction.

Reflection Questions

• Am I protecting myself at the expense of obedience?
• Have I allowed past pain to harden my heart?

Declaration

I will not let past pain dictate present obedience.

Prayer

Heal my memories, Lord.
Restore my trust in You. Amen.

POINT 6: DELAY TURNED A HABIT INTO A STRONGHOLD

(Luke 8:14 – choked)

God often tells us to stop something when it is manageable.
Delay gives it roots.
What once felt optional now feels controlling.

Life Insight

Delayed obedience strengthens bondage.

Reflection Questions

• What did God ask me to release that I delayed?
• Am I willing to ask for help now?

Declaration

I choose freedom through obedience.

Prayer

God, break every chain strengthened by delay.
I surrender fully. Amen.

POINT 7: WE DON’T SEE THE FULL PICTURE

(Luke 8:15 – patient fruitfulness)

Noah

No rainbow at the blueprint stage.
No applause during construction.
Only obedience before evidence.

Life Insight

God reveals steps, not summaries.

Reflection Questions

• Am I demanding the full picture before moving?
• Can I trust God with the unknown?

Declaration

I walk by faith, not by sight.

Prayer

Lord, help me trust You one step at a time. Amen.

POINT 8: EXTERNAL VOICES DROWN OUT GOD’S VOICE

(Luke 8:12, 14)

Friends advise caution.
Culture mocks conviction.
Crowds prefer comfort.

Noah heard voices daily.
Travis Greene heard voices loudly.
But obedience requires selective listening.

Reflection Questions

• Whose voice carries the most weight in my decisions?
• Am I obeying God or negotiating with people?

Declaration

God’s voice is final in my life.

Prayer

Tune my ears to You alone, Lord. Amen.

POINT 9: PRIDE AND BUSYNESS QUIETLY RESIST OBEDIENCE

(Luke 8:14–15)

Some people don’t say “no” to God.
They say “later.”
Busy schedules silence conviction.

Life Insight

Delayed obedience is still disobedience.

Reflection Questions

• What am I postponing?
• What keeps crowding God out?

Declaration

I make room for obedience.

Prayer

Reorder my priorities, Lord.
I choose You first. Amen.

CLOSING CALL

Jesus says the difference between two lives is not hearing—but doing.

Luke says the good soil holds fast and bears fruit with patience.

This is not a call to try harder.
It is a call to surrender deeper.

FINAL CORPORATE DECLARATION

Today, we choose obedience.
Our hearts are good soil.
We build on the Rock.
We respond to God’s voice.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

✍🏽 Shared and signed:
Ambassador Monday O. Ogbe and Comfort Ladi Ogbe
God’s Eagle Ministries GEMs 💎
https://www.otakada.org

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