Faith & Obeying the Voice of God | Rev Toyin Okutinyang

Devotional

Day 1: The Answer to a Thousand and One Questions

The complexities of life present us with countless questions and decisions. In the midst of uncertainty, there is a singular, profound answer that brings clarity and direction. This answer is not found in human wisdom or external advice, but in a surrendered heart that seeks divine guidance. It is the simple yet powerful act of being led by the Spirit of God. This is the key to navigating every season and circumstance with confidence and peace. [12:19]

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Romans 8:14 (NKJV)

Reflection: What is one specific decision or area of uncertainty in your life right now where you need to clearly discern and follow God's leading, rather than relying on your own understanding or the opinions of others?

Day 2: It Takes Faith to Hear and Stay

God's instructions are not always what we would naturally choose. In times of difficulty, such as financial famine or relational strain, the instinct is often to flee and seek an easier path. However, God may call us to remain steadfast right where we are, trusting in His promise to be with us and bless us in that very place. This requires a deep faith that believes God's provision is not limited by our external circumstances. Obedience in staying can position us for incredible blessing. [17:40]

Then the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
Genesis 26:2-3 (NKJV)

Reflection: Where in your life are you currently feeling the pressure to escape a difficult situation, and what would it look like to actively trust God's presence and promise of blessing if He is calling you to stay?

Day 3: It Takes Faith to Hear and Obey

God's direction can sometimes seem illogical or counterintuitive to our natural minds. He may ask us to do something that appears foolish or that we have never seen done before. True faith is demonstrated when we choose to obey God's specific word to us, even when it contradicts human reasoning or societal expectations. This kind of obedience is not blind, but is built on a confident trust in the character and wisdom of God who speaks. [19:44]

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
Matthew 1:24-25 (NKJV)

Reflection: Is there a specific instruction you believe God has given you that feels difficult or unconventional to obey? What is one practical step you can take this week to move forward in faithful obedience?

Day 4: Immediate and Complete Obedience

Delayed obedience is a form of disobedience. There is a profound blessing found in responding to God's direction with immediacy and wholeheartedness. When we hesitate, question, or seek to modify God's clear instructions, we can miss the protective and providential aspects of His plan. A life of immediate and complete obedience positions us to experience God's best and keeps us in the center of His will, especially during times of danger or uncertainty. [26:55]

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Matthew 2:14-15 (NKJV)

Reflection: Can you identify an area where you have been delaying a response to something you know God has asked of you? What would immediate and complete obedience look like in that situation?

Day 5: There is Always Hope for a Fresh Start

Our past mistakes, disobedience, or delays do not have to define our future with God. His mercy offers a new beginning to everyone, regardless of how far they have strayed or how long they have waited. Whether you have outright disobeyed, started well but turned back, or feel it is simply too late, God specializes in restoration. He can still use you mightily and make you useful for His purposes when you return to a posture of listening and obeying. [41:54]

Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.
2 Timothy 4:11b (NKJV)

Reflection: If you have felt disqualified from God's purposes due to a past failure or season of disobedience, what would it look like to receive His grace for a fresh start and believe that He can still use you?

Sermon Summary

The congregation is called into a single, faithful posture: be led by the Spirit. Drawing from Scripture and vivid life-stories, the preacher insists that the answer to a thousand questions—where to go, whom to marry, when to stay or leave—is simple and decisive: be led. Examples from Simeon and Anna show Spirit-led readiness; Isaac’s refusal to flee the famine shows the faith required to stay; Joseph’s immediate obedience to angelic direction demonstrates the cost and reward of acting on divine instruction; and the Magi, the flight to Egypt, and the return to Nazareth illustrate how God’s guidance can call people to go, to hide, and to come home again. These biblical sketches converge on a practical rule: discernment plus faith-filled obedience positions a life in the center of God’s move.

The talk refuses sentimentalism and presses realism: even when God blesses, opposition will come. Isaac prospered in famine, yet his wells were contested; his answer was to keep digging, refuse quarrels, and trust God to make room. That posture—steadfast, non-contentious persistence—is held up as a spiritual discipline. Immediate and complete obedience is presented not as blind impulsiveness but as disciplined responsiveness that preserves blessings and preserves the mission. The narrative also offers hope to latecomers and the repentant: Jonah, Moses, and John Mark are proof that prior mistakes do not disqualify a willing heart. The close summons is unmistakable: choose to hear, choose to obey, and choose to move when the Spirit moves. If the congregation will commit to that posture, the promises of blessing, protection, and fruitful expansion follow—not because life will be easy, but because God will fight and make room for those who do not fight back in bitterness. The final challenge is evangelically pastoral: submit to God’s voice now—stay, go, return or obey—and live at the center of God’s unfolding plan.

Key Takeaways

1. Be led by the Spirit Discernment is not passive or vague; it is a cultivated sensitivity that orders decisions and exposes competing voices. When the Spirit directs, ordinary choices become kingdom placements; being led narrows a thousand anxieties into a single obedient step. This posture aligns daily life with divine trajectory rather than cultural panic. [12:19]
2. Immediate and complete obedience Obedience is measured by speed and wholeness, not by dramatic effect. Joseph’s rapid response to angelic instruction shows that delay or partial compliance can cost protection and destiny, whereas swift obedience preserves God’s purposes. Practicing immediate obedience trains the soul to trust God’s timing over human explanation. [26:13]
3. It takes faith to stay Staying when escape seems rational requires supernatural conviction that God blesses presence as well as movement. Isaac’s choice to remain during famine reframes scarcity as soil for God’s multiplication when faith cultivates the land where God planted the believer. Remaining can be an act of courage more than departure. [15:26]
4. Blessing amid opposition requires patience Prosperity in God’s favor often attracts resistance; the wise response is persistent work, not quarrelsome retaliation. Isaac’s pattern—dig, lose, dig again—models a faith that refuses to be sidetracked by enemies and trusts God to widen the space. Patient perseverance lets God be the defender and the one who ultimately makes peace. [29:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:03] - Personal greetings and background
[07:26] - Desire to discern God’s will
[09:53] - Simeon and Anna: Spirit-led readiness
[12:19] - Be led: answer to many questions
[15:26] - Faith to stay during famine (Isaac)
[18:53] - Faith to obey the unexpected (Joseph)
[22:32] - Faith to go and to return
[29:19] - Dig wells: respond without contention
[34:52] - Willing to suffer wrong; God fights
[37:47] - Hope for latecomers and failures
[42:59] - Closing call: hear and obey

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Romans 8:14 (ESV)
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Observation questions

According to the sermon, what is the simple, decisive answer to a thousand questions about life's direction? [12:19]
What three actions did the sermon identify as being crucial for those who are powerful in a move of God? [15:05]
What was Isaac's response when his wells were stopped up and his herdsmen were quarreled with? [30:50]
What hope does the sermon offer to those who feel they have missed God's direction or disobeyed in the past? [37:47]

Interpretation questions

The sermon states that "it takes faith to hear and stay" [15:26]. Why is staying in a difficult situation sometimes a greater act of faith than leaving?
Joseph's obedience is described as "immediate and complete" [26:13]. What is the difference between this type of obedience and blind impulsiveness?
Isaac prospered in the land despite famine and opposition. What does his story teach about the relationship between God's guidance, obedience, and blessing, even when circumstances are hard? [29:19]
The instruction for a servant of the Lord is to be "willing to suffer wrong" [33:32]. How does this challenging concept fit with the idea of being led by the Spirit?

Application questions

The answer to a thousand questions is to "be led" [12:19]. What is one specific decision you are currently facing where you need to consciously choose this posture of being led by the Spirit, rather than relying on your own reasoning or fear?
Immediate and complete obedience preserves God's purposes [26:13]. Can you identify an area in your life where you have been delaying or offering partial obedience to something you know God has said? What would it look like to take a step of immediate obedience this week?
It takes faith to stay [15:26]. Is there a situation in your life—a relationship, a job, a location—that feels difficult and where leaving seems like the rational choice? What would it look like to ask God if He is calling you to have the faith to stay and trust Him to bless you there?
Blessing amid opposition requires patience and a refusal to be quarrelsome [29:19]. Where are you currently experiencing opposition or frustration? How can you practice "digging another well" instead of contending and striving, trusting that God will make room for you?
Prior mistakes do not disqualify a willing heart [37:47]. If you feel you have missed God's timing or disobeyed in the past, what is one step you can take this week to reposition your heart to hear and obey His voice now?
Being led narrows a thousand anxieties into a single obedient step. What anxiety is currently loudest in your mind? How can you practically shift your focus from the anxiety to listening for the Spirit's specific direction for your next step?

Sermon Clips

I wanna be in the center of the move of God. The move of God in my life. The move of God in my family. The move of God in my nation. The move of God in the body of Christ and in the earth. And I know that for me to be there, for me to get it right, I need to be led by the spirit of God. All the questions you're asking me as different as our faces are, all the questions you're asking God, all the questions that fill your heart, that make you ache, that make keep you awake at night, the answer to a thousand and one questions is what? Be led. [00:13:27] (36 seconds) #InGodsMove

He didn't say let me sell some land, let me talk to my servant, let me gather my stuff. That night, he departed with the child. By the next day, they were slaughtering every child two years and under. But Joseph was gone. I said, in your immediate and complete obedience, your blessing lies. You better receive that. In obedience to God, the blessings abound. [00:26:40] (28 seconds) #ImmediateObedience

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Faith & Obeying the Voice of God | Rev Toyin Okutinyang | Scents of Christ Church