Liars & Lions

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Lion and Donkey on the Road

A prophet’s disobedience leaves his body unburied beside a lion and donkey—a divine sign of judgment. Obedience to God’s specific word cannot be compromised, even when lies sound spiritual. The young prophet believed a convincing lie over God’s direct command, trading his destiny for a meal. Partial obedience still carries consequences. Disobedience kills dreams God planted, leaving lions as markers of warning. Trusting God’s voice requires discernment beyond appearances. [14:28]

“The lion met him on the road and killed him. His corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the corpse. When people passed by and saw the corpse, they said, ‘What happened here?’”
(1 Kings 13:24–25, ESV)

Reflection: What “spiritual” voice have you recently believed that contradicts God’s clear word to you? How might partial obedience be costing you your peace or purpose?

Day 2: Gigas’ Ring of Invisibility

A shepherd’s hidden ambition surfaces when a magic ring lets him act unseen. Performance for others masks secret motives. Like Gigas, many serve God to avoid punishment or gain approval, not from true surrender. Obedience flows from knowing God’s heart, not fearing exposure. The ring reveals who we are when no one watches. God sees through invisibility—He judges the heart, not the script. [22:32]

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
(1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)

Reflection: What hidden motive would surface if you could act without consequences? How does your private life differ from your “visible” spiritual performance?

Day 3: Moses’ Request for Glory

Moses didn’t ask for revival or power—he begged to see God’s glory. Passion for God starts with seeing Him, not performing duties. Isaiah trembled at God’s holiness; the Greeks sought only to “see Jesus.” Obedience withers when we reduce God to rules. Revival begins when we hunger for His presence, not just His promises. [34:14]

“Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.’”
(Exodus 33:18, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last crave encountering God’s presence more than checking off spiritual tasks? What would change if you prioritized seeing Him over serving Him?

Day 4: Mary at Jesus’ Feet

Mary ignored chores to sit at Jesus’ feet. Martha resented her sister’s “laziness,” but Mary chose intimacy over productivity. Obedience thrives in stillness, not hustle. Performers prioritize busyness; disciples prioritize listening. Awakening starts when we trade doing for beholding. Jesus called Mary’s choice “the better part”—the foundation of true obedience. [39:23]

“Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. Martha was distracted with much serving.”
(Luke 10:39–40, ESV)

Reflection: What spiritual “busywork” distracts you from sitting with Jesus? How might slowing down deepen your obedience this week?

Day 5: Joseph’s Righteous Refusal

Joseph fled Potiphar’s wife because he knew God’s character, not just rules. Righteousness isn’t innocence—it’s choosing holiness when tempted. The young prophet failed because he lacked conviction; Joseph prevailed because he feared God more than consequences. Obedience flows from loving God’s heart, not avoiding lions. [41:18]

“How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
(Genesis 39:9, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you relying on rules rather than relationship with God? What temptation requires saying, “I cannot sin against Him”?

Sermon Summary

First Kings 13 stands up and says obedience is not optional. Jeroboam lifts his hand at a pagan altar, and God sends a man from Judah with a laser‑specific word, naming Josiah three centuries early. The altar splits, the ashes pour out, the king’s arm withers and then is healed at prayer. The sign and the mercy both land. Then God’s terms land too: do not eat, do not drink, do not go back the same way. The young prophet honors that word… until he doesn’t.

An old prophet rides out, looks credible, sounds spiritual, and lies. “An angel spoke to me,” he says. The young prophet trades the word he heard for the word he was told. He eats, he drinks, and the very mouth that deceived him pronounces judgment. On the road home a lion meets him. The lion does not eat him. The donkey is not touched. Lion, body, donkey just stand there like a billboard. That scene isn’t a random attack. It is a sign. In a world of liars and lions, only the word of God can be trusted.

Obedience speaks like this: God’s commands are not suggestions, partial obedience is still disobedience, and no later “revelation” ever overwrites what God already said. Confirmation can come through people, but revelation comes from God. The church loves performers who can hit the script, but God asks for sons and daughters who submit. Gygas’ ring shows why performance fools people. Give a man invisibility and the hidden self steps out. Social constraints make people look good. Only obedience makes people true.

Awakening begins where the foundations of sin get broken and a new beginning of obedience takes root. That call lands on the church first. Behind every lie sits a lion, and disobedience still carries consequences. Grace spares a life, but disobedience can still kill a calling, a dream, a future. God means what he says and says what he means.

So where does a life of obedience come from? Not from hyped passion. Passion flows from a sightline. Moses prays, “Please show me Your glory.” Isaiah sees the Lord high and lifted up, the fire touches his lips, and only then does “Here am I, send me” come out of his mouth. The Greeks ask for one thing, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Mary sits at his feet and hears his word. People cannot obey whom they do not know. See him, and obedience stops being performance. Do it in the secret place, and the Father will reward openly.

Key Takeaways

1. Only God’s word can be trusted. [17:43] In First Kings 13 the lion, the body, and the donkey freeze the lesson in place. Spiritual packaging cannot validate a lie, and signs do not sanitize disobedience. When the culture is full of lions and liars, Scripture and clear conviction must hold the line. God’s commands are not suggestions, and partial obedience still bleeds out a future. [17:43]
2. Do not trade revelation for hearsay. [12:47] The young prophet swaps a direct charge from God for an “angel told me” update and pays with his destiny. Credibility, age, and platform cannot outrank what God already spoke. People can confirm what heaven says, but they cannot revise it. Hold the word, and let every other voice take a number. [12:47]
3. Performance looks right, obedience is right. [25:17] Gygas’ ring unmasks the heart that behaves only because eyes are watching. Performance lives by scripts and codes, but obedience lives by relationship and submission. The secret place tells the truth about a soul, and the public place only echoes it. When the fear of being seen goes away, real motives step forward. [25:17]
4. Seeing God ignites real obedience. [36:33] Moses asks for glory, Isaiah sees the King and then volunteers, and Mary sits to hear before she serves. People cannot obey whom they do not know, and they cannot sustain passion for a face they have never sought. Vision precedes vocation; revelation births right response. Seek his presence and obedience will have fuel. [36:33]
5. Disobedience carries consequences for calling. [19:30] Grace removes condemnation but not always fallout. The lion on the road shouts that choices shape futures, and some losses do not grow back. God is kind, but he is not casual. Hidden compromise quietly strangles assignments, while secret obedience sets the stage for public reward. [19:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:18] - Assignment and 1 Kings 13
[01:13] - America’s awakenings and need
[02:41] - Finney’s marks of awakening
[06:36] - Jeroboam confronted and the sign
[09:40] - Marching orders to the prophet
[10:06] - The old prophet’s lie
[12:28] - Trading God’s word for another’s
[15:38] - Lion, donkey, and the sign
[16:53] - True word vs convincing lie
[19:30] - Consequences and killed destinies
[20:30] - Gygas’ ring: performance exposed
[25:17] - Performance or obedience
[33:54] - Show me your glory
[43:00] - Secret holiness, public reward

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Kings 13 (ESV)

Observation Questions

What specific instructions did God give the young prophet in 1 Kings 13, and how did he initially respond?
What unusual details about the lion, donkey, and the prophet’s body are highlighted in the story (1 Kings 13:24-25)? [15:38]
According to the sermon, what are the differences between “performance” and true obedience? [25:17]
How did Moses, Isaiah, and Mary model a posture that leads to obedience? [36:33]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think the young prophet chose to believe the old prophet’s lie despite receiving clear instructions from God? What might this reveal about human tendencies? [12:47]
The lion in the story didn’t eat the prophet’s body or attack the donkey. What might this “sign” communicate about the consequences of disobedience? [19:30]
Partial obedience is called “still disobedience” in the sermon. Why is half-hearted compliance insufficient in God’s eyes?
How does seeing God’s glory (as Moses and Isaiah did) create a foundation for lasting obedience rather than temporary performance?

Application Questions

In what areas of life do you find yourself most tempted to prioritize others’ opinions or “spiritual-sounding” advice over what God has clearly said? How can you guard against this? [16:53]
Are there areas where you’ve settled for partial obedience (e.g., following God’s commands selectively)? What practical step can you take this week to align fully with His word?
The sermon mentions “Gygas’ ring” exposing hidden motives. What habits or disciplines could help you cultivate authenticity in private, where no one sees? [25:17]
How can you intentionally create space to “sit at Jesus’ feet” (like Mary) or seek His glory (like Moses) to fuel genuine obedience rather than performance?
Have you experienced or witnessed consequences of disobedience that affected a calling, relationship, or dream? How does this story challenge you to take God’s word more seriously? [19:30]
What “social constraints” (like fear of judgment) currently influence your actions? How might your choices change if those pressures were removed?

Sermon Clips

75s

#OnlyGodsWord

“``God's not gonna tell me something to tell you that he can tell you directly. He'll tell me something to confirm something he gave you, but all revelation comes from God, confirmation comes from man. We're living in peculiar times right now. This is why this is a different story. A true word from God cannot be overwritten by convincing lie. This was an old prophet. He told a good convincing Come drink. Come eat. It's okay. He convinced them with a lie and partial obedience is still disobedience. He obeyed him a little bit, but he got tricked. God's commands are not suggestions and they are non negotiable. In a world of liars and lions, only the word of God can be trusted.”

57s

#LionsAndLiars

“Guys, we're living in a world of lions and liars. First Kings 13 is tucked in there. I love first and second Kings. I love first and second Chronicles. I just love the history of it, I love the history of the Kings and tucked in there is just crazy story about this prophet who's given a word from God, who did everything right until he didn't. And on his way home, a lion kills him and he never makes it back. Wanna know why? Because in the world of liars and lions, only the word of God can be trusted. Wanna know why? Say a word that's almost turned into a curse word in the hours we're living. There's consequences.”

75s

#CommandsNotSuggestions

“God's commandments are not suggestions. God means what he says and he says what he means. And we can be tricked by liars because it looks good and it sounds good but after every liar is a lion. And it's a sign. Now, I'll stop here. Let me tell you this. Thank god we're under grace and this is Old Testament. I don't get involved with that because this is this it isn't a free it isn't a free ticket to do whatever you want. But let me tell you what disobedience would do. Even though we might not get even though thank god we won't get attacked and killed by a lion on our way home, but it would kill dreams and visions that god has for you. this this man dying. This is a prophet. This is a young prophet because the other guy was the old prophet. What did god have in store for him? In every dream and every vision, his destiny that he had was killed on the way home because he listened to a lie. Behind every lie is a lion, and that lion is a sign.”

58s

#ObeyWhomYouKnow

“You will never say here am I, see send me until you first see him as he is. All I do it, lord, I'm going to Guatemala. I'm going to keep the nursery too. I might even park a car. You even seen him. You don't know who he is. We cannot obey whom we do not know. I obey you. You don't know me. I have to be honest with you. We got a lot of people around here. School, church, everything else. Some people stick, some people don't. Beyond, it's not because we're good, we're bad, they're good, they're bad, or whatever. It's just a fact, if we never get to know each other, it really don't stick.”

52s

#JustWantToSeeJesus

“Just like we're Christ and only knowing the living Christ are we changed. Isaiah said, send me wherever you want to send me because I've seen you. I've seen your glory. We must have the hunger of the Greeks who came to Jerusalem for the Passover. John twelve twenty one, they came for the Passover. You know what they said? They said, sir, we just want to see Jesus. In John twelve and twenty one, sir, we just wish to see Jesus. It wasn't right. I don't want anything else. I just want to see him. Don't complain about anything else. I just wanna see you. You can't have passion for somebody you don't know.”

63s

#KnowHimNotPerform

“So, what are we to do if we desire a life of obedience? I don't wanna be a performer. I don't want your pastor to be a performer. I don't want a bunch of deacons around me either. Pastor, I got your back, but if the opportunity comes, I'm gonna take you out. So I got this ego and this self indulgence that men don't even know what else. So, here's the deal real fast. We must not try to have a passion for god. What? We must not try to have a passion for god because you can't do it. As much as we simply want to gaze upon him and let that vision give us passion. You can't have passion for something that you don't even know.”

50s

#DiscernGodsWord

“What's it teaching us? First King reminds us that obedience to god's word is not optional. We think it's optional. Even when the voice contradicting it, contradicting it sounds spiritual, it still isn't optional. One thing we have to have as Christians, when God gives you a word, when God gives you conviction over something, it doesn't matter who they are, it doesn't matter how good they look, it doesn't matter how powerful they are, it will never triumph the word that God gave you personally.”

80s

#ObedienceOverPerformance

“See, here's the whole thing about Gigas. Here's here's the thing we have to watch out as Christians, and I'm I'm gonna apply this to Christians on where we at. There's a difference between performance and obedience. And if we're not careful as Christians, just like Gigas, Gigas was performing for the king and he really wasn't obedient. He thinks he has the king is sitting on a throne. He thinks his kingdom is secure not because he's got great soldiers behind him, because he's got a great kingdom. He's got the right people around him. And Gigas is his main man. And what he didn't realize is that Giygas deep down and maybe Giygas didn't even realize it. But Giygas was performing. He wasn't really obedient. Performance. We need to be motivated to obedience, not performance. Performance, because they look very similar on the surface. Performance is when someone plays a part because it's in the script, it's the written code or it's the rules.”

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