Obey the Lord, Avoid the Lion I Lions, Giants & Bears, But God I Frank Santora

Jun 30, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Obedience Meets the Lion’s Road

The man of God walked away from Jeroboam’s offers with clear boundaries, his "no" as firm as the withered hand restored. Yet one moment of hunger, one rationalized compromise under an oak tree, unraveled everything. Obedience isn’t a single heroic choice but daily faithfulness to what God has plainly said. Partial obedience becomes full disobedience when we trade divine clarity for human convenience. The lion waits where our resolve weakens. [19:17]

“So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.”
(1 Kings 13:10, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you been obeying God “mostly” while quietly reserving a “just in case” option? What would full surrender look like today?

Day 2: The Cost of Trading God’s Voice for Convenient Lies

The old prophet’s lie wore religious language like a disguise, name-dropping angels to justify rebellion. Compromise often dresses as wisdom, urging us to bend God’s word for practical needs. But every adjustment to divine instruction, no matter how small, erodes our spiritual immunity. The man traded a lifetime of impact for a single meal because he stopped treating God’s word as final. [23:51]

“He said, ‘An angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord…’ (but he was lying to him). So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.”
(1 Kings 13:18-19, NKJV)

Reflection: Whose voice have you recently allowed to reinterpret what God clearly told you? How will you reaffirm Scripture as your final authority?

Day 3: One Meal, One Compromise, One Eternal Lesson

A single compromise cost the prophet his life, his donkey and lion frozen in a grotesque tableau. Disobedience never stays contained—it metastasizes. What we dismiss as a “small exception” (skipping church, fudging finances, entertaining secret sin) becomes a foothold for destruction. The enemy doesn’t need grand rebellion—just one unguarded moment where we choose comfort over conviction. [31:34]

“When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road.”
(1 Kings 13:24, NKJV)

Reflection: What “harmless” compromise have you been tolerating? What eternal inheritance might it be eroding?

Day 4: When Prophets Fail But God’s Word Stands

Three centuries later, Josiah fulfilled the dead prophet’s words while the liar’s bones decayed beside him. Human failure can’t nullify divine promises. Leaders may fall, but God’s word remains fireproof—outliving critics, surviving scandals, and accomplishing its purpose. Our hope isn’t in flawless messengers but the flawless message they carried. [38:59]

“And he said, ‘Let him alone; let no one move his bones.’ So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.”
(2 Kings 23:18, NKJV)

Reflection: Have you ever let a leader’s failure shake your trust in God’s word? How will you anchor deeper in Scripture itself?

Day 5: The Unshakable Yes That Swallowed Every No

Where the Judahite prophet faltered, Jesus stood firm—rejecting Satan’s shortcuts, refusing to trade crosses for kingdoms. His “It is written” dismantled every lie. The Lion of Judah faced death so we might overcome our lions, His resurrection proving no word of God returns void. Our obedience finds power in His finished work. [50:52]

“But He answered and said, ‘It is written…’ ‘It is written again…’ ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written…’”
(Matthew 4:4,7,10, NKJV)

Reflection: Where is Jesus’ “It is written” model challenging you to replace excuses with Scripture? What lion will you face today through His victory?

Sermon Summary

1 Kings 13 sends a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord to confront a throne propped up by fear. Jeroboam’s terror of losing people to Jerusalem births golden calves, counterfeit priests, and a made-up calendar. The text answers this with a sign-filled word: “O altar, altar… Josiah by name,” and the altar splits as the king’s hand withers and is then restored. God’s word proves both sharp and kind, and the man of God stays clean—no bread, no water, no going back the same way—because clear commands fence him in from predators, not cage him in from life.

The chapter then turns on a voice. An old prophet name-drops an angel and invents a more convenient revelation. The man who had obeyed to the letter trades the voice of God for a lie, eats, and a lion kills him. The lion is not the problem; disobedience is. Jesus had already said the storm comes to both houses; the wise man digs deep until he hits rock—his sayings—and obedience is the digging. Willing obedience, not grudging compliance, is the pathway where power flows. Abraham reasons God can raise the dead. Esther says, “If I die, I die.” The widow gives first and sees oil flow. Obedience pays. Disobedience costs.

The danger in Bethel is not an atheist but a religious insider who permits what God forbids. Wrong voices rarely push; they permit. The written word needs no second opinion, even if a so-called angel offers one. Paul’s curse over any “other gospel” unmasks a thousand bad trades: a bowl for a birthright, a bite for paradise, silver for the Son, and here, a meal for a mission. The devil cannot seize an inheritance; he must trade for it with momentary sweetness and long-term pain.

A hard line follows: the liar lives and the listener dies. Personal responsibility tightens. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Don’t point at John; hear Jesus say to Peter, “That’s none of your business.” Yet the chapter doesn’t end in despair. The messenger fails, but the message marches on. Even the deceiver admits the word will surely come to pass, and 300 years later Josiah does exactly as named: altars smashed, bones burned, Israel turned. Kings, critics, and centuries cannot bury a word God breathes. Manuscripts, caves, and an empty tomb say the same thing.

Lastly, the story leans toward a greater Man. Jesus refuses every deadly trade in the wilderness—“It is written”—rejects Peter’s easy path, and stays on the cross not for lack of power but for love and mission. The Word made flesh never fails, so the church must build everything on the word that cannot fail.

Key Takeaways

1. Obedience pays; disobedience costs Obedience is not God limiting life; it is God protecting it. Power flows where a willing heart yields to a clear word, and provision meets hard obedience on the road. Disobedience looks cheaper up front and always invoices later with interest. The path of blessing is narrow, but it is paved with God’s faithfulness. [19:17]
2. The lion is never the problem Opposition is real, but it is not final. The decisive issue is whether the believer stands inside the fence of God’s command or outside it. Where obedience holds, the anointing outmuscles lions, giants, and storms. The attack exposes foundations; it does not write the ending. [19:47]
3. Wrong voices permit, not push Deception often wears a familiar robe and quotes heaven while contradicting scripture. A permitting voice soothes the conscience while it loosens the grip on a clear command. The test is simple: does the word drive toward costly obedience or excuse convenient compromise? The written word needs no second opinion. [28:41]
4. One compromise can cost everything It rarely starts with renouncing the faith; it starts with a bite, a bowl, a little exception. Bad trades make sense only when the fine print stays closed. The enemy cannot snatch an inheritance; he bargains for it with momentary sweetness and long-term loss. Guard the mission more fiercely than the meal. [29:23]
5. The Word endures when messengers fail God’s message does not fall even when his messengers do. Faith that is anchored to a man crumbles; faith anchored to the living word stands when centuries roll and critics fade. The bones of kings move; the promises of God do not. Build everything on what God has spoken. [36:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:23] - Josiah foretold at the altar
[03:00] - Hand withers, altar splits
[05:07] - Solomon’s slide, split kingdom
[08:30] - Jeroboam invents a religion
[10:30] - Prophecy, power, and obedience
[11:58] - Build on the rock
[13:51] - Willing obedience, not grudging
[19:17] - Obedience pays, disobedience costs
[22:20] - The wrong voice under the oak
[28:41] - Testing voices that permit
[29:23] - One meal, fatal compromise
[33:31] - Own your obedience before God
[36:32] - Messenger fails, word endures
[47:40] - Jesus, the greater Man of God

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Kings 13:1-10, 18-24 (NKJV)
(The full passage details the man of God’s obedience, confrontation with Jeroboam, and later deception by the old prophet, leading to his death.)

Observation Questions

What specific commands did God give the man of God regarding his mission in Bethel (e.g., eating, drinking, returning home)?
How did the old prophet convince the man of God to disobey God’s instructions? What claim did he make?
The sermon states, “The lion is never the problem; disobedience is.” What immediate consequence did the man of God face for his disobedience? [19:47]
What prophecy about Josiah did the man of God deliver, and how was it fulfilled centuries later?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think the man of God—who initially obeyed God’s commands so strictly—chose to believe the old prophet’s lie? What might have made him vulnerable?
The sermon says, “Wrong voices rarely push; they permit.” How does this explain the tactics of deception in 1 Kings 13? [28:41]
The prophecy about Josiah was fulfilled 300 years later. What does this reveal about the reliability of God’s word compared to human failure?
How does Jesus’ response to temptation in the wilderness (“It is written”) contrast with the man of God’s response to the old prophet?

Application Questions

In what areas of your life do you find it tempting to make “exceptions” to God’s clear instructions? What would it look like to guard against even small compromises? [29:23]
The sermon warns, “The written word needs no second opinion.” How can you grow in discerning God’s voice through Scripture versus other influences (e.g., culture, well-meaning advice)?
Reflect on a time when obedience to God felt costly. How did that choice ultimately impact your relationship with Him or others?
The man of God’s mission outlasted his failure. How does this encourage you to trust God’s purposes even when you or others fall short? [36:32]
What practical steps can you take this week to “dig deep” into God’s Word as your foundation for decisions? [12:38]
The sermon says, “Obedience is not God limiting life; it is God protecting it.” Where do you need to shift your perspective from seeing obedience as restrictive to life-giving?

Sermon Clips

35s

#ObedienceBringsAnointing

“``There is no giant strong enough. There is no struggle great enough. That is more powerful than the anointing of God and the presence of God on your life. Your problem is never the struggle. Your problem is never what you are going through. Your problem is never what the enemy throws against your life. Your problem is, are you going to obey or disobey? Because if you will obey, there will come an anointing on your life that can defeat any giant, any lion, any bear that comes into your life.”

34s

#BuildOnTheRock

“``Storms come to everybody, so you might as well be storm ready. How do you get storm ready? You get storm ready by building your life on the rock. And here's what I think about that particular passage of scripture where Jesus says that. I don't believe that the guy who built his life on the rock, built it on the rock because there was a big old rock sticking out of the ground. I don't think he just stumbled upon it and went, yeah, I'm gonna build my life upon that. I believe that both the man who built his life on the rock and the man who built his life on the sand, both encountered the same unstable ground.”

33s

#HideGodsWord

“``But you need to get the word in your heart. You need to get it in your mind. You need to get it in your spirit. David said, have hid your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. You need to get it on the inside of you. He hears another voice and he trades the voice of God for another opinion. The written word of God does not need a second opinion. When God has told you something, why do we go hunting for another voice?”

29s

#TrickNotTreat

“``They are trades that that until you get into the fine print, you don't you don't realize they're bad trades. And so he comes along and he says, you know what? If you'll do this, but it's not really a trade, it's a trick disguised as a treat. It is momentary pleasure for long term pain. It is a bowl instead of a blessing. It is a meal instead of the mission. It's the enemy overcharging you and under delivering in your life.”

42s

#FocusOnYourMission

“``He said, but remember how you said you're willing to lay down your life for me? You're you're actually gonna have to do that. And Peter is kind of wrestling with how he's gonna end his life, and John is there and and and listening to the whole thing. And here's what Peter says to Jesus, well what about him? And you know what Jesus says? It's none of your business. So what business is yours of how him and I See, he's on a mission, you're on a mission. You don't get judged based on how you fulfill his mission, you get judged based on how you fulfill your mission. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

32s

#ObeyFromLove

“``Because it matters how. It matters if their their heart is in that thing. Right? And God wants our heart to be in it. God doesn't want us to disobey because we have to. God wants us to obey because we want to. God wants us to obey because we love Jesus. God wants us to obey because he is the Lord of our lives if you're willing and obedient. And every time somebody was obedient when it was hard in the Bible, God blessed them in immense ways. Remember Abraham? Hey, sacrifice your only son.”

34s

#BewareInsiderVoices

“``Notice who the wrong voice was though. It wasn't Jeroboam. It wasn't an atheist. It wasn't a pagan priest. It wasn't an enemy. It was a fellow prophet, a religious insider, and he name dropped an angel. The most dangerous wrong voice in your life is almost never the obvious evil one. It's always the one that sounds like it came straight from heaven, and God told me.”

40s

#DontUseGodAsExcuse

“``But if God told you to do something, why in the world are you seeking a second opinion about the situation? Some of you need to seek a second opinion though because what God told you, God told me I don't need to be in church. God told me it's just time for him and me to spend time together every Sunday for the last two years. God told you that? God told me I don't have to tithe. I just need to give my time.”

29s

#NoOtherGospel

“``It's amazing. Everything you're telling me God told you, I can give you scripture and verse where God said exactly the opposite. And so all you're trying to do is find something to help you to disobey in your life. That's not the religion that we are called. That's why the apostle Paul, here's what he said, but even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

51s

#HeedGodsProtection

“``Whenever God gives you instructions, whenever God gives you a word, God is trying to protect your life. Number two, how do we build our life on the word? The danger of the wrong voices. Be careful of it. The man of God is headed home. Mission accomplished. He stops to run rest underneath an oak tree. He's tired. He's hungry. He's a long way from home.”

42s

#ChoicesHaveConsequences

“``It's a bad trade. Anytime you have to compromise what God says, it's a horrible, no good trade that is gonna end in something less than what God has for you. Now here's the part of the story everybody should stop at and listen to. If you read the story, the man who lied lived, and the man who listened to the lie died. Kinda some of those things that make you go, Some of those things you say, God, but but but that's not fair. I don't understand why would that happen.”

35s

#SubmitToJesus

“``And a lot of times you and I can look at somebody like Jeroboam. We can be like, I can't believe he would make up a religion. But can I be honest with you? There are many of you here today. There are many of you under the sound of my voice, you've made up your own religion. You've made up your own rules, your own this, your own that. You think when God tells you something, it's a suggestion. You don't understand that what it means for Jesus to be the Lord of your life is for you to obey him in everything.”

23s

#BeAttunedToGod

“``You need to get so attuned to the voice of God that when you hear something else you're like, nah, That ain't God. That some of you have no idea what's God and not God. And the reason why you have no idea is because the only word you ever get, and I mean this gets you further than most because this church had got good word. The only word you ever get is the word you get on Sunday.”

41s

#MessageOutlivesTheMessenger

“``But that's not the end of the chapter because while the prophet failed, watch this, watch this, watch this, the word of God never did. So you all missed that. While the prophet failed, the word of God never turning. going in the opposite direction. He disobeys God. The prophet fails, the prophecy didn't. The messenger failed, the message didn't. The man failed, the word of God lived on. The proof is right inside of the chapter. Watch what happens after the man of God is eaten by the lion for disobeying the word of God. First Kings chapter 13 verse 29.”

31s

#GiveFirstReceiveMore

“``She's down to her last bit of oil and meal. She's got nothing left. It's a famine in the land. She's got a kid who's hungry, and she's hungry. And the man of God comes, and here's what the man of God says. He said, before you feed yourself, give me something to eat first. Imagine that. Today's news. Man of God trying to work widow out of her last bit of finances. As if God needs to use a widow, as if God needs a little puny that you and I possess.”

36s

#BuildDeepNotQuick

“``But one of them chose to do the hard work of digging down deep until he found the foundation. Diggeth, how many of you know sometimes you have to dig, sometimes you have to dig down deep in order to build your life on the word of God. The other guy, he just wanted to see quick results. And sometimes when you're building your life on the word of God, you're watching people who haven't built their life on the word of God, and they're building. And it seems like they're going up quick, and they're making progress, and it's like, wow, look at them. They're so far ahead of me. But you know what you're doing? You're building your foundation.”

28s

#DontShopForOpinions

“``Not every preacher is God's voice. Not every prophet is God's voice. Not every podcast is God's voice. Not every influencer is God's voice. Not every friend is God's voice. You don't need a second opinion when God has already spoken. Don't go shopping for second opinions. Number three, how do I live a life built on the word of God? I realized that one meal can cost you everything.”

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Why is Jesus portrayed as the greater obedient man

Obey the Lord, Avoid the Lion I Lions, Giants & Bears, But God I Frank Santora

Devotional

Day 1: When Obedience Meets the Lion’s Road

Day 2: The Cost of Trading God’s Voice for Convenient Lies

Day 3: One Meal, One Compromise, One Eternal Lesson

Day 4: When Prophets Fail But God’s Word Stands

Day 5: The Unshakable Yes That Swallowed Every No

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Obey the Lord, Avoid the Lion I Lions, Giants & Bears, But God I Frank Santora

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