December 18th, 2025 Devotional

LIVING WATER VINEYARD DEVOTION — THURSDAY

“Guided Through Obedience” 🧭✨

Scriptures:

Matthew 1:18–25; Matthew 2:13–23; Psalm 32:7–8; Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

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Obedience sounds good—

until it costs you something.

Most of us like the idea of obedience, especially when it leads to blessing, clarity, or favor. But obedience gets much harder when it disrupts our plans, challenges our comfort, or puts our reputation at risk.

If I’m honest, growing up I didn’t really believe rules were absolute.

I treated them more like suggestions.

If I agreed with the rule, it was a good rule.

If I didn’t agree with it, it was a stupid rule.

And if I could get away with breaking it, that felt like a win.

It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized something important:

It’s not really about the rule.

It’s about who is giving it.

If I shove someone on the sidewalk, I’ll probably get in trouble.

If I shove a police officer, I’m going to jail.

If I shove the President, I could be shot.

Same action.

Different authority.

And once you understand authority, obedience takes on a whole new meaning.

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JOSEPH — A MAN WHO LISTENED

Joseph never speaks a recorded word in Scripture.

No prayers.

No speeches.

No questions.

But what he does do is listen.

Joseph is introduced to us in Matthew 1 in the middle of a crisis. The woman he is betrothed to—Mary—is pregnant. And Joseph knows the child is not his.

In that culture, Joseph had options:

   •   He could publicly accuse her.

   •   He could legally divorce her.

   •   He could protect his own reputation.

Matthew tells us Joseph was righteous, so he planned to quietly step away. That felt merciful. Reasonable. Responsible.

But God interrupts Joseph’s plan with a dream.

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

(Matthew 1:20)

And then Scripture says something incredibly simple—but incredibly powerful:

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.”

(Matthew 1:24)

No debate.

No delay.

No demand for clarity.

Joseph obeys.

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OBEDIENCE THAT KEEPS COSTING

Joseph’s obedience doesn’t end with the wedding.

It costs him again.

Not long after Jesus is born, political fear turns deadly. King Herod, threatened by rumors of a newborn king, orders the massacre of children.

And once again, God speaks to Joseph in a dream:

“Get up… take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.”

(Matthew 2:13)

And Joseph does something remarkable.

He gets up that night.

Not after sunrise.

Not after a plan.

Not after asking friends.

He gets up immediately.

Joseph uproots his family.

He flees to a foreign land.

He becomes a refugee.

Later, God tells him to return.

Then warns him not to settle where he planned.

Four times God speaks.

Four times Joseph obeys.

Joseph never gets the full picture—only the next step.

And every act of obedience protects Jesus.

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GOD STILL SPEAKS THIS WAY

What’s remarkable is that this pattern didn’t stop with Joseph.

God still speaks today—especially in places where the gospel is restricted and Scripture is scarce.

In modern times, particularly in Muslim-majority countries, there has been a growing number of documented testimonies of Muslims encountering Jesus in dreams or visions.

Not for entertainment.

Not for spectacle.

But for obedience.

One such story comes from Egypt.

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A MODERN STORY OF OBEDIENCE — EGYPT

The man’s name is often changed for safety. Let’s call him Khalil.

Khalil was a devout Muslim.

He prayed daily.

He fasted regularly.

He wanted to please God.

Christianity wasn’t attractive to him—it was suspicious.

The Bible, he had been taught, was corrupted.

Jesus—Isa—was respected, but only as a prophet.

Khalil wasn’t searching.

Then one night, he had a dream.

A man dressed in white stood before him. There was nothing violent or dramatic—just overwhelming authority.

The man asked:

“Why do you persecute Me?”

Khalil woke up shaken.

He tried to dismiss it. Dreams mattered in his culture, but they could also mislead. So he prayed harder, asking God to protect him from deception.

Weeks later, the dream returned.

Same man.

Same presence.

This time the message was simple:

“Go find My book.”

Khalil knew exactly what that meant.

The Bible.

And in Egypt, a Muslim owning a Bible could lose family, career, and safety.

He didn’t obey right away.

Then the dream came again.

This time the man said:

“If you want the truth, you must obey.”

That sentence broke through.

Because Khalil realized this wasn’t about curiosity—it was about surrender.

Like Joseph, he wasn’t given explanations.

He was given instruction.

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THE COSTLY STEP

After weeks of inner struggle, Khalil chose obedience.

Quietly, carefully, he found someone who could get him a Bible. He hid it and began reading the Gospels—starting with Matthew.

As he read, something stirred in him.

The authority felt familiar.

The compassion felt personal.

When he read Jesus’ words:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6)

Khalil whispered out loud:

“You are the one from my dreams.”

Obedience didn’t make his life easier.

It made it harder.

But it led him to Christ.

Later, missionaries and underground believers met Khalil and heard his story. One of them said something that’s become common in these regions:

“Jesus came to me before you did.”

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OBEDIENCE IS NOT ABOUT RULES

Joseph wasn’t following rules.

Khalil wasn’t breaking tradition just to rebel.

Both were responding to authority.

That’s the heart of obedience.

When we resist obedience, we’re often not rejecting the command—we’re questioning the One who gave it.

Joseph never does that.

Neither does this modern believer.

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GUIDANCE FLOWS THROUGH OBEDIENCE

Here’s what we often miss:

Joseph didn’t receive the full plan.

Khalil didn’t receive the full theology.

They received the next step.

And God guided them as they obeyed.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with My loving eye on you.”

(Psalm 32:8)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding…”

(Proverbs 3:5–6)

God rarely gives the whole map.

He gives the next faithful step.

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WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US

Many of us want guidance without obedience.

Clarity without surrender.

Direction without trust.

Blessing without risk.

Joseph shows us another way.

He didn’t always understand.

He didn’t always feel safe.

But he trusted the One who was speaking.

And God guided him—step by step.

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REFLECTION

Where have you treated God’s commands like suggestions?

What step of obedience might be the doorway to the guidance you’ve been praying for?

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PRAYER 🙏

Faithful God,

forgive us for the times we questioned Your authority instead of trusting Your heart.

Teach us to obey—not out of fear, but out of love.

Like Joseph, help us listen quickly and follow faithfully.

Guide our steps as we trust You with our lives.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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WORSHIP RESPONSE 🎶

“Trust in God” – Elevation Worship

or

“I Will Follow” – Chris Tomlin

As you worship, ask God not just to guide you—

but to help you trust Him enough to obey.