Daily InsPirational MOments with Rev. Dr. Precious Prothro

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When Obedience Feels Inconvenient, Don’t Edit What God Said

Scripture Focus: I Samuel 15

Saul was given a direct command. It was clear. It was specific. It was not open for interpretation. Yet he adjusted it.

He kept what looked valuable. He reasoned through what seemed unnecessary. He obeyed — partially. But partial obedience is still disobedience.

This passage is not just about a king long ago. It is about the subtle ways we edit God’s instructions. We soften conviction. We delay surrender. We justify compromise.

Before obedience comes discernment. We must know the voice of the Lord. Relationship precedes responsibility. But once we are certain it is Him — obedience is an act of trust.

Obedience is not rigidity. It is surrender. It is saying, “God, You see further than I do.” And every time we choose to follow fully, we align ourselves with His protection, His wisdom, and His peace.

If God said it, we don’t get to edit it.

Reflection Question: Where might I be adjusting what God has already made clear?

Lord, thank You for loving us enough to guide us clearly. Help us to recognize Your voice and trust You fully. Give us courage to obey — not partially, but completely. Where we have adjusted what You said, thank You in advance for correcting us. We want to honor You in our follow-through and obedience. Amen.

Adopted Into Love

Langston and Lyric have no idea what it takes to keep a house running. No clue about bills, insurance, or adult stress.

They just wake up…Fed. Protected. Covered…Loved.

Though they experienced trauma before they could even speak, they don’t live rehearsing it. They are not burdened by what happened before love found them.

And it hit me…How much are we like that?

We, too, were adopted. Not into perfection — but into unconditional love. God knew the trauma we would face. He knew the mistakes we would make. He knew the weight of life would press on us. And still — He chose us.

In 2 Samuel 22, David speaks of God as his rescuer and deliverer and says, “The Lord was my stay.”

A stay is support. A stay is stability. A stay is what holds you up when everything else shakes.

We are not surviving because we are strong. We are standing because He is. Just like I want my children to know that family love overrides past hurt — our Father wants us to know His loveoverrides ours.

You are not defined by what happened before love found you. You are defined by the One who rescued you.

And He is your Stay.

Father, thank You for adopting us into Your family. Thank You for being our Stay — our support, our stability, our rescue. Help us to rest in Your covering the way children rest in the safety of their home. Teach us to love our families with the same steady grace You show us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Only Receipt That Matters

I was so glad when stores switched to digital receipts. Paper receipts fade. Ink bleeds. Sometimes you can’t even read what you bought.

But a receipt is proof. Proof that the purchase was made. Proof that you’re entitled to what was paid for, and proof that a refund or exchange is due.

So what’s the proof of our salvation?

Not our works.
Not our perfection.
Not our spiritual résumé.

The Cross!

John 3:16–17 reminds us that God loved us so much that He gave His Son so we could be saved. The transaction is complete. Paid in full.

But here’s the problem…Some of us keep old receipts — guilt, shame, mistakes, regrets. We pull them out like evidence against ourselves.

God isn’t holding those.He’s holding the only receipt that matters — and it says redeemed.

Stop rehearsing what Heaven has already erased.

Lord, thank You for paying in full what we could never afford. Help us release the guilt You have already forgiven and walk boldly in the freedom You secured. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.