When Obedience Gets Loud

Why following Jesus sometimes stirs resistance—and why that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong

The moment you start doing something that matters for God, everything seems to get louder.

Not dramatic.
Just…heavier.

Bad attitudes. Short fuses. Weird tension. Technology misbehaving like it has a mind of its own. Things not going as planned.

I don’t panic when that happens.
I pause.

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I believe, as Christians, we are in a battle.

Scripture is clear about that. We don’t wrestle primarily against flesh and blood. There is an enemy. There are spiritual forces at work. Ignoring that would be naïve.

But here’s the other side of the coin we don’t talk about enough:

Not everything that goes wrong is spiritual warfare.

Sometimes people are just tired.
Sometimes schedules are overloaded.
Sometimes kids are cranky because they didn’t sleep.
Sometimes life just…happens.

And if we blame the devil for every bad moment, we miss the wisdom God gives us for dealing with our own humanity.

Jesus tells His disciples to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. That balance matters. We’re called to discernment, not paranoia.

Awareness, not obsession.

We watch ourselves without losing the purity of our spirit.

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Life Happens in a House With Four Kids

In our house, things get loud—emotionally and literally.

Four kids. Three schools. Multiple schedules that feel like they were designed to humble us. Calendars fill up fast. Sometimes too fast. And sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is say, “No, we are not going to be able to do that.”

We’ve had to own our limitations. We cannot do everything. We were never meant to.

When we don’t sleep enough, our patience gets thin. When we’re stretched, our humanity shines a little brighter—and not always in flattering ways. That’s not the devil. That’s simply being human.

Humility forces us to look inward first.
Am I tired?
Am I overloaded?
Am I expecting more than I’m capable of giving right now?

That kind of self-examination isn’t a lack of faith. It’s maturity.

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But Obedience Does Invite Friction

That said…there are patterns you can’t ignore.

When I’m working on something that points people toward Jesus—writing, teaching, obedience in general—things tend to get noisy. Small irritations grow teeth. The kids seem to clash more. Karen and I can find ourselves fussing over things that don’t deserve airtime.

I’ll go back to parenting.

The moment you ask your kids to do something important, suddenly they’re exhausted. Or you get a long explanation about why now isn’t the right time. Obedience has a way of revealing resistance.

Anything done for God has the potential to lead someone to Christ. Why wouldn’t the enemy want to disrupt that?

But here’s the key: being aware is healthy. Being fixated is dangerous.

If we focus too much on Satan, we miss the smaller things—and in my opinion, those smaller things can be more dangerous. Subtle division. Lingering irritation. Quiet discouragement.

It’s like I tell my kids all the time. If you look for the bad stuff, you will find the bad stuff every time.

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How I Discern the Difference

For me, discernment starts with one simple question:

What am I doing right now?

If I’m actively working toward something Kingdom-minded and everything feels unusually heavy, I take notice. If Karen and I are both feeling off at the same time, I pause.

But I also ask practical questions:

• Am I sleeping enough?

• Am I caring for my body?

• Have I been rushing too much?

• Is this a real issue, or just life pressing in?

Then I pray.

Prayer is never the wrong response. Ever.

I ask God to protect me if it’s spiritual—and to strengthen me if it’s not. Either way, He’s present. And I lean heavily on Karen. Often, if one of us feels under attack, the other does too. That’s not accidental. We take the time to pray with and for each other.

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The Posture We Choose

We don’t jump to conclusions.
We pray.
We stay in Scripture.
We laugh—a lot.

Our house values humor. Inside jokes. Lightness. Grace. We believe laughter deflates fear, and grace keeps our eyes on Jesus.

We extend grace to our kids because God extends it to us daily.

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For the New Believer

If I were speaking to someone new to the faith, I’d say this gently but honestly:

You’re on the radar now.

Before, the enemy didn’t care. Now, you’re dangerous—because you can point others to Christ. Sometimes that means opposition. Sometimes it just means life gets messy.

The constant isn’t the attack.
The constant is God’s presence.

Scripture says the devil prowls like a lion. But anyone who’s spent time outdoors knows this: sometimes a twig snapping is just a twig snapping.

But sometimes…it’s not.

That’s why we’re told not to be anxious about anything—but to pray about everything. Discernment doesn’t come from fear. It comes from staying close to God.

And when you do that—whether it’s warfare or just a hard day—you never walk it alone.

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A Few Scriptures That Help Me Hold the Tension

• Ephesians 6:12 (CSB)
  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness…”
  → The battle is real. Ignoring it isn’t faith. It’s negligence.

• Ecclesiastes 9:11 (CSB)
  “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong…but time and chance happen to them all.”
  → Not every hard thing has a spiritual villain. Sometimes life just happens.

• Matthew 10:16 (CSB)
  “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
  → Discernment without cynicism. Awareness without fear.

• 1 Peter 5:8 (CSB)
  “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion…”
  → Alert, not obsessed. Watchful, not anxious.

• Philippians 4:6–7 (CSB)
  “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
  → Whether it’s warfare or just a hard day, prayer is always the right move.

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Because discernment is tricky—and because I don’t pretend to have a monopoly on wisdom—I asked a few trusted voices to speak into this.

Here’s what they shared.

Thomas Hamilton from The Narrow Path Collective

I really appreciated this article—especially the mention of Ephesians 6:12. Scripture is pretty clear here. There’s a spiritual battle happening, and everyone is involved, willing or unwilling.

As a father, I notice the spiritual warfare more when I’m trying to walk in obedience. And honestly… it isn’t always pleasant. Kids get cranky, emotions run high, everyone’s tired. Sometimes arguments pop up out of nowhere. So when Maury says obedience invites friction, he’s not exaggerating.

We actually worked together on an article recently titled “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Was Jesus being inclusive or exclusive? That piece took me longer than expected to finish. Why? Simple. The enemy does whatever he can to keep God’s Word from being shared. He knows our triggers and weak spots. And in a family household, men often feel that pressure first.

So what do we do? Maury gives solid advice: pray. Sounds simple because it is simple. But before that, the questions he asks himself really stood out to me:

• Am I sleeping enough?

• Am I caring for my body?

• Have I been rushing too much?

• Is this a real issue, or just life pressing in?

Those questions matter. Yes, God calls us to obedience—but He also calls us to care for our bodies. They’re His temples. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is slow down. Staying busy for God can quietly replace intimacy with God if we’re not paying attention.

Sleep matters too…even if that’s easier said than done with kids. Prioritizing and organizing helps. Ask yourself: Can this wait? Is this really urgent? Should I pray about this first? Have I talked to God about it yet? Does this actually please Him?

I try to pay attention to the quiet nudges—the mix of the Holy Spirit and that deep internal “hey, slow down” feeling. Then I act.
If God nudges me toward rest, the articles can wait.
If He nudges me toward family, the laptop closes and the phone goes down.

Here’s the point: walking in obedience isn’t easy, and the enemy loves wearing people down and draining their energy. So prioritize, organize, pray and put on the full armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10–11
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

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Julie West Worth Remembering

For my husband and I, when we seem to be facing battles outside the home at the same time, it has often been that the Lord is preparing us for transition. In these moments, we could call for justice and demand our rights. Instead, when we’ve gotten quiet and asked the Lord to show us what He is doing, more than once we’ve discovered a door opening and a desire to leave a place we expected to be forever.

2 Chronicles 20:17

Exodus 14:14

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Pete from The Apprentice Discerner

Solid, Solid piece. I absolutely agree with you on the tendency for people to attribute negative moments in their life to the enemy. The truth of course is that the world was good until the enemy brought sin into it and corrupted things. So although we are not necessarily being spiritually attacked at a particular moment. Our own sin causes the bad situations we are in. I guess I would suggest perhaps making the point that being vigilant takes energy.

When we are tired, and our reserves are low, that’s when our own humanity and the sinful nature inside of us often comes out. Our defenses are down and the enemy sometimes doesn’t need to do anything, for we do it ourselves. The cross words we say, the snapping at our kids, the lack of joy we bring to a family gathering, all usually down to our fatigue. Sure, we don’t mean it, but it is out of choices that we make, choices that perhaps we wouldn’t make if we had a clear head and a full tank. Linking this back to Romans 7:15-20 - where Paul even expresses how he does not do the things he desires to do because of his sinful nature.

The advice to pray - super solid - turning this all back to Jesus to point out the errors of “our” ways, helps us to grow and be more alert to it in the future.

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Paul from The Salt & Light Daily Substack

Good job Maury on making this post relevant and relatable. While I’ve learned to watch for external patterns of resistance, I’ve found that the most vital discernment often happens right within the walls of my home. I’ve come to realize that my wife, my kids, and the Holy Spirit serve as my primary “guides,” consistently pointing out the specific areas in my heart that are in need of correction. Whether it’s a gentle conviction during everyday tasks or going to a church or ministry event, prayer or a humbling moment of tension with my family, these interactions act as a mirror for my soul. It reminds me of the wisdom in Proverbs 15:31–32: “One who listens to life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense.” By leaning into the observations of those closest to me and staying sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting, I can distinguish between a simple bad day and a genuine call to grow in character. Often I find the Holy Spirit guiding me daily to strengthen my relationships with the Lord and with others in my own family.

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Matt Mylin from On Purpose

Big idea: Words in the Home

The home is a daily classroom for wisdom. It should be a safe place where healthy relationships grow between husband and wife, parent and child, and between siblings. One of the quickest ways to build or destroy that culture is with our words. What is spoken in a home shapes trust, security, and identity.

Scripture shows us that the battle around our words is deeper than we often realize.

Revelation 12 identifies the red dragon as the ancient serpent called the devil, Satan, the deceiver. The name Satan means accuser. His strategy is to accuse and slander. He has been defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus, yet he continues slandering God’s people continually until his final destruction.

To slander someone is to speak false or damaging statements that intentionally harm their reputation. Slander poisons relationships because trust is hard to build once it is broken.

Once of the accuser’s strategies is to tempt people to speak this way about one another. What better place to attack than inside families where relationships are closest and words carry the most weight?

Revelation 12:11 shows how the accuser is overcome. “They have overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”

The cross settles the accusation of sin. Every person falls short and needs grace. When Jesus shed His blood, He answered the accusations that stand against us. Instead of living under accusation, God’s people point to what Jesus has done.

Your testimony becomes the evidence of God’s work.

This creates the foundation for relationships built on trust. Accusation loses its power when people live under the grace of Jesus.

Don’t participate in slander. That is the language of the accuser.

Answer accusations with humility.

Imagine a family where that becomes the culture. It starts with mom and dad living it first. Then that pattern becomes the environment where wisdom grows.

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