#28: The Obedience You've Been Avoiding

There is something God has been asking you to do. And you already know what it is. In this episode of the novaCo Podcast, April Nova Scipio gets specific — not general, not theoretical, specific — about the step of obedience most Christian women have been circling for far too long.

This is week three of the Called to This series, and it is the most convicting episode yet. Drawing from James 4:17, Hebrews 11:8, and 1 Samuel 15:22 NLT, April unpacks why faithful women delay obedience, what that delay actually costs, and how to break your specific step of obedience down into something you can take action on today. She also addresses the three most common reasons we stay stuck in the space between knowing and doing — and offers the most practical application of the entire series.

In this episode you'll learn:
 — Why obedience is almost never as mysterious as we make it
 — Three reasons we delay — and how to recognize which one is yours
 — Why ready is a decision, not a feeling
 — How to break your step of obedience into two to four smaller steps
 — What to do this week to start moving

If you have been waiting for a sign to take the step — this episode is it.

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The novaCo Podcast is hosted by April Nova Scipio — Christian mentor, author, speaker, and YouVersion Devotion Creator. New episodes every Monday.

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🎸 Intro music produced by Cory Valjien. https://spotify.link/Ot87eEITRDb

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Is there something God has been asking you to do? Like you know He's been asking you, you know what it is. I'm not talking about something vague. I'm not talking about like to grow in your faith or trust God more. I'm talking about something specific, something with a name, a step, an action, a yes or a no that you have been holding on to for longer than you want to admit. And I want you to just sit with that for a second before we get into anything else today. Because here's the thing that step, that specific thing God has been nudging you toward, that's exactly what today's episode is all about. The obedience you've been avoiding. Let's jump in. If you're brand new to the podcast, welcome if you've been hanging out for a week, two weeks, three weeks, since the beginning of the year when this particular podcast started, or maybe you have been following me since my previous podcast and you are over 500 episodes in of listening to me. Welcome. I'm just excited about what God is doing in Novico. I want to welcome you not just to podcast world, but to my community. I lead an amazing community called Nova Community. We are a group of women and we live differently. We're building our lives and rhythms and friendships all centered around God's word. I would love for you to join us. You can check out the link in the show notes of this episode so you can get connected inside of community. We are in week three of our July series, Called to This. And before we dive in, I'm gonna do just a really brief, quick recap. Week one, we talked about the difference between what you could do and what you're called to. Then week two, we got honest about why we keep saying yes to the wrong things. And today, week three, we are getting into the most personal, in my opinion, the most personal episode of the series. Today I'm unpacking the obedience you've been avoiding. And I want to start by saying this. I understand obedience is not easy. It is not pretty, it stretches us in ways that we don't always see coming. So I'm not gonna stand here and try to convince you or pretend otherwise. I need you to know like obedience is a big deal, but I promise you it is so worth it. I want to pray for us before we get into this. Heavenly Father, I am asking for your grace in this moment. I am asking you to meet every woman right where they are. I ask that you just give her complete clarity of mind and for courage, Lord, as we're navigating through this conversation. In Jesus' name, amen. Here's the thing about obedience. It is almost never as mysterious as we make it. We spend a lot of time asking God to show us what he wants, and that's not a bad thing. Seeking God is 100% of the time always right. However, a lot of us don't actually need more revelation. We need courage to act on what he's already revealed. I love how James puts it in James 4.17. It says, remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Did you catch that? It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Not to be confused about what to do, not to be seeking what to do. He's just he's specifically saying, you know, and then you're not moving. James is writing to people who have the information. They are not confused, they are not still discerning, they know, and they're just not doing it. Does that sound familiar? Because I have experienced this in my own life. I have seen this in women that I walk with and mentor. We can be very faithful in our seeking and very slow in our stepping. We read our Bibles, we pray, we journal, we listen to podcasts. Hey, that's you right there. Shout out to my podcast listeners. We go to church, we're doing all the right things, and somewhere in the middle of all of that faithful activity, there is one specific thing, this one step that we keep passing over. We study around it, we pray around it, we podcast around it, but we don't take the step. So let me ask you directly, and I want you to actually sit with this question, don't just let it pass through. What is a specific obedience you've been avoiding? Not a category, not a theme, the actual step with a name. If something came up when I asked you that question, that is the thing. Write it down. We're gonna come back to it. Okay, so if we know what the step is, why don't we take it? I want to give you three reasons, not to excuse them, but because naming them is part of getting free from them. Okay, so reason number one is we're waiting until we feel ready. Here's the thing: you're not going to feel ready. I know that's a little direct. I'm hoping I'm not stepping on your toes too much, but I promise you, it is actually the most freeing thing I can say to you today. Ready is not a feeling, ready is a decision. When God told me on day 21 of a 21-day fast to just be available, I was not clear on what he was talking about. I didn't feel ready for anything. I didn't have a plan, I didn't have a safety net. I had two words and a whole lot of uncertainty. And I had to I had to decide. I had to decide. Am I gonna wait until I feel equipped or am I gonna trust that God who called me will equip me in the going? And I'm glad I chose to go. Think about Abraham in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 8. It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. He went without knowing. He did not have the full picture, he did not have the detailed roadmap, he just had a word from God and the decision to move. That is what obedience often looks like. Not having it all figured out and moving anyway. The second reason we're waiting for perfect conditions, the timing isn't right, the money isn't there yet, the kids are in a hard season, work is too busy, the support system isn't solid enough. And I want to be careful here because I'm not telling you to be reckless, right? Wisdom matters. We know this. Counting the cost matters, but in Ecclesiastes 11, verse 4, it says, farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. If you wait for everything to be perfect before you move forward, you'll never plant. And you cannot harvest something you never planted. The provision doesn't always come before the step. Sometimes it comes because of the step. And I've seen this in my own life more times than I can count. Reason three: we are afraid of what the obedience will cost. And that fear is legitimate because we know it's going to cost something. Obedience to God's specific call on your life will cost you something, maybe comfort, maybe uncertainty, maybe a relationship that was built on who you used to be, maybe the approval of people you've worked hard to keep happy. I'm not gonna pretend that's not real, but you gotta meditate on what it says in 1 Samuel 15, 22. What is more pleasing to the Lord? Your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice. Listen, obedience is better than sacrifice. You can sacrifice so many things, your time, your comfort, your energy, in places God never asks you to go and miss the one thing he actually wanted from you. Okay, here's where we get practical, because this is where I think a lot of obedience conversations stop too soon. We talk about the theology of obedience, we feel convicted, we feel stirred, and then we go home and we don't know what to do next because the step still feels so big. So let's talk about how we actually apply this in our lives. Here's the thing about a big step of obedience. You almost never have to take it all at once. One small, faithful movement, and then another, and then another. Let me give you some examples of what a first step might look like. Maybe the obedience is writing a book you've been carrying for three years. The first step is not finishing the book. The first step is opening a document and writing the first paragraph, just the first paragraph. Maybe the obedience is having a hard conversation with someone in your life. The first step is not the full conversation. The first step is sending one text that says, can we talk this week? Maybe the obedience is stepping into a new ministry role. The first step is not launching the whole thing. The first step is making one phone call to the person you know you need to call. I want you to think about your specific step, the one you identified earlier in this episode. Now I want you to ask yourself, what is the smallest version of this that I could do today? Not someday, not when things calm down, not after the summer today. And here is something I really want you to hear. God is not standing over you in frustration because you've been circling this thing. He's standing over you in patience, in love, with the same invitation he has been extending, maybe for months, maybe for years. The invitation is still open. The door is still there, he is still waiting. Not in a way a disappointed parent waits, in the way a loving God waits, knowing exactly what is on the other side of your yes and wanting you to get there. So, how do you apply this in your life? Three things, and they're simple. One, write down the specific step, the actual thing, in one sentence. Somewhere you can see it. Two, break it down. What are two to four smaller steps inside that bigger one? Write those down and circle the first one. Three, take that first step this week. Not the whole thing, just the first one, the one that's right in front of you. And I want to add one more thing. Tell somebody, tell one trusted person what the step is and that you're taking it because we were not made to do this alone. And accountability is wisdom. Next week, man, we're gonna continue this conversation. I've been looking forward to next week's topic because we're gonna talk about what your life actually looks like when you're finally walking in your assignment. Not a highlight reel, but the real picture. And I don't want you to miss it. So make sure you subscribe and follow the podcast. Share this out on socials, tag me at April Nova Scipio. Help me spread this message of hope and encouragement. If you know like you've been taking these steps, but or maybe you haven't, but you know that community is your next step to walk this out with women who are doing the same thing of discernment and obedience, then I want you to sign up for Nova Circle. Nova Circle is my mentorship community. We are a group of women and we are definitely having real conversations and real accountability. So I'd love for you to join us. All right, ladies, I love you all so much. I want to pray over you. God, thank you for these ladies, Lord. I thank you for those who know their step. And Lord, I just pray for courage and boldness and the faith that it's gonna take to take that first small step forward. We love you, we honor you, we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen, guys. Thanks for being here today. I had so much fun. I will see you next week. Until then, this is April Nova Scipio, and this is how we live faith first, rhythm always. Be blessed. Love you guys.