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Five Keys to Divine Increase - Key 4, Love Obeying God's Word
"Five Keys to Divine Increase – Key 4: Love Obeying God's Word" Pastor Mirek Hufton True obedience isn't reluctant rule-following, it's a love response to a God who loved us first. Drawing from 1 John 4:10, 2 Timothy 3:16, and 1 John 5:3, Pastor Mirek Hufton challenges believers to treat Scripture not as a religious suggestion book but as the living, authoritative Word of God, and to obey it wholeheartedly. The Greek word for obedience (hupakouo) means "to listen under," signifying willing submission to a higher authority. When we genuinely love God, obedience flows naturally from that love rather than from obligation or fear. Pastor Hufton shared a compelling story about a former corporate boss who rejected Christianity because of hypocrisy he witnessed in believers. Years later, that same man surrendered his life to Christ, and immediately began visiting prisons, mentoring refugees, and serving the marginalized, doing exactly what he had always said a real Christian should do. Obedience, Pastor Hufton reminded the congregation, is what transforms faith from religion into relationship. God honors obedience, and the blessing follows.
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Five Keys to Divine Increase — Key 4: Love Obeying God's Word
Based on a message by Pastor Mirek Hufton
1. SERMON RECAP
In this message, I challenged us to move beyond treating the Bible as a religious book and start treating it as the living, breathing word of God — the ultimate authority in our lives. True obedience to God isn't about following rules out of obligation; it flows naturally from a heart that genuinely loves him. When we love God deeply and obey his word consistently, we position ourselves under what I called "the spout where the glory comes out" — right in the path of God's supernatural blessing and increase.
2. KEY SCRIPTURE
1 John 5:3 (The Passion Translation) "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome."
3. ICE BREAKER
Think of a time someone gave you advice you really didn't want to follow — but you followed it anyway and it turned out to be exactly right. What happened? (Keep it light and fun — this is just to get the conversation going!)
4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Getting Honest About Obedience I said in the message that we often say we believe God is smarter than us, but we act like we know better. Can you think of an area in your own life where that tension shows up? What makes it hard to fully trust God's word over your own instincts?
2. Love as the Motive I drew a big distinction between obeying God out of obligation versus obeying him out of love. In your own experience, what does obedience driven by love feel like compared to obedience driven by duty or fear? Does the motive really change the outcome?
3. The Word in Your Daily Life I mentioned that the average Christian reads only two or three Bible verses a week, and that you genuinely cannot know God apart from his word. Without putting anyone on the spot, how would you honestly describe your current relationship with Scripture? What's one thing that gets in the way of spending more time in it?
4. When God Asks the Hard Thing I shared personal stories — leaving corporate America, ending a relationship — where God asked me to do something I really didn't want to do. Has God ever clearly nudged you toward something uncomfortable? How did you respond, and what did you learn from it?
5. Rebellion and Stubbornness The warning from 1 Samuel 15 was sobering — that rebellion is likened to witchcraft and stubbornness to idolatry. That's strong language! In practical, everyday terms, what do rebellion and stubbornness toward God's word actually look like in a person's life? How can we recognize those patterns in ourselves before they take root?
6. Obedience and Experiencing God's Love I made the connection that the more you obey God, the more you experience his love — and the more you experience his love, the more empowered you are to obey again. Have you ever experienced that cycle firsthand? What broke it open for you, or what do you think might be keeping you from entering it?
5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE
This week, pick one specific command or principle from Scripture that you know applies to your life right now but you've been putting off or avoiding. Write it down on a card or in your phone. Pray over it each morning, asking God to give you a love for obeying it — not just the willpower. Then take one concrete, measurable step toward acting on it before your group meets again. Come ready to share what you chose and how it went.
6. PRAYER POINTS
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Pray for a genuine love for God's word — that the Bible would become the most treasured and authoritative voice in each group member's life, not just a religious habit.
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Pray for courage to obey in the hard places — that God would identify one specific area where each person has been holding back, and that he would soften hearts and strengthen resolve to take that step of obedience this week.
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Pray against the spirit of stubbornness and rationalization — that God would expose any area where we are making excuses, dressing up disobedience, or putting our own judgment above his word, and that he would replace that with humility and trust.
7. MEMORY VERSE
2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
Leader tip: Don't feel pressure to get through every question. Watch the room, follow the conversation where the Spirit leads, and trust that even one honest, heartfelt exchange is worth more than checking every box. You've got this!
Daily Devotional
Love Came First
1 John 4:10 — "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
I want to start this week by reminding you of something that changes everything — God loved you first. Long before you ever thought about Him, before you made a single right choice or said a single right prayer, He was already running toward you with open arms. That's not religion. That's a Father who is crazy about His children.
Here's what I've learned in ministry: you cannot truly obey God until you truly receive His love. Obedience that flows from fear or obligation is exhausting and empty. But obedience that flows from love? That's where the power is. That's where the joy is. This week, we're going to build something together — a foundation of love that makes obeying God feel like the most natural thing in the world. Let's start right here, receiving His love today.
Father, thank You for loving me before I ever loved You. Help me to receive that love deeply today, not just know it in my head, but feel it in my heart. Let that love be the starting point for everything I do this week.
The Living Word in Your Hands
2 Timothy 3:16 — "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
I'll be honest with you — I've watched people treat this Bible like a lucky charm they keep on the nightstand, and I've watched people treat it like the very breath of God. The difference in their lives is unmistakable. Every word in this book was breathed out by God Himself. That means when you open it, you're not just reading ancient history — you're encountering the living voice of the One who made you.
The word "profitable" jumps out at me every time. God is saying, this is for your benefit. The correction, the instruction, even the reproof — it's all working for you, not against you. I spent two hours a day in this book when I was a young believer, and I'll tell you what, it rewired everything. The more you're in the word, the more you see, and the more you see, the more you're changed.
Lord, forgive me for the times I've treated Your word casually. Reignite a hunger in me today to open this book and find You on every page. Let Your word correct me, instruct me, and lead me into the life You planned for me.
His Commands Are Not a Burden
1 John 5:3 — "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."
I want to address something I hear a lot, even from sincere believers — "Pastor, following all these commands feels so heavy." I understand that feeling. But here's what I want you to see today: the commands of God are not chains, they are guardrails. They exist because He loves you and He knows the road ahead better than you do.
When I told God I would obey everything in this book — not some of it, all of it — my life didn't become harder. It became cleaner, clearer, more powerful. The burden isn't in the obedience; the burden is in the disobedience. Living outside of what God says is what exhausts you. His commands are actually the path of least resistance when you're walking in love. Let me encourage you today — what feels like restriction is actually protection. What looks like a fence is actually freedom.
Father, help me to see Your commands through the lens of love today, not law. Where I've been carrying the weight of disobedience, I ask for Your forgiveness and Your grace to start fresh. I want to walk in Your ways because I love You, not because I have to.
Obedience Opens the Door to God's Presence
John 14:23 — "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.'"
This verse stops me every time I read it. Jesus is saying that when you love Him and obey His word, the Father and the Son come and make their home — their dwelling place — inside you. That's not a small thing. That's the presence of God taking up permanent residence in your life.
I've experienced this personally. When I began to walk in obedience — even in the things I didn't want to do, like leaving corporate America for ministry, like saying no when God said no — I found that His presence became more real, more tangible. The blessing was never just financial or circumstantial; it was His nearness. That's the divine increase we're talking about this week. It's not just stuff. It's Him. And when you have Him, everything else gets taken care of. Obedience is the doorway into His presence.
Jesus, I want You to make Your home in me — not just visit me on Sundays. Show me where my disobedience has kept that door closed, and give me the courage to fling it wide open today. I love You, and I want You near.
Get Under the Spout
John 15:10 — "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."
I love this old Pentecostal song I quote often: "Get under the spout where the glory comes out." It says everything. There is a supply coming from heaven — blessing, favor, increase, peace, power — and you can be a believer and still miss it. You can be this close and just be standing in the wrong spot.
This whole week we've been talking about loving God, loving His word, and loving to obey Him. Here's what I want you to take into your weekend: obedience is simply positioning yourself under the spout. It's not earning God's love — He already loves you unconditionally. It's aligning your life with the flow of what He's already releasing. The more you obey, the more you experience His love, and the more you experience His love, the more you want to obey. It's a cycle of blessing, and it starts with one decision — to say yes to God today.
Father, I want to be under the spout. I don't want to be close to the blessing and miss it — I want to be right in the middle of everything You're pouring out. Help me to say yes to You quickly, completely, and joyfully this weekend and every day. I love You.