What Happens If I Don’t?

When questioning becomes rebellion, not obedience…
By Jennifer Greene-Sullivan

This morning started like most others, but God had something to say through a very simple, very human moment.

Liam had to take his first shower since stepping on a nail after church on this past Sunday afternoon. We’ve been carefully cleaning and wrapping the wound on his little left foot all week. Until today, we’d managed to keep it dry. However, this morning, it was time. I gave him quick instructions—soap up, rinse off, and hop out. Short and simple.

He looked at me and asked, “What happens if I don’t?”

Y’all!! That sentence sat with me long after he got into the shower.

I snapped at him in the moment like most mamas do. “Just get in the shower and get on out!” I didn’t have time to explain consequences—he needed to obey because I knew what was best for his healing. As I turned back to my room and started getting ready for the day, that question echoed in my spirit.

“What happens if I don’t?”

Then, I asked the Lord:
“Why do we do that? Why do we always want to know what happens if we don’t obey You—what the consequences are—before we decide to follow You? Why isn’t ‘Because I AM said so’ enough for us?”

And in His mercy, He answered.

“I know the end from the beginning, and I already see the victory you cannot even fathom.”

That truth hit me so hard. We constantly ask why—or worse, what if I don’t?—instead of walking in immediate obedience. But obedience to the Father is VICTORY. It isn’t just right; it’s the only way.

John 9:58 (ESV) “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’”

Jesus connects Himself directly to the authority of the Father, reminding us that He is eternal because He is the I AM!!

When we “don’t” obey the I AM, we have opened ourselves up to rebellion and to the lies of the enemy! Self-reliance is a lie the enemy keeps feeding a generation too gluttonous with self to leave room for God.

We are so full of our own opinions, our own plans, our own “truths,” that we leave no space for His truth, even in the mundane. We lean on our own understanding when He’s asking us to lean on Him.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Even when His instruction feels small. Even when the step seems strange.
Obedience is trust in motion.
Obedience is healing.
Obedience is freedom.

So today, I ask myself—and you—again:
What happens if we don’t?
We miss the blessing.
We miss the protection.
We miss the victory that only He can see from the beginning.

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Isaiah 46:10 (ESV)
“Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”

We don’t always get to see the blueprint. We don’t get the full map, just the next step. HOWEVER, we serve a God who sees the end from the beginning—who isn’t guessing, isn’t estimating, and HE isn’t caught off guard. He knows the path, the purpose, and the victory already secured.

That’s why obedience isn’t about control—it’s about trust. It’s about laying down our need for answers and picking up the peace that comes from following the One who already knows where He’s taking us.

God isn’t cruel or withholding when He calls us to obey. He’s protecting something sacred. He’s guiding us into victory that we could never find on our own.

Yes, His grace is sufficient.

Yes, He covers our failures with mercy again and again.

But if we want to truly walk in VICTORY—not just forgiveness, but freedom—we must move beyond asking “what happens if I don’t?” and start declaring, “Lord, I will because You said.”

If we want to walk in the AUTHORITY that Jesus died to give us and the POWER that the Holy Spirit breathes into our everyday lives, full surrender is not optional. Partial obedience is still disobedience. Delayed obedience is still disobedience. God isn’t asking for perfect followers—He’s asking for surrendered ones. The kind who will obey even when it doesn’t make sense.

Even when there’s no visible reward. Even when we don’t know the “why” or the “how” or the “right now.”

Obedience may not always feel like a win in the moment—but in the Spirit, it always leads to victory. Because the One who calls us to obey is the same One who has already won.

Challenge

This week, stop asking “What happens if I don’t?” and start asking “What will God do if I do?”
Take one area of your life where you’ve been hesitating—maybe something small, maybe something no one else sees—and surrender it fully to Him. Whether it’s your time, your thoughts, your attitude, or a specific situation, choose obedience without requiring all the answers first. Trust that the I AM already sees the victory ahead.

Scripture Study

Spend time meditating on these verses throughout the week. Journal what the Holy Spirit reveals to you about obedience and surrender:

• Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV) – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”
• Isaiah 46:10 (ESV) – “Declaring the end from the beginning…”
• Exodus 3:14 (ESV) – “I AM WHO I AM…”
• John 8:58 (ESV) – “Before Abraham was, I am.”
• James 1:22 (ESV) – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Write each verse out by hand, reflect on what obedience looks like in your life, and invite God to speak to you through His Word.

Prayer

Father,
You are the I AM—the One who sees all, knows all, and calls us to trust even when we cannot see the full picture. Thank You for Your grace that covers our mistakes and Your mercy that meets us in our hesitation. But God, we don’t want to stay in survival mode—we want to walk in victory. We want to live in the authority that Jesus gave and the power that the Holy Spirit pours out. So today, we choose surrender. Help us obey without needing all the “why’s” or “how’s”. Teach us to trust Your voice above our logic, our feelings, or our fears. Thank You for loving us enough to guide us—even in the mundane. May our yes be loud. May our obedience be immediate. May our lives reflect the truth that when You say go, it’s always for our good and Your glory.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

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