Does the Bible even talk about kids obeying their parents? You bet! It’s one of the Ten Commandments. Check it out in Exodus 20:12, NIV. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Is it true that God made a promise for children who obey? Check it out in Ephesians 6:1-3. NIV. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" - which is the first commandment with a promise- "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Wow! You know, we are all children, old and young alike. We are children of God. When we learn to obey our parents as children, we have learned to obey God.

How does God feel when I obey? Look in Colossians l 3:20, NIV. “You children must always obey your fathers and mothers, for that pleases the Lord.”

I find myself disobeying a lot. What do I do now? Look at the special promise for forgiveness in 1 John 1:9, NIV. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Just why do we have to obey? Obeying God is in our best interest. You’ll find it in the Bible, Deuteronomy 30:15-16, TLB. "Look, today I have set before you life and death, depending on whether you obey or disobey. I have commanded you today to love the Lord your God and to follow His paths and to keep His laws, so that you will live and become a great nation, and so that the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to possess." Deuteronomy 10:12,13, NIV says, "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"

But just how do I obey? God knows we can’t obey on our own so He made a promise. You’ll find it in Hebrews 810-11, TLB. “But this is the new agreement I will make with the people of Israel, says the Lord: I will write my laws in their minds so that they will know what I want them to do without my even telling them, and these laws will be in their hearts so that they will want to obey them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people.”

How can God make me want to obey? Great question! Discover the answer in Philippians 2:13, TLB. “For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him.”

What other promises does God make about obedience? You’ll find a promise in Exodus 15:26, TLB. "If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you."

Does God really promise success to those who obey? To find out, look in the Bible, Joshua 1:8, TLB. "Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed."

But what if I don’t obey in just the little things? Jesus himself has given you an answer. Look in Matthew 5:19, TLB. "And so if anyone breaks the least commandment, and teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those who teach God’s laws and obey them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven."

Obedience is a result of loving God. It’s in the Bible, John 14:15 and 23, TLB. "If you love Me, obey Me; . . .Because I will only reveal Myself to those who love Me and obey Me. The Father will love them too, and we will come to them and live with them."

Who does God give the Holy Spirit to? Look in the Bible in Acts 5:32, NIV. "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

Did Jesus always obey? We have a wonderful example in Jesus. Look in Hebrews 5:8-9, TLB. "And even though Jesus was God’s Son, He had to learn from experience what it was like to obey, when obeying meant suffering. It was after He had proved himself perfect in this experience that Jesus became the Giver of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him."

Am I even supposed to obey the laws of my country? The answer is in the Bible, Romans 13:1-2, TLB. "Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow."

What if my parents, or someone else in authority, want me to do something that would be disobeying God’s word? Good question. You’ll find the answer in the Bible, Acts 5:29, NIV. "We must obey God rather than men!"