Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

     As we move deeper into the plan of God for our lives, we must not forget to pray for Japan.  Remember the families and lives that have been devastated by disaster there.  As we pray for them, let us be thankful.

     More than ever before we must be about living our lives for God.  This is no time to be back-sliding, standing still, or looking back.  "And my righteous ones will live by faith.  But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.  But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction.  We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved." (Heb. 10:38-39; NLT) We need to run towards God, by simply obeying His Word.  Being where God is, is imperative.  Being where God leads and where His Spirit is, must be our primary goal.  It brings to mind during the time of 9-11, when America experienced terrorist attacks on our soil.  Afterward there was a heightened sensitivity to hear from God, and to be led by Him.  We all seemed to understand the significance of being where He leads.  That lasted for maybe a year, and then it was back to being our own god, directing our own steps.  Only asking God what he thought concerning what we choose to do, when we mess up, or when we suffer some bad consequences of our choices.  We as children of God must be led by the Spirit.  "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:12-14) Many times, people of God desire to hear a 'prophetic' or a personal word from the Lord, and that is fine, but we must be doers of the written word as well.  It is like a parent who tells their children the same thing over and over again, and they don't obey.  Yet, you have one child who obeys you, that child will end up with more.  Now is it the parent, that is guilty of showing partiality, or is because the child that obeys receives the blessing that comes from obedience.  Let's be obedient children!

     This is the verse that for two nights I have awaken with on my heart.  "Many a man proclaims his own loving-kindness and goodness, but a faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6)  I desire to be faithful to God, by being obedient to His written Word as well as any personal word that I have received.  Faithful here means dependable, reliable, loyal, constant, firm, dutiful, ardent, and obedient.  Proverbs 28:20; "A faithful man shall abound with blessings…" All of us want the blessing of God, for we need peace, spiritual blessing, bodily blessing, blessings on our relationships, financial blessings, among many others.  Then here we see if we are obedient, dependable, reliable, constant, firm, to God's Word and to our calling, then blessings will abound.  We can be found by God as faithful.  Just as the enemy seeks whom he may devour, God is seeking the faithful to bless.  Many of us proclaim (announce, herald, broadcast and profess) our own loving-kindness and goodness, but God sees and knows the faithful by their acts of obedience.  So in order to be a faithful obedient child, "Trust in the L ord with all your heart do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the L ord and turn away from evil." (NLT; Prov. 3:5-7)  "Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self–distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). (Phil. 2:12) Remember, what trusting in our own mindset, (our own understanding) have gotten us in the past, fleshly results.  No more flesh, we desire results from being faithful!