In this final segment
of our current devotional series, I remind you that It is extremely urgent for
every believer to be totally ‘tuned-in’ and ‘turned-on’ by THE VOICE [THE NOW WORD]
OF GOD. In fact, our success and survival depend upon our ability to hear
accurate, anointed and life-changing Rhema from the Lord.
Did you notice that
when GOD speaks, IT NEVER involves DEBATE.
Technically speaking, it really isn’t a dialogue because GOD IS SOVEREIGN. Therefore, we
must hearken (immediately and completely) to the voice of God. When the
Holy Spirit transmits a warning to us, “Do not go through that door,” and
we do so anyway, we are opening ourselves (and those around us) to the fabric and
force of destruction.
Here is a mission
critical question: “HOW DOES ONE KNOW THAT S/HE IS LIVING BY THE VOICE OF GOD?”
Such knowledge is
imparted at the INTERSECTION of
YOUR FAITH and GOD’S WORD. Indeed, “FAITH comes by hearing, and hearing by THE WORD OF GOD.”
(Romans 10:17) Whenever
we TAKE THE LIMITS OFF GOD,
i.e. whenever we willingly remove OUR
HUMAN PRECONCEPTIONS about WHO
GOD IS and WHAT GOD WILL DO, we open our mortal senses to immortal
and immutable truth. In connection with this, the Apostle Paul prayed
diligently for the Church of Ephesus and, by extension, for us:
Ephesians 1:17-21 (New King James Version)
That the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION in the KNOWLEDGE OF HIM, THE EYES OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING BEING
ENLIGHTENED; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what
are THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS
INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS, and what is THE EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE,
according to the working of HIS
MIGHTY POWER which He worked IN
CHRIST when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at
His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and
power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this
age but also in that which is to come.
Sisters and brothers,
kindly TAKE GOD OUT THE BOX in which you may have unwisely and
unwittingly placed Him. Why is this so vitally important? BECAUSE GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOU
THINK! In the words of the Apostle Paul, “Now unto HIM WHO IS ABLE to
do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL
THAT WE ASK OR THINK, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians
3:20)
And I truly love the
scriptural witness of the Apostle Peter:
II Peter 1:3-4 (New King James Version)
HIS
DIVINE POWER HAS GIVEN TO US ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND
GODLINESS, through the KNOWLEDGE OF HIM who called us by
glory and virtue, by which have been given to us EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES,
that through these you may be PARTAKERS
OF THE DIVINE NATURE.
No wonder Paul
declared, “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”
(Philippians 4:13) WOW!
In light of these
powerful revelations, it is of paramount importance that we EXAMINE OURSELVES, i.e., that we do
REGULAR FAITH-CHECKS TO ALIGN OURSELVES WITH CHRIST AND HIS WORD. Because
in the absence of TRUE TRUST IN GOD,
there is an EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL
RESTLESSNESS, an INWARD ANXIETY that systematically attacks and erodes
the FAITH AND CONFIDENCE OF
BELIEVERS. This is due to one thing, and one thing only.
DOUBT means we are not allowing GOD to exercise His perfect will in our lives
because we are operating under the influence of satanic suggestion and
deception.
SISTERS AND BROTHERS,
WE MUST LIVE BY THE VOICE OF GOD – not our own. Bottom-line: CHRIST IS
ALL!
Augustine taught that
there is a GOD-SIZED HOLE in the human heart that ONLY GOD can fill. Neither pleasure, prestige, power, or
positions would be sufficient to fill it. ONLY CHRIST can both save and
satisfy! Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo (a black man), was one of the
early church fathers who had lived an incredibly lurid life during his
pre-conversion years. You name it – Augustine did it! But on the
day of his dramatic conversion, Augustine came to the end of himself and
realized this: “Lord, you have made us for Yourself – and our hearts are
restless until they find rest in Thee.”
Now hear this!
The only way we can walk in peace and productivity is to make up our minds that
we must (and shall) always LIVE BY THE VOICE OF GOD.
In closing, allow me
to share the saga of the eagle. Over the passage of time, this phenomenal
bird experiences a life-threatening problem. Its beak become overgrown
and the eagle is unable to eat and provide essential nourishment for the
continuation of life. However, the eagle does not surrender to the status
quo; rather, he does something entirely unexpected. Somewhere deep
inside, HE HEARS A VOICE. Some call it instinct; I call it THE VOICE OF GOD. It calls
to him and causes him to rise in flight to a higher place. And with
brutal force, the eagle thrusts his beak against a rocky crag again and again,
until it is completely broken. Please pay special attention to this!
IN ORDER TO HEAR THE WORD AND LIVE BY THE WORD, WE ARE OCCASIONALLY BROKEN!
Incidentally, it takes
quite a while for the eagle’s beak to be fully restored. AFTER ALL IS
SAID AND DONE, GROWTH AND MATURATION TAKE TIME! In the interim, having no
beak, the eagle looks extremely odd to others and his weight is dramatically
diminished – BUT HE PATIENTLY WAITS.
In due time, he again realizes and regains HIS ORIGINAL CREATED POWER; and, the eagle takes off in
flight, to be nurtured (and to nurture others) again!
The prophet Isaiah
must have known about this process. He wrote:
Isaiah 40:28-31 (King James Version)
Hast thou not known?
Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them
that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall
utterly fall: BUT THEY THAT WAIT UPON
THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH; THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS
AS EAGLES; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and
not faint.
My friend, it simply does
not matter where you have been, or what you have been through, or the current
circumstances of your life journey. According to the WORD OF GOD, there is HOPE for YOU. There is a FUTURE for YOU! “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says
the Lord, thoughts of peace
and not of evil, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE.”
(Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV)
BE
ENCOURAGED. RIGHT in this moment, YOU ARE ALIVE…AND (BY FAITH) I DECREE
AND DECLARE THAT YOU ARE LIVING BY THE VOICE OF GOD!
Sisters and brothers,
be continually blessed and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO
MEET YOUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
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