Heed My Words

Proverbs 8:36 (VOICE) But heed my warning: the one who goes against me will only hurt himself, for all who despise me are playing with fire and courting death.

Beloved, I long to see you prosper. When I give you instructions or even a warning, I’m not doing so because I like to be in control or simply to exert My will over yours. I do it because I have understanding you do not. And if you will but trust Me, I will lead you rightly and save you much pain.

However, for those who resist My instructions and who refuse to heed My admonishments, avoidable hardships will obstruct their path. This is not some cruel retaliation on My part for the one who doesn’t give Me proper respect, but rather it is simply cause and effect. If you play with fire, you’d be foolish to be surprised when you get burned.

So heed My words, beloved, and heed them well. With a heart full of wisdom, choose to trust Me implicitly, and obey in love. For when you do, you will be blessed coming and going. And I richly desire that you flourish because I long to see you prosper.

Yield, Trust, and Obey

Proverbs 1:7 (TPT) How then does a man gain the essence of wisdom? We cross the threshold of true knowledge when we live in obedient devotion to God. Stubborn know-it-alls will never stop to do this, for they scorn true wisdom and knowledge.

Beloved, too often men rely on their own wisdom, scorning My instruction in favor of their own judgment. As if their limited views could steer them more accurately or somehow work more in their favor than yielding to Me.

Beloved, choose humility. Choose to yield to My will in favor of your own knowing I see what you do not. And I know things that are hidden from you. Choose to obey My Word and trust My voice. I will steer you rightly.

And though the path will not always be easy (for character is developed in hardship), I can promise that it is always good. So yield, trust, and obey, beloved. Yield, trust, and obey.

Calibrate Your Behavior to Align with My Word

Proverbs 1:10 (VOICE) My son, should your less honorable peers pressure you to do what is wrong, you should be strong enough not to go along.

Beloved, refuse to be pressured into bad or questionable behavior by those around you. Calibrate your behavior to align with My Word. I AM your true north – your guiding star, so look to Me for direction and refuse to be knocked off course.

Rather than succumbing to pressure, be a standard setter yourself. Quietly lead by example that others might see what it looks like to live in a way that honors Me. Trust Me to strengthen you. Focus on being a God-pleaser instead of a pleaser of men. For in the end, I AM the One who matters, so look to Me.

Land of Blessing

Psalm 16:6 (TPT) Your pleasant path leads me to pleasant places. I’m overwhelmed by the privileges that come with following you, for you have given me the best!

Beloved, walk with Me and step into your land of promise. Trust Me, and yield to My path and My ways. See what I have in store for you: blessings in ways you never imagined, and beauty from ashes too.

Resist the urge to judge circumstances with human eyes, but rather tune into your spiritual senses and see all I have in store. See the impact of what I’ve called you to and walk it out in humble obedience as I bring you into your land of blessing.

My Ambassador

Jeremiah 1:9 (VOICE) Then the Eternal reached out and touched my mouth, and He gave me His divine message. Eternal One: Look, I have placed My words in you. You will know what to say now, for you will be My voice.

Beloved, I have placed My words in your mouth that you might speak them at My prompting. Your mission is to release them at My leading. No more. No less. You are not responsible for what people do with what you share, nor is the value of your words increased or decreased by whether or not they are received. Simply obey.

For as you offer yourself as a yielded vessel, I will be faithful to pour through you. My words ever on your lips as you give glory and honor to Me. You, beloved, are My anointed. Speak with confidence as My ambassador, for you operate under My authority.

Seek Out the Root of Resistance

Hosea 6:6 (NASB) For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Beloved, as sweet as offerings may be, the sweetest gift you can bring besides your heart is faithful obedience. And really, the two go hand in hand. For if your desire is to indulge your flesh, align with the world, or follow your own ideals – have you truly given Me your heart?

When you sense resistance to My ways and My Word, pause and seek out the root of resistance. Is what you’re resistant to really Me? Or perhaps a false view of Me that has somehow been instilled? Or does fear hold you back because you struggle to receive My perfect love?

Yield, beloved. My love for you is limitless and unconditional. Allow it to saturate your heart and mind that you function from the overflow. Trust in Me. Not a conditional trust that promises to follow if I do what you think I should, but one that truly trusts My heart and then waits to see Me move. Rest in Me, for I AM all in all.

Hosea 6:6 (NET) For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.

The Ways of Righteousness {Moments with God}

{singing to the Lord} Take Your place in the center of my heart. I welcome You, welcome Your ways. I desire to pursue You relentlessly that I might know You intimately. Deeper and deeper into Your mysteries I pursue. Higher and higher into the things of Your Spirit. More of You, Lord. More of You. I want to know You more.

{declaring} I will walk in the fullness of the freedom You sacrificed for me to have. I will not waste it, nor treat it lightly. I refuse to take Your place on the throne of my heart. It belongs to You and You alone. I yield to You and seek to walk in the way of righteousness that my life might be pleasing to You, my beloved Lord. Have Your way in me.

Psalm 119:45 (VOICE) And I will live a life of freedom because I pursue Your precepts.

Obey in Love

Micah 6:8 (ESV) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Beloved, choose daily how you will live. Be known for being a person who is just and walks uprightly. Be kind and walk in humility. Refuse to be waylaid by worldly thinking, for the world’s view is in opposition to My Kingdom. So pursue righteousness. Know My Word that you might understand what true righteousness is. 

Be intentional to seek righteousness moment by moment. This requires ongoing choices as situations present themselves. So choose well, and remember that seeking to walk in My ways doesn’t mean being perfect – for then you would be doomed to failure. Instead, it means choosing that which is right (by My standards), and repenting and moving forward when you fall short. 

So extend grace to yourself, even as I extend grace to you. Keep your heart tender and stay yielded to My leading. Seek to know Me more each day, and do so from a heart of joy, overflowing with love as one who knows how precious they are and how much was sacrificed to set them free. Obey in love from that place. Continue reading “Obey in Love”

Believe and Obey

Hebrews 11:6 (AMP) But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

Beloved, believe and obey. Mere faith is not enough. Your faith must prompt you to action, and that action must be righteous and pleasing. It must prompt you to obedience. For faith without works is dead. Indeed, it is a useless faith. 

And in the same way you know a tree is good by the good fruit it bears, so your faith is proved good by the sweet fruit it produces. And may your motivation for action not be to gain the rewards that come from Me (though they will surely come), but rather from a heart so full of love for Me that you cannot NOT act. 

So beloved, let your faith take form, and act in a way that brings joy and pleasure to Me. And may you relentlessly pursue Me that you might accurately know what that looks like. Continue reading “Believe and Obey”

Reflect Me

John 5:19 (TPT) So Jesus said, “I speak to you timeless truth. The Son is not able to do anything from himself or through my own initiative. I only do the works that I see the Father doing, for the Son does the same works as his Father.

Beloved, I lead by example. I AM long-suffering and rich in mercy. Therefore, you should be long-suffering and rich in mercy. My love is unconditional. Therefore, you should love unconditionally. I AM righteous and holy. Therefore, you should strive to be righteous and holy. 

I ask nothing of you that I have not walked out Myself. Therefore, reflect Me with joy and trust Me to guide your path. I will whisper to you “this is the way, walk ye in it,” and you will respond without delay. Hold nothing back, and reflect Me. Continue reading “Reflect Me”