Spring 2024 has come upon us in Broken Arrow, OK

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Are You Listening?

“O my soul, why are you cast down? 
 And why do you moan within me?
 Hope (or put your expectations) in God
 For I yet thank Him for the salvation
 Of my face and my God.”    *


Last night our Pastor taught on the end times and focused on the events that Jesus spoke of in Matthew chapter 24.  At one point in his discussion he turned to verse twenty four and read: “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible.”  (NIV)  He then went on to say that this is happening right now and related a few recent incidents.  My attention was peaked when he mentioned a particular set of well published meetings that occurred a few years ago that stopped when some discrepancies about the leader came into the public eye.
The reason this caught my attention was that I personally knew some Christian leaders who fully supported and attended some of the meetings.  Whenever the conversation turned to this event I always noticed that I had an instant check in my spirit.  At the time I couldn’t explain it and since it seemed like no harm was coming from my friends association with the meetings, I kept my questions a secret. 
I had not really thought much about the situation since that time until last night.  When the Pastor mentioned it the lights suddenly went on inside of me.  It wasn’t so much that I might have been right and that someone else may have been wrong, it was the confirmation that I can and do hear accurately from God!  It was as if our heavenly Father took me aside, put His arm around me and said, “See I love you and I am taking good care of you!”  As Psalm 42:11 says, it was as if the Lord was telling me that He was saving (my) face in my own eyes!  He was reaffirming my personal value in my ability to hear Him.
I was reminded, once again, of some of the actions I took when my wife’s health problems were finally diagnosed a few months after we returned to California in 2009.  At the time, some of my steps were not received very positively from some in our families.  In fact, I took quite a bit of heat!  But we stayed true to the way we believed the Lord wanted us to go and through the course of time have seen the wisdom behind His directions as finances, healthcare, housing, transportation and other details fell into place.
Our loving heavenly Father wants each of us to know of His irreversible, infallible, and unending love that He has for us.  He desires to fellowship with each of us on a regular basis in order for us to hear His directions and have the confidence and ability and fortitude to obey them no matter what anyone else thinks!  In Ephesians 6:10 the Apostle Paul tells us, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (NIV)  Then in the following verses he tells us how to do it!
Once you step out along the path that He is wanting for you to follow, you have to depend on His strength and His mighty power to take care of you.  Others may think that they really have your best in mind when they give you advice that is contrary to the path you’re on, but the truth be known, they do not have the same information that you have been given from the throne of God.  Face it… Our heavenly Father can see a lot further down the road of life than anyone on this earth!  So for my money… I’ll go with His counsel on the best way to live my life.
You may not always know all the reasoning behind the directions He gives you at the time, but when you faithfully follow His plan, the answers will soon come to light.  Remember how much He loves you and wants you to succeed.  Nothing else in this world can come close to it!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… What am I expecting TO HEAR today?”
 

* Psalm 42:11 Literal Translation of the Bible

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