We live in a day that did not seem to come with a roadmap to navigate this journey, yet it did, it is called the Word of God. Without that compass, we will not survive much less overcome these uncertain times. With Covid-19, mandated masks and vaccines along with racial divide as well as political, the nations are stirring across the earth with an expectancy for the unexpected, a waiting for the proverbial “other shoe to drop”.
Ephesians 5:15-17 instructs us “Pay careful attention then, to how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do”.
We must be alert and intentional about the way we live! No more sleeping, not in the pews, not in the quiet time Yahweh provides for us to meet with Him, not in our jobs, at school are at the local grocery store. There is no more time for slumbering and meandering through life without intent. Our words, our actions, our prayers must be focused and with purpose.
Proverbs 12:18-19 “Careless words stab like a sword, but wise words bring healing. Truth will continue forever but lies are only for a moment”. As intentional as our words are, we must also be intentional about hearing and listening. James 1:19 reminds us we are to be “slow to speak, and quick to hear”. The emphasis is placed on the hearing. It is better for us to become good listeners rather than good speakers. We have become experts in speaking but are often amateurs in listening with the intent of hearing the heartbeat of Yahweh or another person for that matter. It is imperative in this hour of our history that we know and listen to the voice of God given through Holy Spirit and His written word. He will direct our steps according to Proverbs 16:9 but unless we are listening for His voice in all matters, we will go our own way. And, we might be surprised at how many broken relationships can be healed if we just listen.
Joshua 24:15 tells us we must “chose this day whom we shall serve….as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord”. So, how does one balance that to Romans 13 which instructs us to obey governing authority? How do we reconcile that when it contradicts what we know the Holy Spirit is saying to us? If we do not have the Holy Spirit as our guide, we will never figure it out on our own. Romans 8:14 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons/daughters of God”. Further in verse 19 Paul says “the earth is groaning to reveal who those sons and daughters really are”. The pressure of the times we are living in is showing us who our God is and if we really belong to Him or not. Further John 16:13 tells us “When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you in all truth for He will not speak on His own authority but whatever He hears from God He will speak”. Romans 14:14 “I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food in and of itself is wrong to eat. But, if something is wrong for you, then it is wrong for you”. What is right and wrong outside of sin is not “across the board” for all people. We MUST listen to the Spirit in our day and act accordingly.
Most people will say that their prayer is intentional, but for what purpose? To satisfy self? To “gain” something from God? Have we applied the listening factor to prayer? Do we give Holy Spirit time to speak to us? Do we do what He says? Do we pray what He says to pray? Do we consider His word when we pray? Are we releasing Kingdom prayers and the heart of the Father in our prayer? Do we even know what that is? The greatest teacher is the Holy Spirit in all matters of heaven and prayer is a significant one. When we do not know what to pray, (Romans 8:26) but our intent is to pray the will of the Father, Holy Spirit will step in and give us the words, groans or tears to communicate that to heaven. “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10) tells us to pray His will, but we must seek to know what that will is in any given circumstance.
Beloved, We do not know what the future holds, but we know that today, more than ever we must make choices and be OK with them. To make them, we carefully consider the will of the Father against the will of our governments, of other people and even our families. We must be prepared to pay the cost for staying true to the leading of the Holy Spirit even when it begins to look as if we are walking in Matthew 10:34 as some are already experiencing. Chose today, know today, listen today, act today, pray today! #MyGodisYahweh