Listen To Your Father

February 11, 2021

“Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!

~Psalms 81:13~

It's interesting how amazing our Father in heaven is in so many ways of course but today I am grasping my mind around the concept of why He gave us His written word to begin with. As I meditated on it with the Holy Spirit, I felt a sudden nudge to write about this verse above. The desire for His children to listen to Him, to walk in His ways. Time and time again God has urged us to listen. He gave the israelites His first rules and statutes with the ten commandments as a standard moral law to follow. No longer were there anymore excuses to use about not knowing right verses wrong. "So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone." (Deuteronomy 4:13)

This sealed a covenant with His people and if they broke that covenant by any means they would most definitely pay the consequence.

"Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff." (Joshua 7:11)

The Lord knew this would happen of course, yet He still took time to write down even more living word to follow by. He continuously gave second chances. The bible itself, you could say is a human manual. For instance, when you get something that you just can't seem to understand how to make it function correctly, you take a look at the owners manual that it came with to understand there are right ways to use said piece and wrong ways.

We are created children who are constantly searching for the "right way to live," and we search and we look to fill voids with things that end up being damaging to us, "the product" you could say. We will just end up functioning incorrectly. If we constantly studied God's word, which guides us into the way of walking, we will find that we function smoothly and we will know exactly where to look to "troubleshoot" our particular issue if something were to occur outside of the box. I hope you are following me and understanding my point. God cares so much about us that He gave us an "owners manual" on life itself. God expects us to listen to Him and walk this way, He doesn't force us as we have free will. However, He truely desires more then anything that we do. He never stops reaching to us. "In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted."(Psalms 77:2)

David painted a great picture that explains us naturally, as humans, are born into a fallen rebellious nature. Our souls, which connects our thoughts, feelings and desires; naturally rebel against God without fully coming to align our new man with Jesus Christ. We, in turn, refuse God's full command and comfort as He so desperately reaches to us each day. "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."

(Romans 5:17)

Because God loves us so much and wants us to choose to listen to Him , He sent His only Son to die in our place so we may live connected to His new covenant in Christ, receive righteousness by His Blood and be baptized in the Holy Spirit to hear His leadings. It is a much easier way to truely hear God speak, to read this "manual" of our new life in Christ and to follow it and walk in it completely. Oh, how the Lord truely desires that we all still listen and walk in His ways. There are many in the church at this moment who believe they are listening fully, when in fact they are picking and choosing what they believe is acceptable to God and what He will "look past," for He loves us. The problem is if we overlook certain functions of a product in an owners manual and we try to operate around it, skipping over the step completely, we may end up seeing it break down all together. This can happen to us as we become complacent to His word, our manual and our covenant. We must understand His sovereignty and His holiness that never changes. Sin is sin to Him regardless. It does not vanish, it is still present in this world, at least until the end when He wipes it all away. He has to turn His back on it completely, just as He did with His own Son as He hung on the cross covered in the sins of this world; "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”(Matthew 27:46)

That separation occured in that moment due to the sin resting on Him. This does not excuse us to do whatever we please, this gives us the chance to follow Jesus, free of sin and walking in His ways just as God desires. "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." (John 12:26)

The word of God is our instruction that we can understand more each time we read it and meditate on it. We can know what to do and what not to do. We can see the Lord's love for us yet His justice towards sin. We can choose how we want to obey and decide for ourselves if we want to function in the way God created us to function originally. Through Jesus, we too, have a second chance to listen to God. We have the ability to ask for the Holy Spirit's filling each time we read His word, to open our eyes in a way where things that didnt make sense before suddenly are magnified in a way we will start to live by it whole heartedly without question. He will fill us with wisdom as we ask; "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)

He will heal us as we declare in faith what has already been done on the cross; "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed." (I Peter 2:24)

He will show us how to truely love completely; "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love." (John 15:10)

He will show us how to defeat satan as He constantly tries to drag us down; "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

He will show us the cure for sadness or loneliness; "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand."

(John 10:29)

This manual has everything we could ever need to live a life full of love and godliness, as we abide and listen to Him and walk in it. He is waiting with the same desire as He always had. Reach back and listen my friends, He is speaking loudly.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, hallowed be thy glorious Name! Thank you for Your incredible patience with humanity. Time and time again we refused to listen to You, even when its written and put right in front of our face. Lord help me to hear You clearly. Fill me Holy Spirit as I focus my eyes on the word of God and allow me to understand all that I need to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. I treasure every lesson and desire to learn more to fulfill the desires of Your heart. Show me how I can please You today and live according to Your ways. I pray against any deception, distraction and hinderance the devil may try upon me to make me backslide in any way. Help me to remain following You, no matter how hard that may get. I choose You. Praise and honor to the one who sits on the throne as He reaches out to us in a love that is only understandable through Your living word. It is in Your Name I pray this, Jesus Christ, my Redeemer from sin and condemnation. Amen.