01/20/2020
How are we living our lives? Are we living as the Spirit directs us, or are we living in the world, and for the world? Do we pray to obtain from God those things that bring Him glory, or for those things that are simply of the world, and that make us more comfortable in it? We must decide if we will live our life spiritually as the sons and daughters of God, or live it according to the flesh and die... what is our choice?
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
Romans 8:13-14 ESV
When we have a need, whether spiritual or of the flesh, It can be so easy to mistake the signs we see, and the voices we hear when asking for help in obtaining it, or accomplishing what it is that we desire. You see, Satan is a deceiver in word, deed, and even in the voice he uses, and his greatest tool against us is our own selfish desire... he uses that very thing which the Holy Spirit means to help us conquer... our worldly desire.
There was a time when I was seeking the will of God in how He wanted to use me, but I didn’t come to Him as a blank slate. I wanted to serve Him, but I had this preconceived desire to do so in some exotic place with the spirit of a monk. I wanted to spend my days absorbed in prayer, and humbly working in some physically demeaning way that would cause me to suffer for my faith. This was what I was intently waiting to hear Him say, and I was looking for signs that would lead me in how best to do this. I saw billboards with signs On them, and was convinced they were for me, and I heard messages in sermons that I thought were speaking to me, but they were not... they were merely things being used by Satan to speak to me with a false voice, and to direct me away from God’s true will for me. He was using my anticipation, and fondest dream, to convince me that his lie was truth.
Today in America we are celebrating the life of Martin Luther King who was a pastor, and a non-violent protester for Civil Rights. During his life he made a powerful speech in which he proclaimed “I Have A Dream!” and he went on to talk about having seen racial equity, and accord, in that dream. Throughout the Bible men have been spoken to in dreams, but in as much as Satan uses such things against us, we must be very certain that the voice we are hearing is of God. In Martin Luther’s case I am convinced it was spiritual truth, but now, years after his death, we need to be very careful in how we interpret those words that Dr. King spoke because Satan will attempt to twist the message in our minds, and thus undo “The Dream” he had in us. Satan will try to turn a message of peace into violence, and patience into intolerance. If we mistake his voice for God’s, because he is telling us what we are wanting to hear, we will miss the peaceful voice of Jesus, and the harmony of the Holy Spirit. All spiritual signs, dreams, and voices, must be prayed over, and their authenticity verified against the Word of God... not simply our worldly expectations.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 ESV
Getting back to my life... God had other plans for me; I wasn’t to be a Monk, or the other things I had once imagined. His will came years later than I expected, but when it did come, it moved in like a tsunami, and engulfed every part of me. He brought a messenger into my life with a small unassuming leather book of devotionals, and as I commented on my reading that first day, in the form of a simple text message, to His messenger who is now my friend, I had no idea what was happening... God’s will had begun to surface, and was to become undeniable. As each day passed, my answer to it was always “Yes Lord”. Now, five years later my daily devotionals are read widely, and last year He had delivered them to 85 different countries, and every continent except Antarctica. His will, not mine is being done... my part is to obey, and glorify Him.
So how are we living our lives, whose voice do we hear when we listen for God, and whose face do we see when we search for Christ in ourselves? Do we dream the dreams of a righteous man, or those of the world? Do we see the signs that lead us to God’s will, or those of the dark one that are intended to mislead us? I encourage you to seek out God’s will fervently, and to pray for its revelation without ceasing. I further encourage you to weigh what you see, and hear, against God’s Word, and to listen patiently, and intently, to the Holy Spirit within you.
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
1 John 5:4-5 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your will In my life, and for the patience you provided me as I waited to hear your voice calling me to it. I thank you Lord for unmasking all the lies of Satan as he attempted to imitate your voice, and convince me to follow a false pronouncement of your plan for my life. Help me Holy Father to always recognize the lies and snares of Satan in the world, and to shield myself against my own desires as I seek out your purposes... give me the power to rebuke him with scripture, and in the name of Jesus. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who Loves me, and has a purpose and will for my life. Great are you who shields me from evil, and prevents temptation from claiming victory over me. Father, I praise your name for calling out to me, and bidding me to come. I yield to your will, and lean on your Holy Spirit for discernment as I seek you. All glory is yours Father, and through your Son Jesus I come to you, and by your grace through Him, you have made me worthy. Hallowed be thy name!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 ESV
Rich Forbes