Are you ready to listen?

Being a writer, I often find myself sitting at the computer trying to make something God is telling me make sense like a sentence. I want it to have a structure that I can understand with a subject, a verb, and properly placed prepositions. It can sometimes take me forever to write Rhema because I am trying to say what God is saying in a way that will encourage you or make you feel better. There are some days that just doesn’t work. Today is one of those days though I tried hard to make it work. God said to me, ‘just tell the story.’ Sounded so easy but it wasn’t! I just didn’t know what to do with what He was saying. I woke up with one line echoing in my head, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” I knew exactly where to find it in the Bible because I have read this passage many times before and actually pray it every week when preparing to write Rhema. Today, I heard it differently and I just wasn’t quite sure what was supposed to come next. I didn’t hear anything else. So I went to the story and read it again.

I thought it might be best if you read it for yourself so that you really feel it. Here goes...

   “One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.  The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.  Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.  Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.  And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”  Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.  I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end.  I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” (1 Sam. 3: 2 – 14 NLT)

That was deep, right? Well...then I heard this. “Are you listening out for Me to call your name? Are you expecting Me to speak and give you instruction or are you sleeping through it and letting My voice continue to go unrecognized? The solution to your issue cannot be found with man but instead, it can only be found in Me.”  Well, okay then, God! It was a strong word but it made me sit up and pay attention to the fact that God wants to be heard. He isn’t speaking for no reason. If you are one that has never heard from God or recognized His voice in the word, in your spirit, or even audibly, this does not give you an out. The text was very specific in noting that Samuel had never heard from the Lord before but once he knew, he acted and God took him to the next level. He trusted Samuel with a hard assignment and though afraid, Samuel followed through with it and God rewarded him with His presence. “As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.  And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.  The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.” (1 Sam 3: 19 -21 NLT)

God is speaking but He wants to know that you are listening. The Message translates the line as, “Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen.” Are you ready to listen? It’s no longer acceptable to use tradition as an excuse. That’s not what they do at my church. My family will think I’m crazy if I say God told me. I’m too young, old, etc. This is important for your spiritual walk and your relationship. The trust factor that God has been highlighting for the last several weeks comes down to this. How can you trust a voice that you refuse to acknowledge? How can you go forward with an instruction that you can’t hear? God called out to Samuel three times before Eli explained to him that it was God. How many messages have you missed? Aren’t you tired of missing Him because you’ve been distracted by people, confusion, and things. So, I both challenge and encourage you to get in your secret place TODAY and meet with God.

You see what God is telling you might save someone’s life. It might change the direction that someone is walking in. What God told Samuel was difficult. He had to tell Eli that his family was going to be punished for all they had done and it couldn’t be stopped with a sacrifice or an offering. That’s hard! Eli was Samuel’s mentor and he loved him. But God had an assignment for Samuel that He wanted to make sure was heard. Eli accepted what Samuel shared and God ensured that people knew that Samuel was truly hearing from Him. You see, when God is speaking to you, you don’t have to be afraid to obey. He is going to cover and keep you.  When He tells you to speak, speak! When He tells you to be quiet, shut it!  If this is hard to read, trust me, I’m right there with you. I asked Him to speak and that I would listen so I also had to obey. This was my daily lesson in obedience. Saints, God is speaking to you and now He wants to know your response. I have a suggestion… “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

Amen.

Ok...

What would you do differently if your next decision determined your destiny? How would you act if what you said in the next minute could change the direction of your life? Where you would go if your choice were the last move you would ever make? Deep questions for a Thursday afternoon, huh? I agree! I asked the Lord what the point was and His response almost took me out. He said, ‘so many people treat the life I gave them with cavalier attitudes. They don’t seek Me. They don’t acknowledge Me. And they certainly don’t obey Me. However, when their outcomes don’t line up with their expectations, they are mad at Me. If they want something different, do something different.’ I was a bit shocked. Not what I was expecting to hear or write today by a long shot! However, it was so important. 

The Lord sent me to a scripture that people use and say ALL OF THE TIME – Jeremiah 29:11. The Message Translation says it like this, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” I began to wonder how many of you have missed out some plans because you refused to listen? (Insert: when I ask this question, I am including myself!) Have you ever asked yourself why there is a “why” attached to your response whenever the Lord asks you to do something? Wouldn’t it make sense to just do what He says? Wouldn’t you get to that future with fewer mishaps if you went with the plan? I wanted to say wouldn’t you get their easier but the Lord wouldn’t let me write it. You see, this whole thing isn’t about easier but it’s about structure. The Lord clearly says that He has a plan. So, if you work within the confines of His plan then you will get to the result.  Right? I know, I know…there is that funny thing called free will. It’s a real thing! The issue is that you can choose to obey.  Now that puts free will in a completely new place for me! You can clearly choose to do what you want to do but you also can just choose to do what He said.  I mean, his plan is three fold – take care of you, not abandon you, and give you the future you hope for. The problem you have is your plan usually falls short in one of these areas. How’s that free will thing working out for you?

I don’t know if this is making sense or not but I am stuck! It’s time to change perspectives. It is time to stop looking at this destiny thing as if it’s a lottery chance. It is not! The Lord said that He KNOWS the plans He has for you. Got it? Your destiny is settled. Your next is assured. Could it be that the reason you aren’t winning is because your part has not been handled with assurance? You read that scripture and add all sorts of conditional statements and feelings and emotions instead of saying, God has this handled, let me just get on board.  Listen! Will you try trusting Him with your life? Will you take your hands off everything and give it to Him? I mean get in line with the plan. How? He says to you, “Go preach My word.” You say, “Ok. Tell me where to go.” He says, “Stop going to that place. It’s not in line with My will for you.” You say, “Ok. Show me where I need to be.” He says to you, “Pour your energy here and stop wasting it there.” You say, Ok. Tell me what to do.” You see where I’m going? There is a purpose to every instruction. It’s a part of the plan! Your responsibility is to say ok.

Amen.

Throwback: Rest that remains

 Don't you love a good lyric? A good hymn or song can really take you in, especially when you are going through something. You know how it is…a song will come on the radio and it sounds like it was written just for your situation. This morning that song for me was “There Remaineth a Rest” by Donald Lawrence. I just kept hearing the chorus repeating itself over and over. “There remaineth a rest, a rest for the people of God. A promise, a finished work and we must guard it with our hearts. Everything you will ever need was provided at Calvary.” I just kept hearing it and couldn’t get away from it. Finally, the Lord sent me to the scripture in Hebrews 4 that the song is based on and once I read the entire thing, it truly blessed me. Today, God is speaking to the fighters, the runners, and the “I can handle it all” folks. He is saying, come and take advantage of the promised rest that remains.


Hebrews 4 is a powerful chapter. I usually don’t do this but I feel led to post the entire chapter here.  I believe the Lord showed me the Message version because He really wants you to get this. It’s time out for striving to fix things that God has already fixed. Often, the reason you don’t see the manifestation is because you can’t take your hands off long enough to see it. Saints, it is finished!

For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God’s goal for us, we need to be careful that we’re not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting. But not if we don’t have faith. Remember that God said, “Exasperated, I vowed, “They’ll never get where they’re going, never be able to sit down and rest.” God made that vow, even though he’d finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it’s written, “God rested the seventh day, having completed his work,” but in this other text he says, “They’ll never be able to sit down and rest.”

 So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David’s psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don’t turn a deaf ear . . .” And so this is still a live promise. It wasn’t canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn’t keep renewing the appointment for “today.” The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.

 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

There is something to be said for rest. Most people don’t get enough of it and it is often taken for granted. As I read Hebrews 4, the Lord just began to speak to me about rest. I looked up the word rest in the Greek and it means a “calming of the winds, a resting place.” The dictionary then went a little further and said “the heavenly blessedness in which God dwells and of which He has promised to make persevering believers in Christ partakers after the toils and trials of life on earth are ended.” Y’all know I don’t always get into definitions but I found it interesting that this was a different rest than the one that Jesus talks about in Matthew 11:28, when He says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” In that case, He was talking about an actual rest, a refreshing, ceasing from movement and labor to collect your strength. But in Hebrews 4, He is talking about the promise of a finished work. It is the same word as when He rested on the 7^th day of creation. He rested because He was finished. Folks, God has already done the work. Herein lies the question…do you believe it? Do you believe that the situation that is taking up so much of your time and brain space has already been worked out?

Hebrews 4 closes with a highlight of who Jesus is for a reason. You see with His death and resurrection, He did it all. But He also sits on the right hand of God as our intercessor and our advocate. God wants for you to be whole and at rest. He wants you to rest in Him, KNOWING that all that you ever needed lies with Him. I challenge you to take that situation, that husband, that child, that job and release it to God. I guarantee that He will respond with ‘I’ve got it under control.’ You know why? Because the Word says that the Lord will perfect that which concerns you and in this instance ‘perfect’ means complete! Do you see how it all comes back to the finished work of Christ? Saints, “there remaineth a rest for the people of God.” I invite you to take advantage!

AMEN