Our Promise is Accelerated or Delayed Based on How Well We "LISTEN!"
Good Morning My Loves,
Are you a good listener? Do you listen to and obey God and His established authorities? I pray you do. Why? Because listening and obeying is a vital pre-requisite to receiving your promise. Many people have delayed and even aborted their promise because they refuse to listen. One of the greatest pains I’ve experienced in being a pastor is seeing a person turn off the voice of the Holy Spirit, and those through whom He speaks. It’s disheartening to realize that they no longer value the voice of the godly ones who love them (pastor, parents, mentors, friends), and simply refuse to listen. This refusal to listen ends up costing them dearly. I always say, “If you are unwilling to learn from those who’ve experienced pain, you will have to learn through your own pain.” There are many lessons that I’ve learned through pain, and I can tell you that listening to those who’ve gone through it, and are trying to spare you that pain, is the better choice! A prime example of “delay and loss of promise,” due to an unwillingness to listen, is found in Joshua 5. After God miraculously delivered the Israelites from bondage and began to move them forward toward their promise, they started grumbling and complaining, and would not listen to the voice of the Lord. He swore they would not see the promise land, and instead gave it to their children.
6 For the Israelites walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, DIED BECAUSE THEY DID NOT LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF THE LORD; to them the Lord had sworn [an oath] that He would not let them see the land which He had promised to their fathers to give us, a land [of abundance] flowing with milk and honey. 7 So it was their uncircumcised sons whom He raised up in their place, whom Joshua circumcised, because circumcision had not been performed on the way. (Joshua 5:6-7 AMP)
Think about that. -They were fighters.
-They were strong.
-They were capable.
-They were loved.
-They were delivered.
-They had a BIG PROMISE!
BUT…… -They were ungrateful.
-They were whiny.
-They were fearful.
-They were stubborn.
-THEY WOULD NOT LISTEN! -Their journey from Egypt to the land of promise (Canaan) should have taken them 11 days. Instead it turned into 40 years, and they MISSED THEIR PROMISE!
Our loving Father God brought them out of bondage with the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, but they forfeited it and died in the wilderness, due to ungratefulness and a refusal to LISTEN! Those who complain about the small things, will never steward the greater things. It's the grateful that are trusted with the greater things. You should never run out of things to thank God for! Go to Him in prayer and continually thank Him for all the blessings He has provided you with, both small and large. Don't complain about every "little" thing, be thankful for every "little" thing, and watch your life and influence increase! Gratitude and obedience brings increase, ingratitude and disobedience brings decrease. Choose to be grateful! Choose to be one who listens and obeys. Your God given promise depends on it!
I love you all! PV
