I woke up early this morning with a message in my heart. It’s crazy because this is the message God woke my pastor up with, when he had plans for a different message, too. But it’s heavy on God’s heart, and important to Him. This is what He said — “Tell My people that when they do these three things, they’re guaranteed My blessing.”
When my pastor shared this a few Sundays ago, it stopped me in my tracks. This was paramount, life-changing. The three things He spoke of were “Trust. Listen. And Obey.”
Trust is something that, if you’re like me, has been hard to get ahold of. It’s one of those vague, ethereal things we do, when we’re called to live by faith, stepping into the unknown. And we, as humans, aren’t comfortable with the unknown. But the way my pastor described it cemented everything.
“According to Webster,” he said, “Trust is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, and truth of someone.” Whoa. Wait a second, What?? Like I said, Trust has alway been an intangible for me. God’s moved me out in places of trusting Him many a time, and I’ve grown in that area, but suddenly THIS just locked it in.
If there’s anything I know, we can trust the character of God. We can trust His ability. We can absolutely trust His strength. And there’s no doubt that He is Truth. Where has this been all my life? Suddenly, I had something to hold onto. “I can TRUST You, God! Fully!” I hope this hits you like it hit me. Suddenly the intangible became tangible. Solid. We can trust Him. Because He is all these things.
Whew. That was a big one. And may still take quite a bit of processing. Deep breath.
So the next step … Listen. Listen is not just to hear, but to pay attention. To every detail. Study. Turn it over in your mind. Understand every aspect of what it is. Hear what God is saying in your heart. And hold onto it.
Revelation 3:11 says, “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” When God speaks to you and gives His direction, that in itself is a crown. Let no one take it from you. It’s assigned to you, and it’s important. Taking ownership, and walking it out, brings you into authority. When we move in the things God has called us to do, waves shift. And blessings flow. Which brings me to the final step. Obey.
What is our faith but nothing, if we don’t obey. But if we do, the tides change. Spiritual forces are put into motion that not only open the windows of Heaven, but pour out an ability, a provision, and the manifestation of God’s blessings on us that couldn’t happen otherwise.
Coming into Texas, where God has called me now, I’ve encountered many of my giants. Nothing out there that’s terrifying, but the mindsets in my heart that have been limiting. I spoke of these things briefly in Limitless. As we step into our Promise Land, God is lifting off the barriers that have held us back. For me, thinking of these giants, I found myself in Joshua 1. Over and over again, I heard the Lord say, “Be strong and courageous.” The book of Joshua says that plenty of times, and I always thought it was in respect to facing giants in the land. But that’s not what God was saying. In Joshua 1:7, He says to be strong and courageous in obeying Him!! Here’s what it says:
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. (Joshua 1:7)
So in effect, God is saying, “Be strong and courageous in obeying Me. Don’t detour to the right or left. Stay the course, and in that you will prosper!”
Don’t worry about the giants. Don’t put your focus on them. Keep stepping forward, with your eyes on HIM. Trust Him. Listen. And then obey. THEN, you will prosper in everywhere you go. And in that you will be assured the blessings of God.
AMEN.
. . .
Lord, I pray that each of my friends here will trust You in a whole new way. Help us to hear Your voice clearly. Remove every distraction, and help us to focus on You. We want to hear what You have for us, our assignments. They matter to heaven, they matter to You. Thank You again for placing us here to partner with You. Help us to then be courageous enough to step out into the things You call us to do, even if we don’t fully understand. We trust You, Lord. We rely on Your character, Your ability, Your strength, and Your truth to carry us through. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Michele- such good insight. Thank you for sharing and it fits right in with what was discussed in E3 yesterday. The power of Three. The third element brings reconciliation and balance and a different focus. God is three, not separate and allows space for four, us! Solid revelation is life changing! Keep it going!
Thank you, James, and good point! There’s so much power in Three. I once heard that when God says something it’s important, but when He says it three times it’s really, REALLY important and by no means are we to ignore it. In the same way, a lot of times He talks in progressions of Three. And your right, that final element *does* bring it all together and launches us into a new realm. Wow, I love it and how it relates to E3, too. So good! Thanks for the encouragement!