Witness – Page 4 – Praying Pint

11.c. “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

Micah 6:6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 19:16     And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

Luke 10:25    And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Acts 2:37     Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Romans 10:2-3   For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

The question has been asked for centuries one way or another. How can I stand before God? How can I inherit eternal life? What shall we do? These questions are asked by those who are lost. Some of them want to know how to be right with God and others want to challenge the answer with no intent of needing or wanting to be right with God. This question will be asked by searching-souls continuously until the judgement seat of Jesus Christ and His return. It is more than just asking the question, isn’t it? It is what we do after we have been given the answer. If we humble ourselves and surrender our self-centeredness and self-reliance to the message of grace, mercy, and hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ we find peace, rest, and joy flooding our souls. Repentance and turning away from these self-seeking ways and trusting in the promise of forgiveness frees us from the burden of carrying our past and sin in our own power. Humble surrender, by faith, to the redeeming work of Jesus Christ on the cross enables our eyes to our hearts, minds, and souls be opened to forgiveness and the hope of eternity with Jesus Christ forever.

10.s. Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world both low and high, rich and poor together!

Micah 1:1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.

Deuteronomy 32:1    “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

Psalms 49:1-2    Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world both low and high, rich and poor together!

Jeremiah 22:29     O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!

Revelation 3:6    He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Isaiah 1:2    Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.

Mark 7:14-16     And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:

Malachi 3:5   “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

I am amazed at all of the news, fake news, drama news, political noise new, posturing news, lying news, false news, biased news, partial truth news, unfair news, news on news, opinion news, news for ratings, news for fear, etc……… How can you believe any of it? For everything that is reported it seems people are willing to believe it is true. They drink the kool-aid and don’t mind being led down paths that only a few short weeks ago they would have been up in arms over it. If they read it in the news or hear it on the TV news it must be true and at the same time they are choosing this they read scripture or hear scripture and doubt it’s application of truth for today.

Hear the words of the Lord. It is hard to hear when you are not listening. It is hard to hear when you are listening to something else. We listen to what we want to listen too. We choose to listen and give our attention to it. If the Lord is speaking to you and you choose not to listen it will be to your detriment. Scripture tells us we should b slow to speak and quick to listen. Scripture will speak to our hearts, minds, and souls if we would choose to listen to what the Holy Spirit is confirming deep within our soul. “Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you”

10.j. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Obadiah 1:19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb. Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Judges 2:16    Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them

Judges 3:9    But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel,

Joel 2:32   And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.

Micah 5:4-9     And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.  And he shall be their peace

Isaiah 19:20    It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them.

Ecclesiastes 11:9   Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

How many times in the bible has God delivered people out of their troubles and trials? You can read throughout scripture where God has either both judged and rescued or rescued His people from enemies. Yet the biggest rescue is not from outside influences. It is from ourselves and sinful nature. How many times do we seek God’s intervention into affairs affecting us but give no thought to our inner self? We need rescuing from self-centered, self-reliant, self-gratifying, self-worth, and self-seeking ways. These are sins born out in our hearts, mind, and soul. We easily come to Jesus Christ when our lives are affected but why is it so hard to look inward with scripture eyes? It is by far better to live persecuted, poor and despised with a pure heart that humbly serves, seeks, thirsts, trusts, relies upon, and obeys Jesus Christ. Try thinking about inward thoughts and motives and asking yourself if these are in-line with God’s Word. We should be humbled by what the Holy Spirit teaches us today when our thoughts go inward heart deep.

6.w. Surely there is a God who judges on earth.

Revelation 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Deuteronomy 32:43 “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.”

Psalms 58:11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

When the 5th seal is opened John sees these martyrs and hears their cry “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” These have been martyred for witnessing and living for Jesus Christ. These are those who believed in and proclaimed the gospel after the removal (rapture) of believers prior to the opening of the seals. Standing firm to the end is not a way to be saved but the evidence that a person is really committed to Jesus. Persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the by-product of a truly devoted life. Times and trials serve to sift true Christians from false or fair-weather Christians. When you are pressured to give up and turn your back on Christ, don’t do it. Remember the benefits of standing firm, and continue to live for Christ.

Remember these martyrs have been told to wait until the full number of those who will be killed for their belief in Jesus Christ is complete. When I give just a small amount of thought to this I am ashamed for what I think is a trial in my life. I am ashamed of the times I think the trials I face are “BIG” for the trials I have faced surely have not ended in death for believing in Jesus Christ – the ultimate test of faith.

3.l. They went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.

Ezra 4:7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me. And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid. Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”

Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Sometimes things just don’t go as planned, do they? Everything seems on track and according to how God is leading you and then BAM ought of nowhere we get punched in the gut. How are we to look and react to these sidetracks? Are we to lose faith in God? Are we to become afraid? Are we to doubt God’s control? Are we to give in to fear, confusion, and being powerless? How can we stand firm when the ground under us is being dug away?

No matter what is going on around us. No matter how bleak our circumstances seem. No matter what the setback is. No matter what we see and hear. GOD IS IN CONTROL! God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and able to do much more than we can imagine. He created galaxies, universes, light and dark, water, every creature, and mankind. He did this by the word of His mouth. He spoke all there is into being. He controls it all with His perfect plans and purposes. He can not be stopped. There is no power that can overcome His might. There is no knowledge that can overcome His wisdom. There is no hatred that can overcome His love for those who are called by Him. There is no darkness that can overcome His light. There is nothing in earth or above that is great than our God.

Remain strong, faithful, trusting, obeying and honoring God in the tasks He is leading you in. He alone is our refuge and hope. Stand firm and rejoice in what God can and will do.

101. Consider what great things He has done for you.

1 Samuel 12:6 And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers. When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, then your fathers cried out to the Lord and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. But they forgot the Lord their God. And he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

How does a nation fall away from God? You have to know that there was the first person who laid the idea, thought, and groundwork for the path leading away from God. Then others just joined in and soon you have a society modifying God’s word/teachings to fit what they think best. God’s word does not change. Expectations, rules, statutes, precepts, commands, promises are all the same. When the church, individuals, believers, spend less and less time in His word, and more and more time being influenced by culture, society there is a drifting away from God that takes place so secretly that the person does not even recognize it happening. Tozer said; “We do well to admit this is happening, but we should not accept it as normal, and we should not accept it as inevitable that we are shaped by the world.” Paul said; “Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Tozer: “That we have to some extent conformed to the world is proof of our weakness.” We must recognize our neglect, repent, turn back to God and His word, and through obedience to His word, and with thankful hearts of the grace and mercy shown to us through the sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, live humbly serving, honoring, worshiping, following, and obeying. Through His word, we will find truth and this truth will set us free from the clutches of the worldly passions and desires that rob us of victoriously living for Jesus Christ who is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory forever.

73. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

Joshua 8:34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

Deuteronomy 31:10-12    And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths,  when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.  Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,

Nehemiah 8:2-3     So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.  And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

Nehemiah 9:3    And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20     “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.  If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.  But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,  I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,  loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

There was times past when God’s word was read to an entire nation, a time spent listening to His word and time spent in confession and time spent in worship. It is hard for us to imagine what it would be like to not have God’s written word immediately available and easily accessible. Wh don’t have to wait until there is a special day for His word to be read to us, we can read it at anytime we choose. Is it possible that His word is so readily available that we don’t find the need to spend time in it every day? Is it possible that because it is so accessible that we just tuck it away until we think we need it?

God’s word is not to be seen or used as a remedy quick fix book for when we come to hard times or sickness, or troubles, or trials. God’s word is to be food for every moment of every day. His word is to be so needed that it is consumed like the very air we need and breath. If His word is not active in your life is it possible that it is void from your choice of needing it, relying on it, clinging to it, wanting it??????

Choose to spend time in His word, neglecting it will always lead to your heart, mind and soul drifting away from Him.

65. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

Deuteronomy 32:46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

1 Chronicles 22:19    Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God.

Proverbs 3:1-4     My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,  for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.  Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.  So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Ezekiel 40:4     And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

Hebrews 2:1     Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Proverbs 4:20-22     My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.  Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.  For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

Take heart, set your mind and heart, look with your eyes, hear with your ears, pay much closer attention, do not forget, be attentive, incline your ears, keep them within your heart, be careful to do, and seek the Lord your God, are all words to encourages us to keep our faith pure, our walk straight, and our heart, mind, and soul clinging to, relying on and trusting in God. Why?? Because of God’s steadfast love, mercy and grace, atonement, redemption, salvation, and eternity in heaven. To neglect or become complacent in our commitment and walk with Him allows us to drift away from Him and straight into the warnings rightly given. Today is the day to commit. Tomorrow is always too late.

60. I did not speak in secret

Deuteronomy 30:11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Isaiah 45:19    I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.

Romans 16:25-26     Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages  but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—

Colossians 1:26-27     the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Can His word be so close to our heart and so familiar to our soul that it can not be understood or not be put into practice? NO! I wonder how it is possible to spend day after day, and week after week, and possibly month after month without more than a glance at His word when we know of the blessings and curses that come from either obedience or neglect. Have we watered down His word so much that following it only requires a showing up in Church a few times per month and speaking to God is dialed back to only when something troubling is happening.

His word would tell us that we can comprehend it, we can understand it, it is revealed to us, it is not far off, and it is brought to the very door of our heart, mind, and soul. However, it does no good in the heart, soul, and mind of anyone who does not cherish it or read it, or seek it, or desire it, or want to obey it. Neglects and complacency are not excuses, they are a choice.

6. What must we do

Mark 10:17 And as Jesus was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

John 6:28    Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

Acts 2:37     Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Acts 16:30    Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Romans 10:2-4    For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

John 6:27     Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.

We see this young rich man who went away sorrowful and disheartened. Why, because he could not give his all to follow Jesus. We see others who asked what must we do to be saved. We see the disciples asking what must we be doing to do the works of God.

The works we must do is to “Believe” and to believe is translated “Cling to, Rely on, and Trust in.” Sometimes I think believe means something less to people. It does not carry the weight of clinging total reliance and trust.

It is one thing to come to the knowledge of saving grace and another to live so that God is honored through continual reliance, obedience, and trust. When we give belief a lesser application we will find we are thinking we are better off than we are. We end up at a place where we think we are good enough and doing enough – we’re ok enough. In reality, we become dull to the Holy Spirit, blind and deaf, as though we were asleep. When we are to be spirit-filled we are spiritless. When we are to be reaching out to a lost world we are hiding. When we are to be listening and obeying we are deaf and doing what seems right to us. When we ought to be seeking God we are neglecting. When we are to be drinking the living water and bread of life from His word we are starving and dying from thirst. And don’t even know it!

We are called to active humble service to God, at His leading and at His timing. The word “Called” is better translated as summoned. When we see the word just as called it gives way to say yes or no. When we see the word as summoned by God there is no room for denying action on our part.

It is a choice to commit heart, mind, and soul to God every single day. It is a choice to be led by Him. It is a choice to listen and obey Him.

Thinking you are ok enough leads to being asleep and deaf to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

What must you do?