The "O" Word

Everyone knows there is power in prayer. I love praying and talking to God. There is power in another form of communication not just prayer but obedience.

The "O" word. The word no one is talking about but God showed me something. Everyone talks about prayer, prayer, prayer moves God but obedience moves Him even more.
Let's look at it from a parent's perspective. I talk to my kids all the time. They ask me for whatever they want because they know this is the only they can get what they ask for. However, if my kids have been disobedient recently then I'm hesitant to give them what they ask for. If my kids have been keeping their room clean, doing chores and making good grades, then I'm not as hesitant to grant their request.

God is the same way with us. We ask Him all day long for something but if we aren't being obedient to His word then God is not going to be quick to move. There are many scriptures in the Bible that say this. For example, Proverbs 7:2 "Keep my commandments and live, And keep my teaching and law as the apple of your eye."  This is just one of many that says keep my commands. Now remember God is a gracious God but it doesn't mean we take advantage of His grace.
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aking advantage of God's grace is like us having car insurance. We don't go around pretending our vehicle is a bumper car just because we have insurance. Why? because it is inconvenient to go through the process of getting the car fixed. We should consider God's grace the same way. It's inconvenient when we disobey and have to go through a process to get back on track.

Another favorite scripture Psalm 37:4, sums it up.  "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  Many people do not realize what delight means. Don't worry, I used to be one of them. Delight doesn't mean just pray, praise and worship but it means to obey. The definition of delight is to please greatly or pleasure. What is the best way for us to be a pleasure to God?

Remember our children, when I tell my kids something and they do it without talking back, I'm so excited. God is the same way. The best way to delight in God is to obey Him.
This is why it is so important to write the vision. The vision we have is God speaking to us. Write them down and it will give you something to study. Read the word and listen to God's voice as you read. He will speak to you concerning your life.

Don't just be a talker but be a listener. We have the faith to pray. It's time we have the faith to obey.

Do You Know?

When going against an opposing team that has a rep of being awesome, my kids don't get intimated. They fight harder to win the game, why? Because they know who they are. They don't walk around defeated before the game because if they do it before the game it is going to show in how they play. If they are already defeated in their minds then more likely they are going to be defeated in the game.

Satan wants us to have the same reaction about God. The enemy knows the Word of God therefore he knows what the Word says who we are in Jesus. He knows we are more than conquerors. He knows know weapon formed against us shall prosper. The question is do you know?

Do you know? We have the victory in Jesus. When we receive Jesus as our Lord over our life, we receive the victory over Satan. The enemy wants us to forget that when we are tested with the trials and pleasures of this life. He wants us to forget so that we will lose faith in God so that we will go out and sin. Sin separates us from God and draws us closer to the enemy.

I don't know about you but I don't want to be closer to the enemy then I am to God. When the trials of life try to tempt me to sin, when the pleasures of this life tempt me to sin, I remember who I am in the Word. This is why it is so important to read the Word of God.

The Word of God is a mirror to show us what we need to fix and how good we look. A lot of people don't like looking in the mirror to see something wrong, which is why they don't look. But fixing what is wrong allows you to be closer to God.

Look in the mirror, to see you. Read the Word. Spend time in prayer. Do all these things so that the enemy will not be able to pull you out of the place God has for you.