Fresh Manna 2009© by Pastor Tim Burt
Acts 5:29 “Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!”
One of the things that I take time to do periodically is check to see if I have a healthy fear (reverence) of the Lord. What does it mean to fear the Lord?
The fear of the Lord is all about reverencing God for who He is. It is about understanding His power and might. It’s understanding that He created everything with a purpose. It’s understanding that God will redeem man’s soul and deliver Him from the destruction of Satan’s efforts if he will learn to revere God’s Word above all things in His life.
Some years ago, God spoke to me in one of my quiet times with Him. He was kindly but firmly chastising me. He said, “Tim, unless you learn to revere and esteem my words and the things I say to you over that which you hear from men, I will be nothing more than just one more opinion in your life; an opinion that you will discard or forget about. It is only when you reverence my Word above the words of men that you will experience my Word coming alive, speaking direction into your life, and bringing instruction, and life transformation that will always take you toward my blessings. My word has to have preeminence in your life.” I was reminded of today’s Fresh Manna verse. “…we ought to obey God rather than men.”
I was convicted, humbled, corrected, and repentant after hearing these words. It was these words that led me to journaling what God was speaking to me that then led to writing Fresh Manna.
The point we are all so slow to get is that God has only one intention for us in His perfect will; that is, experiencing a purpose-filled life directed by His Word and motivated by our love for Him. In this His blessing, deliverance from evil, and divine protection comes. A part of reverencing God is to learn to pay attention and respond to the impressions we feel in our heart; those things that have to do with simple obedience to God as He prompts us.
We are all capable of obeying God at times. But couple that with a consistent level of disobedience in other areas and your walk with God will be marginal at best. People read the Bible and they think, I want to obey God and do great things for Him. They read the Bible and of some of the mighty feats and say, “I want to be used of God like that.” They then dream of spiritual fantasies like preaching before great crowds of people, or praying for the sick and seeing them get healed. These are worthy things but if we won’t obey God in the simple day-to-day impressions, we’ll never learn to follow His Spirit that would lead to greater manifestations of His power.
God may be telling you, “Go to bed earlier and get up earlier and read my word and pray.” You think about it night after night; that thinking being an impression from God. You continually neglect responding to that impression and eventually it fades. You’ve neglected the small things that God is directing you to obey Him in. He wants obedience in the small impressions of the heart. “Don’t eat that second piece.” “Get up and pray.” “Turn off the TV and read my Word.” “Stop speaking those words of discouragement.” “Go offer to help that person.”
Impressions like these come to Christians all day long and they ARE often from God. If we learn to obey them we learn to live a Spirit-filled, Spirit-directed, empowered life. If not, we become like King Saul.
Saul was a king that was chosen to serve God’s purposes and be blessed in the process. But Saul let pride and fear of man come creep in. He had seen God supernaturally help him. Soon he began to take that for granted and he was afraid of the men around him. The fear of man rather than reverence for God and what God spoke to him led Saul further and further away from God.
Read through this snapshot of Saul’s life. You will see God wanted good for him. Regrettably Saul had an obedience problem.
Verses from Samuel chapters 10-15. “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance? The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power… and you will be changed into a different person….God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled… Sometime later… “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."
God delights when our reverence for Him leads us to obey those things He has and is speaking to us to establish and do in our life. He will supernaturally help us do them. What is and what has God been impressing upon your heart to do for some time? Now is the time to do it!
In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2009 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.
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