LISTENING ABILITY
Psalm 29

Jesus stated in, John 8:43, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.”He asked the people a question of why they lack understanding and he gave the answer to them. According to the word of Jesus, the reason why understanding was lacking then and now is that the people have a listening disability. When we take Jesus’ answer into consideration, it is evident that when there is listening there will be understanding. Listening is important for there to be understanding in the living Word of God. It is through our listening that we come to understand God. To understand the Word of God is to fear God. With the fear of God, our knowledge of Him becomes inevitable. (Proverbs 2:5) It can be assumed that listening is the point at which knowing God starts. Listening can then be defined as the ability to do what you have heard. It is possible to hear conversation or noise from a distance, but without listening such conversation or noise becomes distractive or meaningless. When we focus and give our full attention, then our listening and understanding becomes established. Hearing The Word is possible, but hearing without listening is not enough to establish understand the spoken word. When listening is in place one is able to do what the Word requires. It is impossible to listen and hear the voice that is communicating the Word of God and not do what the Word says. Psalm 29:4-9 describes the voice of God. “The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, yes; the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”” (Psalm 29:4-9) Is it possible to listen and hear God and not do what he says? Often times listening is confused with hearing. It will be very difficult to hear God speak and not do what He says. What have you been listening to? Have you actually been listening and hearing from God? Proverbs 1:33, “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”The Word of God cannot lie. The Word said whoever listens will dwell safely and secure. Identify the cause of your listening disability and let the Word of God build you up.

Prayer for today: Father I ask for the grace to be delivered from every cause of hearing disability.

AVOID CAPTIVITY
Jeremiah 29, 30

When God speaks to one He speak to all and He never change. He is the Unchanging changer. He is the Almighty, the Creator, the ancient of days and He has been in existence before the foundation of the earth. He stated in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”  The same word speaks to each and everyone of His creation. He knew all of us before we were formed; however, He does have different assignment and divine schedule for each and everyone of His creation. Our God is not evil or wicked. He is a loving and merciful God and all His thoughts and plans toward us are good. God confirms His good thoughts for us when he said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Therefore, whatever is good comes from God. By virtue of God’s good thought for His children, one would wonder why then His children often end up in captivity and self destruction? God is not the author of evil but, we often authorize evil to have his place by how we opt to live life. The Word of God pointed out what could be the reason why the evil of captivity of destruction habitually strikes when He stated, “…But they do not regard the work of the LORD, Nor consider the operation of His hands. Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge.” (Isaiah 5:12-13)Without any doubt, it is knowledge to consciously and constantly be attentive to His command because when He gets our attention, He will always attend to us. It is a good practice for us to always regard God by thinking highly of Him and constantly relating to Him in our thoughts. When we always think of and acknowledge God, we are glorifying Him for who He is. Romans 1:21, “…although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”Every believer that claims to know God, should not draw back from constantly glorifying Him. Our knowledge of God is the key that keeps us from self destruction and life in captivity. The source of His knowledge is in understanding His fear. Proverbs 2:5 stated, “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” God is a good God with good thoughts for all of us, both now and in the future. He does not want us to perish. With the understanding of His fear, knowledge to prevail will not fail us.

Prayer for today: Put your fear in my heart O Lord. Let me not depart from you all the days of my life. 

CASE OF KING AMAZIAH
2 Chronicles 25

God will not lower the standard of His word nor reduce what He has already spoken. The Word of God is set for eternity to perform what He has spoken. God confirms the imperviousness of His Word when He stated in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” It is very important for us to obey the Word of God.  In God’s eyes, delayed obedience is disobedience. God always want our full obedience. If we fail to obey the commands of God we will end up with His curses, instead of His blessings. The case of Amaziah is one of the many cases in the Bible that testifies disobedience as failure in obeying the Word of God. 2 Chronicles 25:2, “And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a loyal heart.”Amaziah was described as being obedient when he did what was right in the eyes of God. He lost in his position of obedience when his heart failed and was no longer able to give himself fully to God. His obedience was sighted when he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king and did not execute their children. His action not to execute their children was in line with the law of God that stated in 2 Chronicles 25:4, “…The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall die for his own sin.”Amaziah fell into disobedience after God had gave him victory over his enemy. He was to fight against Edom when he received word from God requesting him not to use the troops of Israel as his ally. Amaziah went as requested and God fought on his behalf to win the battle. After having won, Amaziah dishonored God when he turned to worship the god of Edom people which he had conquered. What could have prompted Amaziah to worship a god that could not fight a successful battle against Almighty God? Have you been seeing any of your enemy’s possession that you like or the ones that you covet? If you have, then it means you are giving attention. In giving attention you are also attending indirectly or directly to whatever is gaining your attention. God is a jealous God. When we give Him all of our attention, He will attend to us. Also, keep in mind that the antidote of jealousy is giving due attention. Amaziah somehow missed the mark which resulted in him not giving his whole heart to God.

Prayer for today: O Lord my God, whatever does not come from You, do not allow it to come from me.

IN YOUR CALLING
Matthew 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22 states that “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.”When Jesus called His disciples, He trained them first before he sent them out on their own. After He trained them, He gave them permission to go before Him. When God allows you to go before Him, He will back you up. Has He called you and it seems you are alone? It does not matter where you are, where He calls you to go or the time of His calling for you to go, He will always be with you. Jesus will not fall asleep in His calling for your life; neither will He forget to watch over you in your calling. “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.”(Matthew 14:23-24)In your calling there will be challenges along the way. While the disciples were along their way, they encountered a challenge in the middle of the sea. They were tossed about by the waves. Are you experiencing a stormy challenge or challenges in your calling yet? If you have not been experiencing any storm, rest assured the storm will surely come. Your storm is your test and your test will give you a transformation. Your transformation will be your experience gained in the storm and your testimony is what will make you grow. For Jesus’ disciples, turning back was not an option and neither is it the best choice for you in your storm. He who calls you knows who you are, where you are and what you are going through. Jesus did not forget the disciples, He showed up in an unexpected hour when He walked on the sea. Always remember, “The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever. The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.” (Psalm 29: 10-11) When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they overreacted, “…they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.” (Matthew 14:26)Fear threatened the endurance of the disciples but Jesus intervened on their behalf. Be strong and know that Jesus is with you. The challenges that could not consume the disciples, did not compromise their journey. Your story cannot be different from the disciples, keep your eyes on Jesus and He will see you through. 

Prayer for today: Help me O Lord, let my faith not fail when challenges come my way in your calling for my life.  

CENTER OF ASSIGNMENT
1 Samuel 18

David, by the hand of God upon him, went from being a shepherd boy to putting a giant into termination. By virtue of God’s hand in his life, one will assume that David would take an easy and unchallenging ride to the center of Gods assignment (mountain top) for his life. The story of getting to his mountain top became a challenge and he had to remain focus on God as he journeyed through every mountain and valley. You might have seen it clearly that the Lord is taking you up, but you cannot tell which route it will take you to get to your mountaintop. God told Abraham to go and offer Isaac on one of the “mountains of which He will tell” (Genesis 22:2b). Abraham knew that he was going to get to a mountaintop, but he never know which one. Getting to the mountaintop will require a constant look up to God. When David was anointed to become the new king, he could not take over the reign without rains of challenges falling upon him. King Saul repeatedly attempted to kill David when he saw the hand of God upon David’s life. The hand of God over your life will always entice the wicked one in attempt to terminate you. David’s challenges were aggravated when the women began to sing praises of David about the killing of Goliath. “Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”” (1 Samuel 18:8) Pride inhabits anger, negative jealousy and evil devises. Pride set into Saul’s life. Saul did all in his power to offset God’s calling upon David, but David was set by God for the mountaintop and no man would have been able to stop him except if he chose to stop himself by walking out of the fear of God. Saul threw spears to pin David to death a number of times. He set him up against the Philistines so as to kill him and all went in vain for Saul because David remained focus on God. If God has privileged you and you have seen yourself as getting to the mountaintop, there is a need for you to readjust your focus directly onto God. David could not have been able to get there, but his behavior prevailed for him. 1 Samuel 18: 14, “And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him.” David’s wisdom was rooted in his fear of God and he was able to behave wisely. Maintain focus on God, fear God and wise behave shall guide you.

Prayer for today: Cause Your fear to reign and rule my life my Lord and my God.