Month: November 2015

Eat Not of Their Delicacies - Psalm 141:4

3 Verses to Fight Sin’s Allure

Mary

Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies! – Psalm 141:4 ESV

When we think about sin, we often immediately have an image that includes dire and negative consequences. Sometimes, we even have an overgeneralized image of sinners in our mind that they are blind and unable to see the negativity of their choices. There is something else to consider about sin, however: it has its own kind of sweetness. A deadly sweetness, but it must have something to pull you in. Temptation only exists when there’s something that you think is worth having at the expense of obedience.

After we’re sucked in and pulled down into a full rebellion against the Lord, there is very little sweetness left in sin. The eternal consequence of sin is even worse. It means eternal separation from God, cast of in place where there’s wailing and gnashing of teeth (Luke 13:28). There will absolutely no joy or sweetness in sin then.

On this earth, however, we need to acknowledge that temptation exists because of something that we desire; something that is looking good to us, even though we know we shouldn’t have it. In Psalm 141:4 David acknowledges this in his prayer. Referring to men who work iniquity, David says, “let me not eat of their delicacies.”

In a poor, agrarian society (meaning most people would be farmers on small farms), foods made with rich food would have been a treat of the fortunate and rich. Often when we see people living in the results of sin, they often have a good life. They have money or fancy things. Maybe they get the vacation that you’ve always dreamed of. Maybe it’s something as simple as wishing your life was more fun. It’s easy in that moment to wish you could eat of their food, to have the perks of their lifestyle.

Stepping away from this type of temptation (and we all face it, don’t think we don’t!) is more challenging than it might seem. In the heat of the moment, when we are faced with the choice of going for what we want at the cost of our conscious, we have to remember David’s prayer. Walking in a healthy, close relationship with the Lord is worth all the treasures and adventures of a lifetime. As the psalmist says, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).

As we think about areas in our hearts and mind that we’re struggling with some temptation or sin, this verse can also give us hope. Ask yourself, what is the benefit that I think I’m getting from this sin? Why do you keep going back to something that you feel maybe isn’t the best for you? Then, take that to the Lord and talk to Him about it. Say, “Lord, I want this and I feel like I’m getting it in a way that doesn’t honor you. Please help to see how to adjust my emotions or my choices to find a way to fill this need in Your power and Your love.” This is a wonderful step toward the freedom of Christ because you’re not beating yourself up over it or trying to make yourself stop in your own strength. Instead, you’re allowing the power of the Lord in you to start facing things that need to be faced and find healing and strength where it’s needed. (Note, I say healing because many of these temptations are born of something that we feel is lacking, empty or hurt. When we let the Lord start healing broken places in our hearts, many temptations start to lessen their hold on us.)

When we are facing this, here are three verses that we can whisper to ourselves to help remind us that God is a good, giving Father who knows the desires of your heart and wants to bless you (Psalm 37:4). When we choose to accept His blessing in His time, He can bless over and over. Choosing to take our desires in our own, sinful way keeps His loving arms away (Jeremiah 5:25).

  1. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:1-4 ESV
  2. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. – Mark 10:29-30 ESV
  3. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. – Psalm 1:1-3 ESV
Sins Shall Be White As Snow - Isaiah 1:18

Cleaning up the Bodies

Mary

The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.” – Jeremiah 31:40 ESV

In the Jewish culture there were many things that were unclean, dead bodies being on the list. In Jeremiah 31, we see the promise of the Lord to renew the nation, even the most unclean parts of it. This promise is a part of the new covenant promise that the Lord is promising Israel. We can lean on this promise to remind us that there is no part of us that cannot be renewed and restored by the Lord.

In Jeremiah 31, Jeremiah is prophesying about what the Lord will do for His people. In verse 31, the Lord begins telling about the new covenant (the one New Testament believers accept through the blood of Jesus). He says, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV). The Lord also promises later in the chapter that the land of Israel will be restored including “The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes” (v.40).

What part of your heart feels like it’s been unclean, full of dead bodies? Is there a part of your heart that feels like a battlefield and the rotting remnants of the war is left behind? Did the enemy try to burn you out, leaving ashes covering the ground? Or did you try to burn out the enemy leaving nothing but empty land in your heart?

The good news? No matter how messy, how damaged or how unholy those pieces of your heart feel, God can rebuild them into fertile ground that produces a rich spiritual harvest for Him. He delights in blessing His children (Psalm 149:4) and wants to be near you. No battle, no matter who started, you or the other guy, can keep Him out. He want to bring peace to you and return you to Him (Colossians 1:20).

Don’t let an unclean place in your heart keep you from coming to the Lord. No matter how long it’s been there or how many times you’ve tried to clean it up, don’t let fear or shame keep you in the dirt. He will make you white as snow, though you are dyed in the deepest of dyes.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. – Isaiah 1:18 ESV

Blessed Is Hope In God - Pslam 146:5

What I’m Most Grateful For

Mary

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. – Psalm 146:1-7 ESV

I have so many things to be grateful for; I could spend several blog posts on how much I love my life! However, I won’t (as interesting as I find my life, it’s never that interesting to anyone else… 😀 ). instead, I’m going to focus on gratitude for the only thing that matters: my relationship with God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

I’m so grateful that He came to this earth and died for me (John 3:16) that I might know Him and spend forever with Him (John 17:3). I’m learning more about Him all the time and I can say that my relationship with Him is deeper than I used to know was possible and it’s getting better all the time. By the way, it’s that way because of Him, not because of me (Psalm 145:18). I’m a low-down selfish sinner. Excuse me, I WAS a low-down selfish sinner. Now, I’m a child of God (1 John 3:1), joint-heir with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17), and I reflect His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

For this, I have not earned it, but I have been gifted this grace. Only by Christ’s sacrifice have I been offered this amazing relationship (Ephesians 2:8).

Have you accepted this relationship and are you living with Him daily? It’s worth it, believe me.

The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD! – Psalm 146:8-10 ESV

Searching Scriptures, Refusing Jesus - John 5:39-40

Come That You May Have Life

Mary

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. – John 5:39-40 ESV

The conviction in the words of Jesus can sometimes hit straight into your heart. Two verses in John are ready to stab piousness, no matter how little or how deeply it’s buried in our hearts. These verses are John 5:39-40 and they talk to us about living a life of theological understanding instead of life changing understanding.

In these verses in the fifth chapter of John, Jesus is responding to the complaints that he’s making himself equal with God and not keeping the Sabbath day holy (John 5:18). He is offering to the blind religious leaders a chance to hear Him and see Him as the Messiah. If they saw Him as God intended them to, they probably wouldn’t have condemned as a rule-breaker. If you meet God incarnate and He healed someone, would you quibble with what day of the week it was? The problem was that the beliefs of the religious that were based on scripture were blinding them to the Truth of God in front of them that was real and living.

The painful thing about this truth is that Christians today are doing the same thing. We search the scriptures, but instead of doing it to meet God, we do it to be right or to increase our own personal understanding. We forget the not only is God real, but Jesus is real and the Holy Spirit is real, and they are trying to be real part of our life.

Searching the scriptures apart from the guidance of the Holy Spirit is walking with the risk of becoming spiritually dryer and dryer until we become nothing but dust on the inside. At that point, the only thing we know how to do is try to take the spiritual life and freedom out of others until they are as dusty and dry as we are. Remember, we became dusty and dry by studying the Word of God, so it’s easy to fall into putting down others who disagree with us.  We forget that the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ is given by Jesus alone, not by an intellectual understanding (Matthew 11:27).

How many battles have we waged with the words, “But the Bible says…”? How many times have we spoken condescendingly over a situation because we know what a “Christian should have done”? These words and judgmental attitudes are symptoms of a drying up Christian, of someone who’s using the Word of God without the power of a relationship with Christ.

This will destroy us and damage the testimony of all Christians if we don’t live in the truth of what Christ did and the knowledge of Him personally. Fight the temptation to be today’s Pharisees who use the Word to grow in piousness and selfishness. Instead, use the knowledge of Christ to study the Word to bring life and joy and fruit (John 15:8).

A Future And A Hope - Jeremiah 29:11

Peace During Troubles

Mary

For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 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 29:10-11 NKJV

Jeremiah 29:11 is very commonly quoted scriptures. Searching the internet for images of this scripture brings up many fancy and beautifully made images of it. It is a wonderful verse of hope and promise. Often this verse is looked at without the context of the passage around it. In and of itself, it’s a good verse, but by adding in the context of what’s happening around it, we find this promise to be extra special in the context of troubled times.

This verse is given to the Israelites after the Babylonians had come in and taken their people captive. They were in exile in a foreign land and they were looking for hope that they would be able to come back home. Jeremiah receives this message from the Lord and it’s a message of peace to the people who have just had their entire lives upturned and uprooted (Jeremiah 29:4)

In the first part of the chapter, we hear God telling His people to settle into the land of Babylon. They are not to fight or rise up or listen to people who encourage anything other than this (v. 5-9). God also says in verse 4 that this exile has been allowed by God.

The comfort from this passage is this: no matter where you are or how hopeless your circumstances seem, God has not forsaken you. He knows where you are and how you got there and what’s going to happen to you tomorrow. God is always bigger than our circumstances and He is working for our good and His eternal plan.

Verse 10 begins God promise to Israel: your captivity will end, I know the day and I will keep my Word that you will come home. But it also contains an unpleasant truth, this captivity will last 70 years.

The hope we can glean from this is knowing that God knows the exact passage out that we need. He knows when to bring it and He will, because He is good. We can trust Him and live in peace knowing that He’s the ultimate authority in our lives.

Now, we come to the verse of promise. Verse 11, “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.” This promise is even sweeter when we know that it’s God reminding a lost and hurting people that they won’t be lost forever. God is working toward the good of all of his people, not simply the people in one time or in one place. His plan for a future and a hope is good and trustworthy. No matter what we feel like or see around us, we can rely on that.

What’s your captivity right now? What’s your struggle that feels like it’s overwhelming you? God has an appointed time for you to step into His blessing. Lean on His word and live in peace while His plans come to a beautiful conclusion.

Knowing God Is Eternal Life - John 17:3

An Introduction to the Father

Mary

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. – Matthew 11:27 ESV

We who have a relationship with God probably don’t think too often about Jesus’ choice in our salvation process. Jesus did have a choice, and he chose (and chooses) to open a way for us to the Father.

Having a Father in heaving is wonderful amazing blessing for this life and a hope-filled promise for the next life. We have a powerful person (for lack of a better word) on high who is on our side and working for us. He made us (Psalm 139:13), planned our days (Psalm 139:16), he guides our very steps (Isaiah 30:21), and he knows how to give us good things (Matthew 7:11). This is the father we have and can learn to know better and better.

But how do we know him? Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross didn’t just wipe away the sins on our heavenly record. It did do that, but it did so much more. Jesus’ dying on the cross took the separation that was between us and God because of those sins, and he brought us into the presence of the Father.

I imagine a scene where there’s a brightly lit courtroom full of happy people, very much like the ballroom scene in the children’s story, Cinderella. Instead of two people meeting and falling in love, there’s me and Jesus and Jesus has loved me for a long time and is so happy that now we finally get to spend some time together. Not only that, but He wants to introduce me to someone: His Father. No one gets to meet His Father unless He decides to introduce them. I image that we’d walk into the ballroom and every eye is trained on us. A path clears between us and the dais of the king, where the King of Glory sits. I walking up to his throne and, full of the freedom that comes from knowing Jesus, I smile and say, “I’m so glad to meet you. If it’s ok with you, I’d like to spend the rest of my days and all my eternity getting to know you better.” And, because He loves me, He laughs and hugs me.

Ok, so that’s not probably not very realistic, but I love the imagery anyway. And I love the reminder that Jesus is the reason that I can know God and spend every day with Him. Eternal life, here I come!

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. – John 17:3 ESV

Justified by Faith - Galatians 3:24

Removing Spiritual Training Wheels

Mary

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, – 1 Timothy 1:8-10 ESV

As Christians, especially ones who have been raised that way, we often have a list of do’s and don’ts and we try to live on the do side of the list more than the don’ts. While we’re learning to be a Christian, this is probably a good place to start. It’s a way to define the outline of Christ-like results when the concepts of a deep personal relationship are getting established.

But at some point, we have to go from the list to the relationship. There needs to be a transition, however long it takes to complete it, from the rules to the freedom. Apostle Paul tells us that the reason we had the law was to be protected and taught (a guardian, Galatians 3:24). It was to help us see the fruits of right living and understand the discipline of discipleship. Because we now live under the new covenant, however, we can’t continue to stay in school. It’s time to graduate.

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. – Galatians 3:24 ESV

When a child is learning to ride a bike, often they get training wheels put on. It’s a way to allow them to ride without having to master the art of balance and control. They can practice the skills necessary to have balance and control, but they are protected from the consequences of not having those skills yet.

This is the same way we approach our walk with Christ. We have been given an example of how we should be living. These rules are primarily referring to the Mosaic Law, the covenant that existed before Christ’s new covenant.  However, we often apply this to many rules that we associate with being a “good Christian.” Whether this is rules that we grew up with or rules that we adopted from a church or group of people, we take them to heart and live by them.

In and of themselves, there’s nothing wrong with the rules: they are good and were for a good purpose. Just like training wheels keep the bike from tumbling over with the inexperience rider, spiritual rules keep us from falling into trouble when we’re still learning to the hear the Lord. We can totter knowing that there is a line to keep us from going too far. We can trust these lines to help protect us.

This protection becomes a safety net that is easily relied on. It feels good to have the safety line and to be able to clearly and distinctly determine where and what I do. However, we can’t keep these spiritual training wheels on if we want to become strong and powerful in our relationship with Christ.

The power of Christ comes in when we begin to trust in the joining of our hearts and mind with Christ. We are unified with Him and made one with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). We have been given to understand His truth and to be able to walk and trust Him (1 Corinthians 2:16). When we step into this relationship, we are free to walk with Him in power instead of the limited walk we had before when we defined our choices by a list of good and bad.

Sometimes when I talk about this with people, they reply with, “So you’re saying we don’t have to be good? Or that anything goes?” No! Of course not. If you fear that taking away your lists will make you become a moral-free heathen, then you are not allowing yourself to be taught by the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-4). The lists and the law and the boundaries we have when we are learning about the freedom of Christ are not fences to contain us, but guidelines to grow us. When we step out of the box of the law, we are stepping into the guidance of the Holy Spirit and He will not lead us into a life of selfishness and decadence. He will grow us past what the rules are and make us useful to serve others in the unique way that God designed us to.

Freedom in Christ means choosing to find the teachings in our hearts that God put there to make us in the image of Christ (1 John 2:6). Take off the spiritual training wheels that only apply to the sinners and start walking the freedom of Christ that applies to those who believe in His name.

He Is Faithful to Forgive - 1 John 1:9

Forgiven First

Mary

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! – Matthew 23:37 ESV

Jesus uttered these words while looking over the city of Jerusalem while He was here on earth. In this one sentence, we can see how God’s forgiveness applies, not just to the city of Jerusalem, but to all of us.

The first things that Jesus brings up here is their rebellion and sin. He points out their sin and acknowledges their issues. Then what? He yells at them? Asks them, “How could you have done this after all the things I’ve done for you?” No! The very next thing is his heartbroken words about how much He wants to be with them. He would have gathered them close, and sheltered them under his loving, protecting wing. The people were not willing, but God was ready to run after them, love them and forgive them.

So often when we are thinking of our own sins and issues, we think that God needs to correct us or change us or demand more from us before he forgives us, but it’s just not true. God sees all our issues, more clearly even than we do. He isn’t a clueless parent who doesn’t know what we’re doing on the weekends with our friends. He can see the visible sins and the invisible ones. He knows everything about us. And it’s in this moment, the one where He’s looking into the darkest, nastiest corner of our hearts that He is longing with His whole self to forgive us. All He wants in that moment is for us to turn to Him and raise our arms to Him like a little child wanting to be gathered up.

We are the ones who need to choose to be willing to be forgiven. God is always willing; we are the ones whose pride and insecurities and selfishness get in the way of the work He wants to do in our heart. God loves us. Not just in a theoretical sense or in a disconnected sense or out of a sense of obligation. He’s in love with you. He finds joy in being in your presence, just like we find joy in being in the presence of those we love. He wants to be with you and be close to you. In addition to all this, He also knows how much more content and full of joy we’ll be when we accept His forgiveness and walk closely with Him.

God will work on our issues once we’re safe in His arms. He will talk to us about the changes that we need to make to become more helpful to others around us. All those things will be taken care of when we submit to walking with Him. But first, before all that, we must be willing to be forgiven and jump in to the loving arms of our father.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9 ESV

God Alone Judges Me - 1 Corinthians 4:4

God Alone Will Judge Me

Mary

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. – 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 NIV

1 Corinthians 4:3-4 holds a powerful truth about how to view ourselves, and, by extension, how to view others. Paul says here that he doesn’t feel like he’s guilty, he doesn’t care what others think of him, but that’s not his standard. The only opinion that matters is God’s.

There are two things that jump out to me about these verses. First, Paul doesn’t allows his own impression of himself to be the ultimate opinion. Paul doesn’t think there’s anything that he needs to repent of or deal with at this time, but he doesn’t therefore claim he’s perfect and without fault. He simply leaves his correction and judgement in the Lord’s hands.

So often we think that our view of ourselves is what determines how God will view us. This is completely not true. God views us through the lens of the sacrifice of Jesus and He continually calls us to more sanctification through knowing Him. How He judges us has nothing to do with how we feel about where we are in that process.

This is a different thing, by the way, than conviction that leads to repentance. We often have things in us that are hindering our walk with the Lord and they can’t stay. We have to acknowledge them and work through them in order to be closer to Him. This may mean changes in habits or restoring or building up relationships. Whatever that kind of obedience is, it’s different than what Paul talks about here.

The judgement that Paul talks about here is referring to making value statements about our walk with the Lord. Value statements seem to be very popular among the human race; we like to determine what is good, better and best. However, that’s the kind of judgement that Paul is saying he doesn’t have. He doesn’t make value statements about his relationship with the Lord, instead he trust that the Lord will take care of that. He is living the best and most honest life he can (that’s the clear conscious part).

Once we understand that our judgement in front of the Lord will be by His standards and not by how we are feeling about ourselves, it’s even easier to understand the other point Paul makes here. He says, “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.”

In order to judge ourselves, we have to have something to hold it up against. Usually, whether or not we admit it, we are using other people as the standard that we compare ourselves against. We look at our best friends walk and feel better about our prayer life. We look at the lady at church and we feel bad about our testimonies. Whatever it is, we are determining our feeling about our walk only in the light of what others are doing.

But let’s look at where Paul is at. He doesn’t judge himself and he doesn’t care what others think of him. When our standard of behavior isn’t other people, there’s no reason to worry about what they’re saying about us. When we trust that Lord will convict us of what we need to change and we know that we’re walking daily with Him, the world’s opinion of us can be whatever they want it to be. We know the truth that is setting us free: The only who can judge me is God. No one else, not even myself, can do it, only God. Anyone who looks at me and makes a value statement about my spiritual walk is walking in lies. We who know the truth can smile and say, “God is my judge, and that’s more than enough.”

Listen and Be Filled

Hearing the Lord Above All

Mary

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. – Isaiah 55:2 ESV

This is the message I needed to hear today. There are so many conflicting voices, most of the usually negative, in my head right now that it’s a good reminder to know who I need to turn to for truth and sustenance.

In Isiah 55:2, the imagery makes even more of a statement when you think of it as an analogy with eating real food. The statement “Listen diligently to me” is followed by, “and eat what is good.” Just by listening to the Lord’s words we are being fed. We can hear Him and be filled and full. But we also must choose to “eat” them; if the food is left on the table, it does our bodies no good. We must meditate on them, think on them (like we’d chew on food) and then we make it apart of us (swallowing it).

The next part of it is “delight yourself in rich food.” This is a wonderful thought too, that when we are dining on the words of the Lord and being filled up with nourishment that is meaningful and lasting, it will be a joy. We will be able to find happiness in being near Him and listening to what He’s saying.

“If our own doubts are not enough to stop us from getting up, then there will always be a multitude of other voices trying to keep us down. Unfortunately, it is often the voices of those who are closest to us that echo the loudest and to which we tend to listen most.

“We must determine to listen to the voice of the Lord more than any other voice in our lives.” – Christine Caine’s First Things First devotional 11/12/2015

I recently heard a bestselling author, Andy Andrews, telling about some advice that he was given, “Just because you think it doesn’t make it true.” This may seem simple on one hand, but it is very difficult in real life to implement that truth in a meaningful way.

We often never question ourselves or what we’re thinking or why we’re doing something. If someone else is doing something that challenges our perspective in some way, we either dismiss them or get defensive. But, as Christine Caine points out in her devotional, “we must DETERMINE to listen to the voice of the Lord” (emphasis mine).

We must be willing to get rid of the mental and spiritual food we’re chewing on that isn’t from the Lord and won’t satisfy. We must intentionally practice looking back and forth between our beliefs and our reality to make sure that they are in line. Do we believe something and do something else? Are we saying one thing and doing another? Only the power of the Lord and His words can bring us into alignment and let the truth come through us and into our choices.