The Awakening…by God
ALERT…TAKE COVER… RESPOND
ALERT: Independence, fear, and pride all keep us from deep relationships that we need with God and His people.
TAKE COVER: God will help you, and He will give to you just what you need, but He must first AWAKEN you:
RESPOND: “The Lord GOD has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50: 5, 7, 4).
FOLLOW YOUR LEADER:
This was a prophetic word concerning Jesus. His Father in heaven awakened Him morning by morning to spend time together, to help Him, and to give Him the words to say for the day- words that would be in season… spot on. We see this fulfilled throughout the gospels:
– So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed (Luke 5: 16).
– For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak (John 12: 49).
OBEY: Notice that the word says that He was not rebellious, that He did not turn away from His Father’s awakening, nor from His will, even the will of the cross.
Sometimes we turn away from God, we turn our back to Him by rolling over in bed again and again. Or we simply turn in another direction and busy ourselves with some project, or feel we just have to do this or that.
But not Jesus, He knew time with His Father was the key to victory every day. And He loved to be with His disciples and with the common people preaching and demonstration the Kingdom of God.
YIELD: Let’s respond to God’s awakening and receive His help and His “spot on” words for us and to pass on to others.
Note:
A person may know all the right words to tell others while he himself (or she herself) is neglecting time with Jesus, or is chained to something harmful. Reminds me of the story of an owner’s dog chained to his post barking and barking to wake the family up while the house was on fire. He saved the family but he himself was burned in the fire.
I recently read a statement that caught my attention, saying: Independence, fear, and pride all keep us from deep relationships that we need with God and His people.
Offenses, unforgiveness, selfish- ambition and self-pity will do that too- if we let them.
Has this happened to you? Has it happened to someone you know?
Have you strayed like a lost sheep?
The Good Shepherd is seeking you out. If not, and you’re in the fold, then He may use you to help bring someone back in.
When anyone pulls away from God and the body of Christ, they are also pulling away from LIFE.
Beloved, we need God and we need community with our Christ-Life Family.
The Master has need of you and so does the body… and you have need of the Master and also of the body.
If you have strayed or got caught in some thicket bush, the Lord is seeking you out. He’s awakening you to Himself. He’s saying come back home. Come back in the fold. Come where there’s life, where it’s safe, where the good way is.
Respond to His AWAKENING.