chosentofollowhim

Since the Fall in the garden, Satan has attempted to deceive and demonize every facet of God’s creation. The infiltration of the devil’s schemes can be seen openly in all pillars of society today and throughout history. How do we break free from the lies and deception? How do we walk in the truth and authority that God has bestowed on us as His beloved offspring? How do we refrain from getting sucked in to the daily facade the enemy so sneakily tries to construct in our lives? It begins by seeking the heart of God and acknowledging that He is the executor of both blessings and curses. He gives and takes away, not to our detriment, but for our maturing and ultimate dependence on Him.

The Lord says, “See, I have placed before you today life and happiness, and death and adversity,  in that I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, so that you may live and become numerous, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to take possession of it.  But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but allow yourself to be led astray and you worship other gods and serve them,  I declare to you today that you will certainly perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and take possession of it.  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,  by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding close to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, so that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” -Deuteronomy 30:15-20

The wilderness metaphorically describes testing, hardship, sorrows, isolation, and barrenness. However, when we are in the wilderness and experiencing suffering to any degree in our lives, it is the place where the Father delights in meeting and transforming us. Juliana Weber says, “Isolation does more than ensure that we have no one to turn to besides God. The uncomfortable fact is that God often waits to answer prayers until the situation becomes quite dire: lack of food, lack of water, lack of heirs until one is past the age of fertility, raising people from the dead, and the list goes on. Why does he wait if his purpose is to increase our trust in him? At least a partial answer is this is that the wilderness is about leaving one’s life behind; that is the very purpose.”

God desires sacrifice and closeness with His people and often it is in the wilderness that these actions are exerted and the pursuit of the Father begins. He comes to rescue His children in parched desert days and reaches out His faithful arm to uphold His promises. It was the daily manna that fed the Israelites and it was their trust in God that delivered the bread each day.

Weber goes on to say, “God wants to be loved for who he is, rather than what he gives us; with or without food, he is still the God of his chosen ones. They would sacrifice all else to be with him, wherever he goes. They give themselves no way out and, in the best of cases, they do not regret that, even at the point of death.”

Throughout scripture we see many stories of God’s people finding themselves in the wilderness. After Jesus was baptized He was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness where He was tempted for forty days and forty nights. Satan met Him there, but so did the Father, and in the end the angels attended to His needs. This is what is so magnificent about our Savior; He was fully God and fully man, the God-Man. His temptations were just as experiential as the ones we face every day, and yet He resisted the flesh and was sinless until His final breath. He is the epitome of the “spotless lamb,” worthy to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. His willingness to take the cup of wrath for you and me is everything. He is the answer to breaking the curse that happened in Genesis after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. Yeshua, He is the restorer of all things, the One who will crush the serpents head and lift the curse of death and our bondage to sin. The day is coming soon where He will walk this earth and every knee will bow and tongue will confess that He is King of King and Lord of Lords. His Light will shine for all to see and it will expose every evil and injustice ever executed. The radiance of His glory will wash over creation and there will be a celebration like none other.

So what do we do in the meantime before the restoration comes? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says this, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” If we surrender and commit ourselves to the Lord and repent of our sins, we will be born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke to His disciples about the Spirit being an advocate and a helper to us, having the ability to intercede for us when even our mouths can’t formulate the words. Holy Spirit knows our hearts and contends to Yeshua on our behalf. This a power like no other and when it is in us there is no greater gift. And so, as believers, we must receive and activate this authority in our lives. Our job is to seek the guidance and discernment of Holy Spirit in every moment, from day to day.

Satan is attacking God’s people like never before. There is a shaking of the church happening and Yeshua said that in these days the wheat and the tares will be separated. Who is living in submission to the Spirit in these days? Are you? Right now there is an opportunity to break the curse of death and sin in your life but it takes commitment and a willingness to change your course of direction. Every person on this earth can take a look in the mirror and reflect on where they are falling short. However, a lot of people have a difficult time recognizing the sin which they are consumed by. Only God and His Word can convict and turn hearts. He is calling us to Him; to open the Word and submerge ourselves in it and Him. This is where we begin to break the curse and exercise the right as His offspring to rebuke the assignments of the enemy and live free.

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead.  You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” -Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38

Are you thirsty for the Living Water? Are you ready to be washed by His sacrificial blood and be made a new creation? He stands knocking at your door…and all you have to do is enter in, close the door behind you and never look back.

As the Day of the Lord approaches, people will be hungry to be led by someone or something. Everywhere we look there are influences vying your vote or your follow. God, however, is gentle in His pursuit. He is not forceful but He is waiting. It is decision time. What are you waiting for?

Joel 3: 12:16

Let the nations be awakened
And come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to judge
All the surrounding nations.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
Come, tread the grapes, for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
 The sun and moon have become dark,
And the stars have lost their brightness.
 The Lord roars from Zion
And utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a refuge for His people,
And a stronghold for the sons of Israel.

If we love God more than anything, our actions may look legalistic, when really it is holy devotion.