THE PIONEERING SPIRIT (OBEDIENT TO THE HOLY SPIRIT) - 7

Men, it would be a very good thing, and many of our problems would quickly resolve, if we would be obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit to our conscience as well as the written Word.

How can the Holy Spirit lead us if we have a problem with obedience? The only way the glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth as mentioned in Numbers 14:21 is when all His people will be willingly obedient to whatever He says through whoever or whatever way He is saying it.

We need to pray that God will give us ears tuned in to hear what He wants to tell us at any given moment. God may speak to us through visions, dreams, His living Word (a good reason to read it regularly), friends, circumstances (positive or negative), as well as the preaching and teaching of the Word. The most important thing is that we have ears to hear.

Matthew 11:15 says, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Men, it is true that even though we have ears to hear many things we often fail to hear what God says to us personally. Jesus mentions this word about hearing eight times in Revelation (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 19; 3:6, 22; 13:9).

It is possible for us to hear and obey grudgingly and this is not acceptable to God. Even on the subject of giving God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Cheerfulness applies to obedient hearing as well. Psalm 110:3 says, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power."

Hebrews 5:8 says that even Jesus "learned obedience by the things that He suffered."

And Psalm 95:7, 8, and Hebrews 3:7, 8, and 15 warn us, "Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

Men, how can we expect our children to be joyfully obedient to us if we are not joyfully obedient to our Heavenly Father?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell