Obedience Strategy: Signposts – Part 2
Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of September 6, 2020
One day, as I prayed for a prominent evangelist, The Lord showed me a vision in my mind’s eye. This evangelist was driving alone in his car along a four-lane divided highway. He was moving at a steady pace with his eyes straightforward; and there were no other cars on the road.
Suddenly, he came upon a roadblock—an orange and white striped barricade—just before the end of the asphalt.
He stopped and pondered.
Then he backed up and turned onto an access ramp that he seemed to miss before. This access ramp led him onto a superhighway with many lanes.
Within seconds, the evangelist merged onto a new path with countless other travelers—all heading in the same direction and moving at a much higher speed than before.
This superhighway was a perfect fit for the evangelist. He was happier in this momentum.
So, friends, what accelerated path does God have for you in this hour?
The Lord reveals His way to us so we can know and obey Him more for our benefit and the benefit of His Kingdom.
There is an inherent value in obedience. Where there is obedience, there is an alignment of authority, order and power—first inwardly, then outwardly.
Psalm 119:117 TPT says, "Lift me up and I will be safe. Empower me to live every moment in the light of your ways."
Psalm 119:72 TPT says, "The words you speak to me are worth more than all the riches and wealth in the whole world!"
God’s revealed Words are “joyous treasure” when we love Him (Ps 119:111).
They are our heritage.
As we obey the revelation-understanding of God’s precepts, we become increasingly established in His ways to assert power over evil and take dominion—by His dominant Spirit.
Consider Joshua and Caleb, who were best known for their careful obedience and wholeheartedness, respectively.
These two leaders understood they needed to first reconcile with God’s truth before stepping out in great exploits.
They understood God’s Word to be a life guide to fruitfulness.
They understood God’s commands to be boundless and limitless and their adherence to them to be a requirement for Kingdom expanse (Ps 119:96).
They understood “the regenerating power of God’s Word” works as a life preserver against degenerate forces, enabling them to overrule and accomplish divine purpose (1 Pe 1:23 NSFL Bible note; Is 55:11).
They understood that to live and not die in battle, to be successful and prosper, to receive the fulfillment of God’s promise, they had to believe (cling to, rely on, trust in) God. They also had to yield the fullness of their hearts, their will to God at every signpost—His revealed and enduring commands for miraculous victory.
Joshua and Caleb knew there was protection in obedience and that they couldn’t lose when they obeyed God’s unique strategies for each battle.
From the beginning, The Lord instructed Joshua by saying (Joshua 1:7-8 MSG):
Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed.”
So, friends, our prayer should be "Make me passionate and wholehearted to fulfill your every wish, so that I’ll never have to be ashamed of myself” (Psalm 119:80 TPT).
Every shared strategy from God to His beloved is a beacon that leads to an expanded manifest victory. We experience this when we abide in The Lord.
John 15:7 TPT says, "But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done."
God’s straight teachings affect the flow of life we receive. And our every step in light will be a step toward greater wisdom (Ps 19:7, 119:105, 107).
Proverbs 8:33-35 TPT reveal this by saying, "Listen to my counsel, for my instruction will enlighten you. You’ll be wise not to ignore it. If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say. For the fountain of life pours into you every time that you find me, and this is the secret of growing in the delight and the favor of the Lord."
So, for our sake and the sake of the Kingdom of God at large, let Psalm 119:56 NIV be our prayer. It says, "This has been my practice: I obey your precepts."
In Jesus’ Mighty Name.
Amen.
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
