Hearing God, trusting in Him, and faithfully obeying

Hearing God, trusting in Him, and faithfully obeying

S - Jer 43:19-44:4 (NASB)

¹⁹ The LORD has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” You should clearly understand that today I have testified against you.²⁰ For you have only deceived yourselves; for it is you who sent me to the LORD your God, saying, “Pray for us to the LORD our God; and whatever the LORD our God says, tell us so, and we will do it.” ²¹ So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the LORD your God, even in whatever He has sent me to tellyou. ²² Therefore you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence, in the place where you wish to go to reside.

In Egypt Jeremiah Warns of Judgment

 ¹ But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the LORD their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the LORD their God—that is, all these words— ² Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You are not to enter Egypt to reside there’; ³ butBaruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon.” ⁴ SoJohanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. 

O - Wow, what a disobedient people we can be. Here we see Judah, receiving a word from the Lord via the prophet Jeremiah.  It is almost one last chance at being saved from the overall judgement they are facing as a result of their straying from God's commandments.  What was happening is that the northern province, Israel was being exiled to Babylon, and had been taken over, but Jeremiah was receiving a word of hope for the southern tribe of Judah, that they may be saved by the Lord if only they would trust in Him, he would deliver them from exile to Babylon.   It seemed to late at that point for the leaders where in denial of Jeremiah's prophet status, and thus denied a work from the lord and went off to Egypt, where eventually they were still defeated by the Babylonians.   

A -  The application for me is first to recognize, the Judean in me.   In my case I have Christ in me, and the holy spirit, prophetizes directly into my life.  At times out of fear and doubt I can walk away from God's promises in my life, in front daunting circumstances, and literally rob God of His chance to be glorified through His deliverance of me from my circumstances.  No other application other than trusting in the Lords words in my life, and glorifying God by my obedience to what He has spoken.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your word into my life today. Thank you for your trustworthy promises that you continue to deliver in my life.  I thank you for the season the last two years  you have brought me through, and I thank you for the future you have promised me in your kingdom.  I pray Lord for continued direction in my life, and the strength and wisdom to know it is from you, and courage to follow it.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.