Terms and Conditions Clause 1: Obey God

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:"

- Deuteronomy 28.1-2 // NIV

Consider the lilies - how they grow. Consider the flowers - how they obey and are blessed.

Something is different. Something is shifting, and it has been for some time now. Do you feel it?

We're in a season of transition where a pivotal shift is taking place in many of our lives. In fact, it's been going on for quite some time now. Have you noticed? Some are standing in the middle of the threshold, and with others, you have been standing in the threshold and the Lord has allowed you to take your very first step through it.

For some of us, this means breakthroughs that we've been waiting for for so long, answers to prayers long prayed, things moving in our favour, divine placements and realignment/repositioning, healing, diving authority and release in the areas the Lord has assigned to us in this season. It could even mean that you have passed the test and are ready to step into your God-given assignment/purpose. It could also be a Daniel moment, where something has been withheld from you, but the Lord has fought your battle and it is now being released. etcetera. Divine settlements are coming. Vindication for many. On the flip side, for those who not been in right standing with the Lord, or have done and gidden the unimaginable, your time is up and the Lord is, has, and will continue to expose and deal accordingly as only the just and righteous Judge could. I'm not sure what it looks like for you, but pieces are being moved strategically on God's 'chessboard' (so to speak) and we're on it - that's a good thing (for those who are in right-standing with God - i.e. those walking with Him in obedience and fellowship)!

We're not here to talk about all the wonderful things to expect from God as we transition to the next stages of His great plan and purpose. That has been talked about WAY too much, to the point where the focus [for far too long] has shifted from being on God to being on us. That's something that we must repent of (i.e. having remorse that leads us to changing our ways).

Yes, God means to bless and help us prosper, and that's fantastic (Jeremiah 29.11). The blessings we receive in our day to day, and the big breakthroughs and promotions that occur during seasons of divine judgement are not the prize, though. They are fruit of the prize.

The prize is, and always has been God - YHWH, Yeshua (Jesus), and Holy Spirit.

We're here to talk about what God expects from us when He takes us into our 'promised lands'. God's love is unconditional, but friendship with God, His protection, His presence, His blessing - that is. Let the Word be our first teacher, so let's dive in and learn together, shall we?

How much longer will you continue to wander?

The book of Deuteronomy was addressed to the children of those who disobeyed, doubted, and constantly complained against God; the children of those who consistently grieved Him. We see Moses preparing them before they cross over into the Promised land as he repeats the Law to them. We see Moses warn them sternly about what would happen to them if they disobeyed God, and the blessing that will follow if they obey Him.

There is a common thing we say in the Christian groups - "I will be blessed when I come in, and blessed in my going." This comes from the book of Deuteronomy (28 verse 5). So easily do we skip the pre-requisite for this, which we see in Verse 1, which says, "Now it shall be, if you diligently listen to and obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all of His commandments which I (Moses) am commanding you today, The LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth."

In simple terms:

OBEDIENCE IS A NON-NEGOTIABLE

IN THE LAND

THE LORD IS TAKING YOU INTO.

Today, I'm going to give you some homework. This topic is to holy for me to paraphrase. I urge you to handle it with the level of reverence it is due, with the level of reverence He is due.

1. Read the Deuteronomy.

   Chapters 27 to 30 speak specifically of the blessings and curses that are related to obedience and disobedience respectively. However, if you skip to that portion, you'll miss the point.
   

2. Write down how many times obedience is highlighted.

   Obedience to God keeps us in His will. What is important to Him must be important to us.
   

3. Choose to leave the wilderness and Egypt behind.

   Stop complaining. Remove the bitterness. Forgive and let go. Allow Holy Spirit to do the deep soul work. Be honest with yourself - what portions of your heart don't yet belong to God? No more excuses. They only keep you hidden in the caves of a wilderness you were never meant to stay in. I know it's hard, but anything that sits on the throne of your heart, soul, and mind becomes an idol to worship (focus on, devote mental and emotional space to, something obsessive, something we feel cannot be surrendered to God... something the enemy makes you think is bigger than God, or too big for Him to actually change). It has to go, and with Holy Spirit's help, you CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
   

4. Pick a side.

   There is an invisible war, and it is being fought over our souls - mind, will, emotions - you. A war to get us to either believe in God - trust, obey, believe Him and His unfailing character - or believe in the devil. There is no middle ground. When we fail to trust God, we trust the devil. It's that simple. This does not mean that if we are suffering from emotional, spiritual, psychological torment, or troubles of any kind, that we believe in the devil. Absolutely not, so hear what I'm saying. It's when we choose to believe the lies of the enemy, when you don't trust that God can and will fix our situations and cause us to cross over into the promises He has for us... THAT is when we're in danger of being deceived. The deception is that there is a middle ground, but there isn't. We choose to believe God, or believe the lies of the enemy.

Obey Him, not because you will be blessed, but because He is worthy.

What if you are the cycle breaker? What if those who went before you settled for a wilderness and for Egypt, and God made it so that you would be the one to cross over into the Promised Land He had intended for your family and bloodline, your workplace, your neighbourhood, your city, your state, your country or other nations? Yes, it's that deep, sis! Obedience isn't just about you. It's about God, and what He wants to release through you. He chose you. What an honour! Now the question is will you choose Him?

For a moment, I want you to forget all of the prosperity preachings, all of the teachings that tell you of what God will and can do for you. Let's make it a point to remove the idol of expecting God to do things for us and bless us all the time. Let's repent of making our walk with God being about how blessed we will be. I mean to truly repent. Let's shift the focus to God. The Word of God teaches us that if we humble ourselves and pray, God will heal our land. However, do you know the context of this verse? Well, I'm glad you asked (hehe). You can read it here, then come back to this post.

The point is this, if we want to get out of those 'stuck' cycles, break through the gunk, walk through the threshold, be in God's will, walk with Him as He leads us on the path that will not only bless us but will bless other, we MUST bless God first with out obedience. If we want His presence to dwell with us and go with us, we must put Him first. We must choose Him just as He chose us.

Prayer:

Dear Father,

I'm sorry for ever wanting anything more than You. I repent of placing idols in my life where only You belong. I repent of seeing you as tool to achieve blessings instead of seeing You as King - my first and only Love, One worthy of my obedience, and One who I am so blessed to have the honour of worshipping. I choose to follow Your Word, Your Son (Jesus/Yeshua), Your Holy Spirit... I choose to obey You. I choose to walk in Your ways, and follow Your process. I choose to believe in all that You say and want to do in my life. Thank you for choosing me to be blessed so I may build your Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven, and so I may point all who see me to You. I choose today to choose you. Holy Spirit, please help me keep my eyes focused on Jesus, the true model of obedience.

Amen.

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Jesus loves you [.... so do I].

- Pamela.

Jeremiah 29.11