PART THREE OF HEARING, EMBRACING AND OBEYING THE PROPHETIC VOICE OF THE WORD OF GOD!

 Copyright © 2012 by Dr. William Valmyr

Are you being obedient to the voice of God speaking to you through His Word? As I stated yesterday, “There is a battle for the minds and souls of human beings (God’s creation)—particularly the souls of Christians in our world. The Bible speaks clearly about the reality of this battle and what we can do as Christians to win the war being fought for our souls.  God has given us the tools necessary to win the war of ideologies.” Listen to what God says concerning the state of our minds apart from the prophetic Word of God:

“6 Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].7 [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot.” (Romans 8:6-7, The Amplified Bible)

Friends, the Scripture makes it clear that obedience to God is a prerequisite for His blessings.  Deuteronomy 28:1 says, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.” May the Lord empower us by His Spirit to walk in obedience to His will for our lives.

Harkening to the Prophetic Word of God

Obedience in an important area in our walk with Christ and biblical obedience is often an opportunity to take steps of faith.  Biblical obedience is the unprecedented opportunity to get out of our comfort zone by the empowerment of God’s grace. Bill Hybels once wrote, "Obeying the Spirit instead of your own self-centered whims will lead you to places you've never been, challenge you in ways you have never been challenged, and invite levels of sacrifice you never dreamed you could make. This is the power and the promise of full-throttle faith, of living a life fueled solely by God."

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Romans 11:33). Therefore, I beseech you brethren to immerse yourself into the life and light of Jesus Christ and become comfortable in that position. Live an obedient, God-honoring life, pleasing to Him as children of the Most High God! I love you and I am praying for you!

PART TWO OF HEARING, EMBRACING AND OBEYING THE PROPHETIC VOICE OF THE WORD OF GOD!

Copyright by Dr. William Valmyr

Are you hearing the voice of God speaking to you through His Word? As I stated yesterday, “Discerning the voice of God in the midst of a plethora of opinions is the essence of biblical discernment. Christians do not live their lives according to the voice of public opinions or political polls but the authentic Christians live their lives according to the principles and precepts of the Word of God.”  I am often reminded of the power of the Word of God in changing and transforming the human soul (mind, will, and emotions). There is a battle for the minds and souls of human beings (God’s creation)—particularly the souls of Christians in our world. The Bible speaks clearly about the reality of this battle and what we can do as Christians to win the war being fought for our souls.  God has given us the tools necessary to win the war of ideologies.

Embracing the Word of God

Upon hearing the Word of the Lord concerning any issue in our lives, it is incumbent upon us to embrace the will of God. As Christians, we need to wrap our minds and hearts with the Word of God. Our victory can be only precipitated by the prophetic power of the Word of God but because God’s Word has the ability to expose the shallowness in our hearts. The Apostle Paul says that a fresh word from God speaks to our hearts with power and precision by “...penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 Amplified)

Beloved, if you desire to see the manifestation of the power of God in your life, you must embrace His infallible Word. Your transformation is made possible only through the ministry of the prophetic Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21). Our hope is in the Lord’s promises and in the power of the Holy Spirit to activate the prophetic Word in our lives.  I am praying for you and I hope that you can grasp God's Word for your life! Amen!

HEARING, EMBRACING AND OBEYING THE PROPHETIC VOICE OF THE WORD OF GOD!

Copyright by Dr. William Valmyr

“¹² For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.¹³ And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:12-13, The Amplified)

Something exciting is happening in heaven, as God is moving and preparing His people for a supernatural outpouring of His Holy Spirit, for the end time harvest of souls and for the return of the Lord. Christians are becoming dissatisfied with the postures of religion and spiritual apathy: condemning them, critiquing them, and becoming more proactive about their spiritual growth. More and more, we want to be people who cultivate a heart for the prophetic, people who tend and keep what is all together righteous before God. The remnant who believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all things, want to be people who love the Word and people that move the horizons of the possible in places as wide as the world and as small as a home.

The Need to Sharpen our Spiritual Ears!

There are many voices, speaking to our spirit today. Amongst them are the voices of reason, the voice of fear, the voice of satan, the voice of the unregenerated soul, the voice of personal ambitions and the voice of God. Discerning the voice of God in the midst of a plethora of opinions is the essence of biblical discernment. Christians do not live their lives according to the voice of public opinions or political polls but the authentic Christians live their lives according to the principles and precepts of the Word of God.  Jesus modeled this concept in Luke 4:1-4 when the devil tempted Him to turn a stone into bread, knowing that He had not eaten nothing and fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. During this temptation Jesus answered the devil saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 1:4, NKJV)

Friends, if our Lord depended upon the Word of God to sustain Him when He faced temptations, how much more do we need to do the same? I urge you have ears to hear what the Lord is saying to us today. Seek to hear God’s voice for your situation, get the wisdom of His Word, and in all your getting, get understanding (Proverbs 4:7-9). It is my prayer that you are hearing the prophetic voice of God’s Word over your life. You are not an accident; God has a purpose and a plan for your life. God loves you, I love you and I am praying for your spiritual ears to be attentive to the prophetic voice of the Word of God. Grace and peace!

Your Spiritual Identity: Do you really know who you are in Christ?

Copyright ©2012 by Dr. William Valmyr 

“9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, The Amplified Bible)

Spiritual identity is the subject of various Christian articles, books and conferences around the world.  A close look at the way that most Christians view their walk with God gives evidence that many are having an identity crisis in the 21^st century.  The following is a synthesis on the subject of spiritual identity.

The Danger of Spiritual Deception

Many sincere believers have been deceived by the lie that their Christian life can be measured by their successes in terms of marital status, financial status, vocation, wealth, health, notoriety and level of comfort.  I believe that it is the Christian leader’s God-given mandate to dispel the lies of the enemy with the truth of the gospel, by teaching the Church to be rooted in Christ and in the Word of God.  Paul says “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8, NKJV). Lest you be deceived, you must know who you are in Christ.

Our Spiritual Realities

The Scripture declares “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:2, NKJV).  This passage speaks of our identity as children of God and gives us assurance concerning our placement into God’s family.  The aforementioned passage expresses our standing in God’s family; our identity in relation to God in Christ is also outlined in scripture.  Acceptance of such a high calling and position is determined by the authenticity of the one who embraced Christ by faith through “a total response to the divine.”

Authenticity is the Solution

I strongly believe that the Body of Christ is sometimes guilty of elevating a form of Christianity that is rooted more in our fantasies with superheroes (Batman, Superman, Spiderman and other human heroes) rather than in our identity in the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ.  I am convinced that we sometimes get our vision for Christian living more from the man of steel, than we get it from the Man of “sorrows, acquainted with grief”.  Please understand me; I know that we must never compromise in our commitment to the unimpeachable integrity of Scripture; that we must never grow soft in our commitment to doctrinal orthodoxy, and that we must never grow lax in our commitment to moral purity and the pursuit of virtue.  But we must also never become so good at projecting an image of having all of that together that we make ourselves flawless, self-sufficient or untouchable.

Friends, it is my earnest desire that you would develop a healthy but balance view of who you are in Christ. You are God’s chosen people, and as such, we must never become victims of identity theft.  Be on guard, I love you and I am praying for you!