Some people begin their morning listening to their favorite talk radio show.
Others watch their favorite morning television news program or some form of entertainment.
Yet others begin their morning streaming music on their iPod or another electronic toy.
Who do you listen to the first thing each morning?
Once you wake up. . .and say hello to any family members already awake or perhaps your favorite pet. . .the voice you need to seek is that of the Holy Spirit.
Here are seven questions that will determine your destiny.
First, what’s the first thing you do in the morning?
Proverbs 8:17 says:
“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
It’s clear that God wants to be first. . .that He wants us to seek Him early.
To be honest, this was difficult for me in times past. I have a natural tendency to be about the business of the day. . .working my ‘to-do’ list. I like planning my work and working my plan. But that should NEVER interfere with time with the Lord.
In fact, the first thing I do every morning when I walk in my home office is to sit in one of two chairs facing each other and have a conversation with the Lord. Why two chairs. . .I’ll talk about that in the new year.
No matter how intense the demands are in my day. . .nothing comes before my time in the chair.
God is not hiding from us. He is not playing spiritual hide and go seek. If we seek Him. . .we will find Him.
Seeking God is simple. . .but it’s not something we can do half-heartedly.
Jeremiah 29:13 says:
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
We’re given a very powerful promise in the Amplified Bible translation of Jeremiah 29:12-14 which says:
“Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will release you from captivity. . .”
Are you hearing this? When we seek Him . . .when we commune with Him. . .He will release us from that which the enemy has used to keep us bound.
Seeking God. . .being in His presence should never be an occasional or an ‘as needed’ thing. . .He wants us seeking Him on a daily basis.
Isaiah 58:2 says:
“Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.”
Second, what’s the first thing you should do as you enter the presence of the Holy Spirit?
Psalm 5:3 in the New International Version says:
“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."
Psalm 5:3 should be as natural to us. . .as breathing is to our bodies.
Personalize it.
“In the morning, O Lord, you hear <<Your Name>>’s voice; in the morning <<Your Name>> lays <<his/her>> requests before you and waits in expectation."
Our morning expectation brings daily manifestation and His rewards.
Proverbs 24:14 in the Amplified Bible says:
“So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off."
Third, what happens when listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Exodus 23:22 in the Amplified Bible says:
“But if you will indeed listen to and obey His voice … I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”
With the right advice. . .you and I can make the right decisions. . .every time. . .not once in a while. . .but all the time.
Proverbs 2:9 in The Living Bible says:
“He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time.”
When we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. . .when we obey the instructions in His Word. . .then we will be given wisdom and common sense. . .in order to make the right decisions. . .each and every time.
Proverbs 2:1 in The Living Bible says:
“Every young man who listens to me and obeys my instructions will be given wisdom and good sense.”
Fourth, what’s the result of your spending time with the Holy Spirit?
Joshua 21:45 in the New Living Translations says:
“Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”
Personalize
“But if <<Name>> will indeed listen to and obey His voice … I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries”
Joshua 21:45 in The Living Bible is GOING TO MAKE YOU SHOUT says:
“Every good thing the Lord promised them came true”
Personalize
““Every good thing the Lord promised <<Name>> came true”
Romans 8:31 in the Amplified Bible says:
“… if God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]”
Personalize it for yourself.
“… if God is for <<Name>>, who [can be] against <<Name>>? [Who can be <<Name>> foe, if God is on <<his/her>> side?]”
Fifth, what’s one of the major benefits of listening to the Holy Spirit?
Psalm 32:8 in the English Standard Version (ESV) says:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
It’s important to know that God will instruct YOU and teach YOU in the way YOU should go. He will counsel YOU with His eye upon YOU. Take comfort in those words.
In fact, this is one scripture that I’m continually urging people to personalize.
Personalize it!
“I [the Lord] will instruct (your name) and teach (your name) in the way (he/she) should go; I will counsel (your name) with My eye upon (him, her, them).”
Make this scripture a part of your daily confession.
Psalm 32:8 is the key to God’s plan for the provision and direction of our lives. He will instruct and teach us . . . but we must take steps of faith.
Do not look to your friends or those who are generous and financially successful to meet your needs. . .look to the Lord. He is your only source. He will direct you to the path that you’re to follow.
Psalm 37:23 in the Amplified Bible says:
“The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].”
The New Living Translation says that He will delight “. . .in every detail of their lives.”
God will make certain that your every step is secure. . .even when you’re not sure about what’s happening.
The key is looking to Him . . . not somebody else . . . but Him.
God can use anything, anybody at any time to meet your needs.
Sixth, what will happen as a result of your time with the Holy Spirit?
Romans 12:2 in the New Living Translation it says:
“Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
Over the past 1,816 days. . .you’ve heard me quote Romans 12:2 in the New Living Translation dozens of times. . .but it is paramount to every believer embracing and manifesting the kind of life God has in store for them.
“Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
There is an old saying. . . “what you think about, you speak about and what you speak about, you bring about.”
Proverbs 4:23 in the New Century Version says:
“Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.”
If you are not where you want to be, it’s because you don’t know something yet. Keep looking to the Lord and He’ll show you. Never give up!
Seventh, what should you do as a result of your time with the Holy Spirit?
Deuteronomy12:16 in the Message Bible:
“…You are to celebrate in the Presence of God, your God, all the things you've been able to accomplish.”
Psalm 35:27
27 “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”
Psalm 35:28
28 “And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.”
End your day praising Him….begin your day praising Him. It’s a great way to begin the new year and a habit that will bless a lifetime.
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Harold Herring