Daily Word

In Spite of Other Voices

Make thee an ark of gopher wood. —Genesis 6:14

God came and spoke to Noah, telling him to make an ark. Noah was one of the few people left on the earth who were walking with God and were still able to hear His voice. But this command of God to make an ark had to test Noah’s obedience to God. An ark? A great big ark, large enough to house his family and many animals? An ark in a place where it had never rained before? (Genesis 2:5–6). An undertaking that would take a long time to complete? What would others say? What would his family say? “Why are you building an ark? Why are you wasting your time? It doesn’t rain! There is no water where you are building it!” “Did you hear about Noah? He believes God told him to build an ark, to get two of every living creature onto the boat. He always was a little weird, a little different from the rest of us.” “He claims it is going to rain and flood the earth. Poor old Noah!” Noah could have easily said, “God, You make the rain start, and then I will build an ark.” But God told him to build it before the rain started. The day the rains came, the day the Flood began, you can bet that Noah was glad he obeyed God. In spite of his natural mindset, in spite of the persecution and criticism of others, who was the fool when the rains came? Who was “wasting their time” obeying God then? Noah, make thee an ark.

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee. —Genesis 12:1

Abraham heard the voice of God. For Abraham to be obedient, an action was required. Pack up! Leave! Go away from kinfolk, to a land I will show you. The Word of God and the voice of God will many times cause you to move out of your comfort zone. It will take you away from familiar surroundings and separate you from “natural” people close to you who are natural thinkers and may discourage your move. This is why you must live prayed up and in the Spirit to be able to make the right decisions. When a prompting comes by the Spirit, many times it will come one step at a time. Go! Get out! Leave relations! Go to a land I will show you! It is much easier to say, “Lord, You show me the land, and I will go!” But unless you obey the first command, you will never get to the new land. If Abraham had chosen not to go, he would have never had a child, never had the blessings overtake him, never would have become the father of many nations. His one decision—to obey God’s voice—would affect generations to come. He had to go based on a word he received and trusting in a God whom he believed had spoken to him. Throughout the Bible, people who obeyed the voice of God succeeded. Listen to hear His voice today; then obey what He says to do.

Spirit Prayer

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. —Jude, verse 20

It is possible to trust in the natural and not take advantage of the “Decision Maker” within. You must keep your spirit in a ready and expecting position to constantly hear from God. Praying in the Spirit will keep you sensitive to the voice of God. You can be built up spiritually to make a correct decision every time and live in God’s perfect will. Don’t guess, don’t gamble, but learn to hear the Holy Spirit clearly in every decision in your life.

The Word Must Agree

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. —Romans 8:14

A son of God is not a gambler, but a person who is led by the Spirit of God. A son is a person who has trained his spirit to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. This person has first become acquainted with the Word of God so that his decisions are always in line with God’s will (1 John 5:7). God’s words are God’s thoughts put on paper. When His thoughts become your thoughts, His ways will become your ways (Isaiah 55:7–9). The Word will become a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path—in every decision (Psalm 119:105).