#knowgodspower – herbcotton.org

The Gap Between Hearing and Obeying – What Is Your Status?

Today Somebody Prayed for You

Today’s Bowl of Encouragement by Herb Cotton

Bible Text for Today’s Meditation and Application:

Matthew 28:16-20 King James Version (KJV)

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

My Reflections on the Word of God Today:

I feel like God is chasing me as I write today, and He determines that He will not let me go until I write down what He says, align my life to make it of first importance, and then go and make disciples as I have commanded you. Notice, Herb, and all who reads this message, that it’s a command and not a suggestion.

Allow me to repeat it to you just like I have spoken it to the writer of the Gospel of Matthew 28:16-20, our focal text for today.

If you fail the test of being obedient to what you read and heard the Word of God speak, what is your dilemma that prevents you from being obedient to God? There is no middle ground in God’s eyes between obedience and disobedience? God does not accept as obedience, “I will do it when I get around to it. I’m too busy for that type of commitment right now.”

What then is the test for pleasing God in the matter of doing the will of God? My friends, it is to do God’s will and to do it His way. He gets to have the final word in the matter, and God has spoken, and let the people of God hear and obey.

James 1:22 King James Version (KJV)

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

1 John 2:4 King James Version (KJV)

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Now that you have heard God speak I ask you to reconsider. I encourage you to listen and obey the commandment of the Lord. We are useful to God when we surrender our whole life to Him. He is Lord, and we are not.

Hebrews 11:1 King James Version (KJV)

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 King James Version (KJV)

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Prayer Offered to Our Father in Heaven:

Father, I pray that everyone who reads or hears this Word of God, that comes from the heart of God, receive, believe and do the will of God in the ways God has commanded His people of every age. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, and in faith, we join our hearts in agreement by saying, Amen.

God Speaks – Hear The Word of God

The Wisdom of the Proverbs:

Proverbs 26:24-26 (NLT)

People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.

They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils.

While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

The Encouragement of the Psalms:

Psalm 104:31 (NLT)

May the glory of the LORD continue forever! The LORD takes pleasure in all he has made!

The Hope of the Old Testament:

Ezekiel 1:1 (NLT)

On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

Ezekiel 1:28 (NLT)

All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.

Ezekiel 2:1-2 (NLT)

“Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.”

The Spirit came into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words.

The Gospel Message:

Hebrews 2:1-4 (NLT)

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.

So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?

And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.

Observation:

One of the things I observed while reading the passage from Ezekiel is the importance of being in the presence of God. It is impossible to do the work of God without being connected to the power of God.

“Power in the Christian life depends upon our connection with the source of power.”

Nelson Bell

Key Word Commentary: Thoughts on Every Chapter of the Bible.

To be pleasing to God and to fulfill the purpose for which we were born, we must know God and live in His presence. Ezekiel’s ministry shows us the importance of listening to God and obeying God.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that You will draw Your people closer to You and that we would seek the truth, and abide in You.

—

1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Listen to all of the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

Do You Know the Power Who Is Greater Than the Storm?

Text:

Psalm 29:3-4 (NLT)

3 The voice of the LORD echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The LORD thunders over the mighty sea.

4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.

Observation:

There is no power that is greater than the power of the Lord; when He speaks His people should listen.

Isaiah 28:23 (HCSB)

23 Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say.

Notice what the Psalmist says about the voice of the Lord.

Psalm 29:4 (AMP)

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

Are you listening to the voice of God? If not, why not?

John 8:47 (NLT)

47 Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name; the name that is above every name in heaven, and in earth. Father, we give praise and glory to You.

Father, speak to our hearts, and by faith, may we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts that obey. Father, may our daily plea be, less of me, and more of You. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Listen to all of the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry