Learning to Obey
with all your heart and soul…
'The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you.
You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today.
Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors,
if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ' Deuteronomy 30:6-10
i’ve written previously, as taught by various pastors and teachers that in The Bible, if there are verses that are repeated multiple times in the same chapter, pay closer attention because it’s important. not that the other verses are any less - only there’s an emphasis on these.
repeated twice: heart and soul; his commands
what needs to be done first: for God to circumcise our hearts
from The Bible Says - The verb circumcise (Heb. “mûl”) refers to the cutting off of the foreskin of a young boy or man, as a sign of being set apart unto God’s people. To circumcise the heart meant to set their hearts apart to serve God and follow His ways. In which case, the outward symbol has moved to an inner reality.
what you need to do: 1) love Him; 2) obey the Lord; 3) follow and keep; 4) turn to the Lord
what God does if we do: a) your enemies will be cursed and hated; b) you will be prosperous in whatever work you do, and will be blessed with family/children; c) be delighted in us.
item ‘c’ is so wonderful because the Creator of all Heaven and earth is joyful, thrilled, ecstatic, with someone like me, regardless of my past, and wants my family and i to prosper.
21 days of prayer and fasting, and regular prayer & fasting - as pastor matt prater shared on sunday, is so critical in developing our relationship with our God and knowing our Lord Jesus. digging deep into our minds, hearts, and soul, allows for real reflection of what needs to be changed or circumcised in our lives. those things that keep us away instead of close to Him.
i’m open to having those areas of my life cut away and removed; besides being of no value to my body (heart), it is also a procedure that brings health benefits - mental (mind) and spiritually (soul).
dear Heavenly Father, i want you to circumcise the parts of my life that is causing me to fail and stumble. that instead of drawing me to you it pulls me far away. i invite your Holy Spirit inside of our home and in us/me, to help us follow you and keep your commands. in doing so may it bring you delight as this passages speaks. in Jesus’ Precious and Glorious name, amen!