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Friday June 8, 2018

 

I have a distant family member that I do not see very often, but when I do see them, they are always repeating the same stories. The stories are in fact good, but it is like picking up a book and reading the same chapter over and over again. This is not what I want my life to become. No matter how old or young we are, at some point we need to turn the page and move on to the next chapter in our lives. It is nice to know what happened in the past, but the past should be the launching pad that thrusts us to the present and future chapter in our lives.

 

On the subject of being repetitive, throughout this blog series I have continually stated, that the most important factor in your life is the ability to hear God’s voice. The reason for being repetitive is because I have noticed that many followers of Jesus are not sure they have heard God speak to them and many others are living in what God has spoken to them in the past. You should never forget what God has spoken to you in the past, but the problem is that God is still speaking today. That is why the most important factor in your life is the ability to listen to God’s voice today and every day.

 

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Genesis 22:9-12 NIV

 

God told Abraham to go to the region of Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. In obedience to God’s instruction, Abraham departed to the place God told him about. Three days later, Abraham arrived with Isaac; he laid him on the altar, and picked up a knife to sacrifice his son. God however, through his angel sent Abraham the following message: Do not lay a hand on the boy; do not do anything to him. The same God, who sometime earlier had instructed Abraham to travel to the region of Moriah to sacrifice his son, now had a new set of instructions for Abraham.

 

Sadly, there are too many people who are not aware that God wants to speak to them. What is worse, many Christians believe that God speaks but they themselves have not heard from him in days, weeks, months, and for some it has been years. Imagine how different the story of Abraham and Isaac would have been if Abraham had acted on God’s past word. Just imagine how much better your story could be if you were tuned into God’s instructions for your life today.