And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” Mark 4:24-25.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
Never turn your gaze away from Me. Keep your attention focused on Jesus. In seeing Him, you see Me. And everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him has eternal life and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. John 6:40.
If you will note, when My prophet Daniel was in close contact with Me, he tells you that “I kept looking.” Daniel 7:2,4,6,9,11,13, 21. And he would also ask questions as he kept looking. Daniel 7:16. What was he doing? Going deeper, not stopping until he hit the treasure vein of what I was revealing to him. When you are praying to Me in the Spirit and I begin to give you a glimpse, an idea of something, keep going deeper, ask, and keep looking until you reach the answer. You will know when your tap root has hit the underground spring.
Ask, knock, seek and you will receive, enter, and find. But you cannot stop when you plant the seed, you have to cultivate it to harvest and then gather the harvest. “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29.
Do not always be looking just at what is below, the flesh level. Lift up your eyes and see into the spirit realm. When Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish, you will note He first got His eyes off the smallness of the amount and the magnitude of the crowd, instead He looked up to Me. Matthew 14:19; Mark 6:41. And you know the miraculous result.
Keep watching and praying. Matthew 26:41. Stay alert in prayer by thanksgiving, that lifts your eyes above. Colossians 4:2; Colossians 3:1-3. You will not be thanking Me if you are only focused on your problem. You will note Jesus not only looked up but also thanked Me when He began to pass out the five loaves and two fish to the disciples to give to the crowd, and suddenly they became a multitude of provision. John 6:11. The more they gave the more they multiplied.
If anyone has ears, let him hear. My sheep hear My voice and follow Me, they will not follow a stranger’s voice. Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” Mark 4:24-25. How diligent are you to hear My Word? To read My Word? To speak My Word?
When I talk about sheep and them following the Shepherd, I am talking about disciples following My Son. And who is a disciple? Let Jesus define it, “If you continue (remain, abide) in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” And He also defines discipleship as a vine and its branches. “If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and prove to be My disciple.” John 15:7-8. If you remain in the Word, it produces faith, and faith moves mountains, which is really much fruit.
Why is it so important what you listen to, to whom you give your attention? Becomes faith in anything comes in hearing about it over and over until it transforms your mind to believe it. And the more attentive you are to it then it will begin to fill your heart, and your mouth speaks from your heart’s abundance. And once it controls your heart and your mouth, it controls you, good or bad, true or false, life or death.
The devil condemns you in the flesh. There is only one way to fight that, you have to fight back in the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. The devil will keep trying to pull you back into the flesh realm, but you have to fight back in the spirit realm, that is, by being convinced of who you are in Christ. That is why you overcome the devil with the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of your testimony. Revelation 12:11. You must witness, that is, testify with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit testifies to you that your sins and offenses, I remember NO MORE. Hebrews 10:17. And He witnesses with your spirit that you are My child and a joint heir with Christ. Romans 8:16.
For all who are being led by My Holy Spirit are My mature children. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship by which you cry out “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:14-15.
Let Me repeat how you overcome the devil and all his forces, “and they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb and because of the Word of their testimony.” Revelation 12:11. My Son released you from your sins by His Blood and made you a kingdom of priests unto Me. Revelation 1:5-6. In Jesus, you have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of your trespasses, according to the riches of My grace, which I have lavished on you. Ephesians 1:7-8. The Blood redeems you from all sin and the slavery that goes with it and My Word gives you the knowledge of that and the faith in it with which you overcome.
You were redeemed not by perishable things like silver and gold, but with the precious Blood, as of a Lamb unblemished and spotless, of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19. And you were born again by imperishable seed, through My living and enduring Word. 1 Peter 1:23. Do you see? Redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ and born again through My living enduring Word. How? By the Word preached to you. 1 Peter 1:25. Hearing and receiving the implanted Word.
You must preach the Blood of the Lamb and My Word. You must be redeemed and born again to overcome. And overcomers sit with Me on My throne. Revelation 3:21. The Blood and the Word have rescued you from the devil and all he had planned against you. Acts 12:11.
You should recognize the voice of your great and good Shepherd and follow Him to Eden. You should not even recognize—give acknowledgment or attention to—the voice of the stranger. He comes only to steal, kill, and destroy but the Shepherd comes to give you abundant life. And that is how you will know the difference, if the thoughts and words you are listening to condemn you, shame you, give you guilt and regret, and cause you to fear and be anxious, they are not from Me, they are not the voice of the great Shepherd of the sheep, but they are the voice of the stranger, the devil. Do not give attention to him, he is a murderer and a liar, and the father of lies. If you continue in My Word and know who you are in Christ and what His Blood has done for you, then you are truly My disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Free from all condemnation and alive to exhortation, edification, and comfort.
I love you. Take heed. Be careful of whose voice you give attention. My son, give attention to My Words. Incline your ear to My sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight. Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you. Proverbs 4:20-24.