You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:20.
All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 28:2.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days. Deuteronomy 30:19-20.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
You are safe with Me. I will never hurt you. I am your refuge and your fortress, your God, in whom you can put all your trust. Your father and mother may abandon you, but I never will. All may leave you alone, but I never will. Can a mother forget her child, the baby of her womb? But even if she should forget; I will never forget you. I have every hair on your head counted. I know when you sit and when you stand, before a word is on your tongue, I know the whole of it. There is no where you can go that I am not right there with you.
David, even after he fell into sin by the weakness of his flesh and di what was evil in My sight, knew that I would cleanse him and forgive him when he came to Me in repentance and grateful love and asked Me to do so. Psalm 52. He knew he could trust Me to be on his side to be an unfailing brook of mercy, love, provision, and shelter. I am a shelter from every storm no matter the origin for those who put their trust in Me.
I am your everlasting rock.
I am your vindicator, your righteousness is from Me. I am the lifter of your head. I have redeemed you. If you have trouble in this area please read Psalm 91, Psalm 23, and Psalm 103.
The beauty of a life of obedience is the beauty of a life free from evil. Willing obedience to My Word is freedom. My Word is the perfect law of liberty. It sets you free from the oppression of the devil. It takes the clutter out of your heart and lays aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles you and sets you free to run with joyful endurance the race that is set before you.
Obedience is better than sacrifice. The sacrifice has been made, once for all, now you have confidence to enter the holy place by the Blood of Jesus. Your debt has been paid and Satan is under your feet for I have raised you up with Jesus and seated you in Heaven in Him. So near with a SINCERE heart in full assurance of faith. And encourage one another to live the life of good deeds I prepared for you in advance in Christ Jesus that you may enjoy it.
Obedience to My Word keeps you from being burdened with worry, anxiety, resentment, unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, vile behavior, jealousy, envy, strife, immorality, pride, defeat, illness, depression, and lack. Under obedience you cannot give place, meditate on, or allow any of these things into your heart, soul, or being. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. And I, the God of peace, will Myself sanctify you entirely; and preserve your spirit and soul and body be complete, without blame at the coming of your Lord Jesus Christ. I am faithful and I have called you, and I also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-24.
All it takes is for you to set your heart with affection upon Me in a resolution to hear and do My Word. A doer of the Word, not just a hearer only. James 1:23. One who looks intently at My Word, the perfect law of liberty, and ABIDES by it (like the branch in the Vine) (and that is obedience), not having become a forgetful hearer (every time you meet a challenge) but an effectual doer, this one will be BLESSED in what he does (a doer of the Word is blessed). But if anyone thinks himself religious and does not bridle his tongue, deceiving his heart, this man’s religion is worthless. It is by your words that you change and create things, like Me.
Obedience is heard from your tongue, but your tongue speaks from the heart’s abundance. Obedience is repentance, that is, a change of heart, not forced from the outside but from a softening inside. That is why I look at the heart. Only heart obedience is true obedience. Hearts turned to Me become obedient hearts. If your heart is not right, you will not be right with Me either. You will be living deception.
David followed Me with all his heart. 1 Kings 14:8. And this gave him mercy. But one of his descendants, Amaziah, though he at first did right in My sight, he did not do it with a whole heart. 2 Chronicles 25:1-2. Later, because of the heart issue, though he started out perfect, he left Me to worship other gods that he had taken as booty when he conquered the Edomites who came against Jerusalem by My intervention I sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who have not delivered their own people from your hand?” 2 Chronicles 25:14-16. As he was talking with him, Amaziah said to him, “Have we appointed you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” And he refused to repent and come back to Me as his LORD God. And he had a bad end. Keeping My Word will keep you free and running your race with joy but disobedience puts you in another jurisdiction and subjects you to the judgment of your master. You cannot have a divided heart and serve two masters. You will become like your master. From the time that Amaziah turned away from following Me his servants conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah. The wicked cut short their lives. They begin to abuse others.
When you give to Me, I give back to you. David wanted to build Me a house and set aside the funds and supplies to do so, so I built him a house that endures forever. If you give up your property and ungodly relationships for the sake of following Me and living the gospel, I have you back a hundred times more than anything you gave up now in this life and eternal life in Heaven. When you give Me your heart, I give you Mine. I make Covenant with you in Jesus and espouse you to Me forever. I found Abraham’s heart faithful, and I made a covenant with him. Nehemiah 9:8. I look for the upright of heart. You know what I am talking about. You know when your child has a heart for you and is truly and sincerely obeying your word, and you know when they are making a show on the outside but inside are rebelling.
When you want to be My servant, I become your servant forever.
Whatever you do for the least of My brethren, you do for Me. And I repay. The measure with which you measure is measured back to you and MORE, MUCH MORE, besides.
I love you. Walk before Me and be blameless. It has great reward. And with My grace as you are attached to the vine, you can, for I am faithful. I AM your shelter from every storm.