Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God. Isaiah 66:9.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Today I want to talk about not giving up or fearing that I will not enable you to complete the works you undertake at My inspiration and direction for My Glory. If you seek Me first, all else is added to you.
It may look like you are going down but it is just a test, as I tested Abraham with his son, Isaac. It went to the point of sacrificing his son, but then I stayed his hand and provided the ram in his son’s place. In that way I let him experience what I would one day go all the way through with—sacrificing My Beloved Son. Yes, I preached to Gospel to Abraham by his experience beforehand. Galatians 3:8.
Remember the widow and Elijah? She was down to her last meal and thought she and her son would die from starvation. She was at the very bottom, but I had other plans for her. She sowed what she had into My prophet and she received a prophet’s reward. She, her son and My prophet Elijah ate miraculously for over a year.
Now let Me remind you of another widow and another of My prophets. The widow who came to Elisha to tell the sorry story of the debts she had from her deceased husband, who had been a guild prophet with Elisha that would require her to give her children as slaves to the creditors. She thought she had hit the bottom and had no more resources but I surprised her. One Word from Me through My prophet and she prospered miraculously.
Your faith will be tested—but it is by faith and patience you inherit My promises. Once you have made up your mind to follow Me be prepared for the long haul or the Word will not bear fruit in your life.
Many people when they hear My promises believe Me for My promises, but then if they do not see them manifest quickly in their lives decide My Word does not work. They are mistaken. My Word has already been tried and proved true. My promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Psalm 12:6. All My promises prove true. Psalm 18:30. I am a shield for all who look to Me for protection.
So you are not trying My Word to see if it works. It does. The Word is trying you to see if you will be faithful and worthy of My trust and greater responsibility and revelation. Ever since Adam acted so treacherously with My trust and revelation I have been careful with entrusting Myself wholly to mankind. I must know if you independently can operate in love or if you will operate without love. Only those who walk in love can be trusted to rule and reign with Me. Only those who walk in love can abide in Me for I am love.
You will be tested. You understand this in the sense of qualifying for certain things in the world. In school students are tested on what they have learned to see if they may be raised to the next grade level. Before anyone is licensed to practice law, medicine, accounting, or nursing they must pass exams that test their knowledge to see if they are qualified to enter their desired profession.
Before you can go to a higher level you will be tested. You will be weighed in the scales to see if you are found wanting or ready for promotion.
So be truly glad when trials come. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when My Son Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:6-7.
I have called you to share in My eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, know that I will restore, support, and strengthen you, and I will place you on a firm foundation. 1 Peter 5:10-11.
So when troubles come your way, know you are about to be promoted. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4.
My Son explained this to you in the first parable He taught as He lived among you as man. You know it as the parable of the sower. In this parable everyone hears My miracle producingWord but three out of four got no results.
I want to talk with you about why those three out of four did not obtain the promises in their lives because there are many of you who have believed Me for something, feel you are doing your part, and yet it has not come to pass in your lives. In fact, things may be looking entirely the opposite of what I promised you. Do not be discouraged by the passage of time or circumstances. Stand on My Word, never turn loose of it, keep it and it has to bear fruit—thirty, sixty and one hundred fold! My Word has proved true and it is established forever.
You recall in the parable a sower goes out to sow seed. I tell you that the seed is My Word. It falls on various kinds of soil. On the first soil it never penetrates into the ground because it is so hard. These represent the people who hear My Word but they are not receptive to it. They never take it in or really hear it. With no reception there is no production. Before the fruit, you need a root.
The next group receives My Word with great joy. Many of you got full of joy and excitement when you heard of My promises of healing and provision. If you are in faith, you will have joy and excitement over the good that is coming into your life. But when a trial came to this group they became offended at My Word thinking it did not work and abandoned it. The trial caused them to desert the one who they ought to trust and obey. Remember at the Last Supper My Son told His disciples that they would be offended and desert Him? He prayed for Peter that his faith would never fail. Their faith was tested.
Are you offended at My Word thinking it has not worked in your life? Get back in love and you will see it come to pass if you persevere.
Do not be weighed and found wanting. Your faith is heavier and more precious than gold.
The third group has no fruit in their lives because the cares of the world and the lure of riches choke it so it cannot grow and bear fruit. Other things in their lives displace the Word. Whatever you spend the most time with blocks the rest. And what chokes the Word? Cares, anxiety, fear and worry and the deceitfulness of worldly riches.
If you feel you do not have the results you want in your life from hearing My Word then ask yourself: Why isn’t the Word working in My life? Have I been tried and found wanting? Or am I being tried now and need only pass this test to see everything good?
So check the following: Are you really hearing My Word and applying it in your life? Are you rooted and grounded in love? Ephesians 3:17. My Word must remain in you for you to bear fruit. And My command is that you love one another. Make sure there is no unforgiveness, bitterness, anger or hate in your heart. Be sure you are giving love and treating others as you want to be treated. If you are not, there will be no fruit in your life.
Next check whether you have left off your efforts because you have encountered problems or persecutions that make My Word look like it is not working. In this case you have failed the test and cannot be promoted to your Promised Land. This is what happened to the Israelites whom I brought out of Egypt to the Promised Land. They did not enter because the inhabitants of the Land looked so formidable to them that they doubted My Word that they would conquer and have the Land as their own. My promises to them bore no fruit in their lives, they never came to pass, because they gave up too soon and turned back. Do not repeat their same mistake. My promises will manifest in your life if you persevere in faith. Treat trials as the time to put down more roots, see the pressure as an opportunity to drive your faith deeper like a hammer does to a nail rather than a time to accuse Me of being unfaithful.
Next check your thoughts. There are deadly thoughts that choke My Word from your heart. These are like the thorns My Son speaks of in the parable that choke off the wheat. If you find yourself full of cares, anxiety, fear, and worry you can know this is the reason you are not seeing good results in your life. These emotions will call in all the negative things you fear. You need to cast these thoughts down immediately when they appear, pull them out at the roots and take them captive for Christ by refusing to dwell on them. Never speak worry, fear, anxiety, or woes to others or yourself. At the first indication of these thoughts do not give them one inch. Drive them out by saying My promise to the opposite. Meditate on My love for you and then give love instead.
Check also to see if you are coveting things above Me. This is idolatry and will keep My Word from bearing fruit in your life. If you think more about money, cars, houses, clothes, and property than My Kingdom and blessing others you will not bear fruit. Often you have not because you ask not, but then when many ask they ask from wrong motives, just with a view of squandering what they receive on lusts that have nothing to do with true love. James 4:3. Love should be your focus and not things. The things will follow, an abundance for every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11. I want you to enjoy good things but do not make them the primary focus of your life. You cannot serve Me and money. Money in itself is nothing. It is the good you can do with it that gives money its value.
To be fruitful you must stay in love and you do this by looking at My love for you in Jesus as He gave His life for you. John 15:17. If you keep My Word in you then you will remain in My love. John 15:10.
If you do not give up but continue in My Word no matter what trial comes your way, you will truly be My disciples, and then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
And the truth is I love you and gave My Son for you, will I not give you everything besides?
I love you. Love never fails. Remember that if you begin to doubt My Word. Guard your precious faith, watch for the thorns, weeds, and birds that steal your harvest. Drive them out by love.