Little Messages with Big Impact
Joshua had died, and Israel had no leader at this point in the Promised Land. The people of Israel had been used to a way of life prior to this. They had received instructions from Moses and had to follow, and received instructions from Joshua and had to follow. Not once had any of them had to receive directly from God in order to do something for the Nation. But now, the situation has changed.
This powerful passage, known as the Shema, is considered one of the most sacred declarations in the Jewish faith. Recited daily by devout Jews, it was also affirmed by Jesus as the greatest commandment in all the Law (Matthew 22:37). At its core, it calls us to an all-consuming love for God-a love that saturates every part of our being: heart, soul, and strength.
In John 5:30, Jesus reveals the secret to His perfect life and ministry: He never acted on His own will but always sought and obeyed the will of the Father. He did not rely on His own strength or understanding, but trusted the Father in every situation. Jesus’ life was a constant demonstration of submission to God’s will, and this is the path we are called to follow as well.
In John 8:28-29, Jesus speaks with clarity about His life’s mission: “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” Jesus was completely devoted to doing the will of the Father, and His constant desire was to please God in everything He did. Jesus’ ultimate focus was not on His own desires, but on seeking the will of the Father and fulfilling it perfectly.
God knows how to make room for the calling He has placed on your life, but the key is listening for His voice and understanding what He wants to do through you, not just for you. So often, we become focused on our needs, desires, and what we want God to do for us, but the true question is: What does God want to do through me?
You might possess natural beauty, talents, or abilities that make it easy for you to get attention or accomplish things in your own strength, but when you come under the anointing of God, those things cannot be used to fulfill His purpose for your life. Even though your natural beauty may still remain, God will not use it to carry out His divine work unless you make a deliberate choice to move from depending on your natural attributes to depending entirely on God.
In Philippians 3:3-4, the Apostle Paul talks about having reasons to place confidence in the flesh, but he chooses not to. He had all the qualifications, achievements, and abilities that could have given him a sense of pride, yet he decided to place no confidence in them. Instead, Paul recognized that true confidence comes from God alone.
You may have experienced angelic interventions that left you excited and filled with awe, but do you know that there’s a higher level of divine involvement where the Father Himself shows up for you? When you please God, He steps into your situation, and His presence makes all the difference.
In the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we see a powerful example of unwavering faith. When they were threatened with being thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship the king’s idol, they boldly declared that God was able to deliver them. This was a matter settled in their hearts. They trusted in God’s ability to save, but they also stated something profound: “But if not”-if God chose not to deliver them for any reason-they would still not bow to the king’s idol.
The Lordship of Jesus is at the heart of Christianity. To truly follow Christ is to give up ownership of your life and everything in it. This is the kind of believer that God will bless abundantly-one who has surrendered all to Him and remains steadfast in serving Him, regardless of circumstances.