Joyce Meyer (July-29-2023) Daily Devotional: Pray and Obey
For many years, I wanted God to speak to me, but I wanted to pick and choose what things to obey. I wanted to do what He said easy, and if I thought it was a good idea, but if I didn't like what I heard, I acted like it wasn't from God!
Some of what God says to you will be very exciting. Other things He says may not be so thrilling, but that doesn't mean they won't work out for your good if you will simply obey. For example, if God tells you that you need to apologize because you were rude to someone, it won't work for you to respond, "Well, that person was rude to me too!" If you talk back to Him with excuses, you may have prayed and even heard God's voice, but you didn't obey.
Looking back at more than four decades of walking with God and being in ministry, I have to say that the simplest explanation for the success we have enjoyed is that we have learned to pray, hear from God, and then do what He tells us to do. Over the years, as I have sought God and pressed forward in what I feel He has told me to do, I can say that what I have done more than anything else is simply to pray and obey. Doing so has not always been popular, but it has worked. If you want God's plan for your life, I can give you the recipe in its most basic form: pray and obey. God has given you the capacity to do both, and if you do it continually, you will be moving right along in His will for your life.
Prayer Starter: Thank You, Father, for helping me take the hurtful experiences I’ve had and use them to help me grow and be a blessing to others, amen.
