God does speak to us through dreams, visions, prayers, and many other ways also. The Lord wants to lead us, but we must be willing to listen to Him and then do as He says. Now, many people will say that God doesn’t speak to them and this may be for a reason. The moments that God has spoken to you in times past, did you obey Him? Are you living in willful sin or for Christ day in and day out? If you are not obeying God, then why would He want to lead you. And if you are living in sin and are not desiring for God to change your life, then God does not hear your prayers. Think about this as you hear God speak to Jacob and see his response. “and the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.” (Genesis 31:11-13) This command from God was unexpected but was exactly what Jacob and his family needed to do.
Jacob heard the command from God to return to the land of his fathers and leave the property of Laban, Leah and Rachel’s father’s land. They had been there for several years now and God knew that things were not good there. Therefore, it was up to Jacob to listen to the Lord or disregard His command. Thankfully, Jacob didn’t disregard God’s wisdom and also told his wives his desire to leave as God directed. These women also had faith in God and told Jacob to do as He commanded. Would you do the same and get up and move if that was God’s will for your life? Think about this as you read what happened in the following verses. “and Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels.” (Genesis 31:14-17) This is a great example of what we need to be doing for God when He calls us to do something. Listen and obey! Amen.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I am so grateful that You are still speaking to me after all these many years. For most of my life, I did my own thing and disregarded Your will. I was so far from You for many different reasons. There were false beliefs baked inside of me because of the church I was going to and I was also living in willful sin. Thankfully, I found the issues in Mormonism and left it behind in 2012. But that wasn’t all I needed to do. The moment I left, I needed to finish repenting for all my sins. You heard me those many nights when I cried myself to sleep asking You for forgiveness, and to help me understand Your will. Thankfully, You came into my life like a fire and didn’t leave me behind. I still remember that night when I was praying and Your presence came over me. You hugged me and made me clean from the inside out. I was spotted with all kinds of sin, but that night You sanctified me through Your blood, Jesus, and made me whole. You are my deliverer! Since that day, I have been listening to Your voice. Not just to hear You, but to obey You. Those moments of surrender and doing as You say have been the best experiences in my life. I love You, Lord. I trust in You above all else. Amen.
