There used to be an ad on TV LONG time ago, I will be showing my age here in just a second, that was for a stock broker firm named E.F. Hutton. They had these ads where someone would be carrying on a conversation in a noisy restaurant and mention that their broker was E.F. Hutton. When that was said, all noise stopped and everyone turned an ear to listen to the conversation. Then this anonymous voice would say, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen." If you remember these ads, you are as old as me…or even older in some cases. Of course, some may not remember anything, and that is a sure sign of being even older. Sorry, I digress.

Well, I had an E.F. Hutton experience yesterday…just not about stocks. I had a God experience yesterday. I heard Him speak! And, I actually listened this time. Now, it wasn't an audible voice, instead it was through His direction into His written word, the Bible. I have been struggling for some time with a comment/command that God gave me a few months ago. I really felt that I needed to fast and pray for a week and ask God for clear direction in my life and to have vision on how to proceed. Well, I got this amazing revelation from God. Here is what He said…"Keep doing what you are doing." Now that may sound wonderful to you, but to me it was confusing. My fault, not God's. I was praying for direction and vision and clarity because I didn't think I was doing anything and didn't feel as though I was accomplishing anything, and God comes up with this bit of wisdom…keep doing what you are doing. I thought maybe God had gotten confused . 'God, I'm not feeling productive, not feeling like I'm doing what I should be doing, not really even feeling like I'm doing anything, and you want me to keep doing it.' I talked to my wife, my mentor, my board…they all said the same thing. God is right, keep doing what you are doing. Funny guys, maybe you didn't hear me the first time…I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING SO HOW DO I KEEP DOING IT! So again I ask God, talk to my wife, my mentor and my board…and again…same response. Frustrating that they all get it and I don't. Auggg! I continued to whine about it, cry about it, pour out my heart about it, whine some more about it, and seemingly nothing was happening.

FINALLY! Yesterday I was praying before our morning service and felt led to some passages of scripture. As I read them, I couldn't help but feel so overwhelmed with the fact that this is what God had been saying to me all along. See the problem was this…I WASN'T LISTENING! I don't know why. I just wasn't, couldn't, didn't want too…something. But yesterday I finally got it. I heard the voice of the One who loves me, is fond of me and created me tell me what it is that I have been doing and need to continue to do. It literally felt like a ton of weight was lifted from me. Serious. What a relief. When I got done writing down what God was saying (which I recommend doing when God speaks) I had to stand up and scream…YES! YES! YES! It was a better scream than what I did at the Spokane Shocks game the night before when they won again. (15-1, and off to the playoffs!)

I guess what I want you to hear on this today is, listen…God is speaking. He doesn't speak in code or make things confusing just to get a laugh out of it, we make it confusing. Ask the people around you, ask God for clarity, do exactly what it is He says to do. Trust Him. Walk in faith knowing that He is the One who holds the future. For crying out loud, He created the future, I think He can take care of us in it! So, if you see me anytime soon and you think, 'geez, is he ever gonna do something different. Is he ever gonna change what he is doing,' take it up with God. My job is just to obey, not make up the rules.

So, I have to go now. I need to get back to what I was doing before!

Judges 1

Many of the different tribes were suppose to drive out the Canaanites, or other tribes God didn't give the land to, but they didn't. For whatever reason they didn't do it. Some of the reasons even seemed logical (Canaanites had better weapons, more people, knew the area more, etc.) but yet the Israelite tribes did not obey God. They even tried to make it sound good by forcing them into hard labor. But not full obedience. This became a big problem for them later, as well as for us now (Islam). Had they been obedient, things would have been different, even better.

My obedience to God needs to be the same way, 100%. I need to remove all the sin in my life so that it doesn't destroy me later and so it doesn't destroy my family later. If I don't deal with these things now, my family will be dealing with them in the future. In much worse ways. Sin always grows. I must, not through my own power, ways or wisdom, but through the power of God, get rid of this sin. Allowing the Holy Spirit to do his work in my life and also listening and responding to the voice that I hear. Not blowing it off. Not trying to justify what I am doing or want to be doing…just do what God asks. Do what the voice, the one that I am certain is God's, is asking me to do. I can't put my sin in hard labor camps and expect it not to grow stronger and come back to bite me. I must let sin be killed…for good. Seeking and spending time in the presence of God…doing what I know God wants me to do and say (no matter the desires of man around me)…learning to trust that when God speaks and I obey, then my present and my future are much brighter. I need to respond to God in this manner not just for me, but for my family.