Matthew 4:4, Jesus answered,  “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

If you want His direction for your life, dig in to His Word.  If you are looking for answers then seek Him with your whole heart.  Don’t hold anything back!  If you need hope spend more time alone with Him.  If you need more faith praise Him.  

As I was having my devotions this morning the Lord really burdened my heart that as much as He wants to fill us with hope, joy and faith, He wants us to follow Him completely.  Somehow over the years people have “muddied down”, not just watered down the Word of God.  When we take the Word of God and try to make it fit into our lives so we can be comfortable we are missing out on His best for us.  God’s Word was not meant to “fit into our lives”, we were created to be shaped by His Word ~ His EVERY word.  We can’t just take all of the “choice” verses and then exclude those that aren’t comfortable or maybe require change in our lives.  We must choose to live by every single Word.  The world would like for Christians to just accept what they say is right or wrong, but we are called to live by the truth of the Word of God.

There’s so much in the Bible that we may never perceive or understand, but God promises to teach us if we will just choose to follow Him.  It is time to follow Him so closely that nothing else in life matters as much as He does.  Now that doesn’t mean you neglect your family, friends, or work, etc., it means that He is your number one priority and what He says goes in your life.  

Start by taking the time to ask Him to show you if there’s anything in your life that needs to go that is hindering your walk with Him.  Ask Him to show you if there’s something you need to add to your life.  I have even taken the time to walk through my house and just asked Him to show me anything that gave satan a foothold in our lives.  Don’t cling to something that is standing in the way of God’s best for your life.  

When the Israelites walked closely with God, they had peace and His blessing.  His desire is for you to live the life He created you to live and for you to be able to serve Him the way He created you to.  You must be intentional in your walk with Him.  Think about any relationship you have ever had that meant so much to you that you were willing to really work at it.  Put that kind of effort into your relationship with Him, knowing that then truly His best is yet to come in your life!

Quote:  “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson