Responding To A Word From God

How do you respond to a word from God?

WHEN GOD SPEAKS HOW DO YOU RESPOND?  ARE YOU FOCUSED AND ACTION ORIENTED OR ARE YOU COMPETITIVE WITH COMPARISONS.

I was reading  in John 21 this morning and noticed something I haven’t noticed before.  Let me set the stage a bit.  Peter had denied Jesus, Jesus had been crucified and was now raised from the dead.  He appears to the disciples and reveals himself to them by telling them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat.  They haul in a great catch and they realize “Whoa…this is the Lord”.  So they get back on the beach, cook up some fish, eat and then Jesus starts talking to Peter.

Jesus basically reinstates Peter so to speak and delivers a word to him about his future. This is a prophetic word about Peter’s life and what he can expect, it is a command for him about his destiny and what Jesus wants him to do with his life. Peter, gets a prophetic word directly from Jesus. That’s just awesome in and of itself. Now, considering that he had denied him just a few days earlier and Jesus is coming in with a powerful word for his life, a message of forgiveness and restoration, then letting him know what is to come…what his future holds (both good and bad)….you would think Peter would be a little thankful and would have received the word with humility and eagerness to go forward and “follow Jesus”, “Feed his sheep”, and live the life of a messenger of the Gospel.

BUT look at Peter’s first response.  “But what about John”  This kinda blew me away when I read it – I’m like wait a minute dude – Jesus just gave you direction for your life and a glimpse into your future and all you can think about is “what about the other guy”.  See Peter was living from a place of competition and comparison.  And Jesus kind of put him back in his place when he was like “It’s none of your business what I do with him…you follow me!”

Rather than walking out his own walk with God and honoring his call to follow Jesus, Peter became focused on what Jesus was planning for John.  Why?  Competition, Jealousy, Comparison…

I think if we stop and think about it for a minute, we will see that Peter isn’t the only one that got sidetracked from his destiny and his purpose because he was thinking about and trying to keep up with what God was doing with someone else.  I think many of us do it from time to time.  But, if we can just pause and receive the word of the Lord for our lives, realize that God has a plan for each of us, and keep our focus on that goal, and adhere to that command, then everything else will take care of itself.

So today, I encourage you to look at what God’s purpose is for your life – and follow Him.  Don’t compare yourself with others and what God is doing in their life.  Because your walk is your walk and it is your responsibility.  When you stand before God, He is not going to ask you questions about your neighbors walk and their journey, He is going to talk to you about your walk and your journey with Him.  I promise, if you walk out your purpose and God’s plan for your life – it’s going to look great and you are going to reap the benefits of a righteous life.  Keep your eyes on Jesus and what He has for you.

Shalom,