Deuteronomy 18:18-19 “I will raise them a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”

This is the commandment of God to the children of Israel in the wilderness, the promise of the Messiah whom God would send among His people to speak on His behalf. It is only the Word personified, Jesus Christ, the Word from the beginning, who fits such a description.

On the day of judgment, the person you listen to will determine how you shall be judged, whether you are declared righteous or condemned. It all depends on whom you obey.

Apostle Peter told the Pharisees that whether it was right to listen to them or to obey God, they should judge for themselves. The one you obey is the one in charge of your life. You cannot obey Satan or follow the laws and traditions of your forefathers all your life and then say that you are a follower of Jesus Christ.

You cannot follow the doctrines of your church that contradict the Word of God and still claim to follow Jesus in the end.

You cannot obey your leaders and disregard what the Bible says, to your own detriment, and still claim to be a follower of Christ.

You also cannot follow and obey your flesh above God’s Word and believe that you are one of Jesus’ disciples. Those who belong to God always listen to Him and hear His Word. This is the difference between God’s followers and the followers of the world and society.

Some are riding on the serpent’s back to carry out their activities, both physical and spiritual. They are in the church as Satan’s agents but pretend to be Christians. Will you still say that all these are Christ’s followers?

The voice ministering to some Christians is not from God. It is the voice of the ancient serpent from the garden that is directing their lives without their awareness. If what it says is contrary to what is written in God’s Word, it is not from God. Do not obey it.

God has given us the Holy Spirit as the seal of our faith in Christ, the gentle voice that directs our path in the way of righteousness. It is only those who obey Him that are on the right path, but those who disobey are on the path to destruction, for there are ways that seem right to men, but their end is destruction.

Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. If you permit Him, He will come and dine with you and be the Head and Controller of your life. He will not force Himself on anyone.

Is it the voice that brings fear and anxiety into your life that you obey, or the voice of the Prince of Peace living in your heart?

Is it the voice of doctors or nurses telling you that your time is up, or the voice of the Holy Spirit that says you will not die but live to fulfil the purpose of God for your life? Remember, when the world says it is finished, that is when God says, “I am just starting to perform what you were created to do.” Where the world says it ends, that is where God begins.

Satan does not have the final say over your life. The end and the beginning are in God’s hands, so believe in God and be saved.

Satan says, “Your sin is too much; God cannot forgive you,” but God says, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

Your flesh says you cannot make it because you are too weak, but the Word of God says that the joy of the Lord is your strength. Even when you fall, He will lift you; when you are weary, He becomes your strength.

People see failure, but God sees a man of valour. Men see a shepherd, but God sees a king. When they see slaves, God sees queens and princes among His people.

The Word of God came to overrule and counter the words of men. They saw Jesus of Nazareth and declared that nothing good could come from that place, but God brought light out of darkness, and out of Nazareth came the Saviour of the world.

The difference between Judas Iscariot and the other disciples is that he listened to himself and his sinful nature, not to Christ. How could one be with Christ for three and a half years, learn at His feet, and still steal from His purse?

It means that his intention all along was not to listen to the voice of resurrection and life but to obey his master, Satan, when it was time to sell Jesus Christ for money.

That is the difference. Instead of obeying Christ’s teachings, he followed his heart’s desires, which led him to sell Jesus for pieces of silver.

The person you listen to determines your character. Even though you were born and raised in the church, it does not mean that you will follow the teachings of Jesus Christ if another voice is in control and has yet to be disarmed.

The Pharisees, who only followed the Law of Moses, had their eyes covered with a veil and were not able to see the reality of their condition. It is only those who listen to and obey the Word of Jesus Christ who have their veil removed.

According to the Law of Moses, it was “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” and adulterers or those who committed abominations before God were to be stoned. But the Word of Jesus says that if someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other also. When they were about to stone the woman found in adultery, He said, “Whoever among you is without sin should cast the first stone.” But none of them could do so, and they all left one by one.

Jesus did not come to condemn but to save. He did not condemn the woman but told her to go and sin no more.

A new Spirit with a new law. No one is perfect before God, but Christ came to bring man to perfection through His Word.

Prayer: Father, make me perfect through Your Word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.