Genesis 3-4, Matthew 2:12-3:6, Psalms 2:1-12, Proverbs 1:7-9

What God said to me – I gave you My word to teach you and to encourage you and to reveal Myself and My ways to you.  But I also gave it to you to warn you – so you can see how the enemy works and how people in the past sinned and suffered the consequences so you can be alert and hopefully avoid some of the traps.  Adam and Eve fell because they bought the lie of the serpent that I was keeping something good from them – that My word was not trustworthy.  Cain fell because he decided his way was good enough – that he didn’t have to come to Me on My terms, but his own way should be sufficient.  Notice in both cases it was I who went after them when they sinned, not the other way around.  I love My children and always desire a restored relationship.  So, when you sin don’t run or hide or ignore Me.  The sooner you come in repentance and sorrow, the sooner the breach between us will be healed.  Don’t put it off.  Run to Me because “I AM” already coming for you.

Genesis 1-2, Matthew 1-2:13, Psalms 1, Proverbs 1:1-6

What God said to me – Believe it or not, not everyone is eager to know Me.  People instinctively know that I will change them – that to turn their lives over to Me will cause dramatic changes in everything from their foundational beliefs to the direction of their life.  When Joseph encountered Me, he immediately obeyed and did all that I commanded him to do.  Everything in his life changed from that moment forward.  Herod on the other hand chose to cling to his present life and to preserve his earthly kingdom rather living for an eternal one and in the end, he lost both.  Temporal versus eternal – obedience versus disobedience – there are consequences in the choices you make and the actions you take so keep your eyes set on Me and your mind set on things above to keep your focus steady and your path straight.  Don’t neglect this time – you can’t do it alone.  You need Me more than you realize so cling to Me and stay in My word.

Malachi 4, Isaiah 66, Revelation 22

What God said to me – My ways are not your ways.  My ways are higher than yours.  I always see things from an eternal perspective and it’s difficult for you to see anything but the temporal.  For example, when I expelled Adam and Eve from the garden because of their sin, you say “it was just one small sin, give them another chance.”  But from My perspective, I see what would happen if they ate from the tree of life rather than from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They would have been eternally separated from Me in their sin.  The kindest thing I could do for them was to protect them by expelling them from the garden until I could redeem them.  I see the end from the beginning, and I know that the tree of life is going to be available to them in the end once I have redeemed them.  So, remember this story when you look at your life and wonder why I denied you some things you wanted and led you down a different path.  In My kindness, I work in your life as you need in order to transform you into My image and to prepare you for the tree of life so you can live forever with Me.