September 9, 2024
Melissa Valerio
“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7 ESV
To be an effective leader, you must be clear in the goals and expectations of those you lead. Makes sense, right? How would anyone know what to do unless they understand the end goal? And to be an effective servant, you must listen to and obey the leader’s direction. So, if God is our leader, and we are His servants, God would need to reveal His plans to us. Amazing, don’t you think? That the God of the universe would choose to share His plans with us at all! But I suppose if we are the instruments to get the work down, how else would it get done, except that He shares those insights with us?
Being an effective servant, then, means we need to continually stay in God’s word and in prayer so that He can reveal His thoughts and plans to us. Abiding in the Lord (continually in relationship and communication with Him) provides Him an access point into our hearts. And when He has full access to our hearts, He can deposit His will into us, thereby giving us new desires that honor Him and line up with His plan. It’s amazing to realize that we have a part in this great plan! Our desires, when fully connected to the vine (John 15:4-8), become the plans He wants to carry out. Not that His plans conform to our desires, but rather our desires conform to His plan.
The Holy Spirit gives discernment, guiding us into making decisions according to God’s plan, but we must have open ears (spiritually) to hear Him and then obey His leading to perceive the next step in the plan. For example, Amos was given insight into God’s plan. But Amos was also given a command to do something in alignment with that plan. God told Him to “proclaim” (Amos 3:9), and to “testify against” (Amos 3:13). God revealed these things to Amos because He expected Amos to do something with this information. What an honor it is to be privy to God’s very own plans. As effective servants let’s not waste His words but do all He’s asked us to do.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, we magnify Your name and thank You that all Your plans are good. What a privilege it is to be included in the things You want to do. We submit ourselves to Your service. Give us spiritual ears to hear what You’re saying and a courageous heart to obey what You’re commanding. In the precious name of Your son Jesus, Amen.
Action: Philippians 2:13 says this: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure“. Remember that if the Spirit lives within you, your will starts to align with His will. This is God revealing His plans – within the desires of our hearts. Take a step toward that plan. Only by our obedience can His plan become a reality.
*If you are not sure if the Spirit lives in you, and you want Him to, accept Jesus as your Savior — invite Him into your heart, ask Him to forgive your sins, and ask that He make you a new creation. He has been waiting for you!
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