“I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.”
Raise your hand if any of you have ever heard the voice of Mama. I am nearly 50 years old, and I still hear my mama’s voice either calling us in for dinner or punishing us for mischief. You could say we were in her council, and as she proclaimed, we obeyed. End of story. You did not cross Mama.
Just like Mama’s voice, the Lord has been proclaiming to us the way of the Lord through preachers, teachers, and the Word of God. Our actions follow suit while under His council. We actively pursue the Lord every day, even if it is just a quick prayer or reading a short devotional.
There was a place where, as kids, we figured Mama could not see nor hear. It was a place where we were not under her council and could not hear the messages she was proclaiming. Foolishly, we thought that if Mom did not see, then Mom did not know. We were wrong; she always found out. Verses 23 and 24 of Jeremiah 23 say that the Lord is not just a God nearby or a God far away, but He is a God who fills the whole heaven and earth. In other words, He sees it all.
The evil prophets of Jeremiah’s time were foolish in thinking they could tickle the ears of the people by saying the Lord was with them, proclaiming that the messages they spoke were “from the Lord” when, in reality, they had conjured them up to give the people what they wanted, not what the Lord had said. In turn, the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, giving place to other gods and practicing things that were not of God.
A good barometer of your walk with Christ is found in verse 22: “But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” If you are walking with God every day, attending to His council, then sin should be something you actively turn from. You should see it crouching at the door and get better and better at mastering it.
Take a test today. When you see sin, how do you feel? Do you hear the Holy Spirit guiding you away from it? Do you actively turn from evil, or do you dabble in it for a while before walking away? God is watching, even when you think He cannot see. Do not run with your personal messages that tickle your ears and allow you to do and go wherever you please. Seek the council of the Lord, and your steps will be ordered by Him. Let’s take Psalm 37:23 to heart: “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”
Prayer: Father, help us to stay within Your council. Help us to turn from sin and follow You, Lord. Help us to recognize sin and the attacks of Satan so that we can put up the shield of faith that extinguishes all the darts of the enemy and walk in victory with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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