Have you ever been talking with someone about a tender subject when the discussion suddenly takes a turn and becomes a little heated? You can tell feelings are starting to get out of control and that little prompting on the inside of you says, “That’s enough. Don’t say any more.”
That prompting, though small, is very strong, and you know saying one more thing would not be wise.
But after thinking for a minute, you decide to plunge on in with the flesh! You press right on in and make your comment. A few minutes later, you’re in an all-out war!
I used to do this when Dave and I started to discuss something, and without stopping to think, began tossing slightly heated comments back and forth. Immediately the Holy Spirit would quicken me with that little prompting inside, “Don’t say another word.”
I would think, “One word? Just one more word won’t be that bad. Surely one more word won’t get me in much trouble!” After I would plunge on in with the “one more word,” I was always reminded of the importance of prompt, exact obedience!
I discovered from Dave’s reaction I couldn’t have picked a worse thing to say if I had tried! I was also reminded of the Lord’s special requirement for me to say only what He wants me to say and no more.
When we say something after the “still, small voice” prompts us to stop, and the person we speak to reacts, later we often ponder over the whole incident, baffled. We say, “God, I don’t understand what happened!”
“What happened” is so simple and can be avoided so easily: God told us to do something and we disobeyed. The minute we disobeyed, His anointing lifted and the frustration began.
In the situations above, if we had obeyed the promptings and kept quiet, things probably would have settled back down, even in five minutes. Then the Spirit would have let us know it was all right to continue that conversation.
Sometimes all we need is a little break just to let things said, settle. But because the prompting is so small, it’s easy to think, “Oh, it won’t make any difference if I just say this,” and press on in the flesh.
The prompting is so slight, pushing ahead in spite of it doesn’t seem like disobedience, but that’s exactly what it is!
We soon discover how much difference disobeying the “still, small voice” made! The minute the Spirit says, “That’s enough,” we need to stop. If we keep going, we are asking for frustration and defeat.
If He says, “Don’t say another word,” He means exactly that. Sometimes we have our own version of obedience. We interpret a prompting like that from the Lord to mean, “Don’t say another word. But if you want to say two or three sentences more, that’s fine!”
When we realize that continuing on beyond the Lord’s prompting even just a little is moving into disobedience, we are able to understand “what happened”—His anointing lifted; therefore, frustration was able to immediately come in.
We are also able to understand why obeying the Lord’s promptings in the small things is so important.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on the mind, mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences so others can apply what she has learned to their lives.
Joyce hosts a TV and radio show, Enjoying Everyday Life, which broadcasts worldwide to a potential audience of 4.5 billion people. She has authored 100 books, which have been translated into more than 100 languages. More than 12 million of her books have been distributed free of charge around the world, and each year millions of copies are sold.
Joyce conducts close to a dozen domestic and international conferences every year, teaching people to enjoy their everyday lives. For 30 years, her annual women's conference has attracted more than 200,000 women from all over the world to St. Louis for specifically themed teachings by her and guest speakers.
Through her teachings, God has provided opportunities to meet the needs of the suffering and bring the Gospel in a practical way. Joyce's passion to help hurting people every day is foundational to the vision of Hand of Hope, the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. These outreaches around the globe include feeding programs, medical care, homes for orphans, and programs combatting human trafficking. In her hometown of St. Louis, Joyce and Dave, her husband, founded the St. Louis Dream Center (SLDC) in 2000. The SLDC serves the inner city through hands-on programs targeted at reaching the lost and hurting with the love of Christ.
Over the years, God has provided Joyce with many opportunities to share her testimony and the life-changing message of the Gospel. Having suffered sexual abuse throughout her childhood, as well as just dealing with the struggles of everyday life, Joyce discovered the freedom to live victoriously by applying God's Word to her life and in turn desires to help others do the same.
Joyce is and continues to be an incredible testimony of the dynamic, redeeming work of Jesus Christ.