Godly fear equips us to handle life God’s way—and everything that comes with it. From abundance, resources, to betrayal. Godly fear moves a person to immediate obedience…even when everyone else is doing something that the world calls okay—but God calls sin. 

Abraham obeyed God instantly, even when it didn’t make sense to him, when it was extremely painful, and with no promised benefits—but Abraham still went the distance. He obeyed God. 

Obeying God is one of the necessary steps in receiving God’s greatest blessings—and the most critical in the Christian life. It always blesses others, and we will never be disappointed in God. 

Abraham’s focus was not on abundance—but on the fear of the Lord. Focusing on the wrong thing can also open doors and even success—but may very well silence what God is saying to your heart, and even desensitize you to His voice, warnings, and last instruction. 

Immediate obedience is the outward evidence of a heart that loves and fears the Lord. When we fear God, we will obey Him instantly, when it doesn’t make sense to our natural minds, when we don’t see benefits, even if it hurts, and to the finish line. 

God asked Abraham to do what most people might say is unthinkable. God instructs Abraham to sacrifice the greatest promise of his life; the one he had waited on for many years. And guess what? God didn’t explain it to him either. 

We must learn to see the beauty and benefit of obeying God. Abraham went the distance through three days of travel. Abraham didn’t have the written Word—the Bible—like we have today to give him encouragement. 

Abraham obeyed God—climbs the mountain, builds the altar, ties Isaac (his promised son) up, and is about to thrust the knife into his son’s heart. Suddenly, an angel appears and cries out: “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God” (Genesis 22:12).

The angel knew Abraham feared God because he obeyed immediately. Godly fear moves us to obedience and equips us to handle God’s blessings here on earth. “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).

Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, was very different from Abraham. His heart was out of sync with God’s heart. On one particular day, a wealthy woman chose to pour an entire bottle of expensive perfume on Jesus. Judas was outspoken and indignant in his approach to her—and called her behavior “foolish.” 

“That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor,” he said (John 12:5 NLT). His worldly thinking, reasoning, and logical comment was persuasive to the other disciples—as they too went along with the crowd to condemn her actions. 

It’s never wisdom to go along with the crowd. We must learn to hear the voice of God and obey Him. 

Jesus corrected Judas by saying, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing a good thing to me?…This woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed” (Mark 14:6, 9 NLT). We can see that Jesus identified her action as good and lasting, while Judas judged her behavior as bad and fleeting. Judas was not thinking correctly and his discernment was way off. 

Judas went on to betray the Son of God—Jesus. However, once Jesus was condemned to die, Judas realized he was wrong and hung himself. His worldly, warped thinking and his plan of action did not accomplish what he thought it would. 

Abraham and Judas clearly demonstrate the difference between a person who fears God and one who does not. Abraham operated in discernment—while Judas operated in deception. 

The outcomes of these two mens lives were drastically different. We each need a pure heart that is quick to obey God. Without a pure heart, the enemy can cloud the mind through the world system, what everyone is doing, and improper heart motives. 

When we cry out to God and love the Lord, we want to hear what He has to say. He reveals all hidden truth and shows us things to come. While we may experience betrayal in this life, we will surely know we have been warned by God. Never ignore the warnings and nudges from the Holy Spirit (or checks in your spirit). 

Your obedience to God—from small to big things—will reveal where you are presently. Don’t cruise along in life—until one day it is too late. God sends small checks in our spirits to warn us of impending danger. Don’t allow your conscience to be seared through desensitization by the things of the world. “Things nor abundance” are wrong in themselves, it is when they turn into greed and selfishness that it is sin. 

This world is not our home—we are passing through. Choose to know God and make Him known. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). The fear of the Lord is respect, awe, and submission to God. 

There is nothing more important in life than maintaining godly fear. Pray and ask God to open your eyes to see yourself the way He sees you—and to see others the way God sees them. Every person is highly valuable to God. Everyone is level at the cross of Jesus Christ. 

So, how will you be remembered? As one who would sell others out for worldly comfort, convenience, pleasures, and gain—or one who obeys God at all costs and immediately. 

Choose to seek Godly wisdom and the fear of the Lord. You will never regret that choice. 

Oh…how God loves you!

HIS love and mine, 

Deborah 

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)….. how to move from drama to destiny, pain to purpose, and a mess to a message.

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the full account of God’s divine intervention, resurrection power, and miracles on a daily basis….you will be changed forever.

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)… a must read for every leader.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.starministriesinc.com and other distributors

SHIFT HAPPENS (Anthology – with other authors – available on Amazon—-click on Dr. Deborah Starczewski

We are called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be bold and to be a witness of God’s saving grace to the nations. You can see the smiles on the children’s faces as we left India a few years ago. Don’t allow the enemy to block your destiny through deception and division. 

Satan drives people through deception to be barbaric and to engage in brutality. Satan has won the battle when he can keep any believer from prayer and stuck in the flesh through convenience and comfort in dead religion. Souls are at stake, entire generations in every nation, and people around you that don’t know Jesus. 

All true foundations are laid by prayer and Bible study. Renewing your mind in the Word of God brings lasting change to your heart. You can rightly attain a spiritual diagnosis of your own heart, right now, by listening to your own words. 

Mixture of good and evil is still evil. We are cautioned by Jesus in Matthew 12:34, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

When evil resides in the heart, it will be exposed in perverse speech, language contrary to the truth of God and love. 

James 3:8 declares that “no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

We have four examples of evil, all of which bring harm and destruction, that were manifested in Satan—and his children continue to exhibit them (see John 8:38, 41, 44).

Pride and arrogance are conditions of the heart — when pride is in the heart, it will come out in evil ways. Evil emerges in words, snarls, body language, and impure motives and actions. Always remember, just because others might be doing something—doesn’t make it right with God. 

The Bible says, “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man” (James 3:2).

The apostle Paul gives us the foundation of good works—through humility and lowliness—particularly in the household of faith.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Since mixture is evil, choose this day to change your life by changing your words. Speak life over every person and into every situation. Show honor and respect. You are leading others by example—your children, grandchildren and those around you. When God reveals something that needs to be changed to line up with His Word, we are called to pray. 

Our minds must be renewed by the Word of God so that we recognize the lies of the enemy. People are not the enemy. Satan blinds people to the Truth and operates through deception and division. 

If you want to move forward in the abundant life God has for you, choose to surrender to His Will and His Ways. Everything is a matter of the heart. God sees the heart and motive of every person. 

Choose to be the change in your home by leaving a godly heritage. Choose to be the change in your sphere of influence. Be the change in your own family today—renew your mind in the Word of God and watch God open new doors to nations. He says to ask Him for the nations–and He will give them to you. (See Psalm 2:8) It is God’s will for all to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Declare what God says about you and others. Never assume. There is always something you don’t know in every situation. People are waiting for you to step into your God-given purpose to be the change and to impact nations for Christ. 

Pray: “I abandon my entire life to Jesus Christ that He might live His will through me.”

Love God, love people, and leave a legacy of knowing God and making Him known. There are precious souls at stake in every nation. Jesus came for all mankind. (Excerpts from God’s Priceless Treasure, Published 2011…and THE MIDNIGHT HOUR, published 2015.)

Love, 

Deborah

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)…move from drama to destiny, pain to purpose, a mess to a message of hope to all…..

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the full account of God raising my husband from death, healing him from two strokes, walking with us through two open-heart surgeries, and 25 days at Mercy Hospital–this book will give you faith to believe for all.

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)…the hour is late….a must read for all.

Available on www.starministriesinc.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other distributors. 

SHIFT HAPPENS (An anthology – with other authors–click on Dr. Deborah Starczewski —available on Amazon

GOD BLESS YOU!

 Who wouldn’t want to have the best year ever, right? Make the choice to walk in the Light. 

Just as the light is always in motion, so is the will of God. Choose to seek God, and keep moving closer to Him. The Bible says:

“But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]” —1 John 1:7 Amplified

To walk in the light, we must have pure motives. For example, if you are praying for your spouse to be changed so you will have life easier, that is an impure motive. God wants us cleansed from all impure motives, thoughts, and desires. HE is “I AM,” …JESUS…SAVIOR…MESSIAH…EMMANUEL. 

God wants His Church to be spirit-led. It is impossible to be led by the Holy Spirit and doing religious activities at the same time. You are either spirit-led or moved by religion, tradition, old mindsets, or performance. 

The abundant life—one of being led by the Holy Spirit of God—is the best way to live. If you want to have the best year ever, seek God with your whole heart, mind, and soul. Ask Him to expose any wrong motives or intents of your own heart, expose any areas of deception, and to make it plain to you.

Any time we choose the external, worldly ways of doing things, it is works of the flesh. When we are led by the Spirit of God, what God sometimes ask of us goes against our natural thinking. Satan plans, through works of the flesh, getting you caught up in the world’s system, and deception—is to destroy the will and purpose of God in an individual’s life and that of a nation. 

God is always up to something in your life. For you to recognize and become active, you must join yourself to His life. The only way to have the best life ever is to live a life of full obedience to God—even when it flies in the face of religion, tradition, or the world’s system. It means you love God, love people, and choose to advance His kingdom. It’s making hard choices, obeying God even when everyone else is doing something else, and submitting to God—which by the way, is the only way you resist the devil. 

It’s your choice for 2017. I pray you have “eyes to see” what the LORD is doing in the earth as you walk with Him. The God-given authority every believer has been given is a gift from God. May He bring you increase, take you to new levels in Him, and may you recognize new authority as you walk in the Light and see His Hand behind the scenes in every situation. 

I pray God blesses you beyond your greatest dreams. May He bless you in every area of your life through your personal obedience to Him and walking in the Light with Jesus, being Spirit-led. Honor God, honor your spouse (if you are married) and be like Jesus to all you meet. 

May God bless you!

Deborah Starczewski

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI:

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the full account of how God raised my husband from death, healed him from two strokes, and the walk with us through 25 days in Mercy Hospital being Spirit-Led. This book will encourage you to take your own leap of faith and to believe God for yourself, your family, or whatever situation you are facing. 

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)…. how to move from drama to destiny, pain to purpose, and to reach out and help others. 

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)… a must read for all!

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. and www.starministriesinc.com

SHIFT HAPPENS –  (An anthology – collective authors – Dr. Deborah Starczewski) Best seller on AMAZON. Click on Dr. Deborah Starczewski)