Can You Hear Me Now?

2 Chron. 15:1-9 (NLT)
Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. "Listen to me, Asa!" he shouted. "Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without God's law. But whenever you were in distress and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, you found him. During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the nation on every hand. Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling you with every kind of problem. And now, you men of Judah, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded."
When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the idols in the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the foyer of the Lord's Temple.
Then Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. Many had moved to Judah during Asa's reign when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.



Not only did Asa keep himself open to hear God through His prophets, but he obeyed and followed them. He immeadiatly took down the barriers that could keep him from God.How often have we heard a great message and said yes I need to get that part of my life right and remove those obstacles that keep me from close contact with God, only to get home sit with the remote and 2 hours later forget what we even heard.

Over and over again the Lord has proved faithful in my life, when I begin to put things up that block my access to Him He is pretty fast to send a messenger to tell me what needs to go. Its then up to me to remove it or leave it. Its my prayer for you and for myself that we would always choose wisely and listen to Gods people when He speaks through them.
Keep in contact with people who are filled with God’s Spirit, and you will learn God’s counsel. Spend regular time in discussion and prayer with those who can help explain and apply God’s message.

Asa wisely welcomed people who had a close relationship with God, and he listened to their messages. Azariah gave the armies an important warning and encouraged them to stay close to God.

Azariah said that Israel, the northern kingdom, was “without the true God.” Eight kings reigned in Israel during the 41-year rule of Asa in Judah, and all eight were evil. Jeroboam, the first ruler of Israel, began this wicked trend by setting up idols and expelling God’s priests (2 Chron. 11:13-15). Azariah used Israel’s problems as an example of the evil that would come to Judah if they turned away from God as their northern brothers and sisters had.

Its much better to learn from someone else's mistakes and trials. If we prayerfully pay attention to the people who have gone before us the Lord will help us to walk in the path that leads to Him. Learn from them and you wont face the difficulties that they did.