Don't Ignore the “Ifs” and “Buts”

Me and My Big Mouth: Your Answer is Right Under Your Nose
by Joyce Meyer

(Page 2 of 3)

If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 28:1,2

Please notice the “ifs” in this passage. So often we choose to ignore the “ifs” and “buts” in the Bible.

Consider, for example, 1 Corinthians 1:9,10:

God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments.

We see that God is faithful, and we also see that we draw upon that faithfulness by honoring Him with obedience in relationships. Our disobedience does not change God. He is still faithful, but obedience opens the door for the blessing that is already there due to God's goodness to flow to us.

This book would be a tragedy in my estimation if I tried to teach that you and I can have what we say without clarifying that what we say must line up with the Word of God and His will. “Speaking to our mountains” is not a magic charm or incantation that we pull out and use when we are in trouble or when we want something for ourselves, and then continue on in carnality and a disobedient lifestyle.

Mere Infants

However, brethren, I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ [unable to talk yet!]

1 Corinthians 3:1

As long as you and I are carnal, we should hope and pray that God shows us mercy and that we do not get what we say. We will be saying a lot of things that are our will and not God's will, simply because we cannot tell the difference yet. As “babies in Christ,” we simply do not know how to talk yet, as Paul tells us here in this passage.

Just as natural babies must learn to speak the language of their elders, so Christians must learn how to talk God's way.

Learning To Speak God's Language

For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]!

But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.

Hebrews 5:13,14

We need time to learn the Word of God and to know His heart. Although many things are clearly defined in the Word, and it is obvious what God's will is, there are other things that we need to make decisions about that are not spelled out in black and white. We need to know His heart and be led by His Spirit. The Bible does not tell us what kind of automobile to buy, or when to sell our house and purchase a new one, or what company to work for. If we do work at a company and want a promotion, that desire could be God's will for us, but it could also be covetousness. How can we know the difference?

Time is the answer.

It takes time to know God, to know our own hearts, and to be able to be totally honest with ourselves and with God. It takes time to learn about motives and how to determine whether ours are pure.

Copyright © 1997 by Joyce Meyer

About the Author

JOYCE MEYER has been teaching the Word of God since 1976 and in full-time ministry since 1980. She is the bestselling author of more than fifty inspirational books, including How to Hear from God, Knowing God Intimately, and Battlefield of the Mind. She has also released thousands of teaching cassettes and a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences.