Every one of us is a creature of habit. We don't change easily from our normal day activities. We live for years without knowing the word of God, then one day read and accept what it says. We then come under it's authority over our lives and promptly begin to learn a new way to do things. We walk a narrow road for a while, but sadly and far too often fall back on our previous lifestyle like a rubber band stretched out of shape and returning to its natural form. We slide into a rut beside the road of life that sin has dug for us - off the straight and narrow path and spiritually stagnant the longer we lay there.

The Israelites were blessed under the leadership of Nehemiah. They restored, by God's grace, the walls around the city where they had lay in ruins for years. But was the next thing to do after the wall building was done? First they praised the Lord and worshiped God with their faces to the ground. Then they called Ezra the scribe to read the word of God to them. They wanted to know exactly what it said with relative illustration so everyone, regardless of their age would understand what God expected of them.

Is that not the key to living for the child of God? Before we can obey God, we have to know what he expects of us. Before we know it, we should set Him apart in our heart and determine to do it with all our heart. That's called conviction and no Christian will stay on the right path and please God without it. Knowing and doing what God expects with the right heart attitude regardless of how you feel or what anyone else does.

Do you serve God with conviction or convenience? How can I know? If you spend substantive time with God in prayer, you serve with conviction. Anything less and it's convenience.

1. Pray Through the Word - 365 devotionals on the subject of prayer by James R. Green (Ps 119:33-40; Neh 8;
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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