Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late winter]. Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. - Jeremiah 1:11,12 (Amplified)

Often when I share scripture with you, I'm learning to apply it my own life as well. While it's easy to say that God will uphold His Word, it's a different matter entirely to support this truth with our Faith and Conduct. If we really believe that God will perform His Word (and I mean every time), then, we must closely examine our own actions if our lives do not line up with His promises.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? - Numbers 23:19

It is clear from this passage that God will fulfill His promises. As an example, God has promised amazing results if we first, fully obey God and then, carefully follow ALL His commands. So, I must conclude that I'm doing something wrong if I'm not getting the results that He promised. Otherwise, I would be calling God a liar, and that is just not the truth.

So, here's the challenge. If you are experiencing anything that is contrary to the blessings lined out in Deuteronomy 28, ask God to show you where you're missing it. Then, when He does, correct it.

For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. (Isaiah 58:2)

How do we know God's ways? Does God talk to you? How do you know God is talking to you? I spend time with God every day to get to know him better. One of the primary ways that I get to know God is by reading the Bible. His thoughts, feelings, and actions are in full display as shared by the writers who were Divinely inspired. When I spend time reading the Bible and listening to scripture, I begin to hear His voice in my daily activities. How do I know that it's His voice? What He's saying resonates with the Word that I've hidden in my heart.

Over the years, I've discovered that this process requires diligence to be effective. I like to memorize scripture and meditate on specific verses. As I do this, I receive understanding, or revelation, of that scripture. Some scriptures that I've meditated on previously will have an even deeper meaning when I come back to them later. What I'm trying to say is that the Bible is not just a book like other books, the Words in the Bible are Spirit and Life. As you consider each passage, the meaning speaks to your mind and heart at the same time. Your mind is renewed and your spirit is fed.

Once I have thoroughly prepared my heart with God's Word, then, I'm able to fellowship with Him. When I know who He is and what He wants, we are able to have a relationship. He talks, I listen. I talk, He listens.