Precepts and Prophecy

To be after God's heart is to fully embrace the precepts of His mind, will, and emotions.

A precept is a rule or direction that guides behavior or action. It can also be a general rule that helps people decide how to act in certain situations. 

Synonyms: prescription, instruction, guide, order, and directive. 

The "pre" in precept is "before." Before the circumstance you believe in the principle of how God sees, and expects us to agree with, truth.

The "cept" in precept is "take." Pre-take God's word for it.

If you agree with God's precepts, you don't need to make a decision in every circumstance.  You know it before the circumstance.

For instance, if I believe in the precept that my wisdom is foolishness to God, I stop wasting time trying to find the wise thing to do, and I simply ask God and believe what He shows me in faith.  I start with the premise that a faint answer from God is certainly better than my misleading confidence in my own wisdom.  I "pre" this so the pressure of the situation that will certainly come doesn't trick me into figuring out "what to do." I "pre" things in prayer. 

There are many precepts we could embrace:

-righteousness only comes from the Spirit of God leading me.

-reacting in the flesh will always lead me to lawless behavior.  The ends (righteousness covering the earth) don't justify the means!  Since righteousness only comes from one place (that's the precept) the means (being Spirit led, not flesh-led) are the point.

-light and darkness can have no partnership.

-I am naturally selfish/self-led.

-God is always selfless. No matter what He is telling me to do, I can count on the fact it's good for me and for others.

-God provides

-God heals.

-God defends.

-I will only be forgiven as I forgive.

-trying to be God to everyone around me makes me a competitor of God's, not a helper...

And on and on...

Precepts are "faith catalysts." They give me something about God's character to learn to really put all my weight on, pre, not post, calamity.  

Principled decision making takes all the circumstance out of a confusing situation.

David rushed into battle with Goliath because of the precept that God was with him.  The rest of Israel was reacting in fear... They hadn't "pre-taken" that no human could defeat God, so knowing what God was doing was essential.

Here are some precepts:

*God will not use unrighteousness to accomplish His purposes.  

*He will not do things in a way that glorifies  a man, especially a strong man, OR people blaming the strong man they are afraid everyone is following

(The fear of man works both ways

.. it is afraid and follows, or is afraid and freaks out

.. Same spirit that creates fear of man.) 

*God will not let Jesus' perfect sacrifice be watered down by man's arrogance.  

*No one will save Israel but God himself... 

^These are all very important precepts rn.

If you want to see what precepts will do in a person's life, study Psalm 119 with the Holy Spirit. That's what it's all about!

Psalm 119:97-105 NKJV — MEM

Oh, how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;

For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers,

For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients,

Because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way,

That I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments,

For You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste,

Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding;

Therefore I hate every false way. NUN

Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.

Reacting to the things God does is not faithful.  The whole world automatically does that.  You have to pre!  That means you need the Spirit... The Spirit of prophecy (Holy Spirit).  There is a way that seems right to you but ends in death!

Proverbs 14:11-12 NKJV — The house of the wicked will be overthrown,

But the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.

(^this is a precept!)

Prophetically agreeing with God's heart puts a man ahead of the curve.  The blind, people that just bump into what God does next and then act like they know what to do now, can only lead you to more blindness.  Always knowing "what to do" but never knowing what was coming is an indication of reacting, not being led by the precepts of God.

False prophets can't help you, either... Because of precepts.  A false prophet may know what is coming, but they don't have the precepts of God's heart about how to respond to it. They have their own agenda/appetites/emotions about the world around them.  

Real prophets have good fruit... That fruit grows from precepts embraced before circumstances. God's kingdom supersedes their thoughts, feelings, and will.

People that know God know what is coming next and what it's supposed to do!  They don't just have events on their lips, they have heart change in the their hearts.  There is a response to every prophetic thing. Faith hope and love are what should remain (that is a precept).

A good precept to embrace is to identify and receive true prophets and discern false ones.  A true prophetic person should be listened to! 

Pre-ers know the principle of how God feels about it.  They are growing in faith that agreeing with God's precepts are the only safe place in the storm human pride is brewing.  Truly prophetic people aren't telling everyone else who to hate, be mad at, or blame... They are giving themselves to God's character, rn. God's in the business of saving people, not accusing them.  God isn't afraid of people.  That is precept.

If you want to be safe, get close to God's heart, rn.  That's a precept that is always in season!