We
have heard a lot of preaching and teaching about listening to what is said but
are we really hearing what God’s Word is telling us?
In
Ezekiel many times it says “hear this” or “Hear Me” etc. God spoke to His
prophets so clearly they could tell His voice from their own and wrote it down!
Can we do this today? Do we hear what He is saying?
Let
us assume that we each are reading our Bibles on a somewhat regular basis; do
you hear His voice directing you on what to do with what you have read?
Secondly, do you do what
He said to do? Speak to whom He said to speak? Help whom He said to help? Even
if it puts you out of your comfort zone?
Through out the Word of
God there is proof of people suffering disaster after disaster because they
just did not get it; they did not listen and hear the word of the Lord God.
“Most assuredly, I say to
you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other
way the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the
shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the cheep hear his
voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he
brings out his own sheep he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for
they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger but will flee
from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Jesus used this
illustration but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
John 10:1-6
If you know God, know
Jesus, then you should know His voice. We have ears to hear, we have eyes to
see; we have been sent; but do we hear what the spirit is saying to the church
today?
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.
Job 42:5
I guess it all comes down
to do we believe? IF we believe then we can call upon Him and if we can call
upon Him that means we can listen and hear what His Holy Spirit is saying to
us.
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We can listen in the Word
itself, we can listen via worship or praise music and we can listen to those
who are given to us to teach us. Those whom God sent to us to tell us what He
wanted us to know!
How then shall they call
on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of
whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how
shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are
the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace who bring glad tidings of good
things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who
has believed our report?” so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the
word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone
out to all the earth…” Romans 10:14-18
Sometimes we think we know
more than God. I am serious here, we think He allows us to sit in church and
not get fed. When I think about this I laugh because God will feed us from a
flower in the garden, show us great and mighty things if we are listening to
hear what He says in this regard.
We listen with our heart,
not our physical ears, but spiritual ears.
When you sit in church and
the preacher is telling you a story or message you have heard before do not
turn off your heart’s ears! Keep them tuned in and ask God what it is He wants
you to get from this message!
When you are reading your
Bible for the ‘umpteeth’ time and begin to read it by rote; ask God what He
wants you to hear from Him today. There is always something new to learn,
always something new to hear from His word.
I will bless the Lord who
has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. Psalm
16:7
God will give us counsel,
instruct us in how to live, how to fellowship, whom to be linked to in
friendship and even in marriage; but we must first learn to hear the Word of
God. We must first have faith.
Faith is trusting in a
great big God who can move mountains, calm seas and take care of you, and me!
That is taken from a song
that gave me such encouragement during the birth of my youngest child that I
had perfect peace even though he was born “beyond blue”.
Had I not taken the
instruction from a little kids worship song brought to me through my daughter
and she via her Vacation Bible School
at Crossroads Church
in Concord , California
If my daughter had not
heard the song; heard the Lord in the song; the Spirit would not have passed it
on to me. She sang it like a broken record, she was only 3 she probably did not
have a clue that God was using her, she just sang what God put on her heart to
do.
Today when I hear her
sing, it delights my heart. She has a beautiful voice, if you have ever heard
it you will agree. I encourage her to sing more because her voice brought God’s
message to me. The message was ‘peace be still my child, trust me to take care
of your child as I do you”.
Again He has given me this
message when I sent my daughter off to University in another state; “Trust me
to take care of her, she is my child too”.
Hear the Lord today my
friends, He wants to speak to your heart; Trust Him to do what He knows to do
and keep your children as He keeps you. He loves you and will never leave you.
Dear Heavenly Father, Help
us to trust You and know your voice as we are Your Sheep. In Jesus name, amen,
Suggested reading: Psalm
16:1-11, Romans 10:1-21, John 10:1-43, Proverbs
3:1-36