Are You Listening?

 

Are You Listening?

Marsha Deveaux Johnson

http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

 

One of my favorite commercials on television depicts an elderly woman moving around in her family room cleaning and talking to her husband.  She gets no response from him to which she says very loudly “Morty are you l-i-s-t-e-n-i-n-g?”  She still gets no reply from Morty because Morty is on the couch fast asleep. MDJ

 

All of the senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) that God gave to man are irreplaceable.  The ability to see is paramount to our survival in the world in which we live.  We treasure our sight and fiercely protect our eyes.   We also  protect our ears which are invaluable in our communication with others.  I am completely absorbed this morning with the depth of the sense of hearing that manifests when we can identify and distinguish sounds, spoken languages, and anything audible.  

 

I want to call your attention to the Voice  (God the Father)  that constantly speaks to man. God Himself speaks to the spirit of man.  Man’s spirit is the eternal part of him that communicates with God.  Our inward voice or impression in our human spirit is in direct connection with God when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.   We are God-conscious in our spirit.  Our soul (mind, will, and emotions) is conditionally functioning depending upon the attention to the word of God.  If we constantly renew our minds (Romans 12:2) with God’s Word we open a wide door for hearing the voice of God.

 

The challenge for God’s people today is to hear His Voice.  He is saying to us that there is no greater message that needs to be heard but for His people to quiet down and hear Him.   We have listened to leaders, friends, politicians, and many other voices and it is now time to hear His voice. 

 

The problem has been that when other voices  become pronounced in our lives the voice of God becomes distant and faint (1^st Corinthians 14:10),   “There are many voices in the world and none without signification…”).   We render to ourselves answers, decisions, plans, and options that come from self, others, and the devil himself. How can this be?  It can and does happen to even the best of Christians.  It happens because we do not know and obey the voice of God. 

 

God says in His word that His sheep know His voice (John 10:27) and another they will not hear.  God speaks, and we hear Him but choose to not follow instructions.  The next time He speaks, it is harder to hear Him.  Slowly dullness sets in when we hear God’s voice and do not fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives.  We do not spend enough time with Him to profoundly hear His voice.

God impressed in my spirit that there are two things that He is saying to His Body at this time in the earth.

Number one, “Hear My Voice”

Number two, “Do as I have instructed you to do.”

James 1:22-25 “But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

 

John 5:30 says, “I can of my own self do nothing:  as I hear, I judge:  and my judgment is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father who hath sent me”. (KJV) These are the words of Jesus, our perfect example.  He heard and fulfilled every word that Father instructed while He was here on earth.  The perilous and critical times we live in demand that we are led by the Holy Spirit and hear only the voice of the Father. 

 

For those who are listening, the drum beat is getting louder and louder. The need to hear God as never before is paramount. The rescue of souls to the kingdom has taken a back seat to prosperity, selfishness, and fame.  The distractions are as numerous as the sands on the seashore.  Nevertheless, God calls to His own to listen to His voice and do His bidding.

 

God’s voice must be heard in the midst of any human condition that would try to demand our attention.  He shelters us only as we yield our attention and lives to Him and His Word.

 

He gives grace to the humble while humility  is looked upon by the world as a sign of weakness (James 4:6-7, 1^st Peter 5:5-6). He brings us through sufferings while suffering is looked upon by the world  as being out of God’s favor (1^st Peter 4:1), “Inasmuch as Christ suffered, arm yourselves likewise…”).  He demands that we tell and stand with truth when men look upon lying as an ability to seize power. (Colossians 3:9, “Lie not one to another…”, Psalms 101:7-8, “He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight…”).   

 

Religious tradition, self-love, self-promotion, along with all the works of the flesh (Galatian’s 5^th Chapter) can stop the ears from hearing God and following His footsteps.  The fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, temperance, and goodness Galatian’s Chapter 5) can open your ears to the voice of your Heavenly Father.

 

Are You Listening?

Better yet, have you done what He told you to do?