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Good Morning,

Everything that is in our lives (who we are, how we respond to others in our lives, how we think and come to conclusions, even how and why we feel the way we do and when we feel it) has its’ foundation in our hearing clearly.  Before we go on to other things we want to get our hearing straight!  Proverbs 4:20 says; "My son (child), pay attention to My words; incline (which means to bend the ear, lean in to hear the speaker more clearly) your ear unto My sayings.  Let them (the words that is being said) not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst (center of your heart, which includes your mind, will and emotions) for they are life to those who find them (those who are listening clearly), and health to all their flesh.  Keep and guard your heart (we are the gatekeepers of what we hear clearly; we can let things in or keep things out) with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life (our life and our living springs from what we have let or allowed in).  See,what we hear or listen to intently will be allowed into our mind, will and emotions and that is where our thought life and our behavior life is formed.  We become what we give our attention to!

So, let’s just do it! Let’s change our ability to hear clearly.  "Understand this, my beloved brethren.  Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19).  Swift to hear, means to be prompt and more ready to hear.  It can be used to depict a runner who runs as fast as he can so he can reach the finish line before his competitors.  We could read the scripture this way; "Understand this, my beloved brethren, set your focus on becoming a good listener and do it with all your might, as if you are in a competiton to win the race of being a good listener".  James is telling us to become prize-winning listeners instead of prize-winning fighters or prize-winning talkers.  Well, we all know that this is going to take commitment and practice.  Even if we are quiet by nature that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are listening.  You know that’s right!  So let’s exercise our hearing.  1Timothy 4:7 & 8, tells us; "…exercise yourself unto godliness.  For bodily exercise profits a little; but godliness is profitable (useful and of value in everything and in everyway) for it holds promise for the present life and for the life which is to come".  Exercise in greek is the word gumnadzo and it means "radical discipline.  It is the word that ancient greeks used to portray the atheletes who exercised, trained and prepared for competing in their games, which were brutal and barbaric.  It is where we get our word gynasium.  Gumnadzo depicts a people who want to develop and change so much that they are willing to put themselves through vigorous, demanding and strenuous discipline in order to bring about that change.  Is that you and I?  Then all that is left to do, is just do it.  We can do anything we give ourselves to.  We are the gatekeepers, are we not?  Who controls what you think, who controls what you say? The answer is simple, I do.  I can strengthen myself right now.  How do I exercise myself into hearing clearly?  Well, I can answer that by asking you a question.  Do you know where you are ‘weak ‘ in listening?  Do you "check out", while others are talking?  Are you able to repeat exactly what has been spoken to you, without adding your own words?  Are you constantly being accused (by more than one person) of not understanding what has been said to you?  Do you usually interrupt while others are speaking?  If the answer to these questions are yes, then we need to start today in becoming prize-winning listeners.  Our exercise can begin by leaning in to hear when God and others speak today, stop all other thoughts and outside activity and give undivided attention to what is being said.  Practice repeating what you think you hear to the ear of the one who spoke.  We can do it!  We can do all things through Christ, which strenghtens us (Phil. 4:13).  Gumnadzo!!! Get to it!

Love,

Pastor D.

Good Morning,    Today, I was going to discuss the demonic forces that try to hinder our ability to hear, but I was talking to my daughter this morning about this very subject and she shed some revelation on the subject.  So, we are going to talk again about one of the deceptive devices that the enemy of our soul uses against us.  It is one of the  "greatest" obstacles or snares to our hearing clearly, it isn’t misinterpreting or misunderstanding (even though these are "biggies").  It still comes under the catergory of our dirty filter, it is plain ole’ selfishness.   What?  Yes, just wanting something said, ‘the way you want to hear it.’  You will find yourself staying on a ‘particular’ subject {that did not come across to you the way you wanted to hear it} and you will search high and low, trying to find someone, anyone who will speak ‘your’ truth to your hearing. So that everthing in your little world stays the same.  This is very dangerous, for it will keep you from growing and missing the opportunity to hear the voice of the Lord.  He requires you to get understanding of what He is saying to you, He will not compromise His word to satisfy our ‘selfish hearing’ ways.  There is a written warning in His word against this hearing problem: "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching.  They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.  They will reject the truth and go chasing their own myths" (2 Timothy 4:3).  Let’s not look for our own personal "Yes Men", that cater to our hearing desires.  Our hearing-aid is the Word of God and the person of the Holy Spirit (who leads and guides us into all truths).   So instead of allowing this type of hearing problem to continue, which will eventually lead to your own ‘spiritual deafness’, let’s put some seed in the ground of our hearts. "The Master God has given me a well-taught tongue, so I know how to encourage the weary.  He wakes me up in the morning, wakes me up, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders.  The Master God opens my ears, and I didn’t go back to sleep, I didn’t pull the covers over my ears, I followed orders" (Isaiah 50:4,5).  We as the people of God are developing ears to hear for we know He is talking to us.  With all of our getting we are getting understanding (discernment, comprehesion and interpretation).  So that we will grow from glory to glory in our ability to hear clearly.  This week plant Is. 50:4,5 in your heart with your mouth, say it until it is deeply rooted and brings clarity of hearing to you.  We will not close our ears, we listen and follow orders!                                                                                          Be blessed,                                                                                          Pastor D.

Good Morning,

There were two images that kept coming to my mind this morning, at the same time that this verse was bubbling in my heart, here is the verse: John 10:27, " My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me." Now the two images are as follows; the first one is of a song and the lyrics that say, "Earth people, this is God, please come in!" The second image is the commercial, where the man is on the cell phone and he keeps saying; " Can you hear me now?"

Well, God said very clearly through His Word that His sheep hear His voice.  If we are having difficulties hearing His voice and yet we’re saying that we are His sheep, we need to develop a sensitive ear to hear His voice.  The bad connection usually means that there is too much interference or a poor connection.  These things can affect our ability to hear and to hear clearly.  Are we hearing clearly, or, are there things that we allow to interfere with our ability to hear correctly?

Mark 4:12-20; gives us a list of things that could cause interference in our ability to hear.  Affliction, persecution, cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things: under this listing would go all other kinds of subtitles that touch our lives and affect our hearing the Shepherd of our soul. Verse 22 says," If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend, what he is hearing. Verse 24 ,says further," Be careful what you are hearing (in other words, pay attention to what you hear as well as to how you listen).  If we hear and listen through the ears that are filtered through our afflictions, persecutions, offenses, cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things, then we will end up intermingling a little of these things into how we perceive hearing from God.  These poor connections and interferences will only be multiplied back creating difficulties in our perception of the Good Shepherd.(read the rest of verse 24)

So, today we ask, Jesus, Shepherd of our soul to remove from our ears those things that hinder us from hearing clearly.  It is our desire to hear, obey and follow you. We say boldly that we are your sheep and now we do hear you. We recognize the things that try to block our hearing and we pull down all those strongholds.  It is so good to hear you so clearly, Lord. Thank you, Jesus.