Voices

There are many voices clamoring for our attention today.  You hear them from morning until night depending on your situation.  We are constantly bombarded with voices trying to get us to listen.  Some voices we need to pay close attention to and others not so much.  Some people talk but what they say is not what we should be listening to.

But there is one voice we need to be careful to listen to and that is the voice of God’s Spirit.  When the Holy Spirit speaks, it may be a still small voice in our minds, that many times we don’t hear, or we ignore because we don’t recognize it as the voice of the Spirit of God.  Not paying attention to what the Holy Spirit is telling us can be disastrous because He may be warning us of some impending danger that we are not aware of.  I think that I have heard the Lord’s voice on more than one occasion and I am sure there was more than one time I didn’t listen.

I remember one of those times; I was going to take my bicycle to go do a job for a guy that I worked for when I was doing lawns as a business.  Before I left it was impressed on me to wear my helmet, which I never did because I didn’t like wearing them mainly because of two reasons; one, it would mess my hair up and the other was I would look funny, at least that’s what I thought, which was just a form of pride.  To make a long story short I had an accident which landed me in the hospital with many stitches in my head, which could have been avoided if I would have listened to the Holy Spirit instead of letting pride get the best of me.  I may have had the accident, but I think I would have walked away with only some bruises.

This happened to Paul on his missionary journeys, he heard from the Lord on more than one occasion also; it talks about two occasions in Acts 16:6-8 saying this, “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.”

They were forbidden to go to Asia and preach the Word, by the Holy Spirit, and when they tried to go to Bithynia the Holy Spirit didn’t want them to go there either.  Paul was very obedient and in tune to the Holy Spirit.  Whether the Holy Spirit talked to Paul directly or some other way is not certain, but we know that Paul listened and was obedient.  We don’t know what Paul avoided by not going to Asia or Bithynia, but we do know that the Holy Spirit has our best in mind and Paul knew that also.  Like Paul we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and we also need to be aware of His voice when He speaks to us, then we need to be obedient to what He is saying, because we don’t want to grieve the Holy Spirit.

Have you ignored the Holy Spirit’s voice?  If you have, repent and confess it and ask the Lord to forgive you, and then try to be more sensitive to his voice and then be obedient.  You will feel so much better and the Lord will be pleased with you.  God bless you and have a great day!!  PS don’t forget the thank and praise the Lord.        

Listening and Doing

Today I want to talk about doing what you listen to.  Putting the Word of God into action, is very important, it seems like many believers fail at this.  The Word in Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

All true believers have been made into new creatures that have been washed, cleansed and purified through the blood of Jesus and have become children of the most high God, praise the Lord!!  From that day on we should strive to renew our minds, which will take a conscious decision on our part.  We have been conformed to this world, in many cases for years, depending on how old you were when you had that life changing moment of rebirth.  When we are born-again we do not become perfect people, we still have that sin nature, and as long as that exists we will have a struggle with temptation and sin.  

We have a free choice to choose either to conform to the world, or to be transformed.  This world’s customs, values and behaviors should be avoided so a transformation can take place in our minds.  How do we transform our minds?  We transform our minds by the things we allow into our minds, by what we look at, by what we do, by where we go, by controlling our thought life and by what we listen to.  Many times when you walk through this life you can’t always control what you see and hear, but when you are in your own home, you have a choice, but even then sometimes you cannot control these things, it may depend on your circumstances and who you live with, but, when you have a choice you can choose to make the right choices.

Reading and studying the Word of God is essential to having a transformed life.  Getting into the Word and getting the Word in you through studying, meditation and memorization and bathing it all in prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to teach you, also seeking God for wisdom and finding a church where the pastors teach truth no matter what the consequence, then putting all the things you learn into practice, I think these things are the key to a transformed life.  But keep this in mind, you can study and learn many things but if it doesn’t come through your actions and the way you live, then you are not being transformed, all it is, is head knowledge.  If your mind is being transformed you will know it and so will the people that know you.

Jesus said this about the Pharisees and scribes who knew the Word, and also taught it, in Mark 7:6-7, “He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”  It seems like these men were good at lip service, not living the truth, and not teaching the truth at that time either.

James had this to say about listening and doing in the book of James 1:22-25, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

I think it takes all the things I mentioned above to transform a life.  Studying and listening is not enough, it takes putting what you learn in God’s Word into practice, and then you will know what the will of God is for your life.  People will see the transformation in your life and the Lord will be pleased and you will be blessed; now it is up to you.  Something to think about and may you have a blessed day!!   

           

                                                                      

How Do You Hear?

I have a problem at times with listening to people because I am thinking about what I want to say to them.  Listening to people is, to me a gift; I mean really taking the time to listen.  Many times we can misunderstand people because we just don’t take the time to listen to the person talking since many times we think that what we have to say is more important than what others have to say, or we want the attention the other person is getting.  There are times when we block out what people are saying purposely because we don’t want to hear what they have to say.  

What all of us need to understand is that God chooses to use people, and He may speak to someone the very words that we need to hear, but if we don’t take the time to listen we will miss out on what the Lord is trying to tell us.  We call that ‘selective hearing.’  How many times have you talked to someone and they keep repeating what, what, over and over again? Many times they hear but they are so preoccupied with what they are thinking about, or what they may be watching at the time, that they aren’t paying attention to what you are saying; it is not that they didn’t hear you, no; you just didn’t get their attention.

This happens in marriages and relationships far too often and causes many problems in these situations.   Selective hearing is not always a good thing because far too often people miss out on what they need to hear, hearing instead what they want to hear.  Think about God’s Word, for instance, there are people that are selective hearers, hearing only what they want to hear missing out on what they need to hear; the very things that would change their lives if they listened and put that Word into practice.  Many times people are deceived because of their selective hearing.  Young people seem to be notorious for this kind of hearing problem, but I think we all have the problem at times.

The Word of God has some things to say about this subject and one of them is this, it is in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”   There are many, many people that have heard the salvation message and have rejected it because they didn’t want to receive what they heard and not because they weren’t told, somewhat like the Israelites back in Jesus’ days when He walked the earth.

The Word goes on to say this in the same chapter in verses 18-21:

“But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:

“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,

And their words to the ends of the world.”

But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,

I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”

But Isaiah is very bold and says:

“I was found by those who did not seek Me;

I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

But to Israel he says:

“All day long I have stretched out My hands

To a disobedient and contrary people.”

There is more about this subject as Paul was instructing Timothy about his preaching and what would take place in 2 Timothy 4:1-5, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Having ‘itching ears’ means listening to only what they want to hear.  This can be disastrous, so be careful that you won’t be deceived by listening to good sounding words that are not the truth.  Be careful to listen to what you need to hear and not only what you want to hear, then act on what you hear.  Don’t make the mistake that the Israelites made by not being obedient to what they heard.  May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He shine His face upon you and give you peace.  Have a great day!!     

Obstacles

Even believers face obstacles and challenges, which should be expected, but being defeated by them is not an option if we are believers.  Losing battles can be expected but losing the war is not an option.  Dry times and valleys will take place, but victory must always follow.  Pain and sorrow will take place, these things happen to everyone at times, but believers are not without hope, the Lord’s peace and joy will get us through these times, for the joy of the Lord is our strength.  We are not exempt from tribulation and trials but we can be certain that we can overcome them; Jesus said He overcame all these things and the world and with His help we will also overcome them, praise the Lord. 

The Bible says this in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  There is no trial, obstacle, challenge or battle that you are facing that you cannot overcome with the Lord’s help.  I used this verse yesterday and I thought it would be good to use it today also. Yesterday I talked about the help Paul received from the church in Thessalonica, today I will be talking about Paul’s trials and the persecution he experienced.

In 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 it says this, “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—”  Paul experienced many trials and was persecuted many times but he endured all these things and never gave up, in fact Paul seemed to live expecting to suffer for the Lord and his faith.  

Paul said this in Colossians 1:24, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.”  Paul accepted suffering for the church because Paul knew that bringing the gospel to them would, at times, cost him something and he felt it was worth it because he loved the Lord and he loved the church therefore he wanted everyone to come to know the Lord like he did.

If you are a believer and have shared your faith with others you have probably experienced opposition from those that didn’t want to hear what you had to say.  If you haven’t you can be sure that it will happen someday if you don’t give up.  You may never go through what Paul did but there are many forms of persecution, they could be verbal or physical. Paul said these things in his letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:10-12, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

So you see that Paul experienced all the things that I spoke of at the beginning of this ‘Tidbit’ and Paul was victorious, never giving in to defeat and so you and I can be victorious also.  The Lord is for us so we can win.  Because He never lost a battle, with His help, we will overcome all the battles we have to face.  So if you are going through any of the things I mentioned above, remember this, the Word says in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Something to think about and may the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a great day.  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!  

                                                                                              

All Things

Paul said this in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  At the time Paul was grateful for the gift that he had received from the Philippians and he wanted to express it to them, but he also wanted them to know that he had learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself in, saying this in verse 11, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”  Paul knew he had to draw on the Lord’s strength.

Then he went on to say this in verse 12, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”  Paul knew what it was like to be full and what it was like to suffer and to accept whatever situation he was in, and not only to accept it, but to be content in it.

We as believers will face many things in our walk with the Lord and we will have to learn some of the same lessons that Paul did.  Many people are losing their homes, their jobs and by the looks things may escalate, getting worse instead of better.  Many people don’t know what it is like to go without food for a period of time and really be in need.  Most of us are obese, living fat and sassy lives without much worry about when our next meal will be or where it will come from, but what if our resources dried up and we had to skimp on meals and other necessities, could we still be content in those kinds of situations like Paul was?  

Paul’s concern wasn’t for himself when he received the gift, but his concern was for the church and their willingness to give.  He said this in verses 16-17 in that same chapter, “For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.”  Paul was thankful and he commended the church but it wasn’t the gift that was the most important thing to Paul, it was their love and devotion that meant the most to Paul.

Then in verse 19 Paul said this, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  Remember God supplies our needs, but not always our wants, although He may not supply them all in this life, some will be supplied in the next life.  

Christians will suffer and ultimately die because God doesn’t always intervene in those situations.  At the end of his life, Paul was beheaded and died, but he always thought it best to be with the Lord.  He said this in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”  I think that was Paul’s main desire from the time he had his encounter with the Lord on the Damascus road until he breathed his last breathe.

What about you?  Something to think about.  God bless and have a super day!!