EARS TO HEAR


Hearing God must be pretty important!

Jesus said seven times in his letters to the churches (Revelation, chapters 2-3), "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."  Jesus addressed our hearing issue in John chapter 10 verses 2-4... "The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gates for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.  He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."  I want it to be said of me that I KNOW His voice!  I often pray, "Lord, give me ears to hear what Your Spirit is speaking.

Why do I pray that prayer?  God is at work all around us and has many things on His heart that He wants to share with us.  We are His legs, His arms, His smile, His voice to the people around us.  So it only makes sense that we know what it is He is interested in doing!  My Father is still in the business of leading me and teaching me.  As a kid I was told, "you have one mouth and two ears, so you should listen twice as much as you speak.".  I haven't always followed that advice, but I am trying to do better. 

We often think prayer means us speaking to God.  But prayer is also listening to hear what He has to say to us.  I need spiritual ears attuned to His lips so I know exactly how to respond in situations I find myself.  Jesus wasn't a mind reader.  So how did He know about the people He encountered? He listened to His Father tell Him exactly what He needed to know.  For instance, think about the woman at the well in John chapter 4.  He knew this woman had been married 4 times and the man she was now living with wasn't her husband.  How did He know?  The spirit of God told Him!  Jesus was a man, who was filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit and taught by the Spirit of God.  That means, I can be like Him today if I am willing to pursue the Spirit of God.  I can  have ears to hear the Spirit of God and respond with the same words of knowledge to people I meet. 

Jesus modeled life with God as His best friend!  He spent time alone with His Father, listening and learning.  If I am willing to do the same, I can do the same things that Jesus did!  Does that stretch your understanding of who God is?  Do you want to be like Jesus?  Than join with me in telling Him, "I want to have ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying today so I can change the world just like You did!"

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