Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, “You are My friends . . .” (John 15:14). Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed it. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don’t even hear Him. He might as well never have spoken to us.The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don’t hear Him. The attitude of a child of God should always be, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God. Have you heard God’s voice today?

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February 13, 2012

Once again Lord, I am not certain that Oswald Chambers and I agree.  Oh I agree that I let things get in the way of hearing You and I agree that I need to be “in tune’ and focused so that I can clearly hear You; all the time. However, the notion that if somebody loves someone they will “instinctively” know what they want from us is beyond me. I need to hear your voice. I do not and cannot trust all the voices I hear, so Lord, please help me hear Your voice clearly and let it be the only voice I respond to.

And God says…”When you listen for Me, you will hear Me. Knock and the door will be opened, search and you will find. When you are connected to Jesus, you can and will hear Me very, very clearly. Stay close to Jesus and you will be transformed, even your ability to listen.”

Hebrews 1

^1-3Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!