Listening vs. Hearing

Oh stupid stupid me!!! All week I've been praying that God would open my eyes to the work that he's doing around me, and the results have been absolutely phenomenal. You can read a bit more about that in my previous blog "God's Work is Everywhere". Truly if you ask with an earnest heart for God to open your eyes, he will. In my studies today however I realized I've been missing something just as important. In addition to asking him to open my eyes, I should be asking him to open my ears as well!!!

How can we claim to want to do God's will if we are not listening? More importantly how can we claim to want to do God's will if we can not hear? The bible says in John 8:47 "He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." The Holy Spirit is our intercessor, and without him God speaks a language that is impossible to understand. This is why so often non-believers do not understand the scriptures. It was not written directly to them. Of course they don't get it!

Once we have the Holy Spirit in our lives, we must actively listen for God's word. God speaks to us in a variety of ways: scripture, circumstances, prayer, other believers, and the church just to name a few. He can however choose to speak to us in any way that suits his purpose. While God does not speak to us in the form of burning bushes anymore, as believers we can not discount that he is actually speaking to us. It is so easy to discount miracles in today's day in age, but the Holy Spirit is nothing short of a miracle! If our lives are in sync with the relationship God has designed for us through Jesus Christ, there will be no doubt in our minds as to when God is communicating with us. The words will echo through our brains as clear as a bell. Not only that, but if it is God speaking to you, you will find confirmation of those words in seemingly everything.

Once God speaks to us we have reached an incredibly pivotal point. We can either choose to obey or disobey. The consequences for disobedience can and often are disastrous. Perhaps even for the long term. God punishes justly those who disobey him. You would not expect a parent to not punish a 2 year old for blatantly and defiantly disobeying them. The same applies to our relationship with God. When God tells us "do this", you darn well better do it. If not, you might as well be pulling down your pants and mooning the heavens. God will absolutely not tolerate it. I would say that it's almost better to not hear the Lords voice at all, but that would imply lack of salvation, and nothing is worse than that. God promises in Hebrews 12:6 "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he punishes every son he accepts." If God promises something, you can take it to the bank. The last thing I want is to be on God's bad side.

For those of us fortunate to have the Holy Spirit in our lives, we have the privilege of hearing God speak. Listening however goes far beyond hearing, and requires action. Just as I have prayed for God to reveal his works around me this week, I am praying that God will open my ears and I will hear him. Not to just hear, but to listen. I am confident that he will, and I look forward to sharing with you what he is telling me in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.