It's A Heart Problem (Mt. 12:50)

Read Matthew 12:50.

There is much seeking to know God's will.  I don't think delay means He is playing games with us. No, He wants to reveal what we seek.  Perhaps delay is His tool to test our obedience.  It is one thing to know God's will and another to do it.  Those who know but don't do lack intimacy with Jesus.  Why?  Matthew 13:15a sheds light on this.  A dull heart will not hear.  It is not a hearing problem; rather, it is a heart problem.

Hearing Ear & Seeing Eye (Prov. 20:12)

Read Proverbs 20:12.
1.  Gratitude for senses
2.  Hope for restoration
     (if something is wrong w/ sight or hearing)
3.  Questions for consideration
        - Do you see what God is revealing to you?
        - Do you hear what God is saying to you?
4.  Observation for investigation
        - The hearing ear is listed first.  This is significant.  If
        you don't prioritize hearing from God, you will end up
        seeing or pursuing something He doesn't authorize.
We live in a visually-driven society.  God says, "Hear.  Please listen to Me."

Luke 22:47a

Read Luke 22:47.

"While He was yet speaking, a crowd came . . ."

That's called an interruption.  Jesus was repeating (Lu. 22:46) what He said earlier (Lu. 22:40).  You don't always get a second time to implement what Jesus said the first time.  It is not enough to hear. Hearing should lead to doing.  To assume or hope for a second chance to obey isn't a wise course.

My Prayer (12/28/16)

Read Matthew 17:24-27.

Lord, talk to me about the things others have already talked to me about.  Yours is the voice that settles it.  Yours is the perspective with the solution.  Others bring a charge, You bring change. Others bring condemnation, You bring liberation.  Others bring a problem, You bring a provision.  Others bring accusation, You bring peace.  O Lord, to hear You speak!  Speak to me about what I don't know that You already know.

Fermentation of The Senses (Mt. 13:15)

Read Matthew 13:15.

• Notice three things to beware.
• Beware a hard, insensitive, small heart.  The world doesn't need any more Grinch activity.
• Beware deaf ears -- the refusal or incapacity to listen.
• Beware closed eyes -- denial, stubbornness.
• To stop the bad results, stop the fermentation process.  
• Observe two things that are needed.
• Increased awareness.
• Immediate application.  Delay promotes disobedience.

Through what means are your spiritual senses being fermented?  (By "fermented" I mean desensitized, compromised, neglected.)  What will you do about this?

Observations from Matthew 13:15

• A    dull heart
• B    ears hard of hearing
• C    eyes closed
• C1  eyes open
• B1  ears sensitive of hearing
• A1  understanding heart

Observations:

1.  This verse is part of Jesus' response to the question about why He speaks in parables (Mt. 13:10).

2.  The center, or hinge, of the above structure is seeing (C & C1).

• If the seeing is not right, the hearing won't be right.
• If the hearing is not right, the heart won't be right.

3.  Read Amos 8:1-3; Zech. 4:1-14 > Seeing came first.  

4.  Here are three questions for you to consider about any passage of Scripture.

• What do I see? (Psa. 119:18)
• What does it mean?  In other words, why is God showing this to me? (Mt. 13:9; Rev. 2:7a)
• What am I to do with what I see and when am I to do it? (Jam. 1:22-25)

Questions from Matthew 13:15

Read Matthew 13:15.

1.  Is my heart (place of decision and will) understanding and repentant or dull and rebellious?

2.  Is my hearing (of God's voice, will and Word) open and sensitive or closed and resistant?

3.  Is my seeing (spiritual sight) blind or focused?

4.  Why did I answer each question the way I did?

Quote by A. W. Tozer

"I confess that it is hard for me to accept the fact that it is now very rare for anyone to come into the house of God, silently confessing: 'Dear Lord, I am ready and willing to hear what You will speak to me today.'"

Tozer, A. W.  "Christ Came To Save."  Mornings With Tozer.  Chicago, IL:  Wing Spread Publishers, 2008.  Entry for February 10.

Careful How You Hear (Lu. 8:15,18)

Based on how we hear, it is determined what we hear.  Hearing is a privilege and discipline, not a right.  Luke 8:15 sheds light on this.  You are not hearing God's Word if you have no intention of doing it.  Without action, there is no profit.  That profit is called "fruit."  Verse 15 gives three qualities needed to be a "doing" hearer (cf. Jam. 1:22-25):  honesty, goodness, and patience.

Why You Might Be Defeated (Part 2) (1 Sam. 17:8-11, 20-24, 26-29, 31-33)

Whom were Israel's soldiers listening to?

• They were listening to Goliath's voice – the voice of intimidation.
• They were listening to each other's voices – the voice of consensus.
• They were listening to Saul's voice – the voice of reason.
•  They were listening to Eliab's voice – the voice of ridicule and contempt.

Whom are God's people listening to?

• They are listening to the politicians – the voice of futility.
• They are listening to the majority – the voice of compliance and tolerance.
• They are listening to to the entertainers – the voice of compromise.
• They are listening to social media – the voice of frivolity.
• They are listening to the news – the voice of negativity and cynicism.
• They are listening to the ads – the voice of discontentment.
• They are listening to their phones – the voice of distraction.
• They are listening to the polls and pundits – the voice of spin.
• They are listening to the times – the voice of doom.
• They are listening to the world – the voice of despair.
• They are listening to the skeptics – the voice of doubt.
• They are listening to the historians – the voice of the past.
• They are listening to their labels – the voice of excuse, fear and bondage.
• They are listening to the experts – the voice of contempt.
• With all of these voices screaming nonstop at you, no wonder you're confused or discouraged at times! No wonder you feel defeated!

Whom should God's people be listening to?

• God's people should be listening to Jesus – the Voice of Victory (Jn. 10:27).

Conclusion:  In order to stop being defeated and start walking in victory, you will need discernment to keep on listening to Jesus.

“I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.”

1 Thess. 5:21-22

Equal Opportunity, Unequal Response (Mt. 26:6-13)

The woman did what she wanted with what was hers.  Jesus defended the woman's action after His disciples were indignant.

As Jesus saw it, the issue wasn't waste but dullness.  Three times Jesus mentioned His death (Mt. 16:21; 17:22; 20:18). Somehow, the woman got hold of this and gained understanding.  The disciples had access to the same information, but didn't "get it."

Not understanding isn't the worst thing.  The worst thing is to not know that you don't understand.  To understand is to realize and commit to the proper response.

Observations:

• Just because you hear doesn't mean you understand.
• How you process God's Word is critical.  Don't be in a hurry.  Ask questions and seek answers.
• Don't squelch, suppress or minimize someone else's worship expression.  (Way to ruin a moment!)
• Revelation (information with understanding) provokes a response.  The purpose of revelation is transformation, not fascination.  
• Your act of obedience, prompted by understanding, will not always be warmly received.

My Prayer (10/28/15)

Read Mark chapter 4.

So much of this chapter has to do with hearing -- interference with, necessity of, and the value of.

I don't know my own heart, Lord.  I'll always want to describe it better than it is.

Show me what keeps me from hearing and doing what you speak.  It isn't that You're silent.  It's that, too often, I'm not.  Let me heed Your admonition:  "Be careful how you hear."  When You speak, stir me to do more than acknowledge it between my ears.  Let it lodge in my spirit! May I entertain that word, enjoy it, consider it, assimilate it.  This will serve me well during life's storms.

No matter the trial, its severity or its duration, You're taking me to "the other side."  Only Your word and Your presence are sufficient to carry me through.  Speak peace over your servant, Lord.

The Holy Spirit and Obedience (Ac. 5:32)

"And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Ac. 5:32, NASB).

You have to do more than want the Holy Spirit, ask for Him or merely enjoy seeing Him move.  The Holy Spirit is given in response to obedience.  To obey the Holy Spirit, you first must know what He says.

Assuming a willingness to obey Him, the great need of the hour is men and women who recognize the voice of the Spirit.  I'm wondering if it is possible to speak in tongues and have little sensitivity?  It is possible to grow up in the church and become accustomed to someone else hearing and obeying the Spirit. You just go along to enjoy the ride.

Invest time learning to hear the Spirit for yourself.  Anointing requires this.  You cannot remain filled with the Spirit if you don't hear Him and obey Him.

What Did Peter Have and Where Did He Get It? (Ac. 3:6)

"But Peter said, 'I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!'" (Ac. 3:6, NASB)

Peter couldn't give what he didn't have.  He could only give what he did have.  What did Peter have? He had boldness, courage, faith, power and sensitivity to what God was up to at that moment.

Where did he get these things?  He got them from a lifestyle of communication with God.

Here are a few observations.
1.  The miracle was spontaneous but the preparation wasn't.
2.  The way to prepare for a miracle tomorrow is during prayer today.

PS:  It wouldn't hurt, during your prayer times, to ask God for increased, sensitized hearing.

He Saw or Heard Something I Didn't

Back Yard, Apollo, PA   6.29.13 @ 1:30 P.M.

There is an intensity about this little fellow!  What did he see or hear that made him stand up?  What if you and I were this attentive to God's voice?

"If anyone has an ear, let him hear" (Rev. 13:9).
"So take care how you listen..." (Lu. 8:18).