Category Archives: Hearing God

Popular Or Particular??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #184

11 Sunday Feb 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Call To Look Unto Jesus!, A Form of godliness?, Hear ye HIM!, Hearing God, Heaven or Hell?, Hell's Real, Holy Living, Lead them to Jesus., Leading Or Mis-Leading?, Let You Light So Shine, Living by Faith or Entertainment?, Living Right, Living TODAY!

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Popular Or Particular??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #184

Or we could say, “Kids Matter”!  What do these three things have in common?  Well, simply put, we can lead, teach, and encourage our children to be particular in their life choices, or we can fail to regard the import of our call to instruct, direct and teach our children the ways of God, leading by our example or teach them that popularity is the ultimate goal.  It breaks my heart when I see parents more concerned with their child’s popularity than with teaching then the biblical foundations of truth.  It’s the curse of our culture—be the “idol”, the “star”, the “lone ranger” or whatever will put them in the “spotlight”!  How sad that it seems we have lost sight of the greater goal to help our children become godly, productive men and women of God making a difference in a world gone crazy.

We need to overcome the old adage of, “Do what I say, not what I do”, and lead our children to the cross not “Hellywood” and its culture!  Scripture is replete with warnings, instructions, and the call to be what God wants us to be, not what the enemy of our souls dangles in front of our children (and the adults too).  It seems that we have slept through God’s warnings in scripture.

“Love not the world,

neither the things that are in the world.

If any man love the world,

the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world,

the lust of the flesh,

and the lust of the eyes,

and the pride of life,

is not of the Father,

but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away,

and the lust thereof:

but he that doeth the will of God

abideth for ever.”  1 John 2:15-17

When we determine to live for Jesus, by His power, His might and His wisdom, the world will not like it.  How is that so many who claim the name of Jesus have no desire to follow Him.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father

hath bestowed upon us,

that we should be called the sons of God:

therefore the world knoweth us not,

because it knew him not.

2 Beloved now are we the sons of God,

and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:

but we know that, when he shall appear,

we shall be like him;

for we shall see him

as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him

purifieth himself,

even as he is pure.”  1 John 3:1-3

Are we God’s children?  How?  It’s a work of grace and truth– Jesus, who saves us by repentance and faith in His substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for sin—my sin and yours!

“He was in the world,

and the world was made by him,

and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own,

and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him,

to them gave he power

to become the sons of God,

even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

but of God.”  John 1:10-13 

It’s the same “new birth” that Jesus referred to in John chapter 3, when he told Nicodemus, “ye must be born again”!  Yet so many claim to belong to Jesus, but their lives match the world not The King of Kings!  We need to consider the words of James and examine our life to see where our allegiance lies—with Jesus or with the world.  Whose child are you?  The behavior will tell the tale, let’s determine to make our “lights shine for Jesus not the Devil”!

“Ye lust,

and have not:

ye kill,

and desire to have,

and cannot obtain:

ye fight and war,

yet ye have not,

because ye ask not.

3 Ye ask,

and receive not,

because ye ask amiss,

that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses,

know ye not that the friendship of the world

is enmity with God?

whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world

is the enemy of God.

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain,

The spirit that dwelleth in us

lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace.

Wherefore he saith,

God resisteth the proud,

but giveth grace unto the humble.

 7 Submit yourselves therefore

to God.

Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God,

and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands,

ye sinners;

and purify your hearts,

ye double minded.”  James 4:2-8

May we truly “Draw nigh to God” that He will “draw nigh to you”; seeking to know God’s will and His ways and leading our children and grandchildren to the cross and not the pit of hell.  I don’t mean to be blunt, but time is short, and our children are going to hell in a handbasket, often because we have failed to show them the “crucified life” and the Redeemer who died for their sin!  Let’s lead them to the cross and not the world—only the cross provides real life.  Do we really believe that?  I do! It’s your choice but choose wisely, there is a test.

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live in the flesh

I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

Will we stand up for the gospel in this day of compromise that others may see Jesus in us?

“For it is written,

As I live, saith the Lord,

every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall confess to God.

12 So then every one of us

shall give account of himself to God.”   Romans 14:11-12

Amen and Amen!!!

He may come today!  Are you ready?

Greater IS HE??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #139

04 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, Abiding In Jesus, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Abiding In The Vine, All About Jesus!, All Sufficient God!, Almost But Lost, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Greater is HE that is IN US!, He Died That We Could Live, He Opens Blinded Eyes to SEE, Hear ye HIM!, Hearing God

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Greater IS HE??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #139

It is so easy to become dependent on our own strength, wisdom, and strength, but in truth I am so aware of the truth that Jesus spoke in John 15, that I remind myself (my often self-willed and self-determined self) that it is ALL because of Calvary and the ONE who gave Himself for my salvation!  He is my hope, help and supply in all things—not just in so-called “spiritual” things but in all things!  I need to listen to HIS voice and pursue HIS will in ALL things.

“I am the true vine,

and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me

that beareth not fruit

he taketh away:

and every branch

that beareth fruit,

he purgeth it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean

through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me,

and I in you.

As the branch

cannot bear fruit of itself,

except it abide in the vine;

no more can ye,

except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me ye can do nothing.”  John 15:1-5

There is so much that I could write on this subject, but suffice it to say, we must –yes, we must abide in JESUS—every day, every step of the way, in ups and downs, in good times and difficult ones, whether we understand or not!  All I need to know is that JESUS is my King, my Lord, and my Guide in all that I will release to HIM!  All things!  It’s what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 3, where he contrasts the difference between “wood…hay… stubble… gold…silver….and precious stones”; just as he wrote to the Galatians to “walk in the Spirit” not the flesh!  It’s one of the hardest things to do consistently, walk in HIS SPIRIT and not our own earthly wisdom; but the results call us to strive for God’s will—it will result in eternal, indestructible results that will withstand the judgement of fire before our KING!  And there is a day coming (and very soon, I believe) when we will stand before The Lord Jesus and answer for our decisions, our life, and our work!  Oh, how I want to please HIM, but it means I must learn more and more to “Abide in me, and I in you”!  Right here–right now!  Will you join me in the pursuit of holiness in our Lord Jesus, that we might truly hear HIM say, “well done, thou good and faithful servant”!

HOW?  How do we stand fast and follow?  Well, it’s not easy, but it is doable because we do it “IN HIM”, and John makes it clear for us in his letter to encourage and help believers.

“Ye are of God, little children,

and have overcome them:

because greater is he that is in you,

than he that is in the world.”  1 John 4:4

John goes on to say:

“If we receive the witness of men,

the witness of God is greater:

for this is the witness of God

which he hath testified of his Son.

10 He that believeth on the Son of God

 hath the witness in himself:

he that believeth not

God hath made him a liar;

because he believeth not the record

that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record,

that God hath given to us eternal life,

and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son

hath life;

and he that hath not the Son of God

hath not life.”  1 John 5 :9-12

Are you running your own show?  Or have you come to Jesus in repentance and faith in HIS substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for YOU?  He IS able—and HE will keep you, for truly “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world”, for those who are HIS own!  I’m so glad HE saved me!  How about you?  John said it all:

“He that hath the Son

hath life;

and he that hath not the Son of God

hath not life.”!!!

Amen and Amen!!!

 

Hear Ye HIM??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #68

22 Wednesday Feb 2023

Posted by in A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, A heart of faith, Abiding In Jesus, Doers or intenders?, Forgetting or Remembering?, Hear ye HIM!, Hearing God, Holiness, Holy, Holy Living, Holy Spirit, It's Your Choice, JESUS, Jesus IN You!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Just DO it!

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Hear Ye HIM???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #68

“While he yet spake,

behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:

and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said,

This is my beloved Son,

in whom I am well pleased;

hear ye him.

6 And when the disciples heard it,

they fell on their face,

and were sore afraid.

7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said,

Arise, and be not afraid.

8 And when they had lifted up their eyes,

they saw no man,

save Jesus only.”  Matthew 17:5-8

Have you heard the voice of Jesus?  No, not audibly with your ears, but with your heart and mind?  Jesus speaks in unique ways, at unique times, and usually with a unique calling.  The problem is we don’t always hear for the clatter of the world.  Or sometimes we tempt/test God by saying, “God, if you don’t want me to do this/or that, then stop me!”  Well, I can tell you, I have said that more than once, and on more than one occasion, God has sent events, circumstances, or people to “stop” me, and on more than one occasion I just ran full throttle ahead into a fray that cost me dearly.  Scripture warns us over and over again, that we must cultivate a heart that is open to the voice of God, and that when we don’t there are consequences to pay.

Paul had a lot to say about how to avoid unpleasant consequences.

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil

the lust of the flesh.”  Galatians 5:16

“If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:25

Jesus closed each of the seven letters to the seven churches of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 with a phrase that should resound in our hearts as well as our “ears”!  Do you have an “ear to hear”?

“He that hath an ear,

let him hear

what the Spirit saith…”.  Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 23

If Jesus repeated this call to the seven churches–to those who claimed HIS name, it would seem to merit our attention to what HE is saying to us–to you and me–today, from HIS WORD as well as HIS Holy Spirit’s voice to our hearts.

James described it in another way, as he reminded us of our ability to “forget”. And believe me, at my age, I certainly know that fact well!  But will we heed James’ call and stay in The Word, or will we continue to live lives ruled by our culture rather than our LORD?

“But be ye doers of the word,

and not hearers only,

deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word,

and not a doer,

he is like unto a man beholding his natural face

in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself,

and goeth his way,

and STRAIGHTWAY FORGETTETH

WHAT MANNER OF MAN HE WAS.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,

and continueth therein,

he being NOT A FORGETFUL HEARER,

BUT A DOER OF THE WORK,

this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you SEEM TO BE religious,

and bridleth not his tongue,

but DECEIVETH HIS OWN HEART,

this man’s religion is vain.

27 Pure religion

and undefiled before God and the Father is this,

To visit the fatherless

and widows

in their affliction,

and TO KEEP HIMSELF UNSPOTTED

FROM THE WORLD.”  James 1:22-27.                          (Added emphasis is mine.)

So, my friends, will you “hear ye HIM”, or will you continue to be a “FORGETFUL HEARER” and go your own way?  As Jesus warned us in Matthew 7, the broad way (our way) “leadeth to destruction”!

“Search me, O God,

and know my heart:

try me,

and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way

in me,

and lead me

in the way everlasting.”  Psalm 139:23-24

Amen and Amen!!!

Is This The Way??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #60

11 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by in A Father's Love, A heart of faith, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, God's provision, God's ways are not our ways, God's Wisdom, Hearing God, This IS The Day, walk ye in it

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Is This The Way???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #60

I have a brief word to share with you this morning, and I hope it will speak to you as it speaks so often to me!  God has a way, and HE will reveal that way to us as we seek HIS face, even as we learned as children, “STOP…LOOK…and LISTEN”!  Such a simple thing, yet so hard to put into practice, to remember, yet God reminds us and is ever at work to direct our steps, hear it?

“Trust in the LORD

with all thine heart;

and lean not

unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways

acknowledge him,

and he shall direct

thy paths.

7 Be not wise

in thine own eyes:

fear the LORD,

and depart from evil.”  Proverbs 3:5-7

Simple yet so profound–even as God is our strength from day to day, He will direct our steps just as well–we just have to continually readjust our focus!

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about

with so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside

every weight,

and the sin which doth so easily beset us,

and let us run

with patience

the race

that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus

the author

and finisher

of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him

endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is set down

at the right hand

of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

Are we “looking unto Jesus…”?  Are our lives so busy that we don’t realize that we are being distracted from our “prime directive”, from our Lord who is ever willing to “direct thy paths”?  Oh, we have such a loving and gracious Lord who is ever at our side if we will but “wait on upon the Lord” and tune our hearts to be ever listening for HIS whisper.

“Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the heathen,

I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”  Psalm 46:10-11

We must keep our hearts tuned to God’s voice continually, even as the old hymn by Albert E. Brumley said, “Turn Your Radio ON”!  It takes diligence to see God in the small things as well as the giant ones!  We had an incident happen to us yesterday, and as we got in the car, we were both struck by the clear message that God seemed to be speaking to us in regard to an issue that we had been struggling with; how often we miss God in the things that don’t seem to matter–and yet they may matter greatly!  Isaiah said it better than I can.

“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,

This is the way,

walk ye in it,

when ye turn to the right hand,

and when ye turn to the left.”  Isaiah 30:21

“Hear ye the word of the Lord…”.  Amen and Amen!!!

Can You Pass The Hearing Test?? A Word from THE WORD!!! #59

06 Friday Jan 2023

Posted by in Abiding In Jesus, Choices And Consequences, Choose You This Day!, Choosing Jesus or The World?, Hearing God, What are you listening to?, Who are you listening to?

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Can You Pass The Hearing Test?? A Word from THE WORD!!! #59

“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith,

To day if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your hearts,

as in the provocation,

in the day of temptation

in the wilderness:

9 When your fathers tempted me,

proved me,

and saw my works

forty years.

10 Wherefore I was grieved

with that generation,

and said,

They do alway err in their heart;

and they have not known my ways.

11 So I sware in my wrath,

They shall not enter into my rest.)

12 Take heed, brethren,

lest there be in any of you

an evil heart of unbelief,

in departing from the living God…

… 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David,

To day, after so long a time; as it is said,

To day if ye will hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.” Hebrews 3:7-12 & 4:7

I know this is a bit lengthy, but I want us to recognize God’s truth, that we can hear, respond, and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, or we can depart from God, His Word, His Son, and His way.  The choice is yours, but choose wisely, there is a test!  So, I want to share a few scriptures that call us to search our hearts and be sure whose we are.

“Search me, O God,

and know my heart:

try me,

and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way

in me,

and lead me

in the way everlasting.”  Psalm 139:23-24

“Order my steps

in thy word:

and let not any iniquity

have dominion over me.”  Psalm 119:133

Even as Jesus rebuked the religious leaders, you can read the Bible and miss the message–and the messenger; or you can choose to diligently seek God’s face not just His blessings!

“Search the scriptures;

for in them ye think ye have eternal life:

and they are they

which testify of me.

40 And ye will not come to me,

that ye might have life.”  John 5:39-40

Paul also gives us amazing advice which we all need to remember and heed.

“Study to shew thyself approved

unto God,

a workman

that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing

the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15

“All scripture

is given by inspiration of God,

and is profitable

for doctrine, (what you know about God)

for reproof,   (recognizing the wrong)

for correction, (fixing the wrong)

for instruction in righteousness: (prevention)

17 That the man of God

may be perfect,

thoroughly furnished

unto all good works.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17

So will you heed the voice of Jesus that is still calling today!  Check your ears!

“Come unto me,

all ye that labour

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you,

and learn of me;

for I am meek

and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy,

and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-29

May you have a blessed day and find the joy of the Lord “is my strength”!

Amen and Amen!!!