Tag: Hear

Mind set on this world

 “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.”

John 8:43  Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

John 8:47  Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Isaiah 44:18    They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

Hosea 14:9     Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Micah 4:12    But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan,

Isaiah 6:9     And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Jeremiah 6:10     To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it.

Romans 8:7     For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

1 John 3:10    By this it is evident who are the children of God,

1 John 4:4    Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

In these scripture we see there are those who hear, listen, and seek God.  There are also those who do not.  It is important to know that the people who were not listening we God’s chosen, the Israelites. These are the ones who had seen the hand of God first hand or had heard first hand what God had done and what He expected.  These were people who either chose to honor, serve, obey and follow God or Not.  I fear we take to lightly this life and walk with God.  We become complacent and neglect our walk with Him until something in this life overcomes our ability to cope and then we run to Him.  This should not be the way our life of service to God is lived out. Give thought to: What does it mean to seek God with your whole heart, mind and soul?  What does a life look like that humbly serves, honors, obeys, and follows God?  Our walk with and service to God is not to be taken lightly.  Spend time in His word.  Seek to know and understand Him and His purpose for you.

They believed His words

“Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

“with minds set on earthly things.”

John 6:26  Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”  Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Psalms 106:12   Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.  But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.  But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;

Ezekiel 33:31     And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Romans 16:18    For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,

Philippians 2:21    For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 6:5    and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

James 4:3   You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.  You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

How many times do we act this same way? “Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.  But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel”  Where we do not wait for His leading.  Where our ears are not listening for His guidance.  Where our heart is set on me, myself, and I.  When the people asked Jesus what works must we do to be doing the work of God, He said believe in whom He sent.  But there is more to “believing” than a thought process in our brain. This belief changes us, or should. Scripture today speaks of many who believed but their belief was not heart and soul deep.  God said to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. Give God all your heart, soul and mind.  Spend time in His word.  Learn of Him and how to serve Him.  Love Him more than things of this world.  Learn to give.  Learn to love, learn to serve, learn to make disciples, learn to give, learn to hope, learn to grow faith, learn for His wisdom.  Spend time in His word. Through believing these actions become evidenced; humble service, God honoring, following faithfully, obeying completely, listening fully, waiting patiently, giving generously, praising and thanking continually.

Signs and Wonders

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 4:48  So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

John 2:18     So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”

John 12:37    Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

John 15:24    If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

Numbers 14:11    And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

Matthew 16:1  And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

Luke 16:31     He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

1 Corintians 1:22  For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Unbelieving souls are everywhere.  The field is ripe and ready for harvest.  Yet there are some plantings that just did not take and grow.  The seeds were planted and watered but did not grow.  This metaphor was given multiple times to try to explain the stumbling block of those looking for signs or finding Christ through wisdom/philosophy.  Unbelieving unbelievers.  And then there are those who “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” However there is more to being a believer than believing.  Imagine you have been given $10 million.  You place it securely in the bank.  You are a millionaire.  If someone asked you if you were a millionaire you would say yes but other than that no one would know other than the one who gave you the millions and where you deposited it.  You spend none of it and for all of those around you none would know you’re a millionaire.  Some make come by your house and see a bank statement if it was left out but other than that no one would know.  What good is this money? What benefit does it have?  It has little to no value to you and certainly does not meet the expectations of one who gave it to you.  I fear the christian walk of many are similar.  Our purpose this side of eternity is more than believing.  Learn to humbly server, honor, follow and obey our Heavenly Father.

Led by the Spirit

“For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

John 3:1  Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”  Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Isaiah 55:9    For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

John 1:13    who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

How does the Spirit of God lead us?  How do we know we are being led? When we become a “child of God”, “a new creation”, “born again” we are given the Spirit of God to dwell inside us to lead us in all truth and on paths that honor and glorify Him.  We are able to hear His whispers of leading and we find comfort, peace, purpose, faith and meaning in our lives.  Confusion is replaced with confirmation.  Feeding of our spirit/soul comes from being in His word.  Little time in His word leaves our mind and soul open to things that do not honor or glorify Him. Little time in His word will create an emptiness and confusion and leaves a void that will be filled with something this world has to offer.  To be led by the Spirit of God we must be wanting, waiting, willing, and seeking to be led each day.

Tell the next generation

“He who has ears, let him hear.”

“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

“But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.”

Psalms 78:1   Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!   I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,   things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.   We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.   He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,  that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,   so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;   and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Proverbs 8:4  “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.  O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.  Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right,

Isaiah 51:4    “Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.

Isaiah 55:3     Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Deuteronomy 11:19    You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

It is up to us to proclaim the grace, mercy, love, hope, might and power of God.  It is a light to those who like us were in darkness.  When are we to speak of God?  When we are sitting in our homes, when we are walking, when we lie down and when we rise up.  The pace of our lives seems to be able to distract us from this.  We need to be mindful of that which distracts us and hold fast to Him and His word.  Practice putting His word into your mind. Read His word and then meditate on it through out the day.  Speak about it and discuss it.  Praise God through your life being lived out in honor and service to Him.  Set all your hopes in and on Him.

Don’t end up cut off from God

“ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

“But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”

“Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’”

“Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.”

Zechariah 1:6  But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ‘As the LORD of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”

Numbers 23:19   God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Ezekiel 12:25  For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord GOD.”  And the word of the LORD came to me:  “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’  Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord GOD.”

Daniel 9:11   All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.  He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.

Lamentations 1:18   “The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; but hear, all you peoples, and see my suffering; my young women and my young men have gone into captivity.

Lamentations 4:11  The LORD gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out his hot anger, and he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations.  The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world

Deuteronomy 28:20     “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.

I wonder if we believe all of God’s word is truth and that what is spoken will come to pass.  We tend to lean on His grace, mercy and love but do not listen to words of warning, anger, and wrath.  God will not be mocked “what a man sows so shall he reap” False belief is no excuse.  Neglect of His word is not excuse.  Being to busy is no excuse. Romans says man is without excuse because God has made very clear to them through what He has created and what He has written on their hearts and minds.  We need to take living for Him very serious with our whole heart, mind, and soul.

I will Praise You

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

“I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.”

Psalms 71:14  But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

Psalms 66:16    Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

2 Samuel 22:1 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.  He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.  “For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;  the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.  “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.

1 Chronicles 16:4  Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!  Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!  Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!  Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered,

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  Giving thanks to God and speaking about His righteousness, power, might, strength and salvation are indicators of the abundance of Him in our heart and mind.  Note how those in scripture speak of God.  This is for our edification and to encourage us to continually seek God in all we do.  A good place to start is in His word with a daily desire to know and honor Him.  This is a heart deep commitment and most certainly He is worthy of our all.

Come, Listen to me

“Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”

Psalms 66:5  Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

Psa 66:16  Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

Psalms 46:8    Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.

Psalms 111:2    Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.

Psalms 126:1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”  The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.

Psalms 34:2    My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.

Psalms 71:18   So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

Malachi 3:16    Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.

1 Timothy 1:15  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.  But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Psalms 22:23  You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!  For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

Psalms 32:5  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found

“Come and see”, “Come and hear”, and “Come behold”, His works, awesome deeds and what He has done for my soul.  These are invitations to us from God’s word.  It is an offer that must be accepted or rejected/turned down.  An invitation does not force us to accept it.  There are consequences either way.  There are visible actions in the lives of those who choose one or the other.  “Great are His works and studied by those who delight in them”.  His works are studied by those who delight in them.  One outcome here would be reading His word and thinking about what has been read.  Another outcome would be to believe in Him and having a desire to see His handiwork in creation.  Other outcomes would be; humble service, listening for His whispers of guidance, wanting to be lead by Him, learning what honors and glorifies Him, praying to Him, telling others of Him and His what He has done not only historically but what He is currently doing in their life, looking forward to eternity with Him, praising Him, etc…..  On the other hand, for those who reject these invitations we see; little to no time spent in His word, no speaking of Him, not hearing His whispers of guidance, not seeking to be led by Him, self satisfaction, not looking at His handiwork in creation, no thought of eternity, no speaking to others about Him.  Commit to accept His invitation and spend time in His word learning of His steadfast love, power, grace, mercy, and might.  Be aware of the consequences of accepting or rejecting His invitation.  “Behold I stand at the door and knock”  Can you hear Him knocking at your hearts door?  Choose to open your heart’s door to Him and commit to humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him. 

I will hear

“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.”

Psalms 65:2  O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

Psalms 66:19    But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Psalms 102:17    he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.

Psalms 145:18  The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

1 Kings 18:37   Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

2 Chronicles 33:13    He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

Jeremiah 29:12  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Luke 11:9  And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

1 John 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Psalms 22:27     All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you

Isaiah 49:6     he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 66:23     From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.

John 12:32     And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Sometimes I wonder if we have confidence in God and His promises.  I wonder if we know Him personally enough to know He is near and that He will answer our cry, pleas, and requests.  I wonder if we know what it means to seek Him.  I wonder if we know what it means to seek Him with all our heart, mind, and soul.  Do we spend enough time with Him to know Him? Do we live each day with a single purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him?  Are we growing in our knowledge of Him?  I think there are times when we have sought Him and know the presence of God.  I think there are times when we totally forget Him and live our life for other purposes.  When I think about this I realize one clear truth.  If we purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him, and if we stay in His word for this purpose – I know His presence and Holy Spirit occupy our heart and mind.  Our day is not filled with the worries and cares of this world.  Our focus is on Him and serving Him however He leads us in this world.  Another truth I know is true.  If we spend no time in His word there is little chance of us hearing His whispers leading, guiding, directing, and using us.  His word has no root in our being and we lose connection with Him seemingly content with drifting further and further away from Him.  Choose to stay in His word and seek to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.