Tag: Hearing God

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God’s Words, can be Challenging!

Have we been fed a lie, by thinking that God will only bring a pleasant, uplifting, friendly word?

What I’m trying to get to, is, can we sometimes dismiss a word from God, because we think that it doesn’t sound like an uplifting word, that we would expect to hear from Him?

Now, let’s be clear about one thing. If a word has genuinely come from God, then if it is heard, and followed, it will have a good effect or result. But will it be a pleasant experience, when the word is first received or even during the process?

If it doesn’t begin with a pleasant, pleasing experience, then are there some who might say, “This can’t be from God, as it doesn’t fit what I would expect to hear from God!” ?

It is this kind of wrong thinking, that I’m trying to shine a light on, with this post.

If we look to the bible, then we can find many words from God, which can appear to be a bit (or a lot) of a challenge, to the one/s who are recieving the word.
Have a read of the letters to the churches in Revelation, if you want to see a challenging word or two. 🙂

Revelation 3:16
16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

But could we be tempted to think, “Jesus would be friendly to us in person, as he is a loving God.” ?
Would Peter ever agree with this thought, after his experience in…

Matthew 16:23
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Ironically, Peter received this rebuke, shortly after he had received praise from Jesus, for speaking out a truth that God had revealed to him.

Matthew 16:16-17
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

If there is a need for a change of direction, or a warning needs to be given, then a challenging word may be needed.
The question is, “Will we hear and follow, such a word?”
Or will we just dismiss it, because it doesn’t fit what we think it should be?

If we are receiving a challenging word from Our Lord God, then will we ask the simple questions of, “Is this really from you Lord?”
If the answer is a “Yes”, then will we seek Him further, with, “Can You please lead and guide me further, in the next step or steps that I should take.” ?

Our Heavenly Father, does indeed bring us many different words, to lead and guide us. To enable us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.
Do we really want to hear all of His words to us?
Even the challenging ones?

Revelation 3:19
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

Hebrews 12:11
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

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Who wants More!! ??

The answer to this week’s post might vary, depending on what is being offered.

How about, more of a Greater Revelation of Our Lord God?

For those of us who are shouting out a resounding “Yes!”, another question is making itself known to me.
Are you “Able” to handle more?

If you are like me, then you might be saying, “Yes, I desire more of You, Lord God. I want to step into more of what You have for me.” ….
But, how able am I …. to handle more???

How has my Delivery Service been, with that, which has already been given to me?

With the truth that has been given to me, have I just been throwing it straight into people’s faces?
If that truth is like a hot cup of tea, and if I’ve just been throwing it about, then just how much more, should I be given?
I may want an entire urn of tea, but if all I’m doing is throwing it all around, then would that be such a good idea?

I may want More of the Truth, but can I handle more of The Truth?

I’m just going to say it. 🙂
The words from a movie just keeps going round my head as I’m pondering this…

“I WANT THE TRUTH!”
“YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!”

(From the court room scene of, A Few Good Men.)

I’d like to be able to handle the truth though.

I wouldn’t like to think that all I can be trusted with are a few drops of tea, because I can’t even be trusted, with a full cup of tea?
A few drops of tea in a cup being thrown around, is going to be so much better, than a full cup of tea, being thrown around.

If we do really want more, then are we willing to take a look at our Delivery Service?
Are we willing to listen to Our Lord God’s instructions, for how to handle, what we have been given?
Will we speak up, when we are asked to speak up?
Will we keep quiet, when we are asked or told to be quiet?
Will we speak His Words, when they are given to us, or will we prefer our own words, thinking that we know what it is that we want to say? (His words will actually be better.)

Will we be willing to just place our cups of tea onto the ground, (if directed to) knowing full well that they may, just be kicked over?
Will we place them onto the ground, and leave the responsibility of what happens to them, to Our Lord God Almighty?

How much do we need to learn, before we are able to be trusted with more?

Are we willing to listen to Our Lord God, for the lessons that we need to hear?

Will we not stop at just listening to the lessons, but also implement them, and do what is being asked of us?

If we really do want more of what Our Lord God has for us, then will we truly engage in the process, and walk the path that He leads us along?

Matthew 13:10-15

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

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Hear the Gentle Whisper

When it comes to hearing God’s words to us, then how well do we do?
What are we expecting?

As I have been pondering these thoughts, a certain passage keeps coming back to me.

1 Kings 19:11-13
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

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In the above scripture, we have the record of when Elijah had a powerful encounter with God!
So powerful, that he hid his face.

But what about the bit, just before he hid his face?
The bit, where there was a mighty wind that tore the mountains apart, the earthquake and the fire?
It seems to me, that it was a bit of a strange day. I don’t normally come across any one of them in my normal days. 🙂

But Elijah, was expecting, waiting for The Lord to pass by. (Verse 11)

But when the three mighty acts went past Elijah, it’s almost as if he was… “Naa, Gods not there.”
But when the gentle whisper comes, then Elijah hides his face.

The picture just makes me smile, three mighty acts, and it’s like, “naa, not there”, but at the gentle whisper, Elijah is then hiding his face.

The reason for this, is because God, was in the gentle whisper!
His Power, Majesty, Glory and Holiness was there, in the gentle whisper.

I think that it is safe to say that God’s hand was in the wind, earthquake and fire, in some way. They were three things that weren’t an everyday event, and worthy of being recorded.
But God’s presence wasn’t in, the three mighty acts, it was in the gentle whisper.

How many of us, would have been distracted by the three mighty acts, so that we would have then, missed the gentle whisper?
My hand possibly (probably) also needs to go up here, unfortunately.
It can be done so easily as, “Wow! Did you See THAT!!!”
…. to then miss the gentle whisper.

What matters more, the three mighty acts, or the gentle whisper?

What are we looking for, when we are waiting to hear Our God?
Mighty acts, or a gentle whisper?
How many answers do we miss, because we are looking for something different? Something Big and Powerful?
Do our own expectations stop us from hearing His gentle whisper?
Is this part of why we can so easily get carried away, instead of getting carried along?

How important is it to hear, Our Lord Gods gentle whisper?
Can we open our eyes and ears to His ways?
Will we See and Hear, His ways, and then follow His prompting?

John 10:27-28
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

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Can we sometimes be too Busy doing God’s Work, so that we then miss His words?

This might sound like a bit of a nonsense title to some (or a lot), but is there something to it?

I have recently read 2 Samuel 6 1-11 It’s the account about when David first tried to bring the ark to Jerusalem. The time when it went wrong.

They put the ark on a new cart, verse 3. This was a mistake.
The ark was meant to be carried by the Levites using wooden poles which where placed through rings on the side of the ark. This is how God instructed the people to move the ark.

Exodus 25:13-15
13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.

Joshua 3:3
giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.

Yet in verse 3 of 2 Samuel 6, it was placed on a new cart. In verses 6 and 7, it goes very wrong.

6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

Where was David at this moment. We have the answer in verse 5.

5 David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

So David was doing the Lord’s work, praising God.

But while doing this, they failed to listen to His instructions for how the ark should be moved.

How was The Lord feeling as David and all Israel danced before Him?
Was He pleased with them, …. or was His anger burning against them, all the while, because they didn’t listen to His instruction of how the ark should be carried?
Was The Lords anger slowly burning all the time they were singing and dancing?

Can we sometimes find ourselves in David’s position? Doing work for Him, whilst not Hearing His words to us?
Can we sometimes get too caught up in what we are doing, so that we miss, that which matters most?
Hearing His voice and what He has to say to us?

Saul knew something about this. Saul lost the position of King of Israel, because he continued to not hear and follow the Lords instructions.
1 Samuel 15 is where The Lord rejects Saul as king.

Where do we want to be, when it comes to hearing what The Lord Our God is saying to us?

Are we willing to hear what He is saying to us, even when it is inconvenient to us?

Are we willing to hear what He is saying to us, even if it is different to what we want to hear?

Did anyone say to David, “Shouldn’t we use the poles, rather than a new cart?”

Did Uzzah pay the price for everyone getting it wrong?

Was Uzzah just the one who was in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Was Uzzah the sacrificial lamb, that meant that everyone else got your go home on that day?

In verse 8 we can then see that David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah.
But what caused David’s anger?
Is it because things didn’t work out to how he had planned for them to go?

Verse 8 states that “the Lords wrath had broken out against Uzzah”, but did David get this bit wrong as well?
Was it that The Lord’s wrath had broken out against all of Israel, and not just Uzzah?
All because the ark was placed on a cart, instead of being carried as it should have been?

In verses 9 and 10, we can then also see that David effectively walked away from God. He was afraid of the Lord that day, and was not willing to take the ark of the Lord with him, to where he was.
Are all these consequences of David and the people not following God’s instructions in the first place?

So, what could we learn from this?

Are we willing to hear Our Lord God’s way for how to do all things?
Will we try to not put the ark on the cart?
Will we endeavour to not say, “Lord, we’ve got this, we know what we are doing here. You just rest on the cart and let us do our thing.” ?
Instead, will we try to hear His words and follow His prompting’s so that we can then remain in step with His Ways and His Purposes?
Remaining in His ways and His purposes will always be the best option for us, if we can just hear and follow His voice and His steps.

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My words don’t matter, But His Words DO!!

This is something of a mindset of mine, whenever I speak out something.
If all you are hearing is me, Daniel Anthony, then I’m afraid that you are just plain missing out. You need to be hearing His words that He is speaking through me.

A picture might help to clarify what I’m trying to say here.

When I’m speaking, it can be that I’m just going, “na, na, na, na, na na na.” 🙂
But the Lord my God, then comes along with a megaphone, and when He puts that against my mouth…… then a Boooooming “Thus Sayeth The LORD!!” comes forth.

You see, it’s just not about me, and what I’m saying, but about Him, and what He is saying, through me. (If He chooses to make use of me 🙂 )

There is a comfort in knowing this.
Even if I get it wrong (Which I can do, I’m only human after all) then He can bring about a correction by what He does with what I do.
It’s always going to be better if I don’t make a mistake, and I’ll endeavour to remain in step with Him, but if I do fall out of step…. then He is able to bring a correction.

It’s a bit like David, when he went out to kill Nabal and all the males in his house hold, just because he wouldn’t give David some food, and Nabal replied “Who is this David?” It’s in 1 Samuel 25
OK, Nabal slapped David in the face when he said this, but David, you just spared Saul’s life in the cave in the previous chapter, and Saul was trying to kill David.
Did David use all his grace up on Saul, so that when it came to Nabal, he had none left???
Thankfully God sent Abigail (the real hero in this account) to intervene to quench David’s anger.
I mean, come on David, it was a bit of an overreaction, David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” Verse 13 Just because Nabal said no to his request for some food and asking “Who is this David?”
It’s all in there, have a read of it.

I digressed a bit there, but not a bad digression. 🙂

So, where was I. I was going on about megaphones.
When I get it right (which hopefully I do at times) then it can be me stepping up to the megaphone.
But when I get it wrong (which sadly I do more than I would like to) then my God can move the megaphone to me, and hopefully iron out the creases.
He can do this for you as well!
Knowing this can very much so send fear away!
It’s His words that matter, after all!!

But even if I get everything right, then how will what I bring be received by you?

You see, when we receive words, we can have a tuning effect on how much or what we hear.
Even if everything was sent in Love and the the message was a Boooooming “Thus Sayeth The LORD!!”, if we are not tuned into the right station (of hearing Our Lord God I’m talking about), then can we sometimes just hear an irritating, “na, na, na, na, na na na.”

In an ideal world I’ll being doing my bit right (along with everyone else who brings a word), and so will you (in receiving the word), and we can then end up with a Boooooming “Thus Sayeth The LORD!!”

Unfortunately we just don’t live in this ideal perfect world, and mistakes just happen. Even with all the best will in the world.
What do we do then?

Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

I know, this can not be easy at times. But if we can do this, then it is a difference that will confuse and confound the world.
Trying to put it another way, if the world sees this in action, it brings Glory to Our Lord God!

So, can we endeavour to remain in step with Our Loving Heavenly Father?
Whether you are sending or receiving something, can we do it all through His eyes??

My Lord God.
As I have said many times before, Please help me to remain in step with You, All the days of my life.
My Loving Heavenly Father.
Amen.