Communication Breakdown
“Therefore consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18)
Last week we looked at the Power of God’s Word from
2 Timothy. In looking at the daily
readings this week on Praying by Faith- one thing popped out at me. I think that while it is very
important to talk to God, it is much more important to learn to listen to Him.
This theme crosses over the aspects of both Living in the Word and Praying by
Faith.
Isaiah 66:2 “This is the one I esteem: he who is
humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” (NIV) God is
looking for people who have a holy reverence for the Word and His plan for
learning and applying it. This means truly hearing God’s voice in the
Word, and learning to hear His voice in other ways by invoking what we know of
His character and will as received by the Word.
One of the keys to a joyful life and good relationships is
effective communication. And for effective communication to occur, there must
be effective listening. This especially
holds true for our relationship to God!
There are four aspects to the process and comprise God's
goals for us:
(1) COMMUNICATION:
Listening to God- Jeremiah 42:6, 1 John
(2) COMPREHENSION:
Understanding what God says 1 Cor 2:12
(3) CONFIDENCE:
Trusting in what God says- Proverbs 3:5-6
(4) CHANGE: Being
transformed by what God says. Romans 12:1-2
Without this process of communication, there simply cannot be any real spiritual change in the life of a person. Because of this, God is deeply concerned about how well we listen when we are listening. The ultimate outcome for the process is a change of CONDUCT in the believer. As with most practical apllication, learning the truth is not always a once for all deal. Luke 8:18 and Luke 19:26 tell us that with the Kingdom, the one who has will be given more and the once who has not, what he has will be taken from Him. I believe this refers to life application of the truth, the light we are given and it is a wake up call for all who are exposed to the Word. (See the extra sheet on the word Believe).
The
Importance Scripture Places on
Listening to God
Have you ever noticed how often the Bible emphasizes the
idea of listening? It is a concept that is repeated over and over in a variety
of ways. This is obviously not without purpose.
(1) The specific clause “hear the Word of the
Lord” occurs 32 times in the NIV.
(2) The words “hear” or “listen O
Israel” are found 6 times in the NIV and the NASB. “Listen”
is found 331 times and the majority of these passages in some way deal with
listening to the Lord. “Hear” is found 347 times and again, many of
these also have to do with hearing God’s Word.
(3) We also find a number of comments like “Incline
your ear,” or “give ear” or “pay or give
attention” and similar expressions used in various ways to call man, and
especially to God’s people, to listen intently to God.
(4) In the New Testament, the Lord warns us to consider
carefully what you hear (Mk. 4:24) and how you hear (Lk. 8:18).
(5) The words “today, if you hear his voice,”
are found three times in Hebrews and once in the Old Testament (Heb. 3:7, 15;
4:7; Ps. 95:7).
(6) Seven times, once in each of the letters to the seven
churches in Revelation 2 and 3 we read “He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.”
(7) In Mark 4:9 the Lord warned, “He who has ears to
hear, let him hear” and again in verse 23 He said “if anyone has
ears to hear, let him hear.” (NIV)
(8) It’s significant that one of the titles of the
Son of God is the Greek term logos which
refers to some form of communication. It means “speech, word, saying,
discourse.” As the Logos, Jesus Christ is the living Word of God to man.
Of Him Moses wrote in Deut. 18:15b, “You must listen to him.” (NIV)
(9) But not only is there the call to listen carefully to
the Lord, there is the warning about listening to the wrong voices or
influences in the world in numerous passages in both the Old and New Testaments.
The is simple, God has much to say to us - He is the all-wise and sovereign God. Because of our finite humanity as well as our fallenness, it is imperative for us to listen carefully. We constantly must guard against being distracted and drawn away with other things, even with good things.
Why we Do not Listen to God
Why do you suppose God created man with two eyes and two ears, but only one mouth? That in itself ought to be a visual object lesson worth a thousand words. We are to listen so we can learn to trust the Lord. To fail to listen shows our determination to pursue life through our own resources and sufficiency.
Much of our pain in this world is due to the fact that we are not very good listeners when it comes to what God has to say. We can look to Genesis 2:15-17 to see some of the reasons we do not listen.
“Then the Lord God took the man and put him the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying , "From any tree of the garden you may freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die."
God’s instructions were pretty simple. But what happened? Another voice comes on the scene.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.' " And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." .Gen 3:1-5
We begin to listen to the wrong voices. Learning the voice of the Good Shepherd is one of the most important things you can learn in life. ( John 10:8, 16, 27) There are many other voices in this sinful world that compete with His. Note that before Eve disobeyed God’s Word, she ADDED to it (God never said not to touch the fruit).
Our choice not to listen to God is an act of rebellion. We are easily deceived. When our perspective is off, our perception follows. When we listen to God, we enjoy spiritual discernment. We find ourselves rationalizing things away. Note that I did not say reason them away- for from God’s perspective, all he says is reasonable and cannot be argued with. The act of confession brings us into alignment with what God says is real.
When we don’t listen, we are expressing independence from God. We say “I think I know best in this situation, or we live like practical athiests. A practical athiest is a person who, no matter what he claims to believe, lives in practical terms as if there is no God. Satan never told Eve she would rue the day when she learned what evil was. Have you ever learned anything in life that you wish you hadn’t learned?
We make decisions that appeal to the flesh, though we have been released from the dominion of sin. But it still resides in our minds and attacks our flesh. When we cease to listen to God we are headed for trouble. The power over sin abides within us in God’s Word and Christ’s abiding presence. Darkness will flee from His light if we listen to Him.
Genesis 3:8-9 shows how we make excuses for not listening. We come under the influence of what I call the FUD factor when we don’t listen. (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). God never asks questions to receive information- He knows the answers to the questions already. He is trying to exact a confession here- for Adam to agree with the Truth. The blame game then ensued. we are responsible for our responses, and are therefore without excuse.
Therefore, we will experience the consequences of not listening to God. The balance of Genesis 3 shows what the great cost for not listening was. Truth has consequences. Listen carefully- before you make that decision, be wise enough to stop and consult with God. Is this thing your will or His? You can trust that God will tell you the truth! (Consult the Word on topics of concern. Read what God has revealed to us on the subject. A topical index or concordance is invaluable for this).
The consequences for not listening go beyond bringing suffering to ourselves. It affects others as well. You never sin in isolation! Just as eden was God’s best in the beginning, we miss God’s best as well when we fail to listen. So what are some specific hindrances to listening to God that we populate our lives with?
As a result of the fall. the open and free communication Adam had with God was interrupted.
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your
God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
So the very first issue we must
deal with is God’s provision to reestablish this broken and shattered
communication link! God sees this separation from Himself as spiritual death. A
dead man cannot give himself life. Christ is the only answer God has provided
to this dilemma!
God
established a nation, Israel, through which he would reveal His holiness to the
world. The tabernacle system and the priesthood with all the rituals and law
were ordained to allow men to reestablish communication with a Holy God. All
this prefigured the coming of a Great High Priest who would become for us the
mercy seat, the final sacrifice, the King of Kings, the Faithful and True
prophet, in whom would dwell the fullness of the Godhead bodily. The book of
Hebrews gives a beautiful exposition of the reality of Christ as mediator
between the Father and man. he would become the TRUE VINE through which
spiritually dead men would be given life. Reconciliation, eternal life, forgiveness, redemption,
propitiation and salvation all belong to Him. In Him alone are we able to come
into right relationship with the Father.
Hindrances to Hearing God
The most basic problem once we are saved is that we don’t know God very well. He has revealed His character, His nature, His desires and plans for us. We hear that He is love but we impose our own limited and even warped understanding of what that means in Truth. Not only that , but we also have an incorrect self image too much of the time. If we don’t know God and in the light of that we cannot know ourselves, how can we ever trust what we might hear from Him?
I once heard Charles Stanley say that guilt ridden people pray self centered prayers. If you are guilty, God has provided the means to receive forgiveness. Much of the guilt of our lives is a false guilt however. You can get rid of that by the renewal of your mind. The word Satan means the Accuser. And who shall bring an accusation against God’s elect?
Busyness is another major hindrance to listening to God. If you are in a place where you cannot get God’s perspective on life, you need to consider fleeing it, or getting to a place where you can get that perspective. Thousands of things, often good things barrage our thinking. We should, as Mary, seek the better part. When you walk through your demanding days with God’s perspective on things you will , as Isaiah 40 declares, run and not grow weary!
Many are angry with God. If you have hostility toward God you will have a tough time hearing Him with your heart! It is OK to express anger toward God. We see that played out in scripture time and again! Of course the biggest hindrance to hearing God is harboring sin in our life and having a rebellious spirit.
We also need to understand that the God of the universe speaks to us personally. Yes, His primary way of speaking is through scripture. We will look at some of the other ways below.
Hindrances to
being Heard by God- Reasons
for unanswered prayer
1.
Non Believer- John 15:7
2.
Believers
a. Evil doer -1 Peter 3:12, Ezekiel 39:24, John
9:31
b. Regarding iniquity in my heart- Ps.66:18,
Isaiah 59:2, Isaiah 1:15
c. Not forgiving others- Mt. 6:15, 12, Mark
11:25-26
c2. Brother has something against you -Mt.
5:23-24
d. Doubting- Mark 11:23-24, James 5:15, James
1:6
e. Praying to be seen by men- Mt. 6:5-8
f1. Not abiding in Jesus- John 15:7
f2. His word not abiding in you -John 15:7
g. Not praying for or within God's will- Luke
22:42, Mt. 6:10, Romans 1:12, 2-Cor12:8-9,
1
John 5:14-15, James 4:13-16
h. Presumption (attitude of the heart) -James
4:3, 13-16
i. Taking advantage of God's grace (act)- James
4:3
j. Not desiring God's glory- John 14:13
k. Vain repetitions -Mt 6:7
l. Disobedience- Deuteronomy 28:15, 23
m. Treating wife incorrectly- 1 Peter 3:7
n. Not asking "in His name"...as His
representative- John 14:13-14
o. Hating God's knowledge - Proverbs 1:28,29
God
doesn't hear some prayers 1 Peter 3:12, Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah
59:1-2, Micah 3:4, 1 John 5:14-15, Ezekiel 8:18, Lamentations 3:44
Ways God
Communicates
How God communicates should teach us something about how
we should listen. So How does God communicate, and how should we listen? What
do we need to do to be prepared to listen attentively and effectively?
The Bible is our guide and final measure for all the other
ways God communicates. If we are going to listen to God and discern His voice
in the other avenues He uses, we must be listening to His Word, the Bible. God
communicates His Word in two main
ways- privately, through the reading of scripture, and publicly through the proclamation
of the Word (2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 4:11, 13; 2 Tim. 4:1-4). The Bible forms the
Spiritual gridwork to hang our experiences on. Associated with these two main
ways are those who teach it formally and informally as in counseling , in
personal exhortation and encouragement, through song or music, through books,
tapes, film, etc. However, the primary method God has chosen, and that which is
foundational to all the other ways God communicates today, is the local assembly when the church is
assembled together for the hearing of the Word.
The Holy Spirit is the resident teacher whom the Father
has sent through the Son to indwell every believer this side of the cross. The
third person of the Godhead comes to illumine the mind and make the truths of the Word understood
and real to the heart. One of His primary ministries today is that of
communicating the Word—the completed canon of Scripture. He does not give
special or new revelation, but He works through the Scriptures which is our
index for belief and practice.
To be able to listen to God, to comprehend truth, to
worship the Lord, and to be transformed by the Word through faith in God, God
has given us the Holy Spirit. He takes the things of Christ and teaches them to
us whether we receive them by personal study or through the human instruments
who teach us the Word. Scripture is not for private interpretation, and He also
focuses on bringing believers to a common understanding of the central truths
of scripture.
The Bible is full of illustrations of how God uses people
to communicate His love, mercy, and grace. This comes in many forms: sometimes
in the form of encouragement, sometimes in the form of godly example, and
sometimes even in the form of rebuke. So God uses people, even you and I
to communicate His compassion, grace and truth if we will be conformed to the
likeness of the Son of God!
God speaks to the heart who knows Him. This may be in
worship, when we actively hear or yield up singing, praise, prayer, teaching or
observe ordinances like the Lord’s supper.
God is gracious to communicate to us His love and grace in
the abundant blessings he showers on our lives. We must always be wary to seek
Him and not the benefits of knowing Him first so that he will be free to give
us above all we ask or even think.
God also communicates loudly with the trials and
irritations that become His tools to get our attention and build character, but
only as we hear and learn to relate and rest in the promises and principles of
Scripture. It is by this means that he nourishes the character fruits we spoke
of in an earlier lesson.
So, the Question is:
What is needed for us to be able to effectively listen to God? What can we do
to prepare our hearts so we are in a position where we can hear what the Lord
is seeking to reveal or communicate to us, to understand the message and respond with faith and
obedience however the message comes to us?
As we have already stated, God’s communication
through the Word always involves the teaching/convicting ministry of God the
Holy Spirit. This is evident in a number of passages but this one will do to
illustrate the point:
1 Corinthians 2:9-3:3 but just as it is
written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which
have not entered the heart of man, All that
God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 For to us God revealed them
through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches
all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts
of a man except the spirit of the man,
which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received,
not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know
the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in
words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining
spiritual thoughts with spiritual
words. 14 But a natural man does
not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him,
and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But
he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no
man. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him?
But we have the mind of Christ.
That God communicates the Word through the ministry of the
Spirit means I must be properly adjusted to or in right relationship to this
divine teacher who indwells me. This is a relationship where, believing that He
is present, I consciously depend on Him for insight to God’s Word
(understanding and personal application). This is a two way communication,
involving meditation and prayer.
God is not hard of hearing, nor is he slow of speech. The problem does
not lie with God. As the late Francis Schaeffer said, He is there and He is not
silent!
Remember the verse from Isaiah I quoted at the beginning of the lesson?
Isaiah 66:2 “This is the one I esteem: he who is
humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”
There needs to be a heart open to personal, soul searching examination for the purpose of seeing our motives, our sources of trust or the things we depend on for our security, i.e., the condition of our lives as they really are. This needs to be done prior to personal study or a worship service to prepare our hearts for hearing God and then it needs to be maintained as the Spirit of God brings conviction or as other things or thoughts might seek to intrude to distract or hinder listening while studying or praying, or during a worship service (Ps. 119:18; 139:23-24; 1 Cor. 11:28f).
The purpose for examination and self-revelation is honest
to God, deep seated confession in a spirit of repentance. This confession seeks to go to the root causes of sin
in our lives, especially our stubborn determination to run our own lives and
live by our own devices for peace, security, and significance (Jer. 2:13; 17:5;
Ps. 66:18; Prov. 28:13-14; 1 Jn. 1:9; Ps. 51:5f; Jam. 4:6-10). Both James
1:19-25 and 1 Peter 2:1-2 teach us that before there can be a proper response
to the Word that leads to true spiritual deliverance through an active faith,
we must honestly deal with sin. Then we will be free to listen to God’s
Word and depend on the Holy Spirit to give deliverance over sin.
In our generation we have become passive listeners. We
have forgotten how to think and stay actively involved in the listening
process. We have become mentally lazy. Active listening means concentrating,
searching, probing, questioning, thinking, interacting, responding and applying.
God doesn’t want pious, passive spectators. He wants actively involved
listeners. We aren’t receivers who turn ourselves on, tune ourselves in,
and relax.
James 1:22-24 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.”
Having
challenged us to deal with any sin so we can truly receive (hear) the Word,
James then warns us about the difference between superficial and substantial
listening. He is warning us against unprepared, passive, and uninvolved
listening. the believer engaged in active listening desires to understand and
respond to God’s Word in order that its truth so touches the heart that
it begins to bring change, not by
our own strength, but by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God through faith.
Lukewarm, half-hearted listening just doesn’t cut it with God nor can it
result in spiritual deliverance.
What does this mean in terms of my listening to God? When I read and study the Word, I must put
everything else aside and concentrate on what He is saying to me. I must give
Him my undivided attention. I should do this on a regular basis, for that is
the only way I can develop my listening skills. I should do this in a place
where I have minimal distractions. I should read and meditate out loud and take
notes and ask questions, for these are the kinds of things that make me an
active participant.
I should observe
carefully to whom God is speaking, what He is saying and why He says it. I
should interpret accurately what
God means. I should apply these
truths personally and practically in my own life.
Prepare to
intercede- at this time recognize your rights and authority in prayer
4:12 For
the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and
piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
4:13 And
there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid
bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Once we realize that our hearts are laid bare before the Lord,
effectual fervent prayer is possible!
1.
Get in your Bible and pray according to His Word- 1 John 5:14-15
2.
Pray in faith- James 5:15
3.
Realize you are always to pray, never giving up! Luke 18:1
4.
Come boldly into the throne room -Hebrews 4:16
5.
Pray 'in Jesus's name' -John 16:23-24
6.
Know God is hearing you -1 Peter 3:12
7.
Claim power in earnest prayer- James 5:16
8.
Recognize that ower is released in prayer- Isaiah 55:11
9.
Recognize whom you are fighting- Ephesians 6:12
10.
Realize your power through Jesus over Satan- 1 John 4:4
11.
Put your armor on- Ephesians 6:13-17
12.Purge
yourself of uncleanliness and unforgiveness- Matt 18:21-35, Mark 11:25
How to
Listen- a summary
Listening
to God is an active experience- an attitude is involved. Learn to listen:
Expectantly-
expect God to answer.
Quietly-
Be still and let God speak
Patiently-
Use God's timetables, not yours
Actively-
meditate on the Word and let it dwell richly within you- apply it to your
heart.
Confidently-
that God will tell us what we need, not what we want!
Humbly-
recognize our dependence on Him
Openly-
Be open to chastisement and correction, not just assurance and comfort
Attentively-
Listen to all the ways God speaks
Carefully-
The word is powerful and a fire in your bones- handle with respect!
Personally-
The living letter is written to you
Submissively-
When you don't like God's answer, listen carefully and submit
Gratefully-
Come and listen with thanksgiving in your heart for the priviledges of grace
Reverently-
the God of the universe is willing to listen and direct your paths- He will
give you His mind!
Isaiah 30:20 Although the Lord has given you
bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer
hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. And your ears will
hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you
turn to the right or to the left.