New Hope Notes: Developing Ears That Hear

	New Hope Notes

	Developing Ears That Hear Can You Hear Me Now? Pastor Wayne Cordeiro April 3, 2005 - W0514

	Oftentimes we cry out for God's help and ask Him to speak to us about what to do. Most times, it's not God's lack of response that prevents us from hearing Him but rather our non-discerning ears that prevent us from hearing His voice. God speaks to us in hundreds of ways but today, in our new series "Can You Hear Me Now?" we will talk about the number one, *most important* way for us to hear God…through His Word, the Bible. When we start off at most things in life -- whether it's as a new husband or wife, as a new parent, or in a new job -- we don't have all the wisdom we need to finish all that God intends for us to do without additional instruction. Just as teachers instruct students on how to complete tasks and coaches correct players' actions to get the desired result, God tries to coach us through life to be all that we can be. But just as the student or player must listen to and follow through on the instruction of their teachers to benefit from it, we too need to be willing to hear and follow the instructions of our Lord. We must keep our hearts open to God's teaching in order to have and live the life He intends for us. Today we will be talking about developing ears that hear God and how we should act upon that. The first step toward developing ears that hear God is to understand the ways God will teach us… 1. GOD WILL TEACH US THROUGH ONE OF TWO TEACHERS: Personal Experiences The first, and probably most basic way that God teaches us is through experiences. Through experiences, we learn both what we are and what we are not. We learn through our personal experiences and resulting consequences, but oftentimes those consequences are painful. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word…It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes" (Ps. 119:67,71). We can learn through personal experience and consequences but we don't live long enough for God to teach us everything we need this way for us to be the person He wants us to be, so God has another way of teaching us… Other People's Experiences The second, less obvious way that God teaches us is through the experiences of others…people's testimonies. The value of learning from other's testimonies is so you don't need to suffer the same experience or consequence. "The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naïve go on, and are punished for it" (Prov. 22:3). So there are two ways through which we learn: wisdom and consequence. Wisdom is when we learn from other people's experiences and testimonies. Consequence is when we learn from our own, personal experience. Sometimes when we learn through consequences, we lose greatly; sometimes we lose our spouses or someone dear to us, and sometimes we lose our whole family before we learn the lesson God intended for us. The difference between consequence and wisdom is…consequence demands that you experience the consequence first before you learn the lesson, whereas wisdom teaches you the lesson first so you don't need to experience the consequence. In fact, the Bible confirms the value of wisdom and encourages it. "I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts" (Ps. 119:99-100). In the Bible, God placed the wisdom and lessons of hundreds and hundreds of lives. The word "Bible" comes from the Greek word biblios, which means library. The Bible is a composite of 66 books about the lives and experiences of hundreds of people. From the passage above, we understand that the stories and testimonies in the Bible are there for us to learn from. Now that we know about learning through wisdom and consequence, and we understand that the Lord has laid out just about every lesson that we'll ever need in the Bible, how do we apply that to our lives? Well, growth comes in layers, and like with varnish, layer upon layer gives depth. The Bible contains the heart of King David, the wisdom in King Solomon, the faithfulness of Job, and the testimonies of many more. We can hear, learn, and grow from the lessons of all these people by simply reading through the Bible but many of us don't have enough time to read the Bible everyday. Or do we? For example, many of us are very busy at work and can't afford to take a day off just to take a break. But, if someone offered you a 2-week, all expense paid trip to a destination of your choice, would you be able to go? More than likely, yes. The point being…you always have time for priorities -- what you enjoy and what you think is important. So how do we apply this to our lives as Christians? As Christians, the second step in our growth and developing ears that hear is… 2. CHOOSE LIFE PRIORITIES BIBLICALLY. We always make time for the things we enjoy and things we really feel are important. To support and encourage growth, we should choose life priorities biblically, according to what is important to God. Spending time with God, in the Word, is important but many of us don't seem to find the time to do it. We need to establish it as a priority in our life and…here's a secret…mix it with something enjoyable. For example, I am a coffeeholic so I do my daily devotions at the local StarBucks where I can get a nice cup of coffee and a scone, and enjoy my time in the Word with the Lord in a setting I enjoy. Since my relationship with my wife Anna is very important, I make time to go out to eat with her two or three times a week. I'm mixing my time with her with something else I love…to eat! That way, keeping a date with her and spending time on our relationship (talking over the meal and such) becomes easy and something I look forward to. Establishing biblical priorities and mixing them with things you enjoy will help you to spend the time and energy you need on them. "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42). In this story, Jesus reminds us that although there are many things that may occupy us, we should choose our activities wisely because only a few things are important and only one thing is truly necessary…sitting at the Lord's feet and listening to Him. God will speak to us through His Word so we must choose to make devotions a priority. One of the best lessons you'll ever learn is to establish priorities according to the Bible and mix them with things you enjoy so you'll spend the warranted time and energy on them. Devotions are important and necessary to our Christian growth. Make it an enjoyable priority. Then lastly, the third thing to remember in developing ears that hear is... 3. LIVING WITHOUT REGRETS REQUIRES A DAILY TIME AT HIS FEET. Musicians play scales every day, over and over again. They don't play scales because they're going to perform them for an audience, but practicing and playing scales every day keeps up their dexterity and musicianship so when they perform more complicated pieces, it's not as hard as it would be otherwise. In a way, devotions are like scales for a Christian. When we do devotions, we practice hearing God as we read through His Word. When we practice hearing Him daily, we get better and better at discerning His voice and His heart so when we are faced with problems and impasses in our lives, it won't be as hard to discern His will. Mountains won't be too high and valleys won't be too low. Chasms won't be too wide to cross because we have Jesus by our side. "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do" (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NLT). When you do your daily devotions, bring 5 things along with you: Bible -- All scripture is inspired by God Pen -- To write notes and journal Reading Plan -- for example, the Bible reading bookmark Journal -- To record notes about what God has revealed to you Planner -- To write down all the other things that pop into your head that might otherwise distract you from your devotions Journaling is an important part of daily devotions as it helps to breathe life into the scripture we read. In fact, the Bible says, "When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy these laws on a scroll for himself…and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of this law. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud…" (Deut. 17:18-20). And when you journal, remember…. S - Scripture: write down the specific scripture that speaks to you. O - Observation: record your observations of the scripture, i.e., what is it saying? A - Application: how can you apply this scripture/lesson to your life? P - Prayer: write down your prayer inspired by your devotion. The most reliable and accurate words of God you will ever hear are in the Bible -- His Word. He teaches us through our personal experiences (consequences) and the experiences of others (wisdom). Perhaps the greatest secret to our Christian growth is to choose life priorities biblically and to mix them with something enjoyable so we will devote the time and energy to them that they warrant. Specifically, it is important to commit ourselves to daily devotions with Him so He can guide us and equip us for what He wants for our lives. Develop ears that hear and avoid ever making God ask you, "Can you hear me now?" DISCUSSION TOPICS How do you feel God speaks to you most often? Tell about a time when He spoke to you through an experience you went through or the testimony of someone else. What are your life priorities and are they biblically based? If not, what are they based on? Do you spend your time and energy where your priorities are? If not, why not? Are you willing to do to something to change that? If so, what? Do you spend time with God daily and how do you practice listening to Him What suggestion do you have for someone who is struggling with daily devotions? Many thanks to volunteer writer and editor, Jaylene Tsukayama for this week's summary. She is a woman who brightly reflects His light. Well done!