Listening With Purpose

Listening. How well do we listen? Odds are, not as well as we think we do.

According to the all-knowing Mr. Google, “The average person hears and retains only about 25% to 50% of what is said during a spoken conversation.”

There are plenty of jokes about women complaining that men don’t listen, but do we do any better?

How many conversations have you “hanging on their every word”? Perhaps not that many.

In a normal day, you may listen to your friends chat about how bad things are at work, or about how their children or grandchildren are doing, most of whom you’ve never even met. Or they may take time to catch you up on their health conditions, their failing finances, or how hot it is, or how cold it is. I may bore you with details about the most recent plant I bought!

Many of those topics may not be at the top of your interests, so you’ll hear and retain even less. If we share a common interest, you may listen to me a little more attentively, unless you have something heavy weighing on your mind.

Even if I’m speaking with obvious passion, you may still be easily distracted by all that’s going on around us, wherever we are.

If I’m going to win your attention, I should probably ask you what’s going on in your world first, so that you can ‘let it go’ long enough to eventually hear what I want to tell you.

The key here will be me taking the time to pay attention and listen to what you have to say to me first.

Most of us are not patient people. If the drive-thru lane at our favorite coffee shop or fast-food restaurant takes more than a few minutes, most of us get antsy and may even complain out loud, even if we’re alone in the car. Please, don’t tell me I’m the only one.

No wonder the Lord tells us to, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

How can we know God if our listening skills with Him are as pitiful as they are with our family and friends?

Maybe this is why we have so much turmoil and confusion in our lives. “God is not the author of confusion.” – 1 Corinthians 14:33

Today, how can we make time to quiet our hearts so that we can listen to God and hear what He wants to say to us?

Do we need to spill our guts first? No problem! He’ll listen intently and pay attention to everything we have to say, even though He already knows our thoughts before we think them.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.  You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” - Psalm 139:1-4

He delights in hearing our voice!!!

“He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” - 2 Samuel 22:19-20

“He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” – Psalm 18:19

“He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness.” - Job 33:26

“As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”” – Psalm 16:3

He takes great joy in us when we make the time to sit with Him and share what’s in our heart.

How can He can give us the desires of our hearts (show us what our hearts truly desire) if we don’t take the time to sit with Him – and delight ourselves in Him?

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

Be still. Listen. Delight yourself in the Lord.

Selah. (This means to sit with this; ponder it; think on it.)

Come and See.....

 

“You don’t yet know where the next note falls……” I heard. “And you won’t know until you’re actually singing with me. I’ll let you harmonize!”

My mind envisioned a couple ballroom dancing. As he led her around the dance floor, she followed his lead perfectly, appearing to float on air. They’d been dancing together for years; she knew the nuances of his movements; they danced as one.

To every prayer, God responds – “Come closer to Me.” In the coming closer, we’ll hear His voice and the answers to our prayers. One of Jesus’ favorite things to say was, “Follow me,” and “Come and see…”

His every blessing is to bring you in sync with Him, to hold you close, to lift you up and to edify the body of Christ.

“Lord, where will You meet me?” The question doesn’t fall on deaf ears. God’s response is swift; immediate. “Right here, right now.”

Are we ready to hear that? Are we ready to engage with the Creator of everything over our concerns and desires?

Will we stop what we’re doing right here, right now – to hear what He wants to tell us?

Will we make the time to listen?

Or put it off till we have time to sit down and “REALLY” pay attention. After all, we’re actually kind of busy right here, right now.

We are created to be vessels. We can house the Spirit of God or the spirit of the world, the anti-Christ; the enemy.

Unlike the demonic entities or even our very own thoughts, our God and Creator gives us the choice to allow Him to live within us. He doesn’t want to control us; He wants to lead us.

If we already knew the way we wouldn’t need Him to guide us. We’ve been doing things our own way for so long, we think it’s the only way.

We’re wrong.

That can be a hard thing to hear.

He knows the way, every time – because He IS the way.

Is today the day? Are you ready to sit quietly and hear what God wants to say to you? He’s ALL about intimacy – with YOU.

He loves you beyond human comprehension.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place….” - Mark 6:31 Worldwide English New Testament

Circles of Listening

(photo from unsplash.com)

Welcome to my circle.


My circle gets larger each day, the people within my sphere of influence; the people I meet daily – at the supermarket, or a political gathering, at church or at the gym. 

My circle gets tighter, too. As the needs of the people around come to my attention, I pray. Sometimes God has me praying for people without even knowing their needs. He’s good like that, He doesn’t need to let me in on everyone’s business just so that I can pray for them. 


I may look impatient in a long line, until I look around at all the people around me. They may be impatient, too. But, many of them are hurting with concerns they’ll never share with me. That doesn’t stop me from praying for them, once I allow God to get my attention. If I’m fussing about the slow cashier, or that my ice cream is going to melt or that the child behind me won’t stop whining, I’m not listening for that gentle prompt from God.

(photo from west.com)

But, when I let all that distraction fall by the wayside, it’s much easier to hear and even discern who needs prayer and a smile or a kind word. Sometimes, even who needs me to buy a gift card for them, or just the quiet suggestion to buy a gift card and trust the cashier to give it to whomever needs it as they pass through their line.


Am I rich? Yes. Beyond measure. That doesn’t mean my bank account has an overflowing balance. But, you can’t out-give God, His idea of thanks or payment are very different than ours.

Listening for His still small voice always pays off, whether I see the payment or not; whether I know who needs the benefit of my listening ears or not.


As my circle broadens, so does my heart.

(photo from Edutopia.org)

Sometimes when I’m privy to someone’s story, I can get anxious. Many are tragic. Evil raises it’s ugly head too often. Life doesn’t always seem fair, not by a long shot. So many times, I question, why? But, that’s a question that doesn’t always abound with answers.


As my circle broadens, my compassion grows and my mind can be drawn into serious drama that surrounds me. But, my blood pressure can come right back down, when I’m listening for God to show me what to do, because I trust that He’s is in control!

(photo from Edutopia.org)

So, as my circle grows and grows tighter because I connect with people who have no clue someone is praying for them, it’s lined with the soft carpeting of a listening ear. Without that ear, this large circle can feel like a cold, comfortless prison cell.


Fourteen times in the NIV version of the Bible, we can read, “Whoever has ears, let him hear…”


Listening and hearing from God connects us to God. Listening and hearing God speak to our hearts connects us to the others around us, whether we know them or not.


Ever feel disconnected? Now, you see why. Those are the times you’re not listening. Or perhaps you’re listening to wrong voice; the one who tries to fill your head with lies – about yourself and others.


You may want to tune into what scripture says, so I’ve listed those fourteen verses here so you can find them easily.

Good night, friends. I’m listening…

(photo from skillshare.com)

Inner Dialog

(loddymicucci.com)

What’s your mantra? Does it line up with what you want it to be?

I use the term ‘mantra’ lightly, as it’s not necessarily a prayer or incantation I refer to, but the definition that says it’s is simply an often repeated word or phrase.

To me, your mantra is the word or phrase your mind plays back to you regularly. For example, one might hear her own voice daily declaring, “I’m so fat, I’ll never lose this weight….” Or, one might hear her inner voice telling her something like, “I’m powerful, positive, healthy and strong!”

Which voice is likely to empower you and help you to get the most out of your day? Which is likely to take you in the right direction?

We may think we have a positive mantra because we want to be a positive person. But, if things aren’t going as we want them to, or if people are less than enthusiastic about hanging out with us, maybe we’d better take a closer listen to what we tell ourselves every day.

(examinedexistence.com)

Admittedly, it can be hard to make a positive profession about our weight when our jeans get tighter every time we put them on. When everything around us seems to be going wrong, it’s not always easy to declare, in a whisper, that we are successful, happy people.

We too often tend to look at our circumstances, and then – access the situation. Our attitude can change our situations!

No one else knows your secret thoughts, your hidden fears. Well, accept God Himself. We can become masters of deceit when we don’t want the people around us to know how we feel or what we’re thinking.

Never really thought of yourself as deceitful? Me neither. But, who are we deceiving more, those who surround us, who love us – or ourselves?

(silvieandmaryl.com)

Walk past a picture window and glance at your reflection. What’s your immediate response? Yes, the one that flashes through your mind before you clean it up to tell me about it.

Granted, if your physique isn’t something you struggle with, that might be a bad example.

Maybe you view the people around you as more powerful than yourself. Maybe you’re intimidated by them. When the man from the next office over strides by with his shoulders back like he owns the world, does that bother you?

Or maybe, you think you’re better than him. Maybe your ego shouts over any voices of intimidation.

(linkedin.com)

Okay, so maybe I’m coming up with bad examples. What comes to your mind?

Where is it hard to say something nice about yourself? Where do you find it hardest to take compliments? Where is it most difficult to believe what God says about you?

It just could be that the soundtrack playing your mantra has become so familiar to you, that you don’t consciously hear it anymore. But, it’s still feeding you a lie. And the part of you that’s being fed that lie is the part of you you’re least comfortable with, it may even embarrass you.

So, take a minute to listen. Hear what you say to yourself every day. The best place to listen is in front of a mirror. Write it down. Is it good? Is it something you’d proudly share with others?

Within the secrets of successful people is tucked away a precious nugget that says they can be who they want to be, because they already see themselves that way.

 

(prepare1.com)

If I see myself as fat and lazy, I’m probably not going to find it easy to live the life of a healthy, productive woman. Logical. But, we take our thoughts for granted. Only we can change them, and it’s our choice to do so or not.

Where will you start making changes today? That mantra won’t magically change overnight. You’ll have to work at it. You’ve lived with it for how long now?

But, let the changes begin right now!

You might know what Jeremiah 29:11 says. You might know that God has good thoughts of you; good plans for you. But, do you tie His hands with your own unbelief? Do you sabotage His plans with your negative mantras and insecurities?

Whether it seems easy to do or not, - trust Him.

(familytreecounseling.com)

“How precious also are they thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand…” – Psalm 139:17 – 18 (KJV)

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Open the Ears of Your Heart

(picture from inherchucks.com)

 Have you ever complained that you can’t hear the voice of God?

In a nutshell, God speaks to us from the inside. If you don’t hear from Him, is it because you never invited Him in? If you’re one of God’s own, you’ve heard His voice.

Jesus tells the Pharisees, and each one of us, “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10:3-4 NIV)

The other day someone shared a quote with me about salvation through Christ. I don’t recall where the line originated, but it stuck with me. The idea that we’re all sinners, always falling short of the high standard of God on our own, ruffles some feathers. “I’m a pretty good guy, why would a loving God send me to a place of torment? I’ve never killed anyone, I don’t steal, I’ve never committed adultery. I’d say I’m an alright kinda guy….” This is one person comparing himself to the unrighteous people he perceives around him. God does not compare us to each other. We stand before His Son, Jesus, who was completely without sin, though tempted in every way we are.

With God’s grace freely available to all of us, we’re invited to put on His righteousness in exchange for our own filthy, sinfulness. The wages of sin have already been paid by our Redeemer. Once we recognize this truth, that’s one sure way of knowing we’ve heard His voice.

Oh, that quote? - “It’s not about being good or bad, but about being dead or alive!”

We can’t impart this truth to one another without the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them…..” (John 6:44 NIV) In Acts 1:4-5 Jesus told His disciples, “…Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” He goes on in verse 8 to say, “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses ….to the ends of the earth.” So, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, from the Father, poured out on believers after Jesus ascended into the heavens, we can share the good news of salvation through grace. Our words and actions can present the gospel, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit do we perceive Truth.

Remember when Jesus asked of Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter declared that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. And how did Jesus respond? Yes, He no doubt grinned from ear to ear when He said to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17 NIV)

(picture from rofl-lol.com)

Flesh and blood cannot prove or reveal God’s Truth in any meaningful way without the Holy Spirit. God’s Truth is not a doctrine or a line from the “Good Book” – God’s Truth is a person, the person of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.

To be drawn to God is to hear His voice. Listen not with your ears, but with your heart. The ears of our heart hear music. “….Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” – Hebrews 4:7 (NIV)

What have you heard God speak to your heart?

(photo from wallpapersak.com)

Spoken Words

(photo from marjoriehoumes.com)

Sometimes it’s hard to share a conversation with someone if you think they’re dismissing what you have to say before you’ve even said it. We may even applaud them for the self-control it takes to conceal the rolling of their eyes,

But, what if we’re mistaken? (Could that possibly ever happen? Us? Be wrong?) What if there’s something tugging on the inside of their heart, perhaps for no apparent reason, today they’re ready to listen; today they want to know what you have to say?

Only God knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, only He knows when we’re broken and receptive. So when we feel Him tugging at our hearts to speak, it’s only right that we should listen and obey. If we’re prayed up and seeking after His will; His heart of passion, He can pour into those around us through our obedience.

We can share from experience, but sometimes God will give us the precise words someone else needs to hear.

A few years back a new man showed up where I worked. I’d had no occasion to speak with him yet, but, he approached me in the parking lot one day and called me by name. Sure, I was a popular gal around the office and everyone knew my name, so that was no big deal, someone told him. But then he went on to say, “Helen, God’s word for you is ‘fear not’.” I blinked a few times in disbelief. I responded with a defensive gut reaction, “I’m not afraid.” He smiled at me, then spoke personal words that only God could have shared with me; words of reassurance and hope; promises that only God could make; words this man could not have known. He spoke to something that had happened in my life years ago. He spoke over one of my children. He spoke from obedience to what God was showing him. He spoke with boldness and kindness. – I never saw him again. It was as if God brought him into my life for that moment.

So many times I’ve conversed with someone, friend or stranger, and they’ve responded with hope in their eyes, “That’s just what I needed to hear,” or “How did you know I needed to hear that?”

Unfortunately, I can’t boast that I always have the words you need to hear. But I can attest to the fact that God always knows what you need. He’ll send people into your life to speak truth to you. But, He’ll also send you into the lives of those around you, to speak truth to them. How many times have you failed to follow His lead? How many times might the words He gave you have caused friend or stranger to rejoice? How many times might someone have failed to give you those words of encouragement He had for you?

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue….” – Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” – Psalm 19:17 (KJV)

 Excellent song; Words - listen to it here.

Music to My Ears

I know some of you’ve been waiting to read about the incredible thing that happened Wednesday morning.

Because of who I am – not because of anything I do…..

I woke up twice. I’m not sure what woke me up, but I heard God singing to me. The first time, He used the voice of the Andy Gibbs as He sang, 'I just wanna be your everything…. Open up the heaven in your heart and let Me be, the things you are to me and not some puppet on a string….'

The second time (at which point I just stayed awake) I heard the soothing sounds of Bread, singing: 'I would give everything I own, give up my life, my heart, my home. I would give everything I own, just to have you back again.' Laying there thinking about the words, I thought about how He did just that. Jesus left His home in heaven – to make His home in my heart. He gave up His life to redeem mine. He gives me access to everything He owns…. He even shares His glory with me by living in me and through me.

I don’t know how many of you are lucky enough to have God sing to you – I know He sings over all of you – but some of us aren’t very good listeners. Just sayin’…

One day I was driving down the road, a bit depressed and bummed about something or other. I turned on the radio and God belted out through my speakers as He sang, ‘Pretty woman…..’ Yes, He thinks I’m pretty. His words, not mine. You know that made my day!

Anyways…. What I’m doing at the moment doesn’t even come into play – sleeping, driving – God Himself sings over me, and to me, while I’m simply being – me. He loves me!

He’s singing over you all the time. Watch and listen. See what song He has for you today!

And oh yea - the peacock? Still just being a peacock!

 

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 NIV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA6L8-lxaA8&feature=related