“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
I have heard this so often, but have always felt that I was missing something in this verse. Usually, I hear it explained that faith comes from hearing the word of God--which is true. But it just seemed like there was something else in that little word "by."
As I read this verse again this morning, I added words that we normally take out to avoid redundant conversation. So I read it like this, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God.” My understanding then was that: as I read His Word, I learn to hear. As I hear Him, I am filled with faith.
Wow! I already knew that I learn to distinguish His voice by spending time with Him. But understanding this verse in a new way is so energizing to my faith.
So, "love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). Then, as you read His Word, you will learn to hear. As you hear, you will be filled with faith.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Hearing The Voice Of The Lord, Part 3
“How do you know the Lord’s voice?” I asked our boys this question over lunch today. Their answer? “Spend time with Him!” Most definitely! Without spending time in the Word and in prayer, we can not hope to distinguish the voice of the Lord. However, when we have built a love relationship, we can know His voice.
But even then, we can be tricked. This has been a blind spot in my own life. I have been
so desperate to hear the Lord, that I haven’t evaluated the source of what I have heard. Whether someone of a reputable nature or in my own mental processing, I filtered what I thought was the Lord and clung to it. But I never challenged it! I should be testing any spiritual phenomena; signs, wonders, dreams, prophecies, revelation, or any voice in my mind that I think might be the Lord giving me direction to pray or believe for a situation. More than once, the Bible instructs us to “test all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and “test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). However, I had failed to do that in my own life.
“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God”(1 John 4:2). It’s a simple thought. In challenging the spiritual source, I can have confidence in distinguishing the voices. We can even “know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6b)! What hope!
We have been given the gift “to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14) But I had not used it in these instances. And, so I had been left vulnerable. However, Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
Truth brings us to repentance. We can take authority over the enemy and command him to silence. We can humble ourselves before the Lord and confess our wrong, ask forgiveness, denounce the enemy’s influence in the name of Jesus, and walk in freedom. As a daily practice, we can use the belt of truth (Eph 6:14) as a protection against the enemy and pray as Jesus taught, “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13)
And as a friend of mine wrote,
“I make sure to ask forgiveness for my sins. I bind all thoughts, voices, and distractions of the enemy in the name of Jesus. I also find that I do a lot better in hearing (and knowing that I hear) when I write down what I believe I'm being told. I believe as human beings that we are all going to fall prey to being victimized by the enemy throughout our daily lives. The more time we spend in prayer listening for that still small voice, the more we will know our Shepherd’s voice. There will be times when we are so tuned in that nothing can be mistaken for His voice, and other times with outside distractions, worries, and an uncertain spirit that we will fail. God knows our hearts and appreciates us for desiring to spend time with Him and be obedient to His will.”
You know, I think I finally discovered the answer to my question of how so many other religions started with the basis of theology in a revelation from the heavens....
But even then, we can be tricked. This has been a blind spot in my own life. I have been
so desperate to hear the Lord, that I haven’t evaluated the source of what I have heard. Whether someone of a reputable nature or in my own mental processing, I filtered what I thought was the Lord and clung to it. But I never challenged it! I should be testing any spiritual phenomena; signs, wonders, dreams, prophecies, revelation, or any voice in my mind that I think might be the Lord giving me direction to pray or believe for a situation. More than once, the Bible instructs us to “test all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and “test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). However, I had failed to do that in my own life.
“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God”(1 John 4:2). It’s a simple thought. In challenging the spiritual source, I can have confidence in distinguishing the voices. We can even “know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6b)! What hope!
We have been given the gift “to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14) But I had not used it in these instances. And, so I had been left vulnerable. However, Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
Truth brings us to repentance. We can take authority over the enemy and command him to silence. We can humble ourselves before the Lord and confess our wrong, ask forgiveness, denounce the enemy’s influence in the name of Jesus, and walk in freedom. As a daily practice, we can use the belt of truth (Eph 6:14) as a protection against the enemy and pray as Jesus taught, “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13)
And as a friend of mine wrote,
“I make sure to ask forgiveness for my sins. I bind all thoughts, voices, and distractions of the enemy in the name of Jesus. I also find that I do a lot better in hearing (and knowing that I hear) when I write down what I believe I'm being told. I believe as human beings that we are all going to fall prey to being victimized by the enemy throughout our daily lives. The more time we spend in prayer listening for that still small voice, the more we will know our Shepherd’s voice. There will be times when we are so tuned in that nothing can be mistaken for His voice, and other times with outside distractions, worries, and an uncertain spirit that we will fail. God knows our hearts and appreciates us for desiring to spend time with Him and be obedient to His will.”
You know, I think I finally discovered the answer to my question of how so many other religions started with the basis of theology in a revelation from the heavens....
Hearing the Voice of the Lord, Part 2
Here is a paragraph quoted in The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson, by Hannah Whitehall Smith:
“There are the voices of evil and deceiving spirits, who lie in wait to entrap every traveler entering these higher regions of spiritual life. In the same epistle that tells us that we are seated in the heavenly places in Christ, we are also told that we shall have to fight with spiritual enemies. These spiritual enemies, whoever or whatever they may be, must necessarily communicate with us by means of our spiritual faculties, and their voices, as the voice of God, are an inward impression made upon our spirit. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit ay tell us by impressions what the will of God is concerning us, so also will these spiritual enemies tell us by impression what is their will concerning us, though not, of course, giving it their name.”
“There are the voices of evil and deceiving spirits, who lie in wait to entrap every traveler entering these higher regions of spiritual life. In the same epistle that tells us that we are seated in the heavenly places in Christ, we are also told that we shall have to fight with spiritual enemies. These spiritual enemies, whoever or whatever they may be, must necessarily communicate with us by means of our spiritual faculties, and their voices, as the voice of God, are an inward impression made upon our spirit. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit ay tell us by impressions what the will of God is concerning us, so also will these spiritual enemies tell us by impression what is their will concerning us, though not, of course, giving it their name.”
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Hearing The Voice Of The Lord
As I was reading The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson, I came across a couple paragraphs that talked about four people in his church testifying that a church member who was fatally ill would not die. The church's faith in healing began to increase and they began to celebrate. Unfortunately, three weeks later, this man died.
Anderson writes, “If God was the One who told these four people that Dick wasn’t going to die, what does that make God? A liar. But is God a liar? Of course not; He’s the truth. Lies come from the father of lies: Satan himself. Deceiving spirits had circulated a lie about Dick in an attempt to destroy the congregation’s confidence in God.” p. 133
One of my biggest spiritual struggles has been the desire to hear the voice of the Lord. There have been times that I thought I heard Him speak--only to find out later that the information I received was not accurate. Obviously, God is not a liar, but why can I not hear Him? Especially in light of this verse: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27
I never before considered the possibility of an enemy attack in this area of my spiritual life. It seems like an "a-ha" moment. I suddenly understand that the enemy can plant lies that we think are truth when we're searching! I knew that he is a liar, and these lies pervade Christianity in various areas--I just never saw it apply to specifically searching for the voice of the Lord. The next step is how to combat the lies.
I also remembered having this information from Listening Prayer Guidelines (by the PRT of The Navigators): "Resist the Enemy. Take your place of authority by saying something like, 'In the name of Jesus Christ, I prohibit the enemy from speaking or interfering with this time.'"
Being aware of the problem is always the first step in dealing with it. By the Lord's grace, I now have another tool in my spiritual toolbelt to hear Him and discern His voice . . . rather than hearing mine or the lies of the enemy.
Thank You Lord for Your grace! May Your Truth be made known!
Anderson writes, “If God was the One who told these four people that Dick wasn’t going to die, what does that make God? A liar. But is God a liar? Of course not; He’s the truth. Lies come from the father of lies: Satan himself. Deceiving spirits had circulated a lie about Dick in an attempt to destroy the congregation’s confidence in God.” p. 133
One of my biggest spiritual struggles has been the desire to hear the voice of the Lord. There have been times that I thought I heard Him speak--only to find out later that the information I received was not accurate. Obviously, God is not a liar, but why can I not hear Him? Especially in light of this verse: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27
I never before considered the possibility of an enemy attack in this area of my spiritual life. It seems like an "a-ha" moment. I suddenly understand that the enemy can plant lies that we think are truth when we're searching! I knew that he is a liar, and these lies pervade Christianity in various areas--I just never saw it apply to specifically searching for the voice of the Lord. The next step is how to combat the lies.
I also remembered having this information from Listening Prayer Guidelines (by the PRT of The Navigators): "Resist the Enemy. Take your place of authority by saying something like, 'In the name of Jesus Christ, I prohibit the enemy from speaking or interfering with this time.'"
Being aware of the problem is always the first step in dealing with it. By the Lord's grace, I now have another tool in my spiritual toolbelt to hear Him and discern His voice . . . rather than hearing mine or the lies of the enemy.
Thank You Lord for Your grace! May Your Truth be made known!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Praise & Thanks
Sometimes I feel distant from the Lord. I yearn for a deeper intimacy with Him, but it seems like life steers me in every direction except towards Him. I want to make time to sit down and read the Bible. I want to pray. But at the end of the day, I fall into bed hoping tomorrow will be better. All the while, my heart grows colder towards the Lord.
I have found that, in these times, there is a way out of the downward spiral. Praise & Thanks. We have a spiritual enemy that wants to draw us away from the Lord. Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) As a result, when I begin to turn my attention to the Lord in praise . . . just for Who He is . . . the enemy begins to run, and I begin to find freedom. My heart is rekindled, and I sense the presence of the Lord once again. I must practice thankfulness and praise. It does not come naturally, especially in difficult circumstances and the daily frustrations of life. However, when I choose Him, I invite Him to lift me up from where I have fallen. And He says, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.” (Song of Solomon 2:10)
1 I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. 3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, When they hear the words of Your mouth. 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD. 6 Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Psalm 138
I have found that, in these times, there is a way out of the downward spiral. Praise & Thanks. We have a spiritual enemy that wants to draw us away from the Lord. Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) As a result, when I begin to turn my attention to the Lord in praise . . . just for Who He is . . . the enemy begins to run, and I begin to find freedom. My heart is rekindled, and I sense the presence of the Lord once again. I must practice thankfulness and praise. It does not come naturally, especially in difficult circumstances and the daily frustrations of life. However, when I choose Him, I invite Him to lift me up from where I have fallen. And He says, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.” (Song of Solomon 2:10)
1 I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. 3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, When they hear the words of Your mouth. 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD. 6 Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Psalm 138
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