Keys to Listening to God: PART 1-Get Understanding

1Corinthians 4:20(NLT) states, “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” There can never be enough communication about the Kingdom of God. Even an eternity is not enough time to speak of its goodness, but as wonderful as it is to talk about the Kingdom, 1Corinthians 4:20 tells us not to get it twisted. Talk is good, but its not enough. And some who talk about the Kingdom do so for self-aggrandizement, to bring attention to themselves unworthily. They are attempting to puff up themselves with a lot of talk. They may know a lot, and talk a lot about what they know, but often people who do this are pretenders, and not practitioners of God’s Word. Believers must be diligent to DO the Will of God, because this is the only way to live by God’s power.

God has given us a spirit of love, power, and sound mind. These are spirits that allow us to express our faith in God through His love. Our responsibility is to get all three working together. Love and power come through the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. A sound mind is the mind of Christ. God will not force us to operate in the spirit of love, power, and sound mind. It is our choice to do so. We must put on His love and put on the mind of Christ so that we can walk in His power.

Walking in God’s Will is a choice we face every moment of each day. We choose whether or not to align our wills with His Will. He created us in His image. He made us in His likeness, this means that you and I are self-governing. We don’t get to govern anyone else, because God didn’t give us the ability to control other people. We have enough on our hands to govern ourselves responsibly, and to the end that we do, He’ll reward us.

You and I can’t make up our own path, follow it, and then stamp it as “God’s Divine Will!” Many of us try to do this, and we’re sorely disappointed with the outcome. Proverbs 1:5-7 (NLT). “Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” A fool is someone who does not have the spirit of love, power, and sound mind that comes from God. Being a fool is not the destiny of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. God desires the believer to be wise, and the only way to acquire wisdom is to get understanding regarding HIS guidance.

Proverbs 4:5,6(NIV) tells us, “5Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.” Therefore, we should have a desire for acquiring understanding. There are millions upon millions who declare they want to have understanding but never pursue it. They pursue their own agendas instead. Proverbs 14:12 (ESV) tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” When a person lacks understanding about God’s Will and plan for their lives, a path might look like the right way to go, but it isn’t. It may even be a path that is right for someone else; it might cause them to prosper and actually be God’s Will for them, but it may not be right for the destiny He has in store for you. Knowing the difference between the two is a beautiful and wise quality that we call ‘discernment’.

We need discernment. It is a sharp sense of good judgment that comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit. He tells us ‘go left’ or ‘go right’, and the Spirit will also warn us when we’re about to make a major mistake. Jesus told us in John 16:13 that the Spirit will lead and guide us into all truth. He speaks to us and tells us about the future. He leads us in righteous, good, and wise decision making.

Jeremiah said to God’s people in Jeremiah 5:21(NLT), “Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear.” They had the instruments to hear and see but were refusing to use them to listen to God. Let it not be said of us. The key that activates discernment is our desire to listen to God’s voice. If we desire to follow His leading, God will always speak to us through His Word, His voice, and through the Holy Spirit that indwells us. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

4TheChristianMan

Christian encouragement and inspiration for men

Keys to Listening to God: PART 1-Get Understanding

Leave a Reply Cancel reply