God Will Give You EARS to Hear!

1. Identification (WHO is talking) Ears to Hear Whatever the condition of your hearing, ask God to give you ears that hear, and a heart to respond. We often miss the connection between the circumstances in our life and direction from the Lord simply because we have a preconceived idea of what and how the Lord speaks. “Is That You, Lord?” Remind yourself that knowing God is simple; we often want to make it complex for reasons of control of others or to keep from changing our own beliefs or experiencing the pain that accompanies getting healed. But this is really the sum of hearing: asking, “God, is that You?” We can come up with all kinds of guidelines (which may be helpful), but the bottom line is the answer to that question. Say you hear (in whatever sense) what you believe to be the Lord. You ask, “Is that You, Lord?” You hear, “Yes.” How do you know this is the Lord? There are two voices that speak to the sheep: the butcher and the shepherd. Is the voice you’re hearing reflecting the qualities of the Lord, and His unconditionally gracious, loving stance toward you? Is the voice encouraging, accepting, loving, honoring? Or is it condemning, harsh, arrogant or demeaning? Talking to Your Self Being able to distinguish between our own thoughts, thoughts the enemy may speak to us and the thoughts of the Lord is a long-term process that begins with becoming aware of what we are thinking. Most of us are totally unaware of what we are thinking, feeling, or even how we make decisions. So part of the training that God puts us through is for the purpose of bringing these to the surface, so we can objectively evaluate the source. That which is Life will stand the light of day; but we must also be willing to change our beliefs.