“Hearing God”

I posted a meme that said, “Turning down the volume of life, allows you to listen carefully to God.”

I believe this statement is the best statement I have heard regarding hearing the voice of the Lord.

But turning down the volume of life can be viewed differently by people.

For some, it might mean slowing down from a busy life of work. 

My meaning and my understanding from this statement is literally, turning down the volume of life, which means finding a quiet place where there is no noise. A quiet, comfortable, serene space that is your spot. 

No tv, radio, people, not even your phone because we can’t resist social media at times. For some of us, it’s relaxing when everyone is still sleep and we lay awake thumbing through our phone on the different social medias we have downloaded on our phones.

Try leaving the phone alone. Whether you have a quiet spot you like to go to or you have one in your house. The key is go there. Let there be QUIET!!

Get in the habit of reading a verse of Psalms, or if you have a reading plan in place, read the next chapter of the book you are currently reading in your Bible.

Train yourself to make this a priority each day. To find time for God by communing with him.

The point is, it’s about you and God having a conversation. Speak to him and ask him what is on his mind regarding you. He may answer about you, or speak on something else. 

The goal is, he is talking to you. You may not hear his audio voice, but with God, you don’t have to. He speaks to your heart and spirit. For all of us who have Holy Spirit dwelling in us know this.

Throughout our busiest day, the Lord will often put something on our hearts and we might continue on with our tasks, but in our down time, it comes back. 

Especially, when we keep getting the same message over and over. Don’t ignore what he is telling you to either do or not do. 

We often attribute these messages as a part of our thoughts because he has placed the message on our mind.

Our mom used to tell us, ‘If you do as your mind tells you, you won’t go wrong.’ We knew that she attributed this to God leading us in the right direction. 

I looked at it then as the Lord guiding us. When I got deeper in the word I understood it is Holy Spirit, God’s spirit leading and guiding us.

I personally, went from knowing God put something on my mind. To understanding he dwells within us. The same difference though, was the Lord giving us instructions that we should obey. Don’t allow unbelief in God or unbelief that the Lord speaks to us become a stumbling block to you.

When we read in the book of Matthew 13:10-17 in the New Testament, we find out why Jesus spoke in Parables.

A parable:

• a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

• a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like. 

Parable:  The purpose, A parable, A parable explained 

Matthew 13:1-23

The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-9 NLT

1 Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake.

 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 

3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: "Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 

4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 

5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 

6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn't have deep roots, they died. 

7 Other seeds fell among thorns that gre up and choked out the tender plants. 

8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 

9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."

The Purpose of the Parables

Matthew 13:10-23 NLT

10 His disciples came and asked him, "Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?" 

11 He replied, "You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 

12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 

13 That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don't really see. They hear, but they don't really listen or understand. 

14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, 'When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 

15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes- so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 

17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn't see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn't hear it. 

Parables Explained.

18 Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 

19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 

20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 

21 But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word. 

22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 

23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"

I wanted to discuss the parables that Jesus spoke. And the reason for those parables that he explained to his disciples.

Because I want us to know what Jesus told his disciples what the purpose of the Parable was.

The Purpose of the Parables

Matthew 13:10-17 NLT

His disciples came and asked him, Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?

 11 He replied, You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 

12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 

13 That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don't really see. They hear, but they don't really listen or understand. 

14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, 'When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 

15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes- so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.' 

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 

17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn't see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn't hear it.

Matthew 13:12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 

Matthew 13:15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes- so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.

Hardened hearts, that refuse to listen to the Lord’s teachings. What knowledge they have will be taken away.

Those who listen to the Lord’s teaching, more understanding will be given and they will have an abundance of knowledge.

This is a key point I want us to get, to comprehend in our here and now, present day. If we listen to the Lord’s teaching. We will be given more, if we don’t, we won’t understand and what we do have won’t remain.

Listening to his word, means we need to do what his word says.

Stay with me, let’s look at examples.

if we are reading in his word and he is giving information. Great. But in his word there are many things that we are to do.  His teachings are exactly that.

Look at Matthew 7:1

Matthew 7:1 Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 

NLT

That piece of scripture is telling us to not do something.  It is giving us direction.

If you read that, then close the book and carry on with your usual activities, if with judging others is one of them, you haven’t learned anything from what you read in Matthew 7:1.

Especially when you have understanding of what the verse says.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments there are people and situations, some of war, others of individual struggles.

We can learn by what they went through and how God dealt with them. We can gain understanding and apply his word to our lives and situations.

When we read the word of God, we are to pay attention to these directives he gives us and apply them to our lives.

Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Mat 7:8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Mat 7:9  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Mat 7:10  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

Mat 7:11  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

There are scriptures in the other books that tell us what Matthew 7:7-8 tells us about asking when we need something.

Will you read these words then ignore what Jesus said to do if you needed something? Would you ignore this because you don’t think he will really do it? Or you just continue to do things your way?

Remember this is why many people were cut off from perceiving his truth.

If your goal is like my goal and many others, to hear from the Lord. Then it is important to pay attention to what he tells us to do in his Holy Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 29:4

4  Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

Isaiah 6:9

9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

The Lord is always available to us. When we put forth the effort to spend time with him. He listens.

Don’t only talk with him because you have gotten in trouble and can’t find your way out. Give him time that is set aside for the two of you routinely.

Now let’s go back to the parable the Lord explained to his disciples. Having an understanding of what a parable is, we see the Lord, using the comparison seeds being planted, some sink into the ground and take root to grow, while others are plucked away by a bird.

Why do I want to discuss this? Because how the Lord describes the seeds, is how it happens with us in real life when we hear his word.👇🏽

The Parable of the Sower Explained

Matthew 13:18-23 NLT

Matthew 13:18 Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 

Matthew 13:19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 

Matthew 13:20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 

Matthew 13:21 But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word. 

Matthew 13:22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 

Matthew 13:23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"

The seed is the word of God in this parable. And we can see the truth of how the enemy swoops in to distract us from hearing the word, or retaining what we hear. 

Remember, his parables, though allegorical, align in comparison to what occurs in our lives. We can learn from this illustration because it has happened to us at one time or another.

There is more to be learned from hearing God. But it is up to each of us to put forth the effort to learn what he has for us. 

How awesome it is for the one true God in all of his sovereignty to spend one in one time with any one who makes the choice to spend time with him. Let us start here.

My Closing Prayer:

Lord, I pray each of us will take in the fact that you listen to us when we come to you.

Let us set aside time to be spent with you. To read your word and gain understanding that you will increase with knowledge. 

Let our eyes be open to see what you have for us, our ears open to hear you, and our mind alert to perceive all that you have for us.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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