The word LISTEN conjures a feeling of SOFTNESS because it requires us to be QUIET. But raging behind the listening curtain is a full-fledged, raging WAR. Especially when it comes to listening for God’s “still soft voice.” Listening means we need to quiet our own mind and pay attention to a sound. For Christians, that sound is God.
lis·ten: give one’s attention to a sound.
I have learned through comments from our global online tribe of 1.5 million people that LISTENING is difficult on its face. There are two reasons why we would much rather talk than listen: 1) We like to hear ourselves over others (by a long shot, even if we won’t admit it); and 2) We want to drown out the world’s unpleasant and dangerous noise.
Fully embracing that double-barreled truth is how Christians know there is a war going on that seeks to keep us from connecting with God. And, importantly, it is how we learn that wars require soldiers to FIGHT!
“Fight the good fight of the faith…” 1 Timothy 6:12
Early in my faith walk I had no idea I had entered a war because my expectations were the opposite. I was expecting to catapult over the world’s pain and land softly in God’s peaceful embrace. But that does not square with this two-plank reality:
- God’s grace needs conflict to triumph.
- There must be a fight to have a victory.
To follow Jesus, we must reject the Enemy. And it should be no surprise that we’ll be tempted to avoid going to God for strength to fight the war. That we’ll be tempted to follow a lustful path to satisfy our cravings. That we’ll be tempted to think internal conflict means we’ve lost the war when, in fact, it means we can win it if we go to God who promises to strengthen us (Isaiah 41:10).
The bottom line is that we are fighting under the power of Christ if we activate it through our surrender and trust in the Lord of Heaven and earth who has vowed to NEVER leave our side (Matthew 28:20).
I never want to lose sight of the reality that I am in a war with the Enemy over listening to God’s voice and I must FIGHT back with his Word of truth.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
How are you doing in your fight to win the “Listen-To-God” war?
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11
