Last Friday Phil H said the funniest thing. He said someone came up to him and said they felt that the Lord wanted him to go to Russia. He said that the Lord had not said anything like that to him, but he would gladly go if someone gave him the airfare - not for the Lord's work, but for a holiday.
His advice to us was that we need to be careful that we can hear God properly because people who don't like us will try to send us far away!!! ;-) hehe
21 March 2008
15 March 2008
100%
College is going well. I got 100% for my assignment in for a unit called "New Creation Realities". The funny thing is, I really didn't like this unit at the start because it seemed way too heavy and I really didn't feel it was something that I could grasp well, so I was pleasantly surprised to see my grade. Just for the record, here's what i wrote....
New Creation Realities Assignment
1) - What the spirit, soul and body consist of and how they affect your growth.
The spirit (i.e. "heart" of man, hidden man and inward man) deals with the spiritual realm. Prior to salvation, a person is in the process of dying spiritually. However, after they make the decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, a miracle takes place and spiritual death is driven out of them and their spirit is recreated to enable them to communicate and have fellowship with God. They become a new creation, old aspects of their life pass away, and all things become new (John 4:24, Romans 2:28-29, 1 Peter 3:4, 2 Corinthians 4:16 and 5:17).
The soul deals with the mental realm and is comprised of the mind (reasons and thinks), the will (makes decisions) and emotions. It receives information from the physical realm through the five senses of tasting, touching, seeing, hearing and smelling. Prior to salvation, a person's soul is unable to understand things of the spirit and is a servant to the body (1 Corinthians 2:14). However, it was created by God to be a servant to the spirit. After salvation, it undergoes a process of transformation by the renewing of the mind, restoration and purification through meditating on God's Word (Romans 12:2, Psalm 19:7 and Kenyon, 2000).
The body deals with the physical realm (through which it makes contact using the five senses mentioned above) and is effectively a temporary, fragile home in which the spirit lives, prior to dying on earth (2 Corinthians 5:1). Because the body was derived “of the flesh”, it is flesh, meaning that it is a slave to sin (John 3:6). Without Jesus, a person dies spiritually, and in parallel their body physically perishes as they surrender to cravings, lusts, evil passions and wickedness (Genesis 2:17 and Romans 6:11-14).
When a person makes the decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to serve Him, their fleshly desires are nailed to the cross and crucified and, in the case of those who decide to invite the Holy Spirit to live inside them, their body is transformed into a temple in which the Holy Spirit resides (Galatians 5:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
We (Christians) are not instantly cured of our sinful nature. Therefore, we need to make a conscious decision to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God and to resist temptations to embrace acts of sin, i.e. things which dishonor God and separate us from Him (Romans 12:1). We need to discipline our bodies by maintaining an active prayer life, reading, meditating and declaring God’s Word and being selective in what we listen to, and with whom we have fellowship (1 Corinthians 9:27 and 15:33 and Mark 4:24-25).
Kenyon (2000) tells us that when a person has the Holy Spirit inside them, it acts as a Teacher bringing revelation about the Word of God and developing God-like attributes inside them, which causes them to be a blessing to those that they come in contact with. The Holy Spirit helps them in their weaknesses by giving them the strength to overcome obstacles (including temptations) and by guiding them and directing them into a life of victory (Galatians 5:16-17). The spirit and soul work in agreement to overpower the flesh and produce a change in the natural realm. When the Word lives in them and they live in the Word, they become the Word made flesh (John 1:14 and 15:7). Their flesh reflects the life within them. For example, the Word on healing will result in their body being redeemed from all sickness (Galatians 3:13) and being filled with strength and vigor (Kenyon, 2000). The Word on peace and love will result in their hearts and minds being free from anxiety and fear (Philippians 4:6-7 and 2 Timothy 1:7).
2) - Explain the effects on the fall of man and how this has impacted your life.
Prior to the fall of man, man was flawless and without sin. As the first inhabitants of the earth, Adam and Eve were created in the image of God with authority over all the earth and its inhabitants. They were subject to God, blessed, fearless and acutely aware of the spiritual realm. Their spirits were in control and they had no awareness of their bodies, nor did they have any knowledge of good and evil (i.e. they were not conscious of sin and had no condemnation). They had the freedom to make their own choices - to obey or disobey God (Genesis 1-2).
Adam and Eve made a detrimental decision to disobey God, which enabled satan to gain a foothold in their lives. Consequently, after the fall, they lost their awareness of the spiritual realm and their spirits were separated from God. They became more aware of their bodies, fearful, conscious of sin and cursed. This was reflected in Adam’s attempt to hide from God – he no longer felt free to enter into God’s presence. Adam and Eves’ disobedience has had significant repercussions on the entire human race because the curse of sin was passed on to all mankind (Genesis 3).
This impacted my life because prior to accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I too was under the curse of sin (Psalm 51:5). My life was without hope, I was powerless to overcome my inward condition and unable to discern spiritual truths (Ephesians 2:12-13 and 1 Corinthians 2:14). I had negative thought patterns and embraced destructive behaviour because I was a slave to sin (Ephesians 2:2-3). This had a negative effect on my physical, emotional and spiritual well-being as an unsaved teenager. I was spiritually perishing.
Now, having accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I can recognise thoughts and behaviour that are reflective of the sinful nature. Consequently, among other things, I put on God's armor, take evil thoughts captive and ask the Holy Spirit to help me to overcome areas of weakness to prevent the devil gaining a foothold in my life (Ephesians 6:11-13 and 2 Corinthians 10:5).
3) - Explain the spiritual significance of the new birth and how this understanding affects personal growth.
Jesus came to reconcile us to our Father God. He did this by being born through human flesh into the world and then shedding His own blood as a living sacrifice for our forgiveness and justification. When we confess with our mouths that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and believe that God raised Him from the dead, we are “reborn” or “born of the spirit”, which means we are, in a way, resuscitated from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive (Romans 10:9).
We become a miraculous new creation because we are recreated from a state of being sinful, corrupted and alienated from God, to one in which we are righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are given a new heart and spirit and become alive to God and filled with desire to do His will and to serve Him, just like Adam prior to the fall (Colossians 3:10). We are unable to habitually practice sin because we are born of God and are His children. In contrast, those who do habitually practice sin reflect the nature of the devil and are his children (1 John 3:8-10).
Having this understanding affects personal growth because it causes one to measure their own thoughts, words and actions against God’s standards to ensure they comply with His standards. As children of the Most High God, we are delivered from the authority of darkness and have authority to bind and loose things on earth as in Heaven (Colossians 1:13, Acts 26:18 and Matthew 16:19). We are also able to identify whether those around us are serving God or the devil and to show discernment in witnessing to unbelievers.
4) - Explain how you become the righteousness of God and what this means to your self development.
Kenyon (2000) tells us that righteousness is the ability to stand in the presence of God without a sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority, as if sin never existed. From another perspective, he says righteousness is an ability to stand before satan and his works without a sense of timidity, fear, or a sense of inferiority. Essentially it is becoming superior to satan. If we are not right with God, we will not be able to have faith in Him to fulfill what we ask of Him. This is the key to authority in the spiritual realm.
In Hosea 4:6, we are told that God’s people are destroyed through lack of knowledge. Some Christians are held in bondage by their lack of understanding of righteousness. Righteousness cannot be earned. It is not the product of good works, nor can it be gained by obeying the law, reading the Bible, praying, fasting, attending church, etc… and neither is it something we become gradually. Rather, righteousness is a position in Christ, a state of being, which we receive as a free gift in its entirety.
In order to become righteous, a person needs to firstly confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead. Then, they need to simply believe in their heart that they are righteous (Romans 10:9-10). Righteousness comes through faith in Jesus (Romans 3:22).
It is important to understand righteousness and grow in our understanding of it to improve our self development. In order to maintain righteousness, we need to: be quick to repent of our sins, walk in love and renew our minds to the Word of God (1 John 1:9, John 15:12 and Romans 12:2). In doing so, we will produce a Godly lifestyle and live a victorious life where we experience peace and fellowship with God, confidence in ourselves and our ability to minister to others, spiritual strength and maturity and answered prayer (Romans 5:1-2, Proverbs 28:1, Hebrews 5:12-14 and James 5:16). We will reign in life and have victory over religious legalism, feelings of guilt and unworthiness (Romans 6:17 and Colossians 2:9-10).
New Creation Realities Assignment
1) - What the spirit, soul and body consist of and how they affect your growth.
The spirit (i.e. "heart" of man, hidden man and inward man) deals with the spiritual realm. Prior to salvation, a person is in the process of dying spiritually. However, after they make the decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, a miracle takes place and spiritual death is driven out of them and their spirit is recreated to enable them to communicate and have fellowship with God. They become a new creation, old aspects of their life pass away, and all things become new (John 4:24, Romans 2:28-29, 1 Peter 3:4, 2 Corinthians 4:16 and 5:17).
The soul deals with the mental realm and is comprised of the mind (reasons and thinks), the will (makes decisions) and emotions. It receives information from the physical realm through the five senses of tasting, touching, seeing, hearing and smelling. Prior to salvation, a person's soul is unable to understand things of the spirit and is a servant to the body (1 Corinthians 2:14). However, it was created by God to be a servant to the spirit. After salvation, it undergoes a process of transformation by the renewing of the mind, restoration and purification through meditating on God's Word (Romans 12:2, Psalm 19:7 and Kenyon, 2000).
The body deals with the physical realm (through which it makes contact using the five senses mentioned above) and is effectively a temporary, fragile home in which the spirit lives, prior to dying on earth (2 Corinthians 5:1). Because the body was derived “of the flesh”, it is flesh, meaning that it is a slave to sin (John 3:6). Without Jesus, a person dies spiritually, and in parallel their body physically perishes as they surrender to cravings, lusts, evil passions and wickedness (Genesis 2:17 and Romans 6:11-14).
When a person makes the decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to serve Him, their fleshly desires are nailed to the cross and crucified and, in the case of those who decide to invite the Holy Spirit to live inside them, their body is transformed into a temple in which the Holy Spirit resides (Galatians 5:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
We (Christians) are not instantly cured of our sinful nature. Therefore, we need to make a conscious decision to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God and to resist temptations to embrace acts of sin, i.e. things which dishonor God and separate us from Him (Romans 12:1). We need to discipline our bodies by maintaining an active prayer life, reading, meditating and declaring God’s Word and being selective in what we listen to, and with whom we have fellowship (1 Corinthians 9:27 and 15:33 and Mark 4:24-25).
Kenyon (2000) tells us that when a person has the Holy Spirit inside them, it acts as a Teacher bringing revelation about the Word of God and developing God-like attributes inside them, which causes them to be a blessing to those that they come in contact with. The Holy Spirit helps them in their weaknesses by giving them the strength to overcome obstacles (including temptations) and by guiding them and directing them into a life of victory (Galatians 5:16-17). The spirit and soul work in agreement to overpower the flesh and produce a change in the natural realm. When the Word lives in them and they live in the Word, they become the Word made flesh (John 1:14 and 15:7). Their flesh reflects the life within them. For example, the Word on healing will result in their body being redeemed from all sickness (Galatians 3:13) and being filled with strength and vigor (Kenyon, 2000). The Word on peace and love will result in their hearts and minds being free from anxiety and fear (Philippians 4:6-7 and 2 Timothy 1:7).
2) - Explain the effects on the fall of man and how this has impacted your life.
Prior to the fall of man, man was flawless and without sin. As the first inhabitants of the earth, Adam and Eve were created in the image of God with authority over all the earth and its inhabitants. They were subject to God, blessed, fearless and acutely aware of the spiritual realm. Their spirits were in control and they had no awareness of their bodies, nor did they have any knowledge of good and evil (i.e. they were not conscious of sin and had no condemnation). They had the freedom to make their own choices - to obey or disobey God (Genesis 1-2).
Adam and Eve made a detrimental decision to disobey God, which enabled satan to gain a foothold in their lives. Consequently, after the fall, they lost their awareness of the spiritual realm and their spirits were separated from God. They became more aware of their bodies, fearful, conscious of sin and cursed. This was reflected in Adam’s attempt to hide from God – he no longer felt free to enter into God’s presence. Adam and Eves’ disobedience has had significant repercussions on the entire human race because the curse of sin was passed on to all mankind (Genesis 3).
This impacted my life because prior to accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I too was under the curse of sin (Psalm 51:5). My life was without hope, I was powerless to overcome my inward condition and unable to discern spiritual truths (Ephesians 2:12-13 and 1 Corinthians 2:14). I had negative thought patterns and embraced destructive behaviour because I was a slave to sin (Ephesians 2:2-3). This had a negative effect on my physical, emotional and spiritual well-being as an unsaved teenager. I was spiritually perishing.
Now, having accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I can recognise thoughts and behaviour that are reflective of the sinful nature. Consequently, among other things, I put on God's armor, take evil thoughts captive and ask the Holy Spirit to help me to overcome areas of weakness to prevent the devil gaining a foothold in my life (Ephesians 6:11-13 and 2 Corinthians 10:5).
3) - Explain the spiritual significance of the new birth and how this understanding affects personal growth.
Jesus came to reconcile us to our Father God. He did this by being born through human flesh into the world and then shedding His own blood as a living sacrifice for our forgiveness and justification. When we confess with our mouths that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and believe that God raised Him from the dead, we are “reborn” or “born of the spirit”, which means we are, in a way, resuscitated from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive (Romans 10:9).
We become a miraculous new creation because we are recreated from a state of being sinful, corrupted and alienated from God, to one in which we are righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are given a new heart and spirit and become alive to God and filled with desire to do His will and to serve Him, just like Adam prior to the fall (Colossians 3:10). We are unable to habitually practice sin because we are born of God and are His children. In contrast, those who do habitually practice sin reflect the nature of the devil and are his children (1 John 3:8-10).
Having this understanding affects personal growth because it causes one to measure their own thoughts, words and actions against God’s standards to ensure they comply with His standards. As children of the Most High God, we are delivered from the authority of darkness and have authority to bind and loose things on earth as in Heaven (Colossians 1:13, Acts 26:18 and Matthew 16:19). We are also able to identify whether those around us are serving God or the devil and to show discernment in witnessing to unbelievers.
4) - Explain how you become the righteousness of God and what this means to your self development.
Kenyon (2000) tells us that righteousness is the ability to stand in the presence of God without a sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority, as if sin never existed. From another perspective, he says righteousness is an ability to stand before satan and his works without a sense of timidity, fear, or a sense of inferiority. Essentially it is becoming superior to satan. If we are not right with God, we will not be able to have faith in Him to fulfill what we ask of Him. This is the key to authority in the spiritual realm.
In Hosea 4:6, we are told that God’s people are destroyed through lack of knowledge. Some Christians are held in bondage by their lack of understanding of righteousness. Righteousness cannot be earned. It is not the product of good works, nor can it be gained by obeying the law, reading the Bible, praying, fasting, attending church, etc… and neither is it something we become gradually. Rather, righteousness is a position in Christ, a state of being, which we receive as a free gift in its entirety.
In order to become righteous, a person needs to firstly confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead. Then, they need to simply believe in their heart that they are righteous (Romans 10:9-10). Righteousness comes through faith in Jesus (Romans 3:22).
It is important to understand righteousness and grow in our understanding of it to improve our self development. In order to maintain righteousness, we need to: be quick to repent of our sins, walk in love and renew our minds to the Word of God (1 John 1:9, John 15:12 and Romans 12:2). In doing so, we will produce a Godly lifestyle and live a victorious life where we experience peace and fellowship with God, confidence in ourselves and our ability to minister to others, spiritual strength and maturity and answered prayer (Romans 5:1-2, Proverbs 28:1, Hebrews 5:12-14 and James 5:16). We will reign in life and have victory over religious legalism, feelings of guilt and unworthiness (Romans 6:17 and Colossians 2:9-10).
My nephew turned into a girl!!!
I think it was on Monday last week that i drove Jules to her appointment with her gynacaeologist in Joondalup to have her 22 week scan.... and boy did we get a shock. Upon close examination, our little baby boy had transformed into a girl!!! For the last couple of months, we have been preparing loads and loads of little boys clothes .... ho hum!!!
This morning i had the idea of naming the baby Grace, seeing Joshua is obviously no longer appropriate. It means "goodwill", but my real reason for choosing it is because I really feel that it is because of God's grace that she is pregnant and still carrying a healthy baby. Afterall, she has lost six babies before this one. Both mum and Jules think the name is lovely, so fingers crossed that it will remain as Grace. Not sure about a second name yet. I don't think mum is completely convinced it is a girl yet ;-) I think we're all still in shock.
This morning i had the idea of naming the baby Grace, seeing Joshua is obviously no longer appropriate. It means "goodwill", but my real reason for choosing it is because I really feel that it is because of God's grace that she is pregnant and still carrying a healthy baby. Afterall, she has lost six babies before this one. Both mum and Jules think the name is lovely, so fingers crossed that it will remain as Grace. Not sure about a second name yet. I don't think mum is completely convinced it is a girl yet ;-) I think we're all still in shock.
At the Well
Last night at the Well, Kristin and I caught up with the usual guys. While we were sitting there, it suddenly occurred to us that Jelli and Joanne, who are great mates, happen to look quite similar to Kristin and I. Joanne and I are both Eurasian with straight brown hair and brown eyes, while Kristin and Jelli both have blonde curly hair and blue eyes! How funny that we would each make friends with someone who looked quite disimilar to us, but that another pair of friends reflect our looks!!!
We were all impressed, so we got the boys to snap us. Joanne and Jelli are also three years apart, like Kristin and I, but they are like ten years younger than us!!! Mum doesn't reckon you can tell we are so far apart in ages, cos she was saying that people only look old when they get to their 40s ;-) haha ... so the piccy directly below, left to right shows Joanne, me, Kristin and Jelli. The fellas shown below are, left to right, Dusty, Mike, Phil, Dan and some mysterious guy whose name i didn't catch ... haha, next time.
Even further down, we have Jelli and I admiring Heidi's lovely locks and below that is Elyse, Clayton, Jelli and Jo.
We were all impressed, so we got the boys to snap us. Joanne and Jelli are also three years apart, like Kristin and I, but they are like ten years younger than us!!! Mum doesn't reckon you can tell we are so far apart in ages, cos she was saying that people only look old when they get to their 40s ;-) haha ... so the piccy directly below, left to right shows Joanne, me, Kristin and Jelli. The fellas shown below are, left to right, Dusty, Mike, Phil, Dan and some mysterious guy whose name i didn't catch ... haha, next time.
Even further down, we have Jelli and I admiring Heidi's lovely locks and below that is Elyse, Clayton, Jelli and Jo.
01 March 2008
I am a child of the most high God
In class the other day, Ps Ginny told us about three incidences which proved the power of declaring God's Word over our lives.
She said she heard that a young female student was in Oral Roberts' bible college class one day when he found himself repetitively emphasising to his students that they were children of God. He said he kept thinking to himself, 'why do i keep saying that?'. Anyway, on the same day, this young student left the college campus late in the evening to walk across the car park to her car. All of a sudden she was attacked from behind by a man. Instantly, she found herself screaming "I am a child of God!!!". Apparently, the man was absolutely startled and said "Oh, are you?, I'm so sorry" and ran off!
Another college student was waiting on the side of the road at a bus stop and a car pulled over and opened the door for her. Thinking it was a friend of hers, she leapt into the passenger side of the car. When she looked over, it was a man who she didn't know. She mildly freaked out and then started to pray. Then the man made a turn down a dark bush track and she suddenly interrupted him and said with authority: "Excuse me, Sir, I am a child of God, please turn the car around now".... and he responded in the same surprised manner, apologised and turned the car around and took her home.
Finally, she told us about another college student who was having a shower when all of a sudden, the curtain was drawn to reveal a naked man standing in her bathroom. All she could think of was the word feathers, which she had read in Psalm 91, so she kept screaming "feathers, feathers, feathers". The man apparently freaked out and ran out of the house!
Wow, the power of declaring God's Word ;-)
She said she heard that a young female student was in Oral Roberts' bible college class one day when he found himself repetitively emphasising to his students that they were children of God. He said he kept thinking to himself, 'why do i keep saying that?'. Anyway, on the same day, this young student left the college campus late in the evening to walk across the car park to her car. All of a sudden she was attacked from behind by a man. Instantly, she found herself screaming "I am a child of God!!!". Apparently, the man was absolutely startled and said "Oh, are you?, I'm so sorry" and ran off!
Another college student was waiting on the side of the road at a bus stop and a car pulled over and opened the door for her. Thinking it was a friend of hers, she leapt into the passenger side of the car. When she looked over, it was a man who she didn't know. She mildly freaked out and then started to pray. Then the man made a turn down a dark bush track and she suddenly interrupted him and said with authority: "Excuse me, Sir, I am a child of God, please turn the car around now".... and he responded in the same surprised manner, apologised and turned the car around and took her home.
Finally, she told us about another college student who was having a shower when all of a sudden, the curtain was drawn to reveal a naked man standing in her bathroom. All she could think of was the word feathers, which she had read in Psalm 91, so she kept screaming "feathers, feathers, feathers". The man apparently freaked out and ran out of the house!
Wow, the power of declaring God's Word ;-)
My first assignment at college
We had to write a 400-word commentary on Mark 4:24-25 and explain why listening is so important, using our own examples. This is what I wrote:
Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. [Mark 4:24-25] NKJV
And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you - and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [by force]. [Mark 4:24-25] Amp
My understanding of this passage is that I need to be extremely selective about the type of information I expose myself to, both consciously and sub-consciously, and how I apply the wisdom I gain from different sources. The consequence of poor choices is ultimately inner destruction, which leads to the loss of spiritual wisdom, and death.
As defined in our course notes, hearing describes "the physiological sensory processes by which auditory sensations are received by the ears and transmitted to the brain", whereas listening refers to "a more complex psychological procedure involving interpreting and understanding the significance of the sensory experience".
Listening is vital because it has a significant impact on my physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, the quality of my relationships with friends and family members, my relationship with God and my success and prosperity in life.
Prior to accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I used to listen to a lot of heavy metal music with lyrics about the devil being inside me. I also watched horror movies, read gruesome novels and magazine articles and often visited the cemetery to read the gravestones. In hindsight, I realise this had a negative effect on my health because my sleep was not peaceful, I was often unwell and my ability to concentrate in classes and perform well in school, was compromised. I also remember having feelings of intense hatred and bitterness for life in general, which was reflected in many horror-themed pictures I painted in art classes, my choice of wearing mainly black, torn clothes and having half of my head shaved. I had no joy in life and I didn't relate well to people. My many attempts to end my life as a teenager were a further reflection of the enemy's strongholds in my life. The devil gained many footholds in my life through my poor choice of listening material!
Following God's mercy towards me and my introduction to God's kingdom, my choice of audio and visual material gradually changed, in addition to the type of people I had spent time with. Praise and worship music, Godly teaching (through church sermons, home group meetings, tapes, literature and movies), on-fire prayer meetings and reading God's Word have dispelled the darkness from my life. Every day, I verbally declare and confess the Word of God over my life, put on God's armor and spend time in prayer.
Today, my life is a testimony to the benefits of listening to spiritual wisdom. I am fit and healthy and I have a sound mind - the mind of Christ - which allows me to concentrate and receive more wisdom, and, in turn, blessings. In claiming God's promises and asking the Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me, He has granted me precious friendships with like-minded people, and made my life prosperous. Through Jesus I am able to crush satan beneath my feet and live a victorious life. Praise God I now know how to listen well.
I got 80% for this one ... not bad.
Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. [Mark 4:24-25] NKJV
And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you - and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [by force]. [Mark 4:24-25] Amp
My understanding of this passage is that I need to be extremely selective about the type of information I expose myself to, both consciously and sub-consciously, and how I apply the wisdom I gain from different sources. The consequence of poor choices is ultimately inner destruction, which leads to the loss of spiritual wisdom, and death.
As defined in our course notes, hearing describes "the physiological sensory processes by which auditory sensations are received by the ears and transmitted to the brain", whereas listening refers to "a more complex psychological procedure involving interpreting and understanding the significance of the sensory experience".
Listening is vital because it has a significant impact on my physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, the quality of my relationships with friends and family members, my relationship with God and my success and prosperity in life.
Prior to accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I used to listen to a lot of heavy metal music with lyrics about the devil being inside me. I also watched horror movies, read gruesome novels and magazine articles and often visited the cemetery to read the gravestones. In hindsight, I realise this had a negative effect on my health because my sleep was not peaceful, I was often unwell and my ability to concentrate in classes and perform well in school, was compromised. I also remember having feelings of intense hatred and bitterness for life in general, which was reflected in many horror-themed pictures I painted in art classes, my choice of wearing mainly black, torn clothes and having half of my head shaved. I had no joy in life and I didn't relate well to people. My many attempts to end my life as a teenager were a further reflection of the enemy's strongholds in my life. The devil gained many footholds in my life through my poor choice of listening material!
Following God's mercy towards me and my introduction to God's kingdom, my choice of audio and visual material gradually changed, in addition to the type of people I had spent time with. Praise and worship music, Godly teaching (through church sermons, home group meetings, tapes, literature and movies), on-fire prayer meetings and reading God's Word have dispelled the darkness from my life. Every day, I verbally declare and confess the Word of God over my life, put on God's armor and spend time in prayer.
Today, my life is a testimony to the benefits of listening to spiritual wisdom. I am fit and healthy and I have a sound mind - the mind of Christ - which allows me to concentrate and receive more wisdom, and, in turn, blessings. In claiming God's promises and asking the Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me, He has granted me precious friendships with like-minded people, and made my life prosperous. Through Jesus I am able to crush satan beneath my feet and live a victorious life. Praise God I now know how to listen well.
I got 80% for this one ... not bad.
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