Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Wednesday 12/17/08)

What Are You Hearing?

Romans 10:17-18 (Amplified Bible)
17So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
18But I ask, Have they not heard? Indeed they have; [for the Scripture says] Their voice [that of nature bearing God's message] has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the far bounds of the world.

I remember hearing people during the course of my walk say, " it is not necessary for me to go to church, it is just a man or women giving their opinion." My grandma James knew more of the Word Of God than most preachers and unless she was sick or the weather prevented her from getting to church she was in church every Sunday, even when her arthritis was hurting her and even when cancer had begun to take her body, she would go to hear the Word of God and be around the people of God. But it was not just the value of what she received that was her great commission and joy, it was her passing that information on to her family and friends as they entered her home. You would never cross the threshold of my grandmother's house without having prayer or receiving an impromptu Bible study or a word of knowledge or word of wisdom. She heard the word and it resonated in her life, and it caused her to be an instrument of change, healing and miracles, because she heard the word and had faith enough to believe not just for herself but for all of us as well.

I have travelled the world and in my quest to find a church I have learned to listen for understanding and listen to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to me. I have learned that hearing a Word from God that increases my faith is integral to my growth and development as a Christian. There is a saying that says, "You are what you eat." What we allow to go into our ear gates, what we consume will dictate who we become in the area of faith. If we are being taught the word and we are learning to rightly divide the word of truth, we can grasp God's character and understand who he is and what he can do through us and for us, if we only believe. You ever notice that when you are around negative people, you begin to think and act negatively. It is the same thing in the area of faith if we hear it and it gets in us we have a tendency to be able to have the faith to see our prayers answered and things manifest in our lives.

Examine what you are hearing. Are in you in a place where your faith is increasing or decreasing? Are your ears attuned to the Word of God, and are your lips imparting that word that fortifies the faith in yourself and others, or does it tear it down? It is time to hear what God has said you can have, if you only have the faith to do so. Faith really does come by what we hear, or what we don't hear. ensure you are hearing what you need for your faith to grow and survive!