For some time, Vickie desired a home of her own. She lived in an apartment and knew there was something better for her, but naturally speaking, there was no way for her to afford anything more. This is her testimony she sent to us…
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Webb,
You were at our church and you said, “someone is believing for a house and your house is coming.” I wanted to let you know that I felt at that time that message was for me, and it scared me a little because I knew I had been praying for a house but I knew I could not afford to buy one. It scared me because I knew the only way I would be able to buy a house was if I inherited some money and that scared me because I was not prepared to lose a parent. But anyway, God is good. My dad and his wife called me and said, “Do you want a place to live? We just had some renters move out and we are just going to give you this house.” I about fell out of my chair. No mortgage or rent; all I have to do is paint it, take care of the yard and utilities. I’ve been painting and cleaning and getting ready to move. I just wanted to share this with you. Thank you so much for being the carrier of my message. (The home pictured here is the house that was given to her.)
Isn’t that wonderful? During the thirty years that I pastored, I saw something repeatedly. Week after week, two people can sit side by side in the same service, hear the same message, and give in the same offerings. One of them grows, and bears fruit, and then more fruit as described in Mark 4:20…And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. The other person remains in the same place he or she started, and if fruit is ever brought forth, it isn’t evident.
Why is this? Many times, it’s a hearing problem. In Mark 4, Jesus repeatedly states these words, hear the word. So why is hearing so important? Because FAITH COMES BY HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD.
I really appreciated this testimony because it is a great illustration of someone sitting in a church service, hearing the same words everyone else heard, but receiving them by faith. Notice the last statement Vickie made, thank you for being the carrier of MY message. She received those words from God for herself. There is no doubt in my mind that there were others in that service who were believing for a house, but she took it for her, and God always honors faith.
Hearing aright is vital to your receiving since it takes faith to receive from God. Just as a hearing aid can correct a physical hearing problem, there is a key—or hearing aid—to hearing what God says. I want to examine a common hindrance to hearing and its corresponding hearing aid.
Hindrance: Behold, I thought…This statement was made by Naaman, the captain of host of the king of Syria who was afflicted with leprosy. He went to Elisha, the man of God, seeking help and deliverance from leprosy. Instead of Elisha seeing him, Elisha sent a messenger to him, telling him to go wash in the Jordan seven times. But this isn’t what Naaman wanted to hear. II Kings 5:11 says, But Naaman was wroth, and went away and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
Naaman’s attitude almost cost him his healing. Some people never really hear what God is saying to them because they have decided in advance how their answer will come. Listen, it’s not what you think, it’s what God says! God watches over His Word to perform it; He does not watch over your thinking to perform it. Past experiences—either yours or someone else’s—can set up thought patterns that will blind you to what God is saying. A preconceived notion can rob you of victory.
Hearing Aid: Take your eyes off the method and put them on God. Take Him out of the box you’ve put Him in. He is smarter than you are. Don’t limit Him to your preconceived idea of how the answer will come. Stay open to new, innovative things. God is an expert at customizing!
In Matthew 13, Jesus explained why He used parables. He said people were seeing and hearing with their natural eyes and ears, but not seeing and hearing spiritually, and as a result, they were not receiving all that was available to them. Then speaking to His disciples, He said, BUT BLESSED ARE YOUR EYES, FOR THEY SEE: AND YOUR EARS, FOR THEY HEAR.
It would be a wise practice to confess this over yourself. Anytime you go to the Word, prayer, or attend a church service, you should confess, “blessed are my eyes for they see and my ears for they hear.” God desires the very best for you. He wants every desire that is in your heart to come to pass, but we must be open to hearing what He says, when He says it, and just like Vickie, we will be able to receive exactly what God has for us.
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