Tag Archives: how to hear from God

Who Will Lead the End-Time Church #14

Posted on 11/12/2023 | Comments Off on Who Will Lead the End-Time Church #14

Protecting our Spiritual Ears

         I remember the Lord asking me a peculiar question some years ago. He asked, “How does faith come?” I immediately said, “Faith comes by hearing, Lord.”  (quoting Romans 10:17). The Lord then asked me, “So then, how does hearing come?”  I didn’t have a quick answer for Him, but I was immediately reminded of all the scriptures that state: “he who has ears to hear let him hear,” and many other scriptures that said, “They had eyes that see and could not see, they had ears but could not hear.”

After some study, I began to see why people who have the “appearance” of faith and declare that Jesus is their Lord are having great difficulty in their Christian walk. They don’t have a hearing ear, so faith never comes.

A typical teaching is that faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing, etc. And there is some truth to that line of thought. The thing that has not been taught much is that there are different ways to hear, and there is a difference between natural and spiritual hearing.

 Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Let me give you a more accurate translation of this verse to make it clear.

ROM 10:17 (my paraphrase): Faith comes by what we hear, and hearing comes from the Word of God that we act upon.

Just because we have ears does not mean we can hear the Word. Our spiritual ears, our hearts, can only be opened by obedience to the word of God. That word will come from the written Word and the spoken Word by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us as believers.  

Only the word of God we act upon will develop our spiritual hearing. Obedience opens our spiritual hearing so we can receive further instruction.

Throughout the bible, it is the disobedient and rebellious people who “had ears but could not hear.”

Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

Jeremiah 5:21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

Ezekiel 12:2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

Spiritual ears are opened by the word of God we act on. If we are in a place where we feel we cannot hear God’s voice, we should humble ourselves before Him and ask Him where we have been rebellious and disobedient. If God has spoken to us about something and we neglect or ignore it, he is not inclined to talk to us about anything else until we acknowledge and act on what He has already said.

There are vast realms of understanding and revelation that we willnever acquire if we are not doers of the word. If we do not act on what we have heard, the Bible says we are deceiving ourselves. If we hear the word and do nothing about it, we become spiritually deaf. 

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Once we obey the word of God, an extraordinary cycle begins. Acting on the Word gives life to our faith and increases our ability to hear more from the Lord, which gives us more opportunities to act on what we hear, which gives life to our faith, and the cycle repeats. This is the never-ending cycle of spiritual growth.

If the Word of God is sown in our hearts and we refuse to act on it (rebellion), the devil has the right to steal it from us. This is the condition that we see in the parable of the sower.

Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

There are too many “wayside” Christians in the Church today. The spiritual condition of the Church as a whole is poor, in part because of the inability to hear what the Lord is saying to this generation.

As leaders, we must live a life of strict obedience and teach those following us to do the same.

Matthew 13:9-13 He who has ears, let him hear.” 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

When Jesus called the twelve disciples, He said to them: “Come.” They acted on that word and continued to follow Him.Because they acted on the word, they had ears to hear more.

Every time God speaks to us, corrects us, or even rebukes us, He is saying, “Come follow Me.” If the disciples did not follow when Jesus said, “Come,” Jesus would have kept right on walking, and they would not have been close enough to Him to hear further instructions.

Every time God speaks to us about anything, He is asking us to pursue Him. Let’s look at the rest of this passage.

Matthew 13:14-15 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

Lack of spiritual hearing is a heart problem caused by unbelief. Unbelief can be manifest in many ways: rebellion, disobedience, lack of understanding, spiritual laziness, pride, or selfish desires. No matter what form it takes, obedience is the cure.

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

God has already spoken many things to us in His written word. Why would He be inclined to say anything else if we are not interested in what He already said? Find out what God has already spoken and act on THAT. This will give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.

Question: What causes Christians to become dull of hearing?

Question: What is the difference between Natural and spiritual hearing?

Question: Why is spiritual hearing so important?

Question: How do we develop and maintain clear spiritual hearing?

Thank you for visiting Truth Pressure Ministries. Please share and help reach more people with the truth.

Comments Off on Who Will Lead the End-Time Church #14

Posted in Christianity, Leadership

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why You Struggle with Sin

Posted on 10/30/2023 | Comments Off on Why You Struggle with Sin

          Most Christians are familiar with the phrase, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” This statement is true. We know it is because it’s God’s holy written word. Then why are so many Christians living in obvious bondage to sin? The problem is, we don’t actually know the truth, we just know some things about it.

          Let’s look at that scripture in context.

John 8:31-32  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

          The problem here is obvious. Those who struggle with sin do not abide in God’s written word. To abide means to remain constantly, to dwell continually. We are to live our Christian lives with constant exposure to, and intake of the word of God. If we do not, according to the above scripture, we are not even considered a disciple. We definitely won’t be free.

I have observed animals raised in captivity all their lives. When the chains are removed and their locked cages are opened, they freeze. Instead of stepping out, they choose not to leave the confines of their captivity. Freedom is strange and unfamiliar to them, so they return to the chains and the cage that binds them. They find comfort in the familiarity of prison.

          Most Christians do not understand the value or importance of reading and listening to the word for themselves. They attend church faithfully. They read many books and listen to many teachings about the Bible. They watch Christian television and listen to Christian radio. However, they only read a chapter or two of the Bible for themselves daily, if that.

          If you spend only fifteen to thirty minutes a day in the Bible, you will not grow much spiritually. You will remain a baby Christian all your life.

Other passages in the Bible tell us to keep the word before our eyes, meditate on it day and night, keep it in our mouths, attend unto God’s word, and keep it in the midst of our hearts.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

          It is the supernatural power in God’s word that sets us free. God’s word is alive! It imparts grace and truth to us in ways that we can’t begin to understand. Truth is the one unchangeable constant in the universe. It is the only thing in existence that has the power to set us free and keep us free.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

          God’s word is a sharp, surgical instrument that can operate on our soul and spirit, separating and removing anything that would keep us bound. Some surgeries take longer than others, but if we abide in God’s word, staying under the knife so to speak, we will soon be free of the things that keep us bound.

Do you really love Him?

          In our minds, I think we all do. But what does Jesus have to say about it?

John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.

          That seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it?

John 14:21-24 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

          Loving God’s word, and keeping God’s word is how we express love for God. If we do not love God’s word enough to read it for ourselves and stay in it continually, then we cannot claim to love God according to scripture.

James 1:21-25 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

          In verse 21 we see the word “implanted.” Some translations read “engrafted.”

What does implanted, or engrafted mean? The Greek word is “emphutos” pronounced “em’-foo-tos” and this word is only used once in the New Testament. If you are familiar with a surgical implant, a skin graft, or a tree with a grafted branch, then you have an idea of what implanted means.

An implant takes living tissue and grafts it into another living tissue to make both one. If grafted properly, the thing being grafted becomes a living part of the thing it is grafted into.

Spiritually speaking, the living word of God is fastened, or grafted into our spirit until the living word becomes a part of us and we become one. To receive the implanted word, we must be doers of the word. If we are not a doer of the word, we have not received it, we have only heard it.

The self-deception that James is talking about in the above verse is hearing the word and thinking we know it. Until we practice what we have heard, we don’t know it, we don’t fully understand it, yet we move forward thinking we have learned something when we have not.

Abiding in God’s word gives us the strength, faith, and courage needed to obey His word.

Hunger for the Word like a Baby

1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

          Even though abiding in God’s word will cause us to grow into maturity in Christ, we should always maintain a spiritual hunger for the word like a newborn child.

          I have raised three children, and without fail, every one of them demanded to be fed eight to twelve times a day when they were newborns. It didn’t matter if it was the middle of the night, they would wake up crying for a meal.

          When was the last time you woke up in the middle of the night and just had to read God’s word, had to hear it, had to taste it? How many times a day do you visit the scriptures?

Spiritual hunger, unlike physical hunger, is stimulated by eating, not starving. The number one discipline Christians should establish in their lives is abiding in God’s word.

There is a reason God spent over 1500 years and used 40 different people who spoke 3 different languages putting together this wonderful, recorded, historical, and anointed document called the Bible. It is our blueprint, our manual for life, our spiritual food. It is God’s thoughts, feelings, instructions, and ideas that He has made readily available to the children He so dearly loves. Let’s not take that for granted.

Thank you for visiting Truth Pressure Ministries. Please share and help reach more people with the truth.

Comments Off on Why You Struggle with Sin

Posted in Christianity, Sin conscious

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fasting and the New Wineskin

Posted on 04/11/2023 | Comments Off on Fasting and the New Wineskin

What did Jesus mean when He said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins”?

Of the 40 or so parables we see in the teachings of Jesus, only a handful are recorded in all three synoptic gospels. The parable of the wineskins is one of those and deserves our close attention.

This parable was given in the context of answering a question about fasting.

Matthew 9:14-17 (NKJV) Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

What does fasting have to do with wineskins? I think most of us have not made the connection between this parable and the practice of fasting. We tend to read over the passage without realizing that Jesus is teaching us a powerful truth about living with the fullness of the Spirit.

Here is Mark’s account.

Mark 2:18-22 (NKJV) The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Jesus is using old and new wineskins, and old and new cloth, as an analogy of our old and new natures. We are born into the old carnal nature under Adam, and born again with the new nature of God, received by the Holy Spirit at our new birth in Christ.

So, what significance does fasting have in the context of this parable? Jesus was explaining to them the purpose and importance of fasting.

I see people fasting for many different reasons. Still, when you boil it down, there is only one primary reason for fasting. To break through the veil of carnal flesh so the Spirit can find its highest expression in our lives.

We live in this incredible paradox of having two natures constantly warring against each other. Jesus tells us that fasting is how we fight and win the war.

Fasting is not very popular among Christians because it requires discipline and self-denial. Some fast for the wrong reasons with little understanding and have little results.

Let’s look at Isaiah 58 and see the purpose of fasting.

Isaiah 58:6-9 (NKJV)“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? 7Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

There is much more to this chapter, and I highly recommend reading the whole thing. Still, the point is that biblical fasting is not just about denying our physical bodies food but reaching out and helping others while denying ourselves.

There is something supernatural about the combination of denying ourselves while tending to the needs of others that brings powerful breakthroughs in our lives. It frees us from bondage, breaks yokes of unbelief, brings healing to our bodies, and sets us free from things holding us back in our relationship with the Lord.

A biblical fast is not just denying the physical body but the soul, mind, and will. Fasting should include denying every part of our being that is touched by the fall of man. Bringing our whole being into subjection, so our light shines brighter and ultimately gives God more glory.

We all desire to be filled with the new wine, but God’s mercy withholds it. If He filled us with the fullness of the Spirit with our old wineskin, it would destroy us.

The fasting that Isaiah describes creates a new wineskin to contain that new wine. It increases our capacity in the Spirit and empowers us to live a sustained life of power and demonstration of the kingdom of God.

Let’s look at Luke’s account because he brings out a fascinating point that Matthew and Mark do not address.

Luke 5:33-39 (NKJV) Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”

34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” 36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise, the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.”

Look at verse 39. Luke recorded Jesus as saying, “no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

Jesus tells us that our flesh will resist the required change brought about by fasting. We are not going to desire to live by the Spirit immediately. Our flesh will always argue that the old way is better, leave things as they are, the old wine is good enough, and fasting is unnecessary.

When things didn’t always go smoothly for the Israelites, they started complaining and desired to return to Egypt. Even after seeing the daily provision of manna, a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night, they still desired the old way, the way of bondage, the old wine.

Fasting will not be easy for anyone, but there would be no significant rewards if it were easy. The promises we see in Isaiah 58 are mind-blowing. We desire and pray for new wine, but we ask God to put it in our old wineskin. It isn’t going to happen! He loves us too much!

Because of our fallen, broken nature, we seek more of God without making the necessary sacrifices to receive more. We desire the new wine but don’t want to release the old. We are craving change, yet allowing things to remain and stagnate.

In our present culture, we are inundated with the constant temptation to consume more. More food, more stuff, more entertainment, etc. Excess results in nothing but a strong, well-developed carnal nature. We feed the monster of flesh that wars against our soul.

We must choose God if we want new wineskins with new wine. It will require the new wine to become everything Christ redeemed. New wine is vital to our lives, but more importantly, it is essential for His glory! We must choose to believe.

Are you satisfied with the old wine of your sensual nature? Most churches are pleased with the status quo of living a carnal existence while claiming Jesus as Lord. I don’t have the stomach for it anymore.

There is so much that our Father desires for us to be and to have, but it cannot co-exist with the old fallen nature. The old wineskin must be put off, and the new wineskin put on. We either choose to be who our Creator designed us to be or remain the same. The choice is new life in Christ with full kingdom power and authority or remaining distant and separate from the Father, which is described as spiritual death. (Deut. 30:15-20)

Choosing life is easy. Living the life that God has provided takes a certain amount of discipline, resolve, and self-denial. It will require us to maintain a new wineskin. It will require biblical fasting. It will require dying to self.

Matthew 16:24 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

It is impossible to follow Jesus without denying ourselves. Without this self-denial, we will not have the strength to pick up our cross.

Jesus said, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” We are in those days.

It’s not our wineskin anymore. Jesus purchased it with His blood. Who are we to deny Him the right to change us?

Thank you for visiting Truth Pressure Ministries. I hope this has been a blessing to you.

Comments Off on Fasting and the New Wineskin

Posted in Christianity, Truth Pressure

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

~ How To Develop Our Spiritual Ears ~

Posted on 08/02/2014 | 5 comments

          The Lord asked me recently, “How does faith come?” I immediately said “faith comes by hearing Lord.”  (quoting Romans 10:17). The Lord then asked: “How does hearing come?”  I must admit, I didn’t have a quick answer for Him, but I was reminded of all the scriptures that state: “he who has ears to hear let him hear,” and many other scriptures that said, “They had eyes that see and could not see, they had ears but could not hear.”

          I began to see why people who have the “appearance” of faith and declare that Jesus is their Lord are having great difficulty in their Christian walk,  They don’t have a hearing ear … so faith never comes.

          The common teaching is that faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing etc. And there is some truth to that line of thought. The thing that has not been taught is that there are different ways to hear and there is a difference between natural hearing and spiritual hearing.

 Romans 10:17 ~ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Let me give you a more accurate translation of the verse to make it clear.

ROM 10:17 (paraphrase) ~ So then faith comes by what you hear, and your hearing comes from the Word of God that you act upon.

          Just because you have ears does not mean you are capable of hearing the Word. Your spiritual ears, your heart, can only be opened by the obedience to the word of God. That word will come from the written Word as well as the spoken Word by the Holy Spirit that dwells in you as a believer.  

ONLY THE WORD THAT WE ACT ON WILL DEVELOP OUR SPIRITUAL EARS.

OBEDIENCE OPENS OUR SPIRITUAL EARS TO HEAR MORE INSTRUCTION.

Throughout the bible, it is the disobedient and rebellious people who “had ears but could not hear.”

Deuteronomy 29:4 ~ Yet the LORD hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

Jeremiah 5:21 ~ Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

Ezekiel 12:2 ~ Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

 “Spiritual hearing” comes from the word of God that we act on. If we are in a place where we feel we cannot hear God’s voice, we should humble ourselves before Him and ask Him where we have been rebellious and disobedient. He will answer.

There are VAST realms of understanding and revelation that we will never acquire if we are not doers of the word. If we do not act on what we have heard, the Bible says we are deceiving ourselves. If we hear the word and do nothing about it, we become spiritually deaf. 

James 1:22 ~ But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Once we obey the Word of God, a wonderful cycle begins. Acting on the word gives life to our faith and develops our ability to hear from the Lord, which in turn opens us up to hear more, which gives us more opportunity to act on what we hear, which gives life to our faith ….  And the cycle goes on.  It is called spiritual growth.

If the Word of God is sown in our heart and we refuse to act on it (rebellion), the devil has the right to come steal it from us. This is the condition that we see in the parable of the sower.

Matthew 13:19 ~ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

There are too many “way side” Christians in the Church today. The spiritual condition of the Church as a whole is poor, in part because of the inability to hear what the Lord is saying to this generation.

Matthew 13:9-13 ~ He who has ears, let him hear.” 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

When Jesus called the twelve He said to them: “Come.” They acted on that word and continued to follow Him. Because they acted on the word, THEY HAD EARS TO HEAR MORE. Lets look at the rest of this passage.

Matthew 13:14-15 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

Lack of spiritual hearing is a heart problem, cause by unbelief. Unbelief can be manifest in many ways. By rebellion, disobedience, lack of understanding, spiritual laziness, pride, or selfish desires. No matter what form it takes, obedience is the cure.

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

God has already spoken many things to us in His written word. Why would He be inclined to say anything else if we are not interested in what He already said? Find out what God has already spoken and act on THAT. This will give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.

Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.

JC

5 Comments

Posted in Christianity, Religion

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,