DISCIPLINED HEARING
DISCIPLINED HEARING
By Stephen Jones
We know there is a God. It is not by scientific measurement, but by the subjective manner in which God interacts with us on a personal level. These experiences become a part of our being, our spiritual genetics, and we can no more deny the existence of God than we could deny that we breathe air that we cannot see.
We all hear the voice of God. The problem is in recognizing that it is God as distinct from our own minds. We constantly hear two voices: our own mind’s voice (our conscience) and God’s voice. The great challenge is to distinguish between the two.
The conscience is manmade. Our parents, teachers, playmates, and others form and shape our conscience in our early life. The idols of the heart rule over the conscience. The conscience is only an accurate guide as it comes into unity with the voice and character of God. This takes place only as its idols are overthrown.
At first, the voice of God tends to be in conflict with the voice of our own mind, and we often fight Him. It is a battle between God and the heart idol. Whoever wins the battle becomes the supreme ruler in that area of life. If the idol wins, we will not hear God correctly in that area of life until another day when God again challenges the idol and overthrows him. Ultimately, the goal is the renewing of our minds, when our conscience is always in full agreement with the voice of God.
Everything God loves He puts to death—first Jesus Christ, and then all others—in order that we might become one with Him and identify with His death.Christ led the way to the cross for all of us, because He does not ask us to endure what He Himself was not first willing to endure. He died, not so that we could avoid death, but to teach us how to die with meaning and purpose.
I am not here to manifest my faith, but simply to bear witness to the works of God, which I see and hear. More than anything else, I now know by hard experience that Rom. 8:28 is true. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Faith is not a state of mind; it is a state of spirit. The mind deals only with persuasions; the spirit is the home of faith. I know that the apostle Paul experienced many trials of his faith also, and for this reason he was able to write in Rom. 7:17, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.”
The trial of our faith is given, NOT to prove us righteous and faithful, but to prove that in our flesh dwelleth no good thing. It is to show us the limitations of the flesh, not its strength toward God.
(Jer. 20:2,7,9) Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord. . . 7 O Lord, Thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; Thou art stronger than I and hast prevailed. I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. . . 9 Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
Jeremiah was no different from any of us today in that he too had to go through the fiery trial of his faith because of the word that he had dared to hear. Our God is a consuming fire. Hearing His voice is not a call to glorious victory, but a call to die. This is not meant to discourage people from hearing His voice, but rather a voice of comfort to those who are dying in the midst of His fire.
God does not hate those He disciplines; He disciplines because He loves His children and intends to refine them as gold and silver to replace their dross with the divine nature. He intends to bring forth a people in His image, that they might rule and reign with Him, and that they might in turn teach others how to die, following Jesus to the Cross.
Excerpts from HEARING GOD'S VOICE