It’s not what you hear, but what you do with what you hear that counts.
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Hearing vs. Obeying God’s Voice
It’s not what you hear, but what you do with what you hear that counts.
We’ve all been “beaten up” by well-meaning Christians and Christian leaders who told us we had to be better. Better behaved.
More obedient.“Do what God tells you!” The thing is, I teach that and am teaching that to you right now. If you want to hear God speak more, then more often do what He tells you to do! Holiness is some-thing God likes very much.The good news: there is a provision when we aren’t very holy.
Here’s the tricky part, though. Sometimes obeying God is done best by doing nothing. That’s right. Nothing! But one of the most important things for those who are just learning to hear God speak is what not to do when He speaks.
Strange, isn’t it? Ok, here’s the story. It took place early on in my trek to hear God speak. I had only months before heard my first word from the Lord about the condition of my heart. You may remember me referring to this experience in the preceding chapter. A girl at a local Vineyard church had said to me,“I don’t know why I feel that,but I feel
there is great pain inside you.”Up from the depths of my being, and for a reason that I did not yet understand, I began to weep big, sloppy tears. Was it because someone knew? Was it because I now knew that God knew? Or was it because someone cared? Or maybe I was finally learning about something deep inside and it “hurt so good” to have light shone on the pain? Was it all of these things?
Now, just a few months later, I stood in a home group, and a vis-iting minister from the local church felt God had told him we should all stand in a circle.There were maybe twelve or so of us. He felt next that God would have him speak what he was hearing over each of us.
He didn’t label it anything. He just said he was going to say what God was telling him.
When my turn came, I stood there quietly. Maybe my hands were raised; I’m not sure, but I do remember that he spoke softly: “First fruits,” he said.“First fruits,” he said again.“The Lord says you are the first fruits. Everything that happens to your close family and friends will happen to you first.” I was so encouraged by this word!
In fact, it literally carried me for months—maybe years. Except for one mistake I made: I did something with it. Proper obedience to that word would have been to do nothing. You see, there was no di-rective from God; it was only an encouragement that He was at work in my life. It was also an assurance that what I was seeing Him do for me, He would do for my family and friends, as well.
Of course, God was not taken by surprise. He knew I would learn through my mistakes and that this story would be written about it so you could benefit from my foolishness. The bottom line is that for the next three or four years, on and off, I would vigorously try to make a case for what God was doing with me—with many of my family members and friends, the ones I was certain God was speak-ing about. I was all over this and I was in their face about it.
The fruit of my “doing” so was terrible, if there was any fruit at all. Too many arguments. Too many controversial discussions. Too much conflict.While I felt I was simply trying to obey, what I was re-ally doing was doing what I was not told to do. The fact was I wasn’t
CAN’TYOUTALKLOUDER,GOD?
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told to do anything! God had simply encouraged me and given me a wonderful promise.
Now, many years later, many of those same family members and friends have slowly but surely come to serve Jesus more powerfully and more personally. Did I have anything to do with any of that? I have no idea whatsoever! I know about the many conversations we had through the years. I know that only a few have come to tell me that some of my arguments actually got to them. But really, it was the Holy Spirit fulfill-ing the Father’s words that brought everythfulfill-ing to pass.
Do yourself a favor. If God promises something great for your family, just love them and pray it in. Sure, you can speak up for the Lord now and then—in love. But leave the rest to the Lord. I truly believe I may have slowed things down with some family members because I thought my instructions were, “You’re first fruits, so go make fruitcakes like yourself out of all your family and friends.” It doesn’t work that way.