Faith Comes By Hearing

Posted in Renewed Mind on 16. Dec, 2009

As you renew your minds, be aware that reading God’s Word, as your only course of action, may not be enough. We will read some Scriptures over and over and over again, and the meaning is lost on us. The reason that’s true is because we hear ourselves read these passages through the lens of our own experience or through the tone of the person who introduced these biblical concepts to us.

Faith comes by hearing

Hear this, Beloved. Faith comes by HEARING. There is something dynamic and mysterious about sound. I grew up hearing the austere Methodist preacher talk in a monotone and lifeless voice about the marvelous “love of God”. It all sounded so dreadfully boring. I associated his tone and expression with those words. For years, whenever I heard someone read a passage of Scripture, I heard it through the lens and filter of their understanding.

This means it’s all too important who we choose to listen to.

We can increase our faith and our understanding by listening to people speak who have a deeper and less cluttered understanding than we have. Each person, when sharing their story or even reading a passage from a book, emphasizes and interprets the words through the filter of their understanding. That’s how people choose what tone and inflection to add when reading. They see “love”, and they read the word as they understand it.

When I heard Mike Bickle speak about the glorious Bridegroom, he rocked my world. Suddenly, Jesus was this God-Man so glorious and wonderful that I had to learn more. When I heard Gary Wiens speak with certainty about his loving Father, I knew I wanted to know a God like that. I knew that Christianity suddenly made sense if God was an extravagant lover and giver. If life was REALLY meant to be a passionate romance and pursuit of the Bridegroom, I could sign on to that.

It was hearing the reality in their voices that tipped the scales.

To this day, I seek out people with deeper revelation than I have. Whether it’s a streaming video, tapes, DVDs, sermon podcasts, or a testimonial of God’s power, I want to hear the people share who have experienced God and been transformed. Their stories expand my expectation and hope. I am excited to seek God and encouraged to trust more.

Take the challenge: In whatever area you wish you had deeper understanding and greater revelation, find testimonials, talks, and sermons on the subject from people who are more alive in that area than you. Don’t let anything stop you from listening to the voice of revelation.

If you want to grow deeper in a particular area but aren’t sure who to trust or who to listen to, leave me a comment or fill out the contact form and I will share my personal recommendations with you.

This has been an amazing revelation in my life. Don’t just read. You need to hear the voice of the one who has experienced greater depths of revelation. That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. That the breadth of your expectation may be increased.

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  • Kevin
    I am in desperate need of truly fixing my mind on Christ and gaining peace in my life. Isa. 26:3-4

    I recently had a surgery that has left me with scar tissue on my spine that my or may not improve my mobility. Since I physically feel the tightness, I cannot get away from it.......How do I finally get to the place of Peace in my heart be?
  • I'm not claiming to know everything, Kevin, but I call 'em like I see 'em. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast..."

    Dictionary.com defines "steadfast" as: fixed in direction; steadily directed; firmly established; unwavering; firm in purpose.

    I'm going to share with you how this has worked in my own life in the hopes that something of my story will be life to you - I'm not insinuating that you are in the same place I was.

    I personally did not experience a certain level of peace until several things happened:

    1. I had repented of willful sin and forgiven myself. The Holy Spirit led me to forgive myself, which brought real freedom for the first time in sexual struggles. The reason this was so important was that I have a very strong sense of justice. I believed that it would be unjust for me to get off scott free without paying somehow for my sins. Jesus died for my sin AND my shame. He took the stripes upon his body so that I wouldn't have to take any upon mine. Within my own heart, I had been struggling to pay for something I could never pay. And when I held myself guilty and worthy of shame and punishment, I was saying internally that Jesus' suffering and death weren't enough to pay for my sin and wash me clean.

    2. Once I had confessed my sin, chosen with my will to repent (turn the opposite direction and never return to the sin), and opened my heart to receive God's grace and power to make it so, I had another choice to make. In my heart, I felt forgiven, but in my mind, I had very little grasp of who I was in Jesus. By the Holy Spirit's prompting, I chose to set aside secular music and television for a season. I allowed myself to catch a game or two a week, but the several dozen shows I was keeping up with, the talk radio, and the secular music all went away.

    I didn't become holy or a good man by neglecting secular media. But I opened up room in my being for the first time in ten years to "fix my gaze" upon the things of God. I started listening to worship music only. I found sermons and teachings from people walking in greater understanding of truths I needed in my life. I read books by the same types of people. I got into the Word more and more often. I spent time asking God questions in my journal and writing down the responses that came to me.

    I shared that whole scenario to you because I don't think it would be fair to share the last part and expect that that alone would do the trick. What my story illustrates is a legitimate heart change that led to a desire to fix my gaze upon and center my life around Jesus.

    I'm just sharing my opinion here, but I think the compromise of divided focus in most American's lives costs them the kind of peace we're talking about. While I believe there are multiple reasons why a steadfast mind would be kept in perfect peace by Father God, I think it's enough to take His word for it.

    If, having done all that I've described, you find yourself still not experiencing the peace you desire, let me know and I will pray for you that the Lord will reveal any obstacle or hindrance that might interfere. "All Scripture is God-breathed", according to Paul in 2 Timothy, which means that we can trust that the promises found in it are not false or only sometimes true.

    On a side note, I would scour the Web and ask around for a chiropractor or wellness practitioner who owns and uses the Erchonia Cold Laser. It's FDA approved. Specialists have treated Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, and at least a couple NFL teams with this cold laser therapy. It promotes faster healing of tissue. I personally am undergoing cold laser therapy on my feet right now because I have scar tissue from past chronic ankle sprains and injuries (nearly 100).

    I don't believe that you have to live with scar tissue and its side effects. I will pray that God either heals you or leads you to someone who can administer the necessary treatment for healing.
  • Kevin
    THANK YOU so much for taking your time to email me.................
    I have been continuing to read from people of greater understanding, Praying, Asking God to show me any unconfessed sin and reading scripture and I have just started a journal because on the same night out of two separate books I read one right after the other, the first page I turned to said "Be Still" and so I wrote that occurrance in . At critical / crisis moments God has brought me peace and I am incredibly thankful for the peace He has given me when I've prayed, but I have not experienced the Peace and contentment that lasts that as a christian I should be able to get to as I understand scripture to be saying. It's some lacking on my part, not God's of course......That would be just so great if you could pray for me that God would reveal any obstacles that are keeping me from getting to a place of true and lasting rest and contentment with what God has allowed in my life if things arn't going to change for me physically as I described earlier.....I don't want to lose my family over my lack of getting to that place of peace and I do want a stronger relationship with the Lord. Sincerely
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