Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

The one who has ears had better listen!
Matthew 11:15 (emphasis added)

We all have ears, of course. But we CHOOSE to listen. Growing up, it was obvious that both myself, my siblings, and my mother had ‘selective deafness’. We often heard what we WANTED to hear. Sometimes that meant tuning out entire phrases. Sometimes that meant taking things in a way that seemed other favourable or unfavourable to ourselves. We did not all hear the same things. I know it doesn’t sound particularly bad. After all, it’s the way it is in many households. The truth is, though, that it isn’t ACTIVE listening, it doesn’t always make those involved feel ‘heard’, and it can cause misunderstandings easier than if everyone is paying attention to each other. We have to ask ourselves though, are we taking our human habits and applying them to our divine relationship?

Ruach HaKodesh is here with us, inhabiting our bodies like He once inhabited the Holy of Holies and the Tabernacle (2 Chronicles 5:13-14; Exodus 40:34-35). Sure we’re not leaking smoke from our ears, but He is undeniably a part of us – we’re ⅓ wall to wall Ruach HaKodesh. He constantly and consistently reminds us of everything that Jesus has said to us (John 14: 25-26). We have the opportunity to take in the Word and then think about it over time, being reminded again and again about what Jesus said. But are we listening? Are we taking advantage of what is being said and remembered, or are we shunting it aside into a mental dead end where we don’t have to think about it at all? It is important to take advantage of what is being said to us. It isn’t frivolous. It isn’t being told to us on a whim. It isn’t oh, hey, do you think this is something conversation filler. ‘Had better listen’ has a meaning of giving strong advice or a warning of an unpleasant result if the advice is not heeded. Serious stuff.
When I use my stern voice, my kids do not become enamoured of me. It isn’t like they suddenly think I don’t love them. It isn’t that they think they’re in danger of being whallopped. It isn’t that they think they have done irreparable damage to our relationship. But there is ZERO doubt that I am being serious about what I am saying. It becomes more serious when it is taken into account that I do not threaten. There have been NO empty threats in my kids’ lives. I tell them what will happen when or if something else happens. It is a promise. I don’t pull that out over stupid things. I don’t pull it out over things that don’t matter. If it isn’t something serious and it isn’t something that has already been explained to them (no surprises, that’s not fair to anyone), then the ‘voice’ doesn’t come out. Jesus didn’t pull out this phrase until the fourth chapter of Mark, the eleventh chapter of Matthew, and the eighth chapter of Luke. It wasn’t among the first things He said. But He was clear when He said it. These were things to NOT ignore.

In a way, it’s easy to do with Jesus in the Word. You can highlight the phrase whenever it appears and make sure to perk up your attention when you read it and what’s around it. That is the benefit and the advantage to the written Word. It is important and I am NOT minimising it. But what about the rest of the time? What about all the other commands? The commentary (revelation) when we are reading or hearing the Word? The things Adonai puts on our hearts and whispers into our heads throughout the day? I’m talking about being encouraged not to go down a particular road, to take a new route to work, to pick up a particular food and not pick another? The small things. Are you listening? Are you hearing? Or are you closing your ears to that voice because you don’t like what it’s saying? Maybe you shut it out because you know what you’re doing and don’t want any help. Maybe you ignore it because why would Adonai get involved in something so unimportant (like laundry or the grocery list)? Maybe you shove it aside because that was a rhetorical question and you didn’t WANT an answer. There are as many reasons to tune out, ignore, and shut off Adonai’s voice as there are for your spouse, children, parents, friends, teachers, boss, or the random loudmouths we come across. We are VERY good at choosing who and what it is that we are going to listen to.

Tuning out Adonai is not only foolish, but it is dangerous. We are many things in this world. But as believers, we have Jesus in us and we are in Jesus. We are new creations that include an entire realm of spiritual existence we had no access to before we believed in Him. How are we supposed to navigate that realm without the voice of the one who exists in it? How will we know how to interact with that realm? How will we see it? Experience it? Communicate with it in ways Adonai approves of? I mean, how can you communicate with the spiritual realm in a safe and approved way when you aren’t listening to the voice OF that realm? Jesus is the WAY we access the Kingdom of Elohim. He is the road we walk to GET to the Throne. Why aren’t we listening to Him about ANYTHING He has to say? We don’t have the perspective He has. We aren’t connecting the dots the way He does. How can WE know how important or unimportant something is? Only HE knows. That is why it is VERY important to listen to EVERYTHING He says. He ONLY says the truth. Whatever He is saying is true. Truth is ALWAYS the way to go. Every time.

More than behaviour and more than warnings heeded, hearing what He is saying is about relationship. It is about trust. Do we trust Him? He is SUPPOSED to be the Lord of our lives, right? That means He has been given permission by YOU to speak into any and every area of your life – public, private, or hidden. That is what submission means. That is what obedience means. That is what Lordship means. If we are not hearing Him, we are choosing to not hear Him. That’s disobedience. Yeah, it’s harsh. But that is the way it is. Uncomfortable or not, if we aren’t acting in harmony with Adonai, we are inviting sin into our lives (Genesis 4:7). Anytime we let things happen without having tilted an ear to see if He has something to say about it, we are taking a chance. It isn’t about the level of importance attached to what He is saying. It is about us giving place to each and every single thing He has to say. No matter how big, no matter how small, no matter what. We need to listen and we need to make sure we’ve cleaned our ears so that we can.

We clean them by the Word, by praying, by praising, and by being thankful. We clean them by focusing on Adonai and placing ourselves in the centre of His will. We clean them by opening ourselves to Him and His point of view. There is no end to what we can hear. There is no end to what we can receive. It all starts with listening to Adonai and humbly submitting to what He says in mindful obedience. Without our trust being placed firmly in Him, we won’t hear well. So clean your ears and listen to what He is saying every time, all the time.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Jeremiah 31:31

““Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.” Messiah would BE the New Covenant. It would be a Covenant between the True Human Being and Adonai Elohim. It would not be a law to follow, but the person of Messiah Himself. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”” (Matthew 26:26-29). Jesus IS the Covenant. He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. We enter into Him and partake in the New Covenant between the Son and the Father. Jesus IS Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b