Thursday, August 23, 2012

TRAINING THE SPIRITUAL EARS


“Blessed Are Your Ears"...

Revelation 2:7a, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

John closes each letter with this exhortation, and it is a wonderful and great privilege to be able to have an ear to hear what the Spirit saith. It is likely to say too many people do not have a spiritual ear. Because of that we hear many voices – voices of our mind or human spirit but not the Holy Spirit.

We read in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God."  Jesus told His disciples: "blessed are your ears, for they hear or you are able to understand what you hear "For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them" (Matthew 13:16-17).

The repetition in Revelation says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." As it was then, so it is now. The thing that brought the falling was their refusing to hear what the Spirit said. Instead, they were hearing what the flesh said, what the ministry said, or what the so-called church said.

A.     Operating  the  spiritual  ‘ EAR’.

Four  voices  speak  in  us:
1.      Voice  of  the mind.
2.      Voice  of  the flesh.
3.      Voice  of  the human spirit  ( inner  voice)
4.      Voice  of   the  Holy  Spirit.
 
1. Opening up the  spiritual ‘ ear’  to  hear is very crucial in our Christian life.  In Roman chapter  8: 4 – 5  (NIV)

in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
 
   2.  Closing  the spiritual  ear  against  the  Devil.
Romans  8: 7;    Galatians  5 :17

Satan cannot read our minds, he can influence our thoughts. Thus, the Bible instructs us to “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph.6:11 NIV). Spiritual warfare is waged against invisible beings that personify the extremities of evil; and their weapons are spiritual, not physical. While they cannot bite us physically, violate us sexually, or cause us to levitate, they can tempt us to cheat, steal, and lie.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor.10:4–5 NIV).
  
3. Sharpen the spiritual ‘ear’. -  Romans  12: 2  New International Version
2 “ Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Our mind needs to be renewed daily by the Spirit of God and the Word of God and allow God to think through us and speak His thoughts. The voice of the unrenewed  mind  is a judgmental  voice.

Some common signs of a  mind  that  is not  renewed.
a.      Unbelief
b.      Rationalization.
c.      Diversion
d.      Ignorance.

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