WBS.016
FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
HEARING THE VOICE OF
IAUE – III
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
We have already discussed this verse
as “Discipleship 101”…the very first lesson of discipleship. The Master is meek and lowly in heart; and
that is the quality of heart he seeks in those who would follow him. How does this play into our topic for
today? Let us recall the comment made
two posts ago:
“There are ways we can enhance our
ability to hear the voice of the Spirit.
There also are things that we can do that interfere with our ability to
hear the voice of the Spirit. Most
importantly, for the novice, there is a simple way to learn how to recognize
His voice, especially for those who think they have never heard Him speak to
them. “
Last week, we addressed the “novice”
disciple who is unsure how to hear the voice of the Spirit. If the homework assignment was followed,
every reader should be acquainted with the voice of the Spirit, now. Learning how to hear His voice isn’t rocket
science. It does not require a high level of intelligence. He WANTS you to hear
Him. It is imperative that you be able
to hear Him; otherwise, how can He lead you in the way you should go? He wants you to be able to hear His voice much
more than you desire it. Remember that
as you continue to pursue these lessons.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls.
Today,
I want to discuss ways that we can interfere with our ability to hear His
voice. It would do little good to
discuss ways to enhance our ability to hear His voice if we are engaged in
activities that undermine that objective.
Take this verse, for example. The
first lesson in discipleship establishes the most important doctrine of faith
there is…obedience. The Master does not
invite us nor suggest to us that we take upon his yoke. He demands it. This is a command. It is not optional to any who would be a
disciple; because the most basic element of discipleship is that we FOLLOW the
Master. If we refuse to FOLLOW, we are
not disciples.
John 10:3 To him the porter
opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name,
and leads them out.
4 And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes
before them, and the sheep FOLLOW
him: for they know his voice.
You
cannot expect to learn to hear the Master’s voice, if he really is not your
Master; and you cannot begin to call him your Master if you do not FOLLOW his
instruction.
John 10:3 If any man will do his will, he shall know of
the doctrine, whether it be of Elohim, or whether I speak of myself.
So,
the first thing that must be addressed as a hindrance to hearing the voice of
the Spirit is to make the commitment that when you hear His voice, you will
FOLLOW…you will obey. If you retain the
option to obey or to do what you want to do, instead; you will not be certain
of the source of anything you hear. You
MUST be predisposed to do what you hear Him say to you.
In
keeping with this idea is our second hindrance to hearing the voice of the
Spirit---the FLESH.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against Elohim: for it is not subject to the law of Elohim, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please Elohim.
It is one thing to be uncertain if you will obey a particular instruction. Such conflicts often arise as we mature as disciples. No one walks perfectly before IAUE in this life; but we can walk with a predisposition to righteousness; and while our minds are being renewed (Rom 12:1-2), we can please Him with the integrity of our hearts. It is another, altogether, to be committed to a way that is at war with Elohim. Such is the carnal mind, the life that is pleased to live in the flesh.
Many believers who have prayed what I call “the magic prayer,” (asking Jesus to come into your life to forgive you of your sins and become your lord and master), are contented by the notion that they are eternally secure. They live as they please in this life, considering that it has no bearing on the next life. In the modern vernacular, we would call this “having their cake and eating it, too.” They believe they can enjoy a life lived in the flesh, now; and in the world to come, enjoy eternal life in righteousness with the Father. Nothing could be further from the truth. IAUE did not sacrifice His Son and shed his blood, and raise him up to be seated with Him in the heavenlies only to gather a gang of rebellious, spoiled brats to live with Him forever. IAUE does not make peace with those at war with Him. He judges them. Until that day when He executes judgment upon them, they have the opportunity to refer to Lesson #1 in discipleship…to take the Messiah’s yoke upon them and learn of him a meek and lowly heart.
What is the flesh? Our physical bodies are mortal and corrupt. They are defined by need. Without food, clothing, protection from the elements, and some purpose or occupation, our bodies will shrivel up and die. As long as we are in these bodies, death is working in them…from the day we are born; we are in the process of decaying. The question is how do we meet the needs of the body? If we satisfy those needs as IAUE provides and/or instructs, we do well. If we instead, lavish, or desire to lavish a supply to those needs, we move over into what the Scripture calls, “the flesh.”
For example: Your body needs food to be sustained. If you become hungry, one sandwich could probably satisfy the hunger. Four sandwiches would probably be gluttony. The mind set on the Spirit will allow the need to be satisfied without moving into gluttony. The carnal mind, which is set on the flesh, would have you eat as much as you want. It is not necessary, however, that you have the means to eat more in order to be in the flesh. The self-focused desire is sufficient. The transition from meeting a need to having the strong desire to satisfy a want is the crossover point from the Spirit to the Flesh. The apostle John put it like this:
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of Elohim abides for ever.
The love of the world is a manifestation of the carnal mind. I am not saying that we must live ascetic lives. No, the Father is able to provide for much more than our basic needs. The point is that we never let our hearts to be set upon our wants. If we are servants of the Master, every supply of our needs, or wants, is the Master’s call, not ours. When we live in that place that we feel we have the right to have what we want when we want it, we are in the flesh and have carnal minds.
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with Elohim? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of Elohim.
If you want to be able to hear clearly
the voice of the Spirit, you cannot be devoted to the FLESH. Yes, it will happen from time to time that we
succumb to fleshly motivations; but the Father is looking upon the integrity of
our heart; and He will speak to the heart that is not set upon the flesh.
Finally, a third hindrance to hearing
the voice of the Spirit is unstable FAITH.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of IAUE.
First, let us recognize that the
subject of this passage is the desire to obtain wisdom. This passage is not about asking the Father
for things, possessions, money, etc. It is
asking IAUE for information, for insight.
The answer would come in hearing His voice. Notice the apparent readiness of Elohim to
answer. He “gives
to all men liberally,” and “it shall be
given him.” IAUE desires to speak that wisdom into the
heart of the disciple; but it is imperative that he must see the FAITH of
expectancy. If there is any wavering,
any disillusionment that He is not going to answer you…He is not going to
answer you.
Wavering is moving in and out of
expectancy. It can be visualized as a
short circuit in an electrical wire. You
cannot expect a proper signal to get through that line. The short circuit must be eliminated before
you can expect a strong and true signal to make it through the line. This is how it is with hearing the voice of
the Spirit. If you want to hear His
voice, expect to hear it. He will not
disappoint.
Let us sum up these hindrances, these
interferences to hearing the voice of the Spirit:
FOLLOW – We must be followers of the
Master. Our hearts must be inclined to
do whatever we hear the Spirit say to us.
The readiness to follow is a requirement to hearing. If we will not follow, we will not hear, or
know that we have heard.
FLESH – We cannot expect Him to even speak
to us if we are of a mind to please ourselves rather than to obey His
voice. All self-focus and self-pleasing
must be rejected. Our hearts must be
delighted in IAUE and in whatever it is that He brings to our lives.
FAITH – The faith-life is the disciple’s
life. If we do not expect to hear Him
speak to us, we hinder the voice that WANTS to speak to us.
Psalm 11:7 For
IAUE is righteous, He loves righteousness; his countenance beholds the
upright.
The Father greatly desires to interact
with us; and we can discover this the more our lives mature, and the more we
remove these hindrances in our relationship with Him.
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