Tag: listen

Obedience or Disobedience?

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, testimony1 Comment

Many years ago as I was busily raising small children, one of our pastors preached a message about obedience. He said that delayed obedience is disobedience and used the example of training children not to run into the street. If they decide to go ahead and run into traffic and then stop in the middle, the results could be catastrophic. The same is true when God tells us to do something and we are so busy doing our own thing that we put off doing His requirement.

How do we know what God is telling us to do? He speaks to us in His Word, if we just take time to listen and then to obey.

You know what else is disobedience? Partial obedience is the same as disobedience. I used to tell my children that they could have a snack and then they had to finish all of their homework BEFORE they could play. Well, they had their snack, but I found that frequently, the older ones would do part of the homework, tell me that they had finished (a lie) and head outside. After all, they told me later in their reasoning, the sun was only going to be up for so many hours but they could do their homework when it was dark. That sounded reasonable, but it was still disobedience as well as lying, and consequences followed. I always told them that if they had trouble obeying me who was right there with them, how would they learn to obey God whom they could not see? They understood well enough to change their habits and get all of the homework done before playtime. And I relented slightly after seeing their willingness to obey, so after a few weeks, I let them prioritize their homework into what would take the most time and do that after playtime. Compromise, but it worked for us after the lesson in obeying completely was learned.

We cannot say we are obeying God if we only do part of what He has told us to do. Remember the Bible lesson about the people Jesus said He never knew? They thought they were doing what He wanted them to do…but were they partially obeying or delaying in their obedience? God does not take disobedience lightly and neither should we. If we know what to do, then we need to do it. That is my Scripture verse today and my lesson for myself, too.

Is there something God has been prodding you to do and you have put it off? Just obey so you can move on with life and in right relationship with the Lord. I am not sure about this, but I don’t think that God will give you the next thing to do until you complete the first task that He has already given you. We grow with God, one step of obedience at a time, not standing at the crosswalk and debating with ourselves whether it’s a good idea to do what God says or not. If we are trying to talk God out of having us obey, that won’t work. Look at Balaam whose donkey spoke to him when he refused to obey the Lord as your example. God can use anything or anyone at any time to get your attention when you are in the process of disobeying. I think it’s a much better idea just to heed His call and obey in the first place so you can grow in the Lord the way you were meant to. Don’t be the one who runs into the traffic and then look up at God and ask how you got into that mess in the first place. Just listen, obey, repeat.

Imitating God

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, testimony1 Comment

I used to watch the people that I admired closely so that I could be more like them. One particular person comes to mind immediately. My high school Spanish teacher was Sra. Mary Smith. She was my teacher for four years and I learned some important lessons by watching her. I learned to look for the good things students were doing and praising them for that before I offered any criticism or instruction. I learned to smile no matter how challenging a day was, with a smile that I hoped others would see sparkling from my eyes. And I learned that the louder students got, the softer I should speak. Those were important lessons for me to learn, especially since Sra. Smith is the teacher who encouraged me to study languages and I became a Spanish teacher for over thirty years myself.

These days my focus is more about wanting to be more Christ-like, so I am learning to imitate God. How do I do that?

I try to do good for others, as much as I can. I want other people to see proof that God lives inside me. I may be the only representative of God they see that day. Children imitate what they see and hear. Go to a grocery store, for example, and listen to the words children say. If a bunch of expletives come out of a small child’s mouth, it is imitation of what they have heard. The child needs to be corrected (not by a stranger, of course), but the behavior doesn’t change unless the source that they are imitating changes. Whether they are imitating words from the TV or from the parents, they are saying what they have heard repeatedly.

As Christians we are being trained daily to speak and act as the Father does. The only way to do that is to spend time with Him, praying, worshipping and reading and studying His Word. We don’t become more like Christ by watching TV or (alas!) by reading books that are not the Bible. My priority time each day is spent with God. Am I succeeding? Well, some days more than others, to be honest. But I am trying every day and God rewards my efforts with a peace that I can’t explain and by answering prayers that may seem small to others, but they are big to me because they show how faithful to details God is if we are watching for His hand at work in our lives.

My prayer for each of my readers is that you will strive to imitate Christ because even if we are not aware of it, others are watching us and may want to be more like us. Let’s be the good example for them to follow and let’s lead them to be more like Christ, not more like our worldly selves.

Reacting to Tragedy

On By vickleaIn prayer, Scripture6 Comments

The last few days have been long and sad. First, there was the plane crash in D.C. Investigations are ongoing, but it is enough for me to know that there were almost seventy people who died within minutes of the collision between the plane and the helicopter. You have probably seen the horrifying photos and videos for yourself.

I was still struggling with the “why” for the first tragedy when another tragedy happened. The second aircraft that went down over Philadelphia was a medical transport, carrying a young girl who had been sponsored by the Shriners to have her procedure in the U.S. The plane was taking her and her adult companion, two doctors and two pilots back to Mexico. The news reports said that the hospital had given her a “going home” party. Once I heard of the second crash last night, I was devastated, but I knew that my heart was not aching as much as those involved, both in the plane and on the ground.

So, how do we as Christians react to such tragedy? I will tell you first what I think we should not do. We don’t need to be pointing fingers at air traffic controllers, their training or their abilities. I am confident that they were doing the best they could. Nor do we need to start blaming DEI or the previous administration. Wherever the fault lies, there are a lot of innocent people who died and they need hope, not shaming and finger wagging.

We can offer that hope to them in the name of Jesus Christ. He came to give hope and comfort. I don’t think we will ever really understand why such tragedies occur. The FAA and the DOD may issue statements with what they think is the answer, but the real answer is we don’t know. What I do know is that God was waiting for these victims who knew Him with open arms and reassurance of His love. They went from death to His presence as long as they knew Him as their Lord and Savior.

The urgency to tell others about Jesus and the free gift of salvation that He offers has been stirring in me for a while. These tragedies brought this need to the forefront. How many did not know the Lord? How many went to be with Him while others will never see His face? Those thoughts kept me awake and desperate to tell others about the Lord. I pray that each person on each flight had someone in their lives who cared enough to tell them about Jesus and the eternity with Him that could be theirs.

My reaction to the tragedies is a burning desire within me to not allow others to leave this earth without the opportunity to know grace, mercy and forgiveness. I could care less about the politics and who is blaming whom. Souls are worth more than bitterness and opportunities to point to the other guy. Shame on anyone who takes advantage of these tragedies to push their own agenda! And bless those who see this sadness as an opportunity to stand in the gap and go and tell.

In the meantime, while I wait for God to tell me what to say and to whom, I am waiting. Just as the Israelites did not move until God led them, I am not speaking or posting online or condemning anyone. Rather, I am waiting for God to give me the words to speak and to point me to whomever needs to hear them. I am waiting and listening for God to give me directions even as I pray for the families of those who died. Please join me in praying for their comfort, peace in their hearts and provision for each of them spiritually, physically and mentally.

Be an Active Listener

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I am absolutely the world’s worst at listening, but God is prodding me to work on that skill, so I will share with you what I am learning so far. First, in order to actively listen, you have to really pay attention to what the other person is saying and look at their facial expressions. I have found myself frequently doing other things when someone (especially my husband) thinks that I am listening, and I really am not. I read, fidget, look at texts, check my calendar, etc. I do a lot of other things instead of listening actively and I need to stop that. Second, I need to practice not interrupting. Who knows what the other person might have said if I had not decided to put in my two cents before it was time? I will never know because I interrupted. I think part of that is because as I age, my thoughts are fleeting and I want to say them before they go away permanently. God is reminding me that if it is important enough for me to say, it can wait and He will remind me of it if I forget. The third thing is to respond appropriately. That is much easier to do if you are being an active listener. I have found myself responding to a question that wasn’t even asked because it was what was in my mind to say, regardless of whether it made sense in the conversation. The respectful thing to do is to listen actively, respond appropriately and don’t interrupt. The whole kindness thing that God tells us to practice in the Bible can be applied to listening, too. I am getting better, but I am not there yet. Stop…look…listen. That’s a good thing to remember, not just for crossing the street, but for being an active listener. Stop whatever you are doing. Look at the person talking. And listen…really listen. You might hear something important to you, to the other person and to God.

The General of My Life

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/1201/day/4

As the wife of a retired military veteran, I understand rank and the responsibilities that come with it. Jesus’s being the general of my life means that I can let go and just let Him lead me where I need to go in order to be victorious in each battle. He is in charge and carries the heavy responsibility of getting each of us to the end of our race, whole and totally committed to Him. We have to do our part and follow Him daily, listening carefully as He gives us our “marching orders” for the day. Our job is to be so close to Him that we can clearly hear His voice and follow what He is telling us to do. That will lead to our victory in the world, over our flesh and over Satan. Jesus already won His battle and came out of that grave victorious! Now, He is helping us to win ours.

Reaching Out the the Lonely

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/45776/day/1

I was once this person, the lonely one who didn’t understand the busyness of the world while I was suffering all alone. But God reached out and showed me that I was not alone…He had been there all along. And He sent others to talk to me and affirm that they would walk alongside me even in strange places with my husband deployed thousands of miles away. Now, it is easier for me to notice people who are sitting alone, who are not engaging in conversations with others, and it is a thing I strive to do, just to let them know that I see them and I am there if they want someone to listen. Sometimes it isn’t what you say that matters to the person that is lonely; it is just taking the time to be there, close and ready to hear their heart when they are ready to speak.

Anchored in Truth

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

Yesterday and today have been hard days for me. We had planned a long weekend trip to MD to see our son and his family, but last night, our son texted me that our DIL has strep, so we need to postpone our trip. At first I was in the doldrums about it. We had already missed having Christmas with them because the toddler was sick. We waited until my medical appointments for after Christmas were done and were all ready to head to MD…but, change of plans. If I were not anchored in the truth of God’s love for me, this whole scenario would have sent me spinning into depression. Those days are gone though. Now, when bad news comes, I take it to the Lord and ask Him to help me to handle it properly and to have a good attitude even in the midst of my disappointment. I want to be so close to God that when the storm rages around me, I don’t even feel the raindrops falling. My prayer is that you are anchored in the Only One who can hold you up when all around you is topsy turvy. God bless you!

Anchored

If you’ve spent any time on a boat in the ocean, you know what it feels like to look up from the water, and suddenly realize you’ve drifted off course.

Without an anchor, there’s nothing to hold you in place.

Likewise, the ever-shifting waves of the world’s opinions can feel just as fluid and unsteady as the sea. When a storm rages, it can feel impossible to discern what’s up from what’s down—much less recognize God’s will.

In his letter to believers in Rome, where cultural trends were just as wobbly as ours are today, the apostle Paul wrote this:

“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.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So how can you renew your mind with the right stuff? How can you test and approve God’s will? Here are a few ideas:

Keep listening. You can know the story of God and understand the heart of God by reading or listening to His Word. You’re more susceptible to lies when you do not know the truth. But when you’re anchored to Truth, lies lose their power.

Keep talking. As honest and raw as possible, keep talking to God throughout your day. Ask Him your hard questions, come to Him with your burdens, and worship Him for His goodness, as well as the goodness you see around you. Communication with your Creator keeps you anchored to your Creator.

Keep learning. You can stay curious while also filtering what kind of information you put into your mind. You can pay attention to what you’re watching, what you’re listening to, and who you’re allowing to speak into your life.

You can resist drifting by anchoring yourself to the Truth—the words that come from God Himself.

A Quiet Voice in a Loud World

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

We live in a society that likes to make its voice heard. Whether it is shouting at rallies, giving interviews or just lecturing an employee in our office, we like to be heard. I think all of us should pay more attention to what Jesus says about putting the needs of others first.

If I follow this verse in Philippians, everyone is more important than I am. Sobering and humbling thought! That guy who cut me off in heavy traffic. I pray for him, for his safety and that he has a good meeting that he must be rushing to frantically. The lady who snatches the last box of my kind of tea off the shelf? Pray for her because she must need it for a reason. We are to be humble and defer to others, not laying down like a doormat, but allowing others preferential treatment if that is what they want. We have the attitude sometimes that others have to do something to earn our respect and our deference to them. No, we have to step back and show them that they are special to God and loved, in the small ways that we can.

We are living in a world that everyone is loudly demanding his own way, but we are called to be different. We are called to step back, observe and sometimes to even quietly walk away. We are no longer children standing in the aisle of the store demanding that our mom buy us the latest toy or new junk food. We are supposed to be maturing Christians and since we bear the name of Christ, we need to act like it, especially when others are watching. (Which, by the way, is all the time) People notice if we act differently than they do; they hardly glance at us if we are doing the same kind of selfish and attention-seeking actions that they are doing. The lifeboat is there at the dock and there are six seats and seven people. Your only chance at surviving is to quickly push someone aside and jump into the lifeboat. What do you do? I hope that you defer to others, knowing that if God sent the lifeboat to begin with, He can save you a different way or He can take you to be with Him. Like I said, defer to others and wait for God to tell you what you are supposed to be doing.

In our very noisy world that is constantly calling us this way or that, we have to be attentively listening to hear the voice of the Lord telling us what to do. He will guide us into the right way to show humility and preference for others so that we don’t cause offense. He will also tell us what we should be doing instead of forcing our way to the front. It’s easy to follow the crowd and just do what they are doing. But to follow Jesus, we have to be quiet and listen for His voice, even in this loud world that we live in.

Shouting to Be Heard

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

In the current political climate wherein those of us who are conservatives and Christians are being ridiculed from all sides, it’s hard not to become defensive. Sometimes, I feel like shouting out to everyone that I see that they are going to hell and need to repent. Not a good idea, however, not because it’s not true (there are probably some around me who will go to Heaven), but because their ears are not going to hear me anyway. I wouldn’t be saying anything they want to pay attention to me and the best way to pretend that all is fine in their world is to ignore me. God, in His usual timely manner, had a Scripture verse for me to apply to my level of frustration.

Since I am not a ruler then shouting wouldn’t do any good anyway. But since I am sometimes wise, depending on how much time I have spent with the Lord and His Word that day, if I speak in a quiet voice, then others might be still just so they can hear what I am saying. I found that worked well in the classroom. It is a well-known and accepted fact that one teacher cannot possibly talk over two dozen or more chattering students. I had a bell that I rang to get their attention to begin with. If the chatter didn’t stop or started again, I learned to sit down on my stool in front of the class and start teaching the lesson very quietly. Ending each sentence with something like “if you can hear me and can show me your notes at the end of this lesson, I will allow you to use them on the next quiz.” Or, a really dramatic conclusion, “The quiz will be tomorrow” said in a regular voice. The students would usually alert instantly to the word “quiz” and complain that I couldn’t give a quiz because I hadn’t taught the material yet. I would then firmly explain that I did teach it; they just were not listening. After a few times of that happening, the students learned to listen when I got quiet, knowing that what I said would affect their grades and ultimately their all-important GPA. Thus, I think God is telling me to wait until the right time (the Holy Spirit will prompt me) and then quietly say what I need to say about God, salvation, His Word and how the events today line up with the Bible. No shouting is needed because God says that quiet voice is better (more effective) than shouting.

How do you deal with those who are too stubborn and lost to listen? Have you tried speaking quietly?

With Us

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song2 Comments

When Jesus ascended to Heaven, He reminded the disciples that He would always be with them. He continues to remind us of that today, but we have to take the time to be with Him.

Jesus only spoke of two commandments and both were about love. Love God and love your neighbor. He is with us as we fulfill those commandments and as we spend time with Him seeking the ways we should be showing love to God and to others.

I think that my alone time with God, reading His Word, praying and singing, is the most important part of my day. It sets the tone for the day and allows me to speak freely to God as I go through whatever challenges the day may present. Jesus, God’s own Son, spent time praying to His Father. Following His example, we should feel compelled to spend time with the Lord, not just telling Him our problems, but listening for His solutions and encouragement. Ok;.;.;.;

In the Garden-Alan Jackson