Category: Listening

Categories
Listening Obedience Revelation

Listening and Obeying

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 (NIV) God’s will involves listening. God speaks to us through the Bible. As you read the Bible, you read God’s revelation. God’s will is that you obey His Word. God also speaks through prayer. As you connect with God through prayer, He reveals His will to you. In order to hear God’s voice, you must listen with expectation and anticipation of God’s revelation. You learn to recognize God’s voice as you walk with God. “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:4 (NIV) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (NIV) Listening to God’s Word is not enough. You must do what it says. Put God’s Word into practice by obeying what God reveals to you. Sometimes God will wait for you to obey what He has already revealed to you before unveiling His next layer of revelation. Are you obeying what God has already revealed to you? Obey what you know. As you obey, God will show you more and more of His way. God will entrust you with His revelation. As a child of God you have been filled with the Holy Spirit. God empowers you to hear His Word so that you can obey His Word. Read God’s Word and feed on God’s Word consistently so that you will know Him personally and obey Him instantly. Be a doer of God’s Word. It is not enough to just hear. Put God’s Word into practice. Activate God’s Word through a diligent lifestyle of instance obedience! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Listening Obedience Revelation

Listening and Obeying

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 (NIV) God’s will involves listening. God speaks to us through the Bible. As you read the Bible, you read God’s revelation. God’s will is that you obey His Word. God also speaks through prayer. As you connect with God through prayer, He reveals His will to you. In order to hear God’s voice, you must listen with expectation and anticipation of God’s revelation. You learn to recognize God’s voice as you walk with God. “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:4 (NIV) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (NIV) Listening to God’s Word is not enough. You must do what it says. Put God’s Word into practice by obeying what God reveals to you. Sometimes God will wait for you to obey what He has already revealed to you before unveiling His next layer of revelation. Are you obeying what God has already revealed to you? Obey what you know. As you obey, God will show you more and more of His way. God will entrust you with His revelation. As a child of God you have been filled with the Holy Spirit. God empowers you to hear His Word so that you can obey His Word. Read God’s Word and feed on God’s Word consistently so that you will know Him personally and obey Him instantly. Be a doer of God’s Word. It is not enough to just hear. Put God’s Word into practice. Activate God’s Word through a diligent lifestyle of instance obedience! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Communication Family Listening

Family Communication

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20 (NIV) Communication is vital for the home and family to operate in a way that pleases God. Relationships deepen as communication strengthens. The more effective we are in communicating understanding and communicating love within our home, the more effective our witness for Christ will be. God magnifies the witness of the family that communicates effectively within the home. Your home becomes a testimony before the Lord. When it comes to communication, how well do you listen? Are you intentional in listening empathetically and compassionately? Do you seek to understand and communicate that understanding? “Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” 1 Sam 3:10 (NIV) “He who answers before listening–that is his folly and his shame.” Prov 18:13 (NIV) Let’s commit to be quick to listen. Remember, God has given us one mouth and two ears. What would happen if we intentionally listen twice as much as we speak? Our level of effective communication may very well increase. Thank God for the listening ears He has sprinkled throughout your life to help you along the way. People who came alongside you with a compassionate ear are worthy of your thanksgiving. Now be that kind of person in the lives of others for the glory of God. Start with your family and become a good listener. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Experiencing God Listening Sensitivity

Learning to Hear God’s Voice

“And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to him.’” Mark 9:7 (ESV) Peter, James, and John had a mountaintop experience with Jesus on Mt. Transfiguration. They were privileged to hear the voice of God affirming His Son and our Savior, Jesus. God’s direct word to them was an imperative for them to listen to Jesus. Listening is equivalent to obeying. Thus, to listen to Jesus is to obey Him. Now it is time to share the fourth reality of Experiencing God: God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways. God is a God of revelation. God speaks. Are you listening? We have the ability to engage in selective listening. We hear what we want to hear. We choose to tune in or to tune out. God is a God who speaks. He has revealed Himself to us. To know Jesus is to know God. To grow in your knowledge of Jesus is to grow in your understanding of His Word. Revelation demands a response. God expects instant obedience. How do you know if you are really listening to God? Is your life marked by obedience to God’s Word? Obedience to God’s Word is a clear indicator of your level of listening to God. Is your life too noisy to hear from God? Is your schedule too busy to hear from God? The men and women who have been greatly used of God have ensured unhurried time alone with God each day. They intentionally carved out time to be still and simply listen for God’s voice. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Listening Obedience Revelation

Listening and Obeying

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 (NIV) God’s will involves listening. God speaks to us through the Bible. As you read the Bible, you read God’s revelation. God’s will is that you obey His Word. God also speaks through prayer. As you connect with God through prayer, He reveals His will to you. In order to hear God’s voice, you must listen with expectation and anticipation of God’s revelation. You learn to recognize God’s voice as you walk with God. “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:4 (NIV) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (NIV) Listening to God’s Word is not enough. You must do what it says. Put God’s Word into practice by obeying what God reveals to you. Sometimes God will wait for you to obey what He has already revealed to you before unveiling His next layer of revelation. Are you obeying what God has already revealed to you? Obey what you know. As you obey, God will show you more and more of His way. God will entrust you with His revelation. As a child of God you have been filled with the Holy Spirit. God empowers you to hear His Word so that you can obey His Word. Read God’s Word and feed on God’s Word consistently so that you will know Him personally and obey Him instantly. Be a doer of God’s Word. It is not enough to just hear. Put God’s Word into practice. Activate God’s Word through a diligent lifestyle of instance obedience! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Communication Family Listening

Family Communication

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20 (NIV) Communication is vital for the home and family to operate in a way that pleases God. Relationships deepen as communication strengthens. The more effective we are in communicating understanding and communicating love within our home, the more effective our witness for Christ will be. God magnifies the witness of the family that communicates effectively within the home. Your home becomes a testimony before the Lord. When it comes to communication, how well do you listen? Are you intentional in listening empathetically and compassionately? Do you seek to understand and communicate that understanding? “Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” 1 Sam 3:10 (NIV) “He who answers before listening–that is his folly and his shame.” Prov 18:13 (NIV) Let’s commit to be quick to listen. Remember, God has given us one mouth and two ears. What would happen if we intentionally listen twice as much as we speak? Our level of effective communication may very well increase. Thank God for the listening ears He has sprinkled throughout your life to help you along the way. People who came alongside you with a compassionate ear are worthy of your thanksgiving. Now be that kind of person in the lives of others for the glory of God. Start with your family and become a good listener. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Word Information Listening

Going to the Next Level (1)

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 (NIV) We are bombarded with information. From billboards to books, from electronic media to engaging magazines, there is no void of information. The accessibility of information is literally at our fingertips. If you really want to know something, there are unlimited avenues of securing the information that you are seeking. The Bible is still the most read book on planet earth. As you read God’s Word, you have the opportunity to listen to what God is saying and then to do what He says. However, you also have the opportunity to keep God’s Word at a distance. You can listen to God’s Word for information purposes only. Your reading and hearing of God’s Word becomes a cognitive exercise that yields minimal fruit in your life. God wants your level of listening to move beyond that of information. The reality is that we know more than we are doing. It is not that we need to know more at this point, but rather obey what we already know. You can literally deceive yourself by listening to the Word of God at the level of information. God’s Word is designed for more than just informing you about facts and trends. God’s Word is to inform you about the nature and character of God. God’s Word is to inform you about His world redemption plan and where you fit into the process. However, you can stay at the level of knowing about God and His plan without allowing the information to directly impact your life. God wants you to go to the next level. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
Faith Inheritance Listening Obedience Parenting

Sincere Faith (4)

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Eph 6:1 (NIV) Are your parents still alive? Have you inherited their faith? Maybe they modeled sincere faith before you consistently or maybe they did not make those kinds of deposits in your life. It could be that one of your parents faithfully handed down the faith while the other parent failed to maximize that opportunity. As children, we are to obey our parents. God has given them the responsibility to model His love and His character before us. God has given them the privilege of knowing Him personally and making Him known relationally. As children, we have the privilege of inheriting the faith. Our responsibility is to pay attention, listen, and obey. We don’t get to heaven by living vicariously through the faith of our parents. We must have a personal experience with God by confessing our sin and trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. Yet, the faith of our parents can be inherited as they model their sincere faith before us. Assess your upbringing. What was your home life like? What part did faith play in your upbringing? Did you grow up in a home where Christ was honored and faith was a natural part of everyday life? Or, were you reared in an environment where sincere faith was invisible? The good news is that you can learn from the deposits your parents made in your life. You can benefit from the presence of sincere faith or from the absence of sincere faith. You can choose to replicate in your life now the faith they demonstrated back then. Or you can choose to elevate a sincere faith that was absent in your upbringing. God can take you to a new level! Stay close to Him! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor