Welcome! Take a listen to the message on Sunday on our YouTube Channel and then read through the prayer directive and reflection to dig a littler deeper.
Psalm 18 | Romans 5
This weekend the Lord visited us with a word to strengthen us as we continue to walk forward on the path He has opened before us. There is grace to strengthen us to stand in our position, in the midst of our enemies as the Lord stands to fight on our behalf. We can enter into this word by accessing the grace and keeping eyes on the Lord in the midst of the thunder and lightning.
Learning to Listen | Matthew 13:10-15
What an encouraging and challenging word given this weekend. It was a promise that if we come with open, teachable hearts, there is access to a deep place of intimacy with Jesus that will unlock revelation that goes far beyond our intellectual understanding. In order to experience this in greater measures, it will require us to learn to become great listeners.
As I was listening to the message, I started to ask the Lord, “how do I know if my heart is open and teachable?” And I got my answer in the very question I asked! If my heart is open and teachable, I’ll respond to parables (or things about God and the Kingdom that I don’t understand) with curious questions. Not the judging, critical kind of questions, or the kind of questions that I secretly already have the answer in mind when I ask. But genuine questions filled with wonder and with the anticipation of hearing His voice. I started to see a different layer in Jesus’ answer to the disciples in Matthew when they asked him why he speaks in parables. It went something like this: I teach in parables to reveal those who have open and teachable hearts because those with their hearts in this position will ask. Their simple child-like curiosity will reveal their desire to be taught and the openness of their hearts.
Our ability to ask questions instead of just rely on our current understanding opens the way to deeper revelation of the same scriptures over and over again. This is the lifestyle of people who follow the Way. There’s always more! In fact, a follower never arrives. An attitude or perspective of arrival comes from spiritual pride influenced by a religious spirit.
In Matthew, Jesus mentions that his disciples have been with him and as a result, they have intimate knowledge and revelation. I’m sure this wasn’t the case from the beginning! I’m sure that like us, they had to learn to listen. And learning to listen isn’t high risk - like Pastor shared in her example on Sunday! God wasn’t mad at her when she didn’t move forward into what He was showing her, He just tried again! It didn’t stop Him from moving and He wasn’t upset. This is why gathering as a body is so special. Where one might miss it, there are multiple chances to experience what He has planned for us in that moment!
Learning to listen with our spiritual ears means we’ll miss it. If we’re operating out of condemnation and judgement, our heart quickly closes, making it difficult to be receptive to trying again. After a while, our hearts get hardened, and our hearing gets dull. Then all we’re left with to judge with, to discern with, is our own intellect. And this is the very thing the Lord wants to break us out of - discerning using our own intellect rather than the Spirit of God who brings revelation to and through our spirit. Closed hearts judge and discern intellectually because it’s all they have access to!
But THANK YOU, JESUS, that the Spirit of the Lord is breaking the church out of intellectualism! This message isn’t for another church or your spouse or kids, it’s for you and it’s for me.
Spiritual Pride and our Intellect | Proverbs 4:23 | Matthew 5:8
Spiritual pride comes from intellectual Christianity. Our intellect wasn’t made to lead but to serve our spirit. This spiritual pride says, ‘I already know this.’ It’s an accumulation of spiritual knowledge void of intimacy. Spiritual pride lives as if there’s a destination to which it usually says, ‘I’ve arrived’ and is quick to point out that others haven’t.
Listening and seeing with our spirit only comes from intimacy which is accessed through humility. Instead of saying, ‘I already know this,” humility says, “What more could there be?” It’s a position of awe and wonder at the possible revelation that awaits a hungry heart.
Instead of engaging with the Word to accumulate knowledge, we can engage with it to be readied for revelation. It’s our choice whether we choose to rest on our own intellect or be readied for revelation. And God’s promise in Matthew is that He will bring revelation to open, teachable hearts! Our responsibility is to guard our hearts in order that they remain open.
So how do we shift out if this intellectualism? There’s only one way. One prayer to pray that takes on a million forms and brings a world of discomfort – “Lord, offend mind so I can engage my spirit.” And we pray this in surrender over and over again. In fact, if you have been following Jesus for a while, you may have noticed that this is a consistent rhythm in your life.
The really good news is, as we grow in listening with our spirit and get a little more used to this rhythm, it starts to become a glad exchange – my faulty intellect for your perfect revelation. Not the revelation of strategy, direction or even of the Kingdom, but of the King, Himself.
As we push aside all we know, we can dig deeper into all Jesus wants to reveal to us. As long as we are living on earth with open hearts in humility, there will always be things in the Word about God and about His Kingdom that we won’t understand. The battle ground we are responsible for is our hearts. As we are intentional about keeping it free from anything that might cause it to close and grow calloused, we are positioning ourselves for continually deeper revelation. Remember Jesus’ promise in Matthew 5:8: it’s the pure in heart who will see God!
Personal Reflection
Take a moment to surrender your intellect to the Lord once again – or maybe for the first time! Ask Holy Spirit what He wants to give you in place of this.
Ask Holy Spirit to help you let go of the need to understand. If this feels difficult for you, ask Him why and see what He reveals.
How might you position yourself to learn to listen?
Ask Holy Spirit if there is anything in your heart that you need to deal with – bitterness, unforgiveness, judgement, condemnation – anything! This is all part of guarding our hearts to keep them soft, open and teachable. This is the lifestyle and constant prayer of a follower of Jesus.
Read Colossians 1 and 2.
Corporate Prayer
Pray for the continual dismantling of this intellectual default operating system in the body of Christ. When we use our intellect alone to discern, decide, build and establish, it creates chaos and division. It reinforces spiritual pride and spiritual pride always divides. It creates an ‘us and them mentality’, undermining everything that Jesus came to do in making us one in Him.
Pray for the wonder, awe and fear of the Lord to be released in this hour across the body. Pray that we would burn with desire to draw near to the presence of the Lord.
Pray for surrendered hearts. That we would be willing to surrender our need to understand, our need to control, to enter into the mystery of moving and living in the Spirit.
Pray that the Lord would offend our mind and so our spirit can engage.
Pray that the body of Christ would learn to operate from their position and that they would step into the grace that was released on Sunday to stand firm on their path. Bless them as they stand amongst their enemies! Bless them as they fix their eyes on Jesus! Bless them as the Lord fights around them with lightning and thunder! Pray that they would hear by the spirit of the Lord that He is indeed coming!