'Hello? Can You Hear Me Now?'

I have to admit...I have, what some would consider, selective hearing. i don't mean to have it all the time, but for some reason it seems to manifest, (that's a very spiritual word we like to throw around in the Pentecostal churches to show our deepness), when I'm being asked, by the Mrs., to do something around the house or going to the store. I have a type of sixth sense when it comes to these things and because I really don't want to them right away, my hearing is switched to the selective slot and pretty much every third word is heard.

example:
wife: Hey, honey I need for you to go to the store before the game.

what I heard: Hey...I need(meaning she needs)...to go...before the game.
my response: Ok.

I know I'm not alone with this type of affliction, (another pentecostal word), which seems to the only affliction no one wishes to be free of anytime soon.

I was thinking about the importance of hearing, and how our very safety is determined by what we can or what we have heard. The announcement by flight attendants, the sound of a fire alarm, instructions by tour guides, scuba instructors, etc. When we ignore what we are hearing could change the very course of our lives for the better or for the worse.

The scriptures tell us; that only the those who belong to the Lord know what His voice sounds like and that a stranger they won't follow. So, how is it that we sometimes get side tracked? I believe it is because of a couple of things:

1. What we are hearing the Lord speak to us at that time isn't as satisfying to us as is what we are feeling. We allow what we feel to override what we know we hear. The example to this being, Issac in the 27th chapter of Genesis. Issac knew what he heard was the voice of Jacob, but he allowed what he felt with hands to fool him.

2. We are side tracked because we blatantly refuse to hear what is being said. Because we fail to listen to the instruction of a test in school we fail the test. the Lord told Adam not to even touch a certain tree in the garden of Eden (Gen 2:15-17), but Adam ignored what the Lord had said; which brought about the fall of man.

I believe that our hearing whether natural or spiritual is perhaps the most important of all our senses, and that it has to be very important to God as well. The scriptures record verses like: "he that has an ear to hear...", "faith comes by hearing...". There were times in my youth when they use to check our hearing at school and when I received my first drivers license, a persons hearing was important.

Hello? Can you hear me now?

Give Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Let's not just be thankful on this day we have turned into a 'National Holiday'. It has always been the teaching of the scriptures for all believers to be 'Thankful' everyday of our lives. 1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I'm thankful.

'Better 1 or Better 2'

I happen to be one of those persons who has been destined to wear corrective lenses for the rest of my life; unless of course the Lord sees fit to miraculously heal my eyesight to where I would never need them ever again.

I recently had a birthday and one of the things I did for my birthday was to go to the eye doctor and have my vision checked, as I do every year. Now, mind you I have been wearing glasses and or contacts since before the 80's were the 80's; which as you can see has been a very long time.

As Dr. Henry, who is now my new optometrist, was going through the normal preliminary Q & A it got me to thinking about the entire process one has to go through during the exam. So, as Dr. Henry was going through the different checks he finally got to that one point we all can identify with; which is where he starts flipping the lenses and asks, 'Better 1 or Better 2'. All the while making what you are looking at more clearer with every flip, until he has gotten to where you can see 20/20. Dr. Henry, is one of those doctors who is not satisfied until his patient is able to see to what the science of optometry says is perfect.

My experience with the eye doctor brings me to the story in 8th chapter of the book of Mark; when Jesus comes to Bethsaida and people bring a blind man to Him to be healed. The scriptures tell us how Jesus took the man and spit in his eyes and laid His hands on him and then asked him if he could see, but the man reported to Jesus that yes, indeed he could see but what he saw wasn't a clear, unhindered view. So, the scriptures say that Jesus touches him again and then when asked the second time, the man said he could see everything clearly.

Just as our optometrists wants to be sure we are able to see to the point of 20/20 vision; the Lord wants us to see not only physically 20/20, but 20/20 spiritually and will not leave us seeing men as trees, but as we should see one another clearly and without any interference.