Category: Listening

Prayers out of Pain: Listen to Our Hearts

This Song “Listen to Our Hearts” really struck a chord within me. How many of us have felt something so deeply that we cannot put it into words? When there are or have been times when the feelings are so strong inside that they actually cause us a crushing pain in the vicinity of the heart and the pain moves from the heart and encompasses our entire being. Jeremiah 15:18 Why has my pain become unending, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? When we take it to the Lord in prayer, as our body trembles with the weeping, no words can come to our mouths and a torrent of tears fall uncontrollably…

Throughout my life as the pain of hurt or loss encompassed me, I have prayed for hours on end, day in and day out. Have you experienced such pain that you’ve asked God: how can I live through it? Why don’t you don’t just take me now, so I no longer have to endure this agony and sorrow? Why was I born? Job asked this question: Job 3:11 “Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?” Have you ever exclaimed: If this is what life is…I don’t know if I want it anymore! Or have you ever tried to bargain with God telling Him: If the only way you can take away the pain means taking my life from me…please God…the sooner the better! But you wake up the next day…

As I grow older and walk closer with Him, I have no doubt in my mind that God is listening to me and that ultimately He knows our struggle and our pain. He also knows that this too will pass as He holds our future in His Hands and uses everything that happens in our lives as glory for Him and a message for us to learn by. I heard somewhere that if it doesn’t kill us, it makes us stronger…it’s just getting through it…

All throughout the Bible, God’s people have cried out to Him for help and guidance during times of their pain…He answers in the most unexpected ways. Many of the Psalms are David crying out to God.

Psalm 88 Lord, you are the God who saves me.
    I cry out to you day and night.
2 Receive my prayer,
    and listen to my cry.

Psalm 28:2 Listen to the sound of my pleading
when I cry to You for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward Your holy sanctuary.

The book of Lamentations in the Old Testament portion of the Bible, written in poetical form, expresses pain and loss. To Lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow and this is how we cry out to our Heavenly Father when we feel pain and loss. I believe it’s okay to lament…even if these lamentations express feelings of anger, grief, confusion and pain. WE are One with God when we receive His Son, so he feels what we feel and understands our pain.

I’ve heard it said that the pain described to God by Jeremiah actually broke God’s heart.

Jeremiah 4:18-19 Your way of life and your actions have brought this on you.
This is your punishment. It is very bitter, because it has reached your heart! 19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in agony! Oh, the pain in my heart! My heart pounds; I cannot be silent. For you, my soul, have heard the sound of the ram’s horn—the shout of battle.

Jeremiah 8:21 I am broken by the brokenness of my dear people. I mourn; horror has taken hold of me.

Jeremiah 9:1 If my head were a spring of water, my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night over the slain of my dear people.

To realize that God feels our pain as well as His own pain…it makes you wonder and question how He can let it continue much longer? I believe that He’s waiting as long as He can so we can share the Gospel of His Kingdom. Not only for the lost to be saved, but for us as Christians to complete the commission that was given to us by His Son Jesus. We are ALL His disciples…we ALL are responsible for our fellowman. The 2nd greatest commandment to Love your neighbor as yourself should cause us to strive to complete His commission…we don’t want to burn in Hell, so why would we not go out into this world and do everything that’s possible to do to bring others to the Kingdom and Glorify our Heavenly Father?

Ezekiel 3:17-18 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. 18 If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because an obligation is placed on me. And woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

He truly is an AWESOME GOD and He does listen to our hearts…we need to learn to listen to Him…

Cry to God

Psalm 44:24-26 Awake! Why are you asleep, O Lord?
    Arise! Cast us not off forever! 
Why do you hide your face,
    forgetting our woe and our oppression? 
For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
    our bodies are pressed to the earth.

Psalm 13:2-3 How long, O Lord? Will you utterly forget me?
    How long will you hide your face from me? 
How long shall I harbor sorrow in my soul,
    grief in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Prayer in Anger

Psalm 79:6,10,12 Pour out your wrath upon the nations
    that acknowledge you not,
upon the kingdoms that call not upon your name.
Why should the nations say, 
     “Where is their God?” 
Let it be known among the nations in our sight 
    that you avenge the shedding of your servants’ blood. 
And repay our neighbors sevenfold into their bosoms 
    the disgrace they have inflicted on you, O Lord.

Psalm 94:2-4 Rise up, judge of the earth; render their deserts to the proud. How long, O Lord, shall the wicked,
    how long shall the wicked glory, 
Mouthing insolent speeches, boasting, all the evildoers? 

Personal Affliction

Psalm 25:16-20 Look toward me, and have pity on me,
    for I am alone and afflicted. 
Relieve the troubles of my heart, 
    and bring me out of my distress. 
Put an end to my affliction and my suffering, 
    and take away all my sins. 
Behold, my enemies are many, 
    and they hate me violently. 
Preserve my life, and rescue me; 
    let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 

Trust in God

Psalm 85:8-10 Show us, O Lord, your kindness,
    and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
    the Lord—for he proclaims peace.
To his people, and to his faithful ones, 
    and to those who put in him their hope.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, 
    glory dwelling in our land. 

Psalm 4:7-9 Many say, “Oh, that we might see better times!” 
    O Lord, let the light of your countenance shine upon us! 
You put gladness into my heart, 
    more than when grain and wine abound. 
As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep,
    for you alone, O Lord, 
    bring security to my dwelling. 

Listen to My Heart Lyrics

How do you explain
How do you describe
A love that goes from East to West
And runs as deep as it is wide
You know all our hopes
Lord, You know all our fears
And words cannot express the love we feel
But we long for You to hear

So listen to our hearts
Hear our spirits sing
A song of praise that flows
For those You have redeemed
And we use the words we know
To tell you what an awesome God You are
But when words are not enough
To tell You of our love
Just listen to our hearts

If words could fall like rain
From these lips of mine
And if I had a thousand years
I would still run out of time
So if You listen to my heart
Every beat will say
Thank you for the Life
Thank you for the Truth
Thank you for the Way

And listen to hearts (oh, Lord, please listen)
Hear our spirits sing (and hear us sing)
A song of praise that flows (a song of praise)
From those of You have redeemed (from those You have redeemed)
And we will use the words we know
To tell you what an awesome God You are
But when words are not enough
To tell You of our love
Just listen to our hearts

So if You listen to my heart
Every beat will say
Thank You for the Life
Thank You for the Truth
Thank You for the Way

And listen to our hearts (oh, Lord, please listen)
Hear our spirits sing (and hear us sing)
A song of praise that flows (a song that flows)
From those of You have redeemed (from those You have redeemed)
And we will use the words we know
To tell You what an awesome God You are
But when words are not enough
To tell You of our love
Just listen to our hearts

When words are not enough
To tell You of our love
Just listen to our hearts
Listen to our hearts (oh, Lord, please listen)
Listen to our hearts

Don’t You Know You’re the Temple of God?

A born again Christian is the temple of God’s Holy Spirit !

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Believe it when I tell you that the entire Bible, from cover to cover, is the WORD of God! Being Born Again is the most important message in the Bible for mankind and the focus of the New Testament…it’s the only way to receive eternal life and spend eternity in the Kingdom of God with Jesus the Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach (Hebrew translation).

Some may think that they’re born again because they go to church on Sunday, their covering is religion, but most important is their covering the blood of Christ? Outwardly, they have conformed to the standards of the church, but inwardly, they haven’t conformed to the standards of God. This is why it is good to know that YOU are the Temple of God, because when you are truly born again, the spirit enters in and you will be forever changed. You will recognize the change because it’s a heart change…YOU WILL KNOW! It’s also a mind change.

I’m going to present some of the verses of Scripture to you in both the King James Version of the Bible and also the easier to understand Holman Christian Standard Bible. For those of you who are just beginning your study of Scripture, I pray this will be of help to you.

I Corinthians 3:16-17: 

(KJV) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 

(HCSB )Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him; for God’s sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are.

I Corinthians 6:19:

(KJV) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

(HCSB) Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

II Corinthians 6:16: 

(KJV)And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

(HCSB) And what agreement does God’s sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.

The Bible tells us that when we are born again, we are born of the Spirit.

These are the WORDS of Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit. If we listen to our gift of the Spirit, we will know and understand what God has in mind for us. In Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Jesus is talking to us about the end times in this statement, so if we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, we won’t be deceived! Jesus emphasizes in Matthew 24:11 and Matthew 24:24 that there will be those who are trying to lead us astray! Be aware, that we have everything we need in Scripture to keep us on His righteous path.

These following verses show us that when we are born again, God’s Spirit – His Holy Spirit, dwells inside of us, therefore making us the Temple of God.

John 3:3-6: 

(KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.“

(HCSB) Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 “But how can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked Him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

John 16:13-14:

(KJV) “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

(HCSB) “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you.”

This baptism of the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that God will remove your “free will” from you and that you’ll never make a bad choice again as long as you live, but learn to be quick to repent (turn away from sin and turn to God) when you realize that you’ve gone astray. 2 Peter 2:15 They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. This is from Psalm 140:4 Protect me, Lord, from the clutches of the wicked. Keep me safe from violent men who plan to make me stumble. This Psalm is short and gets right to the heart of the matter…it would be good to pray this in Jesus’s name whenever we feel weak. Although the Holy Spirit now lives in you, you may still struggle to keep away from the vices that kept you in sin before you became a Christian. Paul talks about the thorn in his side. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9: especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. 8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.

You will be lovingly led by the Holy Spirit, but you must want to follow and you must choose to follow. Obviously this will require you to step away from the world as the world will also give you choices and more than likely these are not choices that will enhance your walk with God. If you follow the world instead of the Spirit, you are “quenching” the Spirit. To QUENCH the Holy Spirit is to resist: to fight or struggle against, and in doing so, you may cool or put out the Spirit until you can no longer hear instruction. Matthew 3:11: John the Baptist tells us: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19 , Paul tells the church, “Do not QUENCH the Spirit.” Quenching the Spirit is what happens when we don’t listen to the Spirit, when we do what we know is wrong following our own worldly desires.  (visit this website for definition: https://av1611.com/kjbp/kjv-dictionary/quench.html )

In Ephesians 4:30-32: Paul tells the church, “And don’t GREIVE God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption. 31 All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”  

What do you think of when you think about grief? Do you usually associate with death or loss? Is it a time of overwhelming sadness? The usage of the word GREIVE in this instance is a noun: which is synonymous with PAIN! (visit this website for definition:https://av1611.com/kjbp/kjv-dictionary/grief.html ) Why would we want to cause our Father in Heaven this kind of grief? According to Scripture God gave us the Holy Spirit to help us grow, to learn about Him to recognize His voice. We all must learn to listen for the Holy Spirit to speak to us. Please read my blog entitled “My Sheep Hear My Voice” https://jesusamazinggrace.com/category/listening/

Once we’ve been born again we have the blood of Jesus covering us and Satan can no longer touch us…but we also have retained “free will” and we can slowly but surely go astray and back to our old patterns and ways of life that can draw us back into sin.

We must not sleepwalk…we must stay vigilant and we must WALK AWAY from the WORLD!!!

My Sheep Hear My Voice

Are you listening to God? Once we’ve given our lives to Jesus, we belong to HIM! We need to listen to Him… The word SHEEP is used 16 times just in the book of John! If you want to understand more about following Jesus, I suggest you read ALL of John, but especially John 10. Of course, without saying, to truly know Jesus, you need to read His WORD ~ the Bible!

You might ask…what is it to be a sheep…so I found this description on the internet: Sheep is a meek animal. They are usually very quiet and gentle, holding themselves aloof from the world. In a herd, all the sheep tend to listen to their leaders and show esteem to them. Because of the obedient character, sheep are among the most popular animals beloved by mankind. When sheep are together, the have increased safety from predators. In the Human sense, this is why we group together as Christians…not because Christianity is a religion, but because Christianity is a relationship and together we hold one another up in this treacherous world that we live in! Like sheep we need to be aloof from the world! We need to be in a constant state of listening…

I’ve actually heard some people say with a note of disgust in their voice that they don’t like being compared to a sheep! That they don’t want to be followers…they want to be leaders and they don’t see any value in being a follower as there’s more than enough sheep in the world already. (These people don’t realize that God has a wonderful place for them in the scheme of things if they are willing to follow HIM). They aren’t willing to be meek (Matt 5:5 the meek shall inherit the earth). They look at gentleness as being weak, however 1 Peter 3:14 says But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed. The person who doesn’t want to be a sheep doesn’t want to be quiet, because they enjoy being heard.

Proverbs 17:27-28 27 The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding. 28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips.

John 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them…

Jesus is our Good Shepherd…He provides us with everything we need including protection, but we must give Him our hearts and our minds, so that we can become HIS totally…

When Jesus went to be with His Father in Heaven His disciples became His shepherds, so if you’re called by Him to shepherd then do so, but listen for HIS voice to show you the way to shepherd….1st Peter 5 tells us that those we are under are called shepherds. Because we are sheep, we lose our way…we’re helpless without Him! We need to be shepherded… we need to be constantly guided…we can get lost very easily and go astray. We need to be taken care of…just like sheep, we would drown in this world without our faith in Jesus to rescue us. We need to be cleaned by His blood (the wool of the sheep needs to be cleaned frequently because it collects dirt, odors, etc)….just like us humans, they are made filthy and bedraggled by the world. There’s no way that we can cleanse ourselves without the blood of Jesus. He’s the lamb of God and we are HIS sheep.

As the 23rd Psalm says…23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (KJV)

Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit in John 14:16 (KJV) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Psalm 32: 8-9 tells us to LISTEN! 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near

Jesus is asking us to be His sheep…no other animal can be compared to the way we need to humble ourselves before HIM. Once we asked Jesus into our lives as our Savior, God is always speaking to us through the Holy Spirit. Sometimes His voice is a whisper, sometimes it’s a feeling and sometimes it’s loud and clear! If you want to talk to Jesus, He’s always near…He will hear you! Will you hear Him when he answers?