“If we do not listen we do not come to the truth. If we do not pray we do not even get as far as listening…Four things go together: silence, listening, prayer, truth.” Hubert Van Zeller
In the book of James we are reminded that; “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (1:19) James goes on to say, “Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it. If you hear the message and don’t obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror and forget what they look like as soon as they leave.” Do you look like a ball of negative emotions? Or a gown of Hope and Praise?
If we listen to God, what do we hear? You are loved! You are a precious gemstone! There is a special plan for your life and it is for good and not evil! We can just start here and tell ourselves we are loved! I am loved, I am a PRECIOUS gemstone, God has a plan for my life and the list never ends. If you are a round peg in the square of ‘silence, listening, prayer and truth’ you might find yourself a misfit. A beautiful precious stone in the wrong setting. Like trying to set an emerald cut diamond in a round setting! Why, because you forgot to act on blessings as written in contract form for you. You forgot to obey what you read and heard. We have been given freedom by grace to enter into a life of joy. For example, we read, God did not give us a spirit of fear. He has given us joy and peace. We like this. We love it! Yet, we walk away from the mirror of illumination and when made to feel fear or another negative from an external or internal force, what do we do, take it? Yes, if you are anything like my humanness, I take fear and other negatives and run all over town with it until I realize it is not working. How do you handle it?
We were not to just listen to what was said but act on it. Now, how does one act when they feel fear? Feel lonely, depressed, rejected or angry? You act on what you just read or heard from God’s Word! It is knowing His Word and acting on it that brings the freedom. That is belief vs. unbelief! What did He say about fear, angry, rejection and other negatives? What did He say about the crises you or your loved ones may be going through right now? Do you know? Did you forget because you have to many irons in the fire? What do you look like today? God is not saying to us just sit and listen to someone go on and on with a bout of sadness and get up and use the words spoken to overcome your and their negative emotions. Won’t happen! We listen and we should have a precise deliberate measured message for what we have just heard. This is inclusive of ourselves and the ones we love the most as well as the ones we don’t even know.
James advised us to listen to God’s Word, to others that give us God’s Word and obey it.. Hubert Van Zeller tells us how:
“If we do not listen we do not come to the truth. If we do not pray we do not even get as far as listening…Four things go together: silence, listening, prayer, truth.” Have you squared yourself off for this setting? If so, you are aware and acting on “No height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39, AMP).
thedailylily.com 
gown• a loose cloak indicating one’s profession or status, worn by a lawyer, teacher, academic, or college student.
bout. • an attack of illness or strong emotion of a specified kind
illumination• figurative spiritual or intellectual enlightenment.
I can honestly say that as we have been studying the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as presented by Gary and learning His Modus Operandi in each of our individual lives, I can attest to it that He consistently instructs us in how to “do the Word” of God in every, every, every situation. The rub lies in whether we will follow His counsel or not. He had prompted me to perform a certain deed or to procure a certain product, just recently, which is part of my ministry. I did it every which way, my way first, (that ol’ Frank Sinatra mantra….I Did It My Way) until I finally came to the end of myself and acquiesced and did what He originally told me to do and of course, He was right but I had wasted a bunch of time and gas chasing after the wind…and NOT the Wind of the Holy Spirit, either!
The Holy Spirit empowers us to DO the Word of God and to speak life into someone’s situation at all times. He’s right there. It says in Corinthians, “who knows the Spirit of God but the Holy Spirit Himself?” And He knows how to fulfill God’s Word in our lives, in day to day situations so that the Word of God can be fulfilled moment to moment in our daily lives.
What Blessed Assurance is that? Not only so great a salvation but faithful couseling by Holy Spirit. He’s got the power. Will we listen? It’s up to us.
Going to a gemstone show last weekend we saw numerous gems polished and set perfectly or awaiting a special setting. Jesus has a perfect setting for us as Sara states above. We are the gem and we are to sit as Jesus’s feet daily. Sometimes we sit with a bible in our lap, other times we sit plugged into our IPods, and others times attuned to the word spoken by God’s chosen vessels. Suddenly a word reaches out and hits us like a lightning bolt. It jars are very being. We know that we have blight that needs buffed out, The Holy Spirit said it earlier and now we are hearing it through the Word, the Word of Truth. We need to act. We need to pray. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh God I heard, what do I do? I know you are speaking to me. Turmoil starts to churn inside. The devil says your fine. You say hush Satan as you hold your head in your hands. You stand up within and tell Satan boldly, I choose to believe the Words of the Lord – the Truth. You sit before the Lord – Lord I’m guilty – silence then peace. A plan is activated according to the Word spoken. The clarity of the gem is restored as Jesus undergirds with silence,listening, prayer, and truth. We shine as we majestically in prayer and praise thank the Lord who had orchestrated our buffing.
So many times we are told in the Bible to ‘listen’, to ‘hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation). Even in Luke 9:44 Jesus says “Let these words sink down into your ears, …”. This blog shows the grave importance of listening in a dimension that is not ordinary. The parable of the sower speaks of levels of hearing to me. Jesus says in Luke 8:18 “Therefore take heed how you hear”. Lord, let my hearing be unto obedience.
Gary and myself attended the gem show as well, my son and daughter-in-law gave us the tickets as a gift. I saw thousands and maybe millions of gems all in one big room. What a splendid experience and feast for the eyes. It was hard not to enjoy the gems of every size, shape and color imaginable. And, when I think that most of the gems were out of my price range my eyes and hope went to what The Heavenly City and our new home might just be like. “…and He who is seated on the throne said, See! I make all things new…” (Revelation 21:5, AMP).
Revelation 21:8-23 NLT; ” The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones:] the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.
I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.
(vs.27 NLT) ” Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
I believe the rubies, diamonds, emeralds and all God’s creations are set before us each and everyday to remind us that when we catch a view of truth and live it another jewel might just be set in gold in the City of our God.
The Psalmist wrote and sang; Psalm 48:8 “We had heard about it, and now we have seen it in the city of our God, the LORD All-Powerful. This is the city that God will let stand forever.”
Revelation 4:3 “And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.”
Rena, yes, it takes a little buffing to polish us for a setting in the heart of God to have the glow of emerald to highlight our being over comers and sitting around this throne. WHOW! Don’t you want to go?
On the lighter side this reminds me of the funny story of the man who, at Heaven’s gate told St. Peter that he wanted to bring in his bag of gold bricks that he had brought with him to Heaven. Peter refused to let him bring it in. When the man got upset and insisted, Peter finally acquiesced and said…”OK but we already have plenty of PAVEMENT up here”
Transparent gold, that is!!
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him”. 1Corinthians 2:9
Needles, that scripture is such a motivator! It complements Sara’s motivational wisdom…
“I believe the rubies, diamonds, emeralds and all God’s creations are set before us each and everyday to remind us that when we catch a view of truth and live it another jewel might just be set in gold in the City of our God. ” I appreciate this lesson in the importance of symbolism and visual aids. And these are statements that cause one to pause, selah, and consider God’s works. “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” Habbakuk 2:20
When we are confronted with the truth, it is up to us to make the choice as to its meaning in our lives or in a given situation. But Truth has to be spiritually discerned. If one is unwilling to “see” the truth and its application by the Holy Spirit we will misinterpret the truth, not apply it properly or not believe it, altogether. Truth must be sought after and searched for and embraced and the Holy Spirit must be the Revealer of it unto our understanding. If not….”there are none so blind than those who refuse to see”.
“Four things go together: silence, listening, prayer, truth.” Rev. 21, says, The Holy city is foursquare. It is as I said about, time to square yourself off and accept the truth.
MG said, “we will misinterpret the truth, not apply it properly or not believe it, altogether.” That sounds like rebellion to me!
Another reason why we should not be like MG spoke of above: “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:3-5, NKJ)).
I see from reading about the city, the New Jerusalem, the Bride, in Revelation 21 that Sara wrote about that it is a measured city. The walls, its length and breadth and height are measured…precisely, accurately. And the measurement is recorded forever. To me, God is again symbolizing just how important Sara’s statement is:”We listen and we should have a precise deliberate measured message for what we have just heard”. This makes me think that God is a mathematician, engineer and architect and measurement is important in His economy. In order to be a member of His city, His bride, we must reflect His value system in how we live and operate.
It is true that God is The Master Builder. In the O.T. when He gave the dimensions for the Tabernacle, the altar and all the accoutrements He was most precise and exact in His specifications and calculations as to how the divine project was to be built and arranged and outfitted and maintained. We do not serve a slip-shod GOD and I believe He does not look kindly upon a sloppy job when it comes to His Temple maintainance, that is our fleshly temples that house the Holy Spirit and on those good works of the ministry and of the Kingdom of God.
This pertains not only to our good works and deeds , our human temples and the material church structures and their maintainance but also to our minds and attitudes. Sloppy minds and attitudes, imprecise thinking, miscalculations, miscommunications and misunderstandings give a sloppy presentation to the Lord. We think it will “make do” but the Lord calls for “beauty and exactness.”. We are wrong if we think that the Lord is “altogether like us”. He is a FIRST-RATE GOD.
After thinking upon that beautiful city and the gems it contains I thought upon a the song Do Lord – what a city! May we all be polished and in that city!
Do Lord (Way Beyond The Blue)
Do Lord, Oh do Lord, Oh do remember me (Oh, Lordy)
Do Lord, Oh do Lord, Oh do remember me (Hallelujah)
Do Lord, Oh do Lord, Oh do remember me
Look a way beyond the blue (horizon).
I took Jesus as my savior, You take Him, too. (Oh Lordy)
I took Jesus as my savior, You take Him, too. (Hallelujah)
I took Jesus as my savior, You take Him, too.
Look a way beyond the blue (horizon).
Chorus: Do Lord….
I’ve got a home in the land of glory,
That outshines the Sun,
Oh, I’ve got a home in the land of glory,
That outshines the Sun,
I’ve got a home in the land of glory,
That outshines the Sun,
Look a way beyond the blue (horizon).
Chorus: Do Lord….
Love the song and pray, hope and believe we will have the home we sing about.