Ears were made to hear sound and most do.  Last week my Mom had a detailed hearing test and Jesus began showing me why people are struggling with the whole “Hearing God” thing.  Sound, noise, music, individual words, articulation, volume, language, creation, voices, mind, technology, machines, vehicles, construction, and more all make sounds vibrations that we hear with our ears, but also with our body, soul, and spirit.  Our brains are assimilating our environmental sound and vibrations 24-7.  It’s absolutely amazing!  Laying in bed in the middle of the night when everything is quiet in the house you suddenly hear sounds you don’t pick up during the day–the dehumidifier, the furnace, the hot water heat running through the pipes along the walls, creaks of the house as wood and mass expand contract.  During the day the “DIN and FRAY” as HE calls it of life are so much noise around us constantly we don’t realize all that we’re tuning in to and tuning out without consciously thinking about it.  Just driving from home to work is filled with various sounds and then if you add the radio, CD or phone into the mix, well you get the picture.  At school our office is right off the elementary gymnasium.  YES we can hear the kids playing and depending on the sport or excitement level the sound goes up or down.  However, most days I do not hear any of this going on around me.  Why?  We amazingly learn to tune in and tune out sounds around us for convenience, sanity, emotional stability, life.  We were given the freedom capability to LISTEN TO WHAT WE CHOOSE that is going on around us.  YES–we do tune out voices on purpose in a room.  We tune out our kids, spouses, the TV, life going on around us so that we can concentrate and think about what we’re doing.  We are masters at SOUND CONTROL!  In the middle of all this LIFE happening, GOD IS SPEAKING TO US!  YES HE REALLY IS!  SO how can we hear Him?  JESUS said, “My sheep hear My voice and follow ME!  There are multiple scriptures from Genesis to Revelation that tell us HE is speaking to us.  The famous old song, In The Garden has a line….”I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses, and the VOICE I HEAR falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.  And HE walks with me and HE TALKS with me and HE TELLS me I am HIS own, and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”  THIS is nothing new folks.  This is as old as the GARDEN of Eden and HE HAS NEVER, EVER STOPPED!  So the problem is on our end.  We have to learn how to Hear His voice, how to Listen.  Ever tell your kids “you’re not listening to me!”  “Listen to me!”  “Turn off that music and listen to me!”  The lines go on and on that we use about hearing and listening.  You can be talking with your spouse and suddenly you know if they’re really listening and hearing you or not. AND you know if you are really paying attention to what they or your children or co-worker are saying.  We are master audio technicians!  If you want to HEAR GOD just start listening to Him.  He is right there talking to you.  You will discover that you have been hearing Him your whole life, but you didn’t realize it because HIS VOICE was just part of the noise you have been tuning out.  Example:  You are at a crowded restaurant, Mall, store,etc.  There is music playing, multiple conversations going on around you.  Someone sitting with you speaking, wait staff taking orders, P.A. announcements.  You decide what you will listen to at every moment of the day.  The person eating with you can be talking to you and you are tuned in more to the conversation happening at the next table over because it has drawn your attention.  A song comes on and suddenly it draws you out of your current thought track to the lyrics and some old memories. You’re reading a book deep in another world of intrigue and hear nothing else. This is life happening and in the middle of it all HE IS SPEAKING TO YOU personally.  He never stops.  He even says that HE COUNSELS us in the night, while we’re sleeping HE is telling us things.  He cannot lie–so why you ask, “why don’t I hear HIM?”  I’ve met people who actually get mad about this whole hearing God thing and others are just plain frustrated, feel like somehow they are less spiritual than another because they don’t hear Him.  TRUST HIM–He is speaking, you just have to choose to listen.  You hear God Spirit to Spirit.  Sometimes He has spoken audibly–He decides–but most often His voice is speaking in your spirit, your mind and you have to realize it’s Him.  You hear your own voice, the devil’s lies and God’s voice 24-7.  We just have to become acquainted with His voice.  If the phone rings and you answer, you immediately recognize voices of people you know and talk with often.  You know your own thought voice too.  We tune out noise to concentrate on thoughts.  Hearing GOD is simple.  Just listen!  He is not speaking big religious sermons full of piety and rules.  He is offering HELP, ways to accomplish tasks quicker, which way to turn, a 1,000 suggestions all day long, but we’ve not been listening.  Jesus Spirit, Holy Spirit came to dwell in us–John 14:23 and 16:12-14.  He is waiting for us to listen, to CHOOSE, WANT to hear Him, desire HIS HELP!  HE is GOD and KNOWS everything there is to know about everything that is because HE made it ALL!  JESUS said the gift of Holy Spirit living in us was better than Him staying here in one body.  In the Garden of Eden God walked with them, but NOW He lives in us if we let Him.  GOD in you.  Do we get this!  GOD wants to be with us, in us, helping us.  He wants us to have all He originally planned.  He loves us so much He sent Jesus to make the WAY possible for restored relationship.  So all day long HE is with us ready to Help, supply answers but most of all to reassure us of His love and presence with us.  WE ARE NOT ALONE!  He has never left us or abandoned us.  He is right here and I know from personal experience how amazing He is.  He has helped me learned new things on the computer at work when I was stuck.  He has shown me over and over mistakes that I have missed in a myriad of places just helping me do my job, let alone what we talk about personally together back and forth BEST FRIEND conversations all day long.  Don’t get mad or jealous when you hear someone talk about “hearing GOD!”  SEEK HIM out for yourself–HE’s been waiting!  He will speak.  You have to get acquainted with His voice in all the noise of life surrounding you and when you do, you will never stop conversing.  When Paul said pray without ceasing–this is it!  It is the BEST FRIEND communication you will ever have.  HE LOVES US SO MUCH more than we have ever known.  Guess what–HE KNOWS you want to hear Him and has promised YOU WILL!  Just start tuning in and listening.  You might need to cut out all the other noise for awhile till you become accustomed to His voice in your spirit-mind.  Most of us have the TV going, music playing or fill our lives with so much other stuff we don’t take time to just HANG OUT with Him, which is what HE longs for the most.  He has invited us to DINE with Him at a very personal intimate specially prepared table with Him 24-7.  It’s like being with your best friend or spouse over a wonderful dinner meal with coffee and dessert all day long but inside–spirit to spirit where HE and FATHER GOD and Holy Spirit dwell with us.  Revelation 3:20 declares HIS DESIRE for each of us personally.  Ask Him a question?  Peter Lord a pastor in Florida has a great book, “Hearing God” and teaches people how to get started hearing Him.  He says, get alone, sit quietly and ask God:  “What do you think about me?  What do you think about my spouse?  How do you feel about me?”  You’ll be amazed at what you hear.  It might be a word, a phrase or a sentence.  It will be a quick response and you have to decide to Believe it is Him and NO you did not make it up.  If this is all new to you, it will be just like when you meet someone for the first time and you are getting acquainted.  You will know the difference in HIS words from your own thoughts and the lies of satan.  HE will help you sort it out and pretty soon you’ll recognize His voice immediately no matter where you are.  Remember that His words will always be GREAT, POSITIVE, FULL OF LOVE, ENCOURAGEMENT, Correction when He knows you’re ready to hear it.  He never speaks evil, discouragement, berating, judgmental, harsh words.  He builds you up in your faith.  His words will always be full of life and health to your soul.  They will be timed perfectly and appropriate right in the middle of your own thoughts as HE knows what you are thinking before you do.  YES all of this sounds strange, peculiar–BUT IT IS THE MOST AMAZING WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP YOU WILL EVER HAVE.  You will desire Him above all else and that is His desire.  He wants to be your First Love all over again every day.  He is the GREAT I AM.  TODAY–NOW!  Choose to seek out the SOUND of HIS VOICE and Discover Abundant WONDER-FILLED Life!  AND take the Covenant Meal with Him daily as He leads you.  Yes it’s okay, personal between you and Him.  GET READY because you are going to be brought more and more into His Kingdom and realm and you will be astounded.

“I know exactly where you all are in the earth and I love to change things UP—get you looking at ME more and more.  This experience has been doing that for days in your lives and now look what just happened.”

We are in Kalamazoo at a Hospice now and mom is the best she’s been, still has pain in her chest, but so like her normal self today I even took her for a walk outside in her room chair–which has rollers–she loved getting outside for a few minutes on the beautiful grounds, then was ready for her bed again.  Our whole journey so far has been about connections–life on life, sharing Jesus, our faith, hope and courage about where she’s going when the moment comes; which always blows people’s minds.  JUST NOW her night nurse came on duty and kept looking at Gary like he was familiar.  He happened to mention Spring Arbor and OH MY the connections were made.  They went to college together with Jeff Roley in 1973, 1974.  He actually worked at Teen Ranch Youth For Christ after 1978 for a few years, so our lives intersected back then and now again 40 years later.  Only God can do these strategic moments in time.  We are continuing to marvel at Mom’s journey, knowing that Dawson our 10 year old grandson prayed 3 times over her in ICU to be healed, get to go home, leave the hospital, or be with Him, for peace, comfort, etc.  This place is providing those things for her while she waits for her HOME GOING.  She is up for visitors as long as we don’t tire her out.  She enjoys feeling more normal and being able to talk, so we hope that continues until the moment comes.  Difficult yes but AMAZING GRACE is all over her and all of us.  We love you all who are out there praying.  We are being challenged, changed, and learning many, many things.  Kindness, compassion, and how to engage and encourage others along the way.