Truth for Today - 28 September 2007 - "Expanding Your Vision-Part II"

28 September 2007

Rhema Inspiration

EXPANDING YOUR VISION - Part II

“Humility of heart is a necessity if one wants to progress to
maturity in Christ and understand His Word.”

In yesterday’s message, Expanding Your Vision, emphasis was placed on the necessity of having the eyes of your understanding opened so that the Spirit of God can open the Scriptures to you. In this message, the emphasis is on having ears to hear.

One of the first principles that is taught to new students in some Bible colleges is that the Bible was written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and must be understood by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In order for Holy Spirit-inspired understanding to operate in our lives so that we are able to understand the lessons God is teaching in the Scriptures, the eyes of our understanding must be opened, and we must have teachable, hearing hearts. The two are so closely related that they are almost synonymous insofar as receiving revelation of the Word of God is concerned. In Matthew 13:14-15, our Lord Jesus connects being hard of hearing and having closed eyes with a calloused or (spiritually) dull heart. This condition prevents the hearer from understanding the Word of God in any kind of fruitful way.

The opposite of a calloused or dull heart is humility of heart. Humility of heart is a necessity if one wants to progress to maturity in Christ and understand His Word. It is a major requirement for anyone who desires to be truly submitted to the Holy Spirit and those whom He raises up as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the disciples of the Lord. Most Christians, if pressed, are really not submitted to the Holy Spirit and/or the spiritual leaders of our day, regardless of whether those leaders are called of God or not. Many Christians would react against this statement, but they will in time, either willingly or through difficult circumstances, discern their own hearts. Hopefully, many will then recognize the need to become broken and contrite and will yield fully to the Holy Spirit with a humble heart. Some, however, will allow themselves to become even more calloused.

Someone told me recently that he had been faithfully reading our daily Truth for Today posts. He had disciplined himself to make sure that he read what he had committed to read. Then he said something else took place. He made a new decision to really pay attention to what he was reading. He decided to receive into his mind and heart the message that he was reading. It was an important step he took in being able to see and hear what the Holy Spirit desires to convey.

Many people go through the disciplined motions of spiritual activities such as reading the Word of God but get little out of it. Many are even disciplined for church attendance but get little of the Word out of it, and their Bibles lay in their vehicles until the next church service. True disciples will humble themselves and yield their hearts to the Holy Spirit and trust Him to expand their vision to receive the Word of God with understanding. They will study to show themselves approved, and they will find true and mature spiritual ministers of the Word. Will you have a teachable and understanding heart? Will you take the necessary steps? Will you study? Will you find the true prophets of the Lord? If so, great spiritual growth is on the horizon.

_____________________________

BIBLICAL APPLICATION:

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "’You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” Matthew 13:14-17 NIV

Pastor Wayne Wilson

New Covenant Church of Jesus Christ

3147 Klondike Road, SW, Conyers, GA 30094 USA

770-760-1101

Sharing these messages with others is encouraged and permission is granted for
non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears.