Are You a Good Listener?

“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak…” (James 1:19)

In today's, 'It's all about me' culture, listening has become a lost art.

As one author rightly put it:

"Listening is more than waiting for your turn to talk."

I read that quote about listening back in the early 90's. But it has stayed with me over the years, and has probably helped me in my marriage, as much or more than anything else has.

Ever get stuck on a plane next to someone who talks at you, non-stop, going on and on, in detail after boring detail, about all of his past jobs and accomplishments, for the entire flight, not even coming up for air?

The sad truth is, most people do not know how to properly listen. Or, they know how, but are too full of themselves to care enough to do it.

Look at the pained expression on the face of the man in the photo above. He just wants to get out of there, to get away from this boorish guy who won't stop talking.

For many people, 'listening' only means waiting for one's turn to talk. 

Even worse, most people don't even wait for their turn. 

I have known, or have been around, a number of 'chronic interrupters.' This is one of my major pet peeves; people who are so arrogant and prideful that seem to think that what they have to say is more important than what you or someone else is already saying.

I've been thinking about this difficult topic for a long time now. Years actually. 

Something has to be said.

If you read this and see yourself as a chronic interrupter, conversation-dominator, or horrible listener, I pray that you are offended—but only to the point that you are convicted, seeing your need to repent, and then care enough to actually change your ways.

Really bad listeners, boorish conversation-dominators, and chronic interrupters are actually borderline (if not full on) narcissists. It's "all about them."

At the core of this arrogant, selfish behavior, is a demonstrated lack of love for others. 

Take a moment and let that sink in.

A demonstrated lack of love for others.

When you fail to listen to people and you interrupt them, what you are in effect saying to them is, "What you have to say is not important, you are insignificant and you don't matter." 

It's not only unloving, it's extremely disrespectful.

And while I realize that many people who behave this way may well be clueless that they are doing it, that's still no excuse. Your selfish and unloving behavior is wounding people and is hindering communication and relationships.

And, if you are always talking and never listening, you are robbing yourself of some valuable wisdom and insights that you might glean from another person, if you actually took the time to listen to them.

"God gave you two ears and one mouth; use proportionately."

I love that quote. And have been personally convicted by it many times. In my customer service/sales career I was taught that if you are talking more than thirty percent of the time, you are not listening effectively.

Years ago, I went to a men's leadership meeting, and every man in that meeting was constantly interrupting one another, trying to get his own point across, not even listening to what the other guys were saying. Eventually, I just walked out. Nothing good was going to come from that kind of group arrogance.

Perhaps the most valuable phrase I ever heard on listening was: 

"Listen with the intent to understand."

The way you show love and respect to another person who is speaking, is to demonstrate by your body language, that you are interested in what they are saying. You do this by maintaining good eye contact, leaning forward in your seat to show your attentiveness. Show that you care about what they are saying by being silent, thoughtfully nodding your head that you understand. Not slouching in your seat, looking out the window, or at your cell phone. Not rolling your eyes.

This is basic, common sense, communication 101. You'd think people would just naturally get it.

Trust me; they don't.  Or won't.

If this all sounds a bit harsh to you, I belabor the issue because this is a major problem today. In business, in churches, in friendships, in marriages. I am convinced that most marriages that end in divorce, do so because people don't care enough to listen with the intent to understand. 

People often think they are 'listening' but they are merely waiting defensively to hear words that trigger how what you are saying affects them. Not how what they are doing makes you feel. 

See the difference?

It's all about them.

When my wife wants to talk to me about her feelings, I need to listen with the intent of hearing her heart; seeking to understand her better as a woman, as a person, and as my wife. I need to hear from her heart how what I am doing might be trampling on her feelings, and then ask her for forgiveness, and purpose to change my ways so that we can grow together from this, healing her heart in the process, not repeating again the same mistakes I've made in the past. 

What most men do instead, is to put on their "Mister Fix it" cap. He doesn't even let his wife finish what she is saying. He cuts her off, and says, "Okay, look, here's what you need to do!"  

Trust me, guys; she doesn't need you to "fix" her issue (when usually, you are the issue). She needs you to listen, hearing her heart, seeking to understand her. Just listen. 

Don't talk.

Listen.

I could go on. Entire book store sections are filled with books on relationships, communication and listening. But it all can be summed up in one word:

LOVE.

Read 1 Corinthians chapter 13 on love and see what demonstrated love looks like.

     —God is Love and Love Never Fails.

God Has Not Given Us a Spirit of Fear

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17)

Strange things seem to keep happening to me at 3 O'clock in the morning.

You ever have one of those weird dreams that you know cannot just be a coincidence?

I had one of those dreams last night.

In my dream, a good friend of ours told me she had been asked to head up a department, regarding something I am very passionate about, and have been involved in, at times throughout my life. Then she asked me to be a part of what she was working on.

I was a bit tentative, but definitely wanted to 'go for it.'

Although... this was something that I had previously stepped away from a couple of years ago, due to a very negative situation that occurred, which I had no control over, and in the process I had been deeply wounded emotionally. It was a very hard thing for me at the time, and it has left its share of scars.

After this perceived injustice, I promised myself; "Never again! I am so done with this!"

I mean, I wasn't going to let anyone treat me like that ever again.

You ever feel that way?

When you really put yourself out there—putting your whole heart into something. You held nothing back. Didn't play it safe.

And then—boom!—out of nowhere, totally unexpected—someone tramples your heart.

No one likes having the rug pulled out from under them. And when it happens, you go into self-preservation mode. You're not going to let anyone do that to you ever again.

Walls.

I've found that when I build walls of self-preservation around my heart, to protect me from a bad situation (like that) ever happening again, that I can also unwittingly block God's blessings from entering into my life in the process.

You can't live in fear. 

Fear of failing. Fear of rejection. Fear of not being liked. Fear of not being good enough.

In my dream last night I said:

“You can’t go through life worrying about something that 'might' happen.”

 I was giving a prophecy—a word of wisdom—to myself, in my dream.

How bizarre is that.

When I woke after my 'old man' dream, I knew it had to be around 3AM, since that is when I usually write a lot of my blog entries after having some kind of late-night epiphany. I kept repeating aloud what I said in the dream so I wouldn't forget it, and wrote it down.

The Lord then brought to my memory the following scripture about not living in fear:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Don't let fear of what 'might' happen keep you from being blessed...and being a blessing to others.

Forgive whoever you may need to forgive. 

Then forget bad situations from the past that are keeping you down, holding you back. The only one who gets any glory in that nonsense is the Enemy of your soul. Don't let him win.

Then look ahead—press forward—to whatever God has called you to.

“Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Maybe you can't go back to where you once enjoyed a particular season of blessing. Things might look totally different this time. It might be in an entirely different place than where you were before.

That's okay.

Everything that we do in this life is only for a season. And only God knows when, where, and for how long, that season will be.

Enjoy it while He has you there. And embrace each new season as it comes.

As a friend of mine recently testified:

"When God takes something from your hand, He's simply making room for more." 

Watch my friend Jeff Anderson's entire amazing testimony here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mPw44bg2i_g

And in all things, to God be the glory!

     —God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Be Not Deceived

“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13)

Slain in the spirit? 

Drunk in the spirit? Holy laughter? Howling like wolves? Writhing on the floor?

What in the Hell is going on in churches these days?

Exactly.

Pastor Chuck Smith rightly referred to this phenomenon as, "Charismania." 

Skip Heitzig said, "God is looking for spiritual fruit—not religious nuts." 

I'll save my lengthy editorial on the errors of "slain in the spirit" for another time, but will sum it up here by saying, the only people in the Bible that ever 'fell backwards' were the enemies of Christ. (See John 18:6)

Not long ago, a friend said to me, "I want to go to B_______ Church and get "Slain in the spirit."

Deception.

Watch out.

We have been given several warnings in the Bible to "Let no one deceive you." Here are just a few:

“And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them.” (Luke 21:8)

“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” (James 1:16)

Over the years I've observed that the people I have known who have allowed themselves to get caught up in blatant spiritual error such as "slain in the spirit" fell into one, or both, of the following categories:

1.  Inordinately self-focused. Not serving God. Bored with their life. Always seeking out new spiritual 'experiences.' Often practicing a sinful lifestyle. Unrepentant. 

2.  Untaught, and/or unstable, twisting the meaning of Scripture. Spends little to no time reading the Bible. Does not regularly attend a church. Double-minded. (2 Peter 3:16, James 1:8)

     —Almost always, they were in both categories simultaneously.

Hopping from church to church, these people grew tired of, or were offended by, the beautiful, but convicting, simplicity of the straight-forward teaching of the Bible. They are always on the lookout for new teachers, who will feed them whatever they want to hear:

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Even though the 'new' teaching you're listening to at your church may sound good to you, and maybe you're moved by their beautiful music...watch out. 

When it comes to Bible teaching; "If it's new, it isn't true, and if it's true, it isn't new."

Jesus said, "Take heed that no one deceives you." Hip, culturally-relevant teachers, spiritual experiences and beautiful music can be manipulated by Satan who can manifest himself as an angel of light. 

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

We have been warned that in these last days, perilous times will come.

Watch out.

Evil men and impostors are everywhere. The Bible says, "Test all things; hold fast to what is good." Test everything you read and hear by the Word of God and by prayer; asking God for wisdom. 

Be not deceived.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

What Does Your Christianity Look Like?

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

Do you know the definition of insanity?

When something isn't working, continuing to do the same old thing, the same old way; expecting new and different and better results.

I've been guilty of that kind of insanity more times than I care to admit.

How about you? 

What's not working in your life?

Your marriage? Your job? Your trying to lose weight? Your trying to find a job?

Or, if you're like most people, maybe you just need some peace.

Well, if what you've been doing up to this point is not working—is not producing good results; then stop. 

They say every picture is worth a thousand words.

Look closely at the man stuck on the child's merry-go-round in the photo above. 

Symbolically, does that picture represent you now, or at some time in your life? When things in your life were spinning out of control? But you just didn't know how to jump off? Maybe things were going so fast you were afraid to jump?

Don't feel bad. 

Whether we'll admit it or not, we've all been there. We've all have had times when something in our life was spinning out of control and we just didn't know how to fix it. 

Or... maybe we just weren't willing to change. 

I know what's not working well in my life right now. And I know why it's not working, and I've been talking to God about that this week, thank you very much. 

And although I'm hearing God's word on what I need to change, I'm not doing a very good job of being a doer of the word.

But I want to, desperately need to, change.

What about you?

This morning I asked God for His wisdom and revelation. "God, what would You have me do?" What I heard in my heart was:

"Stop doing what's not working."

Patterns.

What are my behavior patterns? What is my daily routine? In how I interact with God? With my wife? With friends? In how I go about looking for a job? With what I choose to eat? With my exercise, or lack of? 

One thing I've noticed that is very consistent with most people I've talked to over the years about the mutual challenges in our lives:

We repeat the same things over, and over, and over again.

Even as I write this, certain people come to mind that I used to spend much more time with, and now it makes me wonder, "Did they get tired of hanging around me because I kept repeating, kept complaining about the same things over and over in our conversations?"

Ugh!  Convicted.

Maybe they didn't want to enable me by letting me continue to be only a hearer—just talking about what I should do, without ever being willing to make the change and actually do it.

Ouch.

Truth is good... but it can be very painful.

Gotta be honest... I also get weary of listening to people I know, who, for years, over and over again, have been complaining about, talking about, but never actually doing anything about, the same old issues in their lives.  

I mean, it's not like they don't know what to do. They've been "hearers of the word" a hundred times.

The problem is... they're just not doing it.

James teaches that those of us who hear the word, but do not do it are: "deceiving ourselves."

Self-deceived.

That's an extremely painful indictment.

So, the $64,000 question is, what am I going to do about it?

What are you going to do about it?

This I know... God never calls us to do anything that He will not empower us to do, once we take the step of faith to be obedient to His word. Knowing that, you must ask Him for strength to do what He is telling you to do. 

"You receive not because you ask not."

So, all that's stopping you then, is you.

If your spouse seems to be drifting away from you, not wanting to spend as much time with you as they once did, stop blaming it on them, and start asking God to show you what you are doing that is causing the division.  

Maybe it's because you are so busy talking at them, never caring enough to take the time to listen, with the intent to understand them.

Men, have you asked God to give you wisdom and sensitivity to dwell with your wife with understanding, helping you to know and understand her more deeply and intimately as a woman? As a person? Or, do you trample your wife's feelings like a blind bull in a china shop? Do you sit around the house when you should be trying harder to get a job, and then wonder why your wife doesn't seem to have much respect for you?

Ladies, because you stopped caring for yourself, and consequently, you now weigh twice as much as you did on your wedding day, are you bitter that your unloving husband no longer feels as attracted to you as he once did? Do you nag him constantly about being a better spiritual leader of the home, but you refuse to submit to the position of authority that God has given to him?

Love prefers the needs of the other, above our own needs. 

I once heard a wise man say: 

"If your Christianity doesn't work at home—it won't work anywhere else."

What does the love of Christ look like in how you manifest it in your own home?  At your job? In line at the grocery store?

Jesus said, (to all Christian men and women alike): 

"A new commandment I give to you—that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

What does your Christianity look like?

We who are followers of Christ are quite skilled at being hearers of the word.

The question I believe God is asking us all today is:

     —"Are you being a doer of the word?"

God is Love and Love Never Fails.

In Perfect Peace

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in the Lord.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Woke up the other morning again at 2:30 AM. Could not quiet my mind. Restless and exhausted, I could not get back to sleep.

Have you had any sleepless nights lately?

As spiritual multi-taskers, we fill our minds with so much stuff, and allow our thoughts to be captivated and overrun by everything but God, leaving little room for Jesus; who is our only source, for the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

Is it any wonder then, that so many experience exhaustion and sleeplessness?

God's response to my crying out for rest, for His peace... was Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you..."

It was the phrase, "Whose mind is stayed on You" that the Holy Spirit kept whispering to my soul. 

Stayed.

“To lean upon or take hold of: rest self, set self, stand fast, stay.”

Picture Jesus; loving and benevolent Savior. If He was standing next to you right now, what would you do? 

I would lean on Him, taking hold hold of His arm. I would rest myself there, not wanting to leave. I would stand fast, and stay there with Him. Nothing else would enter my mind but Him. Nothing or no one would be able to distract me or tear me away from this tender moment of fellowship with my Lord and my God.

But we do exactly that all the time. 

We allow other things to fill our minds, distracting us, coming between us and Jesus, tearing us away from His rest. Tearing us away from the sweet fellowship found only in His presence.

Multi-tasking is way over-rated. 

For although it's a quality highly desired in the busy work place, it's a hindrance to fellowship with Christ.

Picture sitting at the table of communion with Jesus. It's just the two of you. You're having a wonderful meal and conversation together. But throughout your personal time with Him, your "I"-phone keeps vibrating with 'face-book' notifications that your Friends have posted new photos and links to 'you-tube' videos. You keep getting 'tweets' from the 'Twitter-verse.' "You've got mail!" Your buddies keep texting you about going fishing this weekend. Your online bank statement is now available. Oh yeah, 'Rachel Ray' has just posted an update for a hot, new recipe on her 'FB' page! And if that weren't enough, now you've got another call coming in!

Just because your phone rings does not mean you have to take that call.

But isn't that how most of us treat our relationship with Christ?

Perfect peace.

That's what I so desperately need.

How about you?

Start by turning off the "I-phone" in your mind.

God's perfect peace can only be found by the man or woman whose mind is stayed on Jesus.

If our minds are stayed on Christ, and in everything we place our trust in Him, then we will experience the peace of Jesus, which surpasses all understanding, guarding our hearts and our minds in Him. 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Be anxious for nothing.

Don't worry about the economy. Don't fret over getting that job or not. Stop pulling your hair out over all that's wrong in Washington D.C. 

Paul wrote..."In everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Action is required on our part.  

Be anxious for nothing. You have to choose to not be anxious about anything. And in "Everything" pray to God with thanksgiving, and His peace which surpasses your comprehension, will guard your heart...and your mind, through Jesus Christ.

Be thankful.

It's a willful choice. Having an attitude of gratitude is one of the keys to living a joy-filled life.

As a Christian, no matter what I am suffering through, no matter what I have lost; I have so much more to be thankful for. The free gift of salvation in Christ, being first and foremost.

Jesus Christ—God Who is Love—is with us always, even until the end of the age.

Therefore, rest in Love.

     —Love Never Fails.

The Father's Love

"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Luke 15:20-21)

Looking up at the distant star in the cold night sky, God seemed like He was a million miles away from me...

You ever feel like that?

Fortunately, we know by God's Word that He is not a million miles away from us. He lives inside every one of us who have placed our faith in Him. The Bible says we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

But in our own weakness, suffering, and sinfulness, and because we live in a fallen world, overrun by an Enemy who is constantly coming against us; who only comes to steal, kill and destroy: we are often made to feel like God is far off and distant.

But God never leaves us or forsakes us. He promises not to:

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses,  so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)

God reassures His people all throughout the Bible. And that is because He knows we need His reassurance. We are told repeatedly to be strong and courageous. To trust in the Lord. He is our refuge. Our strength. Our defender. He will be with us. He will not leave us here as orphans. He will send us a Comforter. He will come back for us. He loves us.

Jesus said:

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

God never leaves us. He never walks away.

But we can walk away from Him.

We separate ourselves from Him and from His protection when we choose to sin against Him. When we 'return to the vomit' and roll around in it like like a polar bear rolls around in a stinking whale carcass, God lets us follow after our lustful appetites and wallow in the slime. 

“As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)

“But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22)

It was our choice to walk away from Him and dive into the deep end of the sin pool—not God's.

Sometimes we're just like the prodigal son, who walked away, to waste his life and inheritance in sin:

“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” (Luke 15:13)

Over the last twenty years, I can't count how many times I've walked away from God by choosing to sin against Him. By squandering my inheritance in riotous living. By returning to the vomit.

Many times I have played the prodigal, and had to confess:

"Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son."

But has He cast me away?

     —Fortunately for me, no, He has not.

How did God as my Father respond to me?  In the same way He did to the prodigal son in Scripture:

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."

We are not yet capable of fully comprehending the depth, the height, and the fullness of the Father's love, grace, mercy and compassion that He has for us, and has already demonstrated, by sending His Son Jesus to go to the Cross for our sins.

As I was standing outside last night looking at that distant star, God reminded me of His great love for me, and I thanked Him and praised His name. And that star actually got brighter.

Taking my mind off my aches, pains and problems, and being thankful to God for all things—especially for the free gift of salvation, is the key to living a joy-filled life. No, it does not make those pains and problems magically go away, but they seem very insignificant, in the Light of God's Glory and Grace.

But that's not the end of the story of the prodigal son.

Even though his father ran out to meet him and was glad to see him, and kissed him, he still had really blown it. I mean, there has to be some serious repercussions for his sins. He did waste his inheritance after all.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fattened calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.” (Luke 15:22-24)

This is God's grace! This is His mercy! It's counter-intuitive to our way of thinking.

And if that doesn't blow your mind enough, check out this amazing promise from God to us sinful Gentiles:

“Even to them I will give in My house, and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 56:5)

A place in God's House—"BETTER than that of sons and daughters?!"

Can you even begin to wrap your head around that?

Seattle Pastor, Mark Driscoll, said it accurately, when he exclaimed about God: "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

Wow...  I don't get this kind of love! It's just too much for me to comprehend!

But I accept the free gift.

I cannot begin to comprehend such amazing love.

But I receive it, freely.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) 

©Mark Faulkner 2013 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marriage-Miracles-Love-Never-Fails/164504593592774

            

Those By The Wayside

“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.” (Luke 8:5)

Silence.

It's what I love about waking up at 3:30 in the morning. 

Quiet, with no distractions.

Seems like I keep waking up at this same time a lot lately.
—Maybe someone wants me to hear something?

I woke up thinking about the Parable of the Sower, in Luke chapter 8.

Jesus often taught in parables. To many, these must have seemed like cryptic riddles. But He later explains their meaning to His inquisitive disciples.

What was His purpose for teaching in parables?

“Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” 

And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that; “Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.” (Luke 8:9-10)

At first glance, Jesus' reply here sounds equally cryptic. I can picture Peter and the others saying, "Huh?"

What does verse 8:5 say?

The sower sowed his seed. Some of it fell by the wayside—a highway, or busy road. There the seed was trampled.

Picture a farmer sowing seeds along the edge of a busy road in 30 AD. Bustling people on their way to town to do business, leading their sheep or goats, and maybe an occasional cart rolling along. The seed that fell on a busy road such as this would most certainly be trampled. And the people were probably so caught up in their business, that they didn't give much thought to the scattered seed which had fallen on the road. But opportunistic birds saw the seed, and came and snatched up that which was dismissed, by men too busy to care.

After Jesus recited the entire parable of the sower to the multitude, He said:

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

It was Jesus' disciples who asked Him: "What does this parable mean?"

"He who has ears to hear" wants to know the deeper meaning of what Jesus is saying, and ask's Him for understanding. A disciple is a pupil or student, but really more of an apprentice than what we think of when we hear the word student. Jesus said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me." To be yoked together with Jesus means to walk with Him, being taught by Him, learning from Him.

Jesus answered the disciples request for understanding of the parable, saying:

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” (Luke 8:11-12)

To understand the context of the meaning of the parable, first look back to the parable itself. The sower went out to sow seed. Some of it fell on the highway, where it was trampled. Birds then came and devoured that seed.

So in the parable revealed, Jesus says those by the wayside are people who hear the word of God, but then the devil comes and takes away what was sown in their hearts, lest they should believe it and be saved.

How can the devil take God's word from your heart? Only if you don't receive it by faith and believe it.

The people by the wayside don't have faith. They don't want to believe the word. And it's my belief that they didn't want to be saved. They don't think they needed saving.

Like most people today, they think, "I'm a good person."

You can hear God's word and it can even resonate in your heart for a moment. But if you trample the good seed of the word of God by your unbelief—then the devil can come right in and snatch away what you've heard because you didn't believe it to begin with. You didn't think you needed the Gospel.

You don't think you need a Savior.

The heart of the message here is, those who want to believe, will. And those who don't want to believe, won't.

Those by the wayside are those who don't want to believe.

Those who want to believe the word do so, and they respond to the Sower of the good seed of the word; the Gospel of Jesus Christ—which is:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

     —Do you want to believe?

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The Falling Away

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:4-6)

3:30 AM, and I can't sleep...again.

Recently, a close friend of ours knowingly and willingly hardened his heart against God, and has chosen to walk with Him no more.

He doesn't want anyone's help or counsel. His mind is made up.

His decision has left me stunned. 

I am heartbroken, but I think I'm more numb than anything.

Looking back over the last several years of our friendship, remembering the times we gathered in our home for fellowship and worship, thinking back on the difficult trials we endured together, I can't say as I can think of a time when I could have seen this coming. Difficulties and heartbreaking disappointments, yes.

But this? 

No.

How can this be?

Another friend whom I've known for about six years, went through, (and eventually lost) a long, brutal divorce and child custody battle. His wife actually used to teach a women's bible study at our church. He and I broke bread together often, praying for one another, getting into God's Word together. He virtually had the entire bible memorized. I believed he really loved the Lord.

Now he blasphemes God and has disowned Him. He blames God for every bad thing that has happened to him. He got taken to the cleaners in the divorce. His wife cheated on him and had set him up on a bogus spousal abuse charge. He spent time in jail and many hours in anger management classes. His wife has also walked away from God and now thinks Christianity is a big joke. She has chosen a life of partying and fornication. And their three children have been caught in the middle of their insane war against each other. 

Another man who I used to know at our church has a similar sad story. He once told us at a men's group how his wife used to "love the Lord" and she actually "led him to Christ." They have five children together. Since then, she hooked up with her high school sweetheart and left her husband. The last I heard of her, she was a stripper at a local "gentlemen's club."

I could go on and on. 

Tragic story after tragic story of people who supposedly once loved the Lord, but have now hardened their hearts against Him and have walked away. Abandoned Him. Fallen away. 

Apostate.

Hearing these kinds of stories used to bring me to the brink of madness, in trying to understand how people who once professed to love God, could now disown Him and hate everything He stands for.

What in the world is going on?

A great apostasy—the falling away—is foretold in the Bible.

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

What is the falling away?

The word used in the original Greek language of the New Testament is Apostasia:

"Defection from truth, (“apostasy”): falling away, forsake."

Here is another verse which clearly foretells this defection from the truth:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

A key phrase from that passage is, "According to their own desires."

Unless one is completely asleep at the wheel of spiritual discernment and not paying any attention to what's going on all around us, never in our lifetime has this defection from the truth of God's Word been more blatantly pervasive than it is today.

People are calling the evil morality of today's corrupt world, "good" and the goodness of God's truth, "evil."  The greatest sin in the eyes of today's ungodly culture is what they label as "intolerance."

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” (Isaiah 5:20)

So, how does this current "falling away" among (so-called) "Christians" happen?

How can people who once professed to be followers of Christ be so easily led away into apostasy?

“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;  and consider that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,  as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked.” (2 Peter 3:14-17)

The Apostle Peter makes it quite clear here that it is "untaught, unstable people who twist the truth of the Scriptures" and are thus, "led away with the error of the wicked."

     —And they do so to their own destruction.

I've tried reasoning with my blasphemous friend, pleading with him to really consider the end of his disowning Christ. But he said he truly "doesn't care." He claims that he would rather "spend eternity in fiery torment than to worship and adore God."  His last smug words to me were: "So let it be written, so let it be done."

This is insanity. 

Unbelievable—unless you understand that this dark time in human history was clearly foretold in the Bible.

And we are currently smack-dab in the middle of the great Falling Away. And maybe even closer to the end of it than we think.

What do you think?

Perhaps you know someone who has chosen to disown God and walk away from Him like my friend has. All we can do is pray for these people, pleading with them, and reasoning with them from God's Word, as they are open to listen.

As painful as it is to see people falling away like this, it does indicate that the return of the Lord is nearer than it ever has been before.

And never before has it been more important to stand upon the Truth of God's Word—testing every twisted doctrine and philosophy of man by the holy Scriptures.

Well-meaning, so-called "Christian" people are everywhere, with sugar-coated messages that are pleasing to itching ears, promising health, wealth, and spiritual experiences that are not supported by God's pure Word.

Don't fall for it. 

Test every word. Test every "spirit." Test their fruit. Test every spiritual experience. 

—“Test all things; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.