Who are you listening to? Who am I listening to? Think of all the words that hit our ears in any given day...what is going into our heads and into our subconscious? Don't think you can filter it all out...we absorb so much more than what our conscious minds relay to us. Things we hear in a TV show that we know we probably shouldn't be watching enter into our subconscious and unknowingly affect the way we view cultural issues. Be careful little ears!
As Christians, we should actively be aware of who and what we are listening to. We need to have keen filters and we need our senses on full alert to make us aware of when we are hearing things that need to be kicked out of our conscious, and our subconscious, minds before they get firmly planted. When the author of our guide talked about words of straw or grain, I couldn't help but think of the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz...his brain was full of straw. He lamented that he couldn't really think or have ideas. When we absorb easy words of "straw", we, too, become mindless without the ability to think and discern. We just start following the latest ideas, philosophies and worldly mindsets. But when we take in words of grain, we have to digest them. They go into us and nourish us, they become "brain food." Our brains are activated to work through tough issues and develop views that are God-based, Word-based.
We are given three guidelines to help us sort through the voices that bombard us. Let's consider them as we move forward and see if we can adapt these practices as we actively listen:
1. Consider the moral character of the messenger!
Does this mean we rule anyone out that is a sinner? Well, then we're going to be left with no earthly messengers. But it does mean that we take into consideration the messenger's lifestyle, their moral code, and the people they surround themselves with. We are not to judge, but we can certainly be good fruit inspectors! Look at what kind of fruit they are producing. Do they have lives that exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? "Everyone sins, so no one will perfectly live out God's standards; but we should not see blatant discord between a teacher's life and message." This is tricky, and the really tricky part is that we don't apply differing standards to messengers that we personally like and those that we don't.
2. Evaluate the message to see if it lines up with God's Word!
This is the step where we're asked to measure what we're hearing as to it's value in our Christian lives...straw or grain? Straw is easy...grain requires digestion. We can stuff our beds, and our heads, with straw without much effort. But grain, that takes more effort to actually get into our systems. What we're hearing on most TV shows, movies, many books, most music are not words that align with God's Word...they are worldly words that make it easy for us to settle down onto a comfy bed of straw and live life just like everyone else is. Is it really necessary to make life so difficult by introducing that tough old grain into it? Only if we want lives that come close to the ones our Creator God has designed for us. I know my nature is one of ease and comfort, but I NEED the rub of the grain to push me to examine my thoughts and my life to see how it is lining up with God's Word. We must take the time to study the Word of God, for ourselves, to ensure that we know it. We can't rely on words from another that may have been twisted by them for their own purposes. That's what the prophets had done to the people of Jeremiah's day - they had so twisted the Lord's laws that they didn't reflect God's character any longer, and the people were too ignorant to realize the difference. We can't allow ourselves to be that lazy.
3. Ask the right questions!
This lines up with Day Two's lesson on curiosity...we have to actively listen and be ready to ask good and probing questions. "What is the Lord's answer? What has the Lord spoken?" should be our driving questions as we listen to teaching. I love what the text author says, "Our approach to God's Word, whether it is taught by a preacher, author, or scholar---in person or in mainstream media...should be active listening rather than passive agreement." How many times have I heard Christians say, "If ___________________ says it, then that's good enough for me." Or, "I only listen to ___________________ because I know they are telling the truth." If we take any person's word for Gospel, then we're setting ourselves up for deception. There is only one source of truth, and as the first tool above suggests, any person can get off track in their life and their message can change with those course alterations. We have to actively listen and not passively agree - every word needs to be challenged in our minds so that we can weigh it against Scripture. Take notes as you listen so that you can go back and look up points where you had questions and to ensure that what the messenger said it was God says. You may be surprised...and not necessarily with intentional deception, but with your ability to see more than the messenger did. God may have something to show YOU, that you would have missed had you just sat, listened and left.
The right voices - those that reflect the voice of our Father - are going to guide and direct us homeward; they are going to help us keep our feet on the path of righteousness. Pray for the Holy spirit to give us clean, open ears so that we can hear clearly His voice of truth.