Frontline Ministries International, Inc.  

MARK 4:9 --"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

 Do I actually hear what God is saying to me? I have ears, but do I have ears that hear? It seems like a simple, easy question to answer. Of course I have ears, and therefore I hear. But did I hear what I was meant to hear? When it comes to spiritual communications, I must realize that if I did not hear what I was supposed to hear, then the miscommunication can not be the fault of God. Maybe I only hear what I want to hear. I can read the Word and have the Word in me. I can comprehend that Word and apply it to my life. But the Bible says, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." The command is to hear, not to listen. It is a much stronger command. I listen whether I want to or not. Sound waves cause the eardrums to vibrate. It is a natural function of the ear. My ears are always listening, just as my eyes are always seeing. But a unique ability of humanity is to be selective in what I choose to hear, and even what I choose to see. Eardrums respond to sound waves, but the brain has to interpret the sounds and then hearing occurs. Hearing requires me to understand what is being transmitted. Jesus spoke in parables. People listened, people heard. But in order to know what the Lord is saying, I must want to hear, and then I understand.