Concerning your email today where you said:
"Today exhortations is so strong right to the point. A pleasure from God."
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I heard some things about this which I need to share.
You've been going
through a period of "dullness" where you stated you were sort of on hold concerning the work of God.
I
believe a type of dullness set in with you. Then you woke up, so to
speak so now the messages are seeming sharper to you ... and stronger.
I
suspect the previous messages were just as strong but when we get
overwhelmed with other things, it is hard to focus, hard to hear, hard
to read.
I believe this is what God showed me.
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I heard: "dull of hearing"
Then I began to think of things that can cause us to become dull of hearing. (I know this happens to me from time to time.)
Sometimes
I will begin reading the blog (or Bible) and I will find myself wanting to rush on
to "other things". When that happens I know I am reading
incorrectly. Usually I've got my mind on some secular problem or chore
... or
I am thinking of a shopping list ... or I've had trouble with someone
and feel a strife which I've not been able to settle.
Mk
4 ... And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the
word, 19And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches,
and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it
becometh unfruitful.
surfeiting ... Lk. 21 ... And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,
and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares. 35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the
face of the whole earth.
surfeiting
... an excessive amount of something ... having consumed something to
excess (too much visiting with people ... too much TV ... even too much
food ... )
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It
is also very dangerous to read the exhortations (or Bible) without applying the
instruction to your own life ... sort of glossing over the blog (or
Bible)
Sometimes I do this and recognize what I am doing and stop
and go back and really look at the specific instruction to see if I need to apply something and make changes ...
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And
I can't read if I have been talking to someone and am concerned about
what that person said and am inwardly "wrestling" with the words that
came from that other person.
Before
reading Bible or blog, all these problems must be solved with God in
prayer and it takes a lot of work for us to work through such ... I know
I'm always having to fight through something said by a person who is
not really born again or by a person who is off on a strange doctrine or
action.
As I understand your life, there is a lot of this.
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But each time you are more settled with God, you will have brief encounters with light and it will seem stronger.
Concerning dull of hearing ... here is another scripture that talks about that ...
Heb.
5 ... 11Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered,
seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12For when for the time ye ought to be
teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first
principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat. 13For every one that useth milk is
unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14But strong
meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
I
think each one of us run into these problems. It is a constant fight
to keep our hearts ready to hear. I really have to work at it. Today I
felt they got a prescription wrong from doctor's office, and I kept
thinking about that. I knew I had to settle it. I called pharmacy and
checked the prescription sent by doctor to be sure they had requested
the exact medicine that works for me ... sometimes they fail to get the
prescription right.
Had
I not checked it immediately, I would have sat to read Bible and found
that prescription subject creeping into my mind and blocking out what I
was trying to read.
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Being in a state of peace when we read is critical ... Otherwise the word of God can get stolen as we read.
peace:
- quiet, calm, tranquil
- free from agitation, anxiety, dread
- free from disturbance, turmoil
- free from disquieting, oppressive thoughts
- freedom from strife or disorder
- untroubled
I like to read Blog and Bible when I have nothing else on my mind and am at a complete state of rest & peace ...
Otherwise, I find I really can't hear Bible or Blog properly.
I suspect today when you read you were at a position of being ready to hear. so it seemed very strong to you.
I
think all the exhortations in blog are strong because I believe each
exhortation is authored by the Spirit of God and turns us to thinking on
way of God ... but sometimes we have become dull and in a state of
simi-sleep because of problems, concerns, other things so we really
can't
hear properly.
I
remember Jesus saying several times, "take care how you hear" ... and
also HE would say something and then say "to them who can hear".
We have to work to be in a position to hear what the Bible or the blog messages are saying.