6/23/97 Receivers
(If it is welcome and a blessing, send it on to others,Lee)
Do your receive or are you off frequency?
That is the question I thought of as I left a powerful meeting. Do I receive and if I do am I receiving the entire message, not garbled. The reason I thought about it was because a respected brother brought me a message, actually two. The first message caused me to try to see where I had allowed myself to be deceived. Why is this important? Because as I became more and more concerned with the amount people I was seeing, my receiver began to pick up the negative characteristics and flavor of the world. We know that when a radio begins to get off frequency, the transmission garbled, a few things begin to happen. We get intent about finding the proper frequency, missing what is going on around us. We miss parts of the message. And finally out of frustration we turn away if we are unable to tune it and go somewhere else.
The problem here is that if the message we are describing here is from God, I missed it. All the interference this week was from outside sources, and unlike sun spots these were not out of control, I failed to tune properly. I lost precious quiet time, necessary Bible time, meditation time on His Word. These are the devices that help us to tune in God and tune out the enemy.
The Word dwelling in us becomes a filter for those negative programs.
I can live with the fact that I "missed it". It taught me a valueable lesson. That outside sources can influence my walk and my thoughts if I let them. After the meeting I spent time with a couple who don't drain me, and my thoughts can stay focused. Last week most of the situations were on the drain side and the filling time was inadequate in comparison. I learned and that is insurance for a perhaps more critical time. I was deceived and thanks to a brother, my focus has returned in this area.
But how many of us get caught up in deceptions? One hand in the air? Each one of us has the possiblity of missing it. And yet there is wisdom to be gained in this message.
Find your time with the Lord. Make it a priority. If you are new to Christianity, this is solid for you. Spend time with your Bible and a notebook. Keep track of your prayers and the answered prayers. This will increase your faith as you see the Lord answering your prayers. Do not give this time up. For many of us, once the day starts rolling, its all over. Catch up reading and prayer time at midnight certainly isn't helpful when that noon time argument started.
I have learned the hard way that to miss my morning walks and time with the Lord causes my receive mode to become distorted and in not too short a time. To receive properly, you must be tuned by the Word of God.
Anyone can receive, but the question is what have you received. My children are always amazed that I can scan the radio spectrum wherever I am and in less than a minute find a Christian station. Why? Because I am tuned to it (it being the Lord's ). There is a deception I pick up in other stations. The same with music. They could play a hundred songs, and if there was a non-Christian band I will find it. (They do have one "Christian" band that sounds like the world, so they can own it, but not play it!!)
Being off frequency affects the way you transmit. When you receive a garbled message and begin to act on it, you are acting on distorted orders. The reason I missed it was because I only heard part of the message. I acted upon it. It became a focus of prayer and study. But it wasn't totally God's transmission. There was some that was the enemy's part and some that was filtered through old messages and situations my brain still carried. (eg. A person who has operated in criticism as a way of life, will filter messages into that realm, seeing things through critical eyes and a critical filter.) The result was that I began to pursue the issue.
This situation wasn't a life or death situation, and it wouldn't necessarily have caused me great problems. And yet missing part of that message, could have allowed me to pursue things that were good things and not God things. Which means there might have been considerable blessings or instructions for my family and church, that might have been missed.
My encouragement to you is to make sure that your "receiver" is operating properly. Many ask how do you hear the voice of God. I heard last night one of the simplest responses I have ever heard. If you receive an idea, and immediately your head is filled with negatives,(I am too short, too broke, it will never work,etc.) it was God.
Let us move out of the realm of missed messages, negative messages. There is more than enough negative in the world without Christians jumping the bandwagon. And before you want to jump at me with "positive attitude teachings", lets look at the side of the Word. To be encouragers, to edify, to exhort, to build up-those are positive things. No where does it say to tear down (with the exception of "casting down imaginations, that exalt themselves against the name of God"), to string up, to crucify (except your flesh, your carnal nature, your negative side!!) or to operate negatively.
So today, let us get our receivers in line with the Word, tuned by scripture, meditation and prayer. Turned on and open to receive God's help, by removing all the things that impede and corrupt His Words. Checking what it says against the Word of God. Be a Berean. Let's begin to receive the instructions that will prepare the body for the return of Jesus.
Dear Friends:
Selah.
Shalom.
We pray for you, each and every day. If this is an encouragement to you. Please tell us, and please email it to someone else. If you have a prayer request, please mail it to us. We want to stand with you, battling spiritual wickedness, seeing people made free. We want to serve our brother and sister.
In the Service of Christ for His Glory,
Lee Johndrow
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Thank you,
Lee & Tina Johndrow
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