she who has ears to hear, let her hear

What do you do with truth? Do you hear it? Receive it? Believe it? Accept it? Apply it to your life?

Whether admitting it or not, people are naturally drawn to hearing truth. Many will receive and believe that truth is, well.... true. But I find that few people actually choose to accept and apply real, godly truth to their lives.

What do I mean? Well, if you regularly follow DW's blogs, you already know that the Lord has called me to boldly share in love some very specific (and sometimes difficult) topics with The Devoted Woman community. He has pushed me to move past my own introverted uncomfortableness and speak up where I once would have remained quiet. In doing so, I have relied on His words... His truth, to back up whatever topic He lays on my heart to write about. That way, whatever I share is because of His promptings and in line with what I know to be truth.

Usually after posting a truth that God is teaching me, the response I receive from those who follow DW (both on and offline) range across the board from genuine thankfulness to outright hatred and disgust. Mind you, I've learned to not take every nasty comment too personally. I take great care to speak honestly and in line with what the Holy Spirit is showing me in scripture. So, when someone chooses to respond in anger or denial, I know that they really aren't upset with me for the "challenge" laid before them. Rather, deep down they are upset with God's word... with God's way. These are the people who don't want to hear truth and show up only to argue and reject.

Happily, there are those who respond in gratitude - those who join me in agreement of God's word and encourage our little ministry to continue on each day. These are the folks who are open to hear, receive, and believe what God says. Just like me, they may struggle at times with some truths that our Savior shares, but they remain open to trust that His ways are always righteous. They have faith that Jesus loves them and desires what is best for them. So they choose to accept His word and pray for God to help them actively apply His truth within their lives.

Then, there are those who are amazed, and in fact, taken aback by the truth our little group projects... especially in an age where tidbits of truth seem to only be spoken as a means to disguise someone's underlying corporate agenda for profit or to gain something selfishly. They don't know what to do with the truth of Jesus, or His love, for that matter. But they keep coming back because they are curious about Him. Their ears are somewhat open to hear as their hearts struggle to determine if they will ultimately receive, believe, accept or apply what God is telling them.

Lastly, there are those who respond with enthusiasm when truth is spoken. They definitely hear, receive and believe that God's word is accurate, real, and the only way. However, they stop there. They don't accept or claim truth for their own lives. They don't apply it to their day-to-day. They are what I like to call Christians in Quotes.... "Christians". These people make up the majority of DW's audience (or any Christian audience for that matter). They know full well that God's way is the right way. But sadly, they are unmotivated or unwilling to move forward from their own selfishness and ultimately never claim His truth for themselves. Their faith is short lived. Their lives are lukewarm.

So, what do you do with truth?
Do you hear it?
Receive it?
Believe it?
Accept it?
Apply it to your life?

Jesus talked about how differently people will respond to God's truth in His parable about the seeds. Check it out (below)...

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."

Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, " 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!' "

Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." (Mark 4:1-20)

Ladies, does your life take root in God's truth so that you produce a crop? Or are you still standing at the starting line of salvation? Jesus said that the secret to the kingdom of God has been given to each of us in scripture. Are you stopping to hear what God is telling you? Are you receiving and believing His words are true? Are you accepting that He is the only Way? Do you take care to retain and apply what the Almighty Teacher has said and claim His Way as your new way? Or are you just showing up because you are curious, or want to debate, or wish to feel spiritual but then forget, reject, and fizzle out to what He has said? How far... how much of your comfort zone are you willing to give over to God? Are you an "all"... or "nothing"... or "lukewarmly standing somewhere in the middle" kind of Christian?

The choice is yours. She who has ears to hear, let her hear!

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:4-5)

Blessings!

~Victoria

© The Devoted Woman | Victoria Anderson