What Does God Hear?

Jeremiah 8:6 “I listen to their conversations, and what do I hear? Is anyone sorry for sin? Does anyone say, What a terrible thing I have done? No! All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse rushing in to battle!”

My daughter is on her school’s tennis team. I was reading the coach’s expectations for the conduct of the team. One of her rules is that when you step foot onto the court the players are to be focused on tennis and their conversations are to be about tennis, not about boys, gossip, or other frivolous talk. They are to be focused on the purpose for their being there, which in this case is tennis.

When I read these rules I thought of our conversations when we are in God’s house when we are on his court. What does He hear? I have started to listen and to catch myself in what I am saying. I have to say it has been hard. It is so easy to enter into meaningless conversation, to turn my focus and the conversation away from God. To turn away from the reason I am standing in His church. 

It has been encouraging to turn conversations to God, I am finding people want to talk and to share what God is doing in their lives. As Paul says in Romans 1:12 “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way each of us will be an encouragement to the other.” 

My daughter’s coach also stresses that wherever the players go they are representing the team and they are expected to live up to certain standards to be a positive representative of the team. I encourage you when you meet together with others, try to focus your conversations on God and what he is doing. Listen to others and encourage them to share what God is doing in their lives. Paul is even more direct in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through Him To God the Father.”

Let us be focused on our purpose of being here where God has placed us. No matter where we go we are representing God and His team to the world around us. God is listening what does He hear?

Secret Sins

Psalm 19:12 “How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep me from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.”   

Secret sins, show me Lord my hidden faults, a challenging prayer. Charles Spurgeon wrote a sermon titled Secret Sins, he wrote, “And so it is: if there be evil things [in the heart], it is our business to kill them. Christians must not tolerate secret sins. We must not harbor traitors. It is high treason against the King of Heaven. Let us drag them out to light and offer them upon the altar, giving up the dearest of our secret sins at the will and bidding of God. There is a great danger in a little secret sin. Therefore avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and shun it (Pro 4:15); and God give thee grace to overcome it." 

This turning made me think of paddling down the Brule River a few weeks ago. We found some open water and we paddled downstream. The river was up and the current was fast. After about 30 minutes we decided it was time to turn around and paddle back to our car. It was a lot more challenging going upstream. If I stopped paddling to take a picture or rest the current would immediately grab the kayak and turn it back down stream and push me farther away from my destination. I would then pick up my paddle and with great effort turn the kayak back around and head again upstream.  Sin in our lives has the same effect if we let sin control us we will be caught in it’s current, become it’s slave and it will turn us and take us farther and farther away from God. 2 Peter 2:19 “For you are a slave to whatever controls you.”  

We must turn from sin in our lives, it takes great effort to turn ourselves around and head upstream toward God. As Spurgeon said, “avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and God will give you the grace to overcome it.” For God says, Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:12-14  A challenging prayer, “Lord show me my secret sins. Cleanse me from my hidden faults. Don’t let them control me.”