The Worth of a Woman Bible Study 11
Today, Please Listen

What are you listening to today?  Are you listening to the cries of despair and discouragement all around you or are you listening to what the Word says?   In book of Hebrews ( Message Bible) tells us several times, “Today, please listen.”  We are to listen to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us and to the churches.  Heb 3:12-14  “So watch your step, friends.  Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God.  For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul.  These words keep ringing in our ears: Today, please listen.”  Three times in this chapter, we read..”don’t turn a deaf ear, today please listen.”

We listen to ill advice from well-meaning friends; we listen to bad reports from the doctor; we listen to political schemes that threaten our very existence when we need to be listening to the One who can make a difference in our life.  If we listen to what God is saying and spend enough time in His Word, the Holy Spirit will enable what is inside of us to be lived out of us.  The Word will come out of us if we put it in there!  Eph 4:30 “Your Holy Spirit moving and breathing in me is the most intimate part of my life, making me fit for You.”   I guess the question is, do you believe that..do you sense His blood and breathe flowing through you (Eph 4:16)?    “Today, don’t turn a deaf ear, please listen!”

Have you been asking God what He’s going to do?  He will seldom tell you!  God doesn’t usually tell you what He’s going to do.  But, He will reveal to you Who He is!  What do you expect Him to do?  You don’t even know what you’re going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing.  All we can do is live in a perpetual state and attitude of “going towards” God..a “going out” of everything in us to a state of entirely trusting in Him.  We have no idea of what God will do next–each morning we wake up with a “going out” confidence in God and our dependence on Him..a going out of ourselves to live in and out of Him.   “Today, please listen.”

“Every difficult time, everything you would just rather not do; the thing that takes the most out of you and causes you the most pain and be the greatest struggle, will bring a blessing if we hold in there.  Refusing to do it costs you a missed blessing.  Jesus leads us and leaves His footprints along the way that we are to follow.  If we refuse, we lose.   That steep thorny  path we will need to receive if we want the rich blessings in our lives.  Every heavy burden hides within itself a miraculous secret of strength.”  J .R. Miller

Most of us would just as soon skip some of the “rich blessings” and forego the “miraculous secret strength” if that’s how we obtain them!  Over and over Jesus taught about the value of suffering and certainly lived and died proving it.   We will do almost anything to avoid pain but there is no way you can deny its benefits.  Whether it’s in the body, relationships or finances, if you’re a Christian, it will always strengthen your relationship with Jesus.  One day when you stand before Him, that relationship will be the only thing that will matter.   Joel 1:13 “Turn to me while there is time.   Give me all your heart.”  “Today, don’t turn a deaf ear, please listen!”

Peter, James and John went with Jesus and the others were left behind.  Jesus Himself told them, “sit here.”  If He tells you to sit awhile, don’t fret; it’s a place of waiting.  God has selected it for you for now.  It may vex your soul but if He wants you to wait, He is delighted and He is the One to give you direction.  Sometimes we are appointed for sickness, delays, disappointments, be inconvenienced, even disgraced.  Our natural response is resentment, even anger; so how do I respond?  We need not complain..”The most intimate part of our life is His Holy Spirit moving and breathing in us.. His blood and breath flowing through us nourishes us so that we grow up healthy in God.  Embrace what He does for you.  He gave everything of Himself for you.”  Embracing what He brings into your life will help you grow up healthy in Him.  If He says to “sit here” for awhile, learn and draw up nourishment from Him.    ''Today, please listen."

The cedar is an interesting tree; it grows in snow and in storms.  It’s roots reach down and wrap themselves around rocks.  That’s what we have to do... wrap our roots around “the Rock that is higher than we are.”  Ps 61:2    

Jesus, You are Lord and Master!  Do I believe that, do I think that?  God help me!  There are whole tracts of my life that have not yet been brought into subjection, Spirit of God, claim Your territory for Yourself!  I want my soul developed by You.  I want to listen to You, Lord.

Study notes:
1.  God is still giving YOU “today” in which to get on tract with Him, what do you sense is your  most needed area of change?

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2.  Write down what you believe God is saying to you today:

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Hurting people will not always hear/receive scripture; but isn’t that what will help them?  Yes, but when you’re devastated, you’re not functioning or thinking clearly.  It’s like pouring salt in an open wound.   Prov 25:20 “As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather and as vinegar upon soda, so is he that sings songs to a heavy heart.”  They just need to know that someone cares.  They need to see you extending Jesus’ hand.  Will you reach out to someone today?  “Don’t turn a deaf ear..today, please listen!