Who or What We Listen to Matters (Archived)

The Lord has exposed me to something last week that I kind of had an idea but chose to ignore it.  I received confirmation in the latter part of the week, and it has put me in a position where I am not spiritually connected to receive direction on what messages to bring forth.  Before I created this blog, I had a distribution list that I sent via Outlook email.  Now I send it via FaceBook,(via the link) which is a complete different audience.  Only a handful of people are of the original audience.  Below is one of my messages that I have archived since creating the site.  For those who remember the message, please pardon the repeat. 

Who or what we let in our ears will determine who we will eventually become.  The bible states “Faith come by hearing and hearing…”  In essence, who or what we listen to, we will eventually believe.   The more we hear, the more it is in our memory.  The more we hear, the more it will then be a part of our speech.  The more we hear it will eventually be our deeds.  Have you really considered who or what you allow to enter your ears?  Many of you use lines from inappropriate songs as part of your conversation.  I saw a movie, and a one liner caused me to tattoo myself with it, “Rude Bwoy Don’t Fear”

A historian of war and nations was asked this question: What causes nations to disintegrate and disappear?  His answer was in 3 parts.  Let’s just focus on one.

“First, they’re conquered by another nation and eventually they assimilate into the dominant culture.

Assimilate – to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb: to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust:  to cause to resemble

“The stronger nation comes in and says, “We don’t like that you dress differently, speak a different language, worship differently… We think you should be like us.” Sociologists call this “The dislike of the unlike.”Eventually, someone figures out, “Hey, you know why we’re being persecuted? It’s that ‘dislike of the unlike’ business! Let’s drop our differences and we’ll be treated better.” And it works. The more they drop their differences, the better they’re treated. Before you know it, they’ve been absorbed into the conquering nation.

The same virtually took place in the Garden of Eden.  Take for instance the conversation that Eve had with the serpent (Gen 3:1-6) It reads. “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"  And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;  "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.  Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Look at the process:

1.       The serpent’s question was designed to create doubt

2.      Eve, second guessed what her husband stated what was God’s command

3.      She began to show interest

4.      She then in turn rejected truth and accepted error.  Rejected God and accepted the devil.

Have what you listened to conquered your character?  Have what you listened to conquered your preference of who you associate with?  Have what you listened to conquered the way you speak?  Now, your actions will be based on all of the above.

The bible says we are to imitate God, and things that are negative we refrain from, and people who enjoy it, be not partner with them. (Eph 5:1-7).  You all have been raised a certain way.  Have you now assimilated into something completely contrary to how you were raised?  Are you partners with those who are imitators of God and enjoy church, or are you partners of those who do not imitate God, and is not even thinking about church?  What does that say about you?  Amen!