Page 29 - HowTo'sOfChristianLife

10. Listen submissively.

Listen submissively, because sometimes when He speaks to your
heart you will not like what you hear. When the Lord tells you some-
thing you don’t want to hear, you may not react in total obedience.
But God doesn’t get hostile over your rebellious spirit. That’s not
His response. He knew you before you ever came to listen to Him.

And He knew exactly how you would respond. He may be grieved
by your negative reaction, but He doesn’t send down a squadron of
angry angels to destroy you. He knows you will struggle with certain
things. Even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, was already
committed to the Father’s will; however, He struggled with separation
from the Father, while at the same time He was committed to God’s will.

And there will be times when you come to God, listen to Him, and
then grapple with what you hear. You may not be consistently
disobedient to what you hear, but sometimes you may not understand
how or why God is going to perform it.

You may be as submissive as you know how in the moment but still
wrestle with what He says. Submission must ultimately accompany
listening if you are to fully hear God. It is essential if you are to follow Him.

11. Listen gratefully.

When you come to the Father you should be grateful. You should
be grateful God would love you enough to send His only begotten
Son to the cross -- grateful for the crucifixion -- grateful for your
salvation -- grateful God has plucked you out of the kingdom of
darkness and put you into the kingdom of light.

As Paul explained in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be (anxious) for nothing;
but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.”

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