“I’ve Heard that Before!”

Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. Proverbs 4:1 NIV

How many times have you heard others say that phrase, or how many times have you said it yourself? What about when it comes to the Word of God? Have you heard a teaching, message, scripture, maybe several times and said to yourself, “I don’t need to hear that again, I’ve heard it before”?

And you are absolutely right! You do not need to hear it again. But what you do need to do is listen and understand it. Have you ever been talking to your spouse or your child and you just know they are not listening to you? Now, they may be hearing you and may even be able to respond verbatim what you said, but they are absolutely clueless to WHAT you said. They could tell you the words but couldn’t explain what you had just told them on a split second. That is because they were hearing you but not really listening.

There is a difference in hearing and listening. Look at these two definitions straight from the dictionary on my computer:

• Hear: verb; perceive with the ear the sound made by someone or something.
• Listen: verb; give one’s attention to a sound.

One has to do with hearing sound. Like your kids hear when you are correcting them and all they hear is “bla bla bla bla bla.” (I’d say your husband or wife but…better not go there.)

The other has to do with giving attention to. When you give your attention to something, then you can understand it. Look at Proverbs 4:1 in the NIV:

¹ Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

When you listen to something, you pay attention and therefore gain understanding. When understanding comes, then that Word becomes alive in you. You grasp it. You believe it. You hold onto it.

If you are challenged with something in your body and read or hear, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 NKJV, don’t just say to yourself, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that before but I’m still living with this sickness in my body. I still hurt. But the doctor says….”

No, instead, listen! Really listen! Pay attention to what it says! Gain understanding of it! That is when it will become alive in you and you will have the faith to believe, because you understand. Whose report or Word will you believe? The negative report of the doctor or the report of the Lord, the Great Healer, the One who already bore your sins and sickness so that you WERE healed?

Once understanding comes and you KNOW what is says, that is when revelation follows. The Lord will build from that foundation so that you have absolutely no doubt that what you have need of is done. It will become new and fresh to you.

It may be healing you need, it may need financial gain, it may be mental anguish you need freedom from, marriage restoration or strength, a better job or place to live, or any number of other things.

Whatever it is, LISTEN to the Word. Find what it has to say about your need. When you do, you will  never again say, “I’ve heard that before” because it will be fresh and new to you each time.