Are You Listening?

this program has been made possible by the friends and partners of Dufresne ministries [Music] well turn with me this morning if you would I want to start in Proverbs and chapter 5 proverbs chapter 5 and I'm going to minister along the lines of something this morning that your healing is connected to it your prosperity is connected to it your future is connected to it the fulfilling of God's plan your home your life is connected to it your victory is connected to it and so proverbs chapter 5 and I'm going to read out the amplified in verse 7 it says this proverbs 5 verse 7 now therefore my sons look at this next next word listen to me listen to me and depart not from the words of my mouth the way to not depart from what God says is listen to him then proverbs 22 and verse 17 again now the amplified I want to read there proverbs 22 and verse 17 and the amplified translation it says this listen consent and submit so now it's telling us what listeners do they can to listen means that you consent and you submit just to hear it with your ear is not is not listening listening in Bible definition is you consent to what it said and you submit to it amen listen consent and submit to the words of the wise so notice this don't just listen anybody listen to the words of the wise and apply your mind to my knowledge so what the wise know you need to come into that knowledge verse 18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them what these words of the wise if you keep them in your mind believing them your lips will be accustomed to confessing them so if you listen you're going to end up believing and you're going to end up fessing the right thing verse nineteen so that your trust your belief reliance support and confidence may be in the Lord so really verse 19 is about that our trust would be in the Lord but where does our trust begin with verse 17 listen our faith is connected to how well we listen why faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God if we're not going to listen to the word we can't have strong faith if we're not going to listen to those who have the wisdom of the word in their lives and in their mouths we're not going to have strong faith we need to be listeners amen and not coming and it says here in verse 17 it says that someone who listens is someone who come consents and submits to what is said to them that's not that doesn't mean to come under the control of other people that you have to do what I say if that's not what it's talking about it's commitments it's consenting to wisdom not to the rulership of other people lording it over you you understand so because there were people who will take this and say you don't listen to me you don't do what I say no it's not about doing what someone says it's about doing what wisdom says amen because if we listen to wisdom and we listen to what God says to us then we come under the blessing the blessing of God can operate and come into play we're blessed but we have to move under that blessing by listening to what God says amen then proverbs chapter 4 in verse 10 it says this here o my son and receive my sayings so notice you can't receive what he says if you're not going to listen we have to listen to receive people say I have a hard time receiving from God then be a better listener here o my son and receive my sayings and notice this to those who hear and those who receive what he says the years of your life shall be many amen so this is what I want you to see that listening is one of the greatest safeguards of your life the better you listen the safer you are if we're going to test aside what God says to us what people that God would speak through what they would say to us if we're going to act like we already know we're going to remove ourselves from safety to be safe be a listener but don't be a listener to everything that comes to your ears be a listener to the words of the wise is what proverbs says amen the only people that I can help as a pastor that Morgan can help as a pastor that God can help our listeners people say I want help then your help begins with your listening your help doesn't begin with God's power your help begins with the listening because people want God to move by by his power to change their situations and help doesn't begin with power it begins with listening amen the only ways now listen the only way anyone ever got saved that you ever got saved you want to know how you listened somebody told you about Jesus and you listened and you're listening led you to believing and when you believe then you received the greatest thing you could receive if salvation comes to you because you listened and then you believe what you heard everything else is going to come the same way your health your provision your joy everything else is that you listen amen dad Hagin was with us in the back room of course he came and preached in 2003 ours was the last church in the United States he preached him before he went home to be with the Lord and he was in the back room and my husband had asked him a question and he made this statement that's very sobering and he said this he said most people don't listen now think of that most people don't listen he was talking about people my husband and asked him about ministers fulfilling that the extent of the plan of God for their life God he was asked him about living long on the earth and dad Hagen the first thing he didn't talk about healing power he didn't talk about miracle power the first thing he talked about was listening and he said most people don't listen I decided I'm not going to be in that category I refused to be known as someone who doesn't listen amen can I tell you what you can't be spiritual if you're not a listener I don't care how much you pray in other tongues I don't care how long you read your Bible those things are good and those things are right but they will not take the place of listening amen well I'm an American I'm free yeah you're free to listen because people get this idea of being in America well we have freedoms yes you do but you need to cut use that your freedom to worship God to listen to the right people listen to what God would have and to think the danger about when dad Hagin said most people don't listen the danger about it is this people who don't listen don't know they don't listen they think they listen and that's why it's so difficult to help people who don't listen because they think they listen if you're never going to have if I say to people I wanted to have a show of hands of healing this morning how many of you been healed by power God all these hands will go up all right how many people in here don't listen hands are not going to go up because most most people who don't listen think they listen and that's why it's so difficult to help them because they're always listening for somebody else because the other God needs it more than them well praise the Lord so can I tell you this if you want to have strong faith and you want got your life to be blessed ask yourself this question do I listen well let me tell you if you don't listen how to recognize yourself if you give excuses when you're confronted if you give an excuse if you argue if you give a rebuttal you don't listen amen why why why was this left like this well you know somebody else was over there and they you don't listen if you if your first reaction and response is find a reason why this wasn't done right and give that reason you're not a listener well praise the Lord you want you wanna you want to shout and dance and run about he did it right what we did earlier in this service she liked that part too running in the dancing oh yes he did it yes he did it yes he did it see you liked that part but you know how come he can do it because you listen because you listen because he can't do it for you until you listen see you're wet muddy quiet after all the praise and worship went over huh but now we're going to give you something that you can this singing and will really work for you now and your dancing will really work for you when you're a listener my mother used to say when all the grandkids were around she'd say you got your ears on because you know how kids listen you know you Steven was world famous with this when he was growing up his mind was going so fast and his feet were trying to keep up with his mind you know and it was he was moving my oldest son so quick all the time and I would I would tell him to do something and you could tell he's not listening you want to know why he's out his hedge is going like this I said Steven I want you to go into your room and I want you to get that blue pair of shoes and then come back alright and he just takes off all different directions and then you know you can tell when people aren't listening that so then I would grab his face because he just couldn't look at you and he just couldn't stand still long enough to look at your side to hold his face and then you don't he didn't do his eyes were going and I go oh I got a listening issue here and that's why my mother used to say to all the grandkids do you have your ears on so maybe when you come to church as a family who's got their ears on this morning amen because it doesn't matter if power is there if you're not listening it doesn't matter if answers are coming from the pulpit if we're not listening we're going to miss what God has for us we have to get out of this bad mental habit that we always have a reason why something went wrong we always have an excuse just take just take responsibility that didn't work because I didn't listen I didn't listen amen well praise the Lord can I just say this young people don't learn the hard way because young people many times are don't want to be listeners just because they are they've already come into the fullness of knowledge but just humor the adults around you and pretend just just sit even though you know it all just for you know just act like I'm gonna listen to you just just know this if you don't listen life was hard marriage is hard business is hard everything is hard in life for people who don't listen and I can just tell you young people middle-aged people older people listen so you don't have to learn the hard way because if we don't listen the only way we learn is the hard way amen people don't listen because they think they know better than what is being said or they think they already know what's being said and can I tell you what that is it's called pride pride is the number one destroyer of people's hearing they think they already know they just I know better than what you're saying and so they don't listen I mean I said things over the pulpit every pastor has said things over the pulpit every pastor has said things in counseling and you can tell that people aren't listening they've already decided what they're going to do they're not listening and and they're not listening it makes it hard for them amen well praise the Lord pride is the path of ruin you will end up something in your life will be ruined some arena of your life will be ruined through the pride of not listening amen prideful people have the same problem as listen it's people who don't listen they don't know their proudful well praise the Lord listening and hearing are in the same category and you know what it says in Luke 5 7 5:15 when it says this that great multitudes came together to hear and be healed to hear and be healed of their infirmities notice this their healing their help their rescue was connected to their hearing it wasn't connected just to the power of God it was connected to them hearing it didn't say they came to it didn't say that they came to be healed it says they came to hear and be healed amen so we noticed this we don't just come to church to be present we come to hear we come to hear amen we don't want to fall into the category that we just came because it's church time and I have to show up because I'm assigned to work no I'm coming to church to hear because in my hearing is my future in my hearing is my rescue in my hearing is my answer for what I'm doing wrong now amen God will speak to us through his word he'll speak to us about his spirit he'll speak to you through your pastor and he'll speak to you through people he's put around your life not everybody that's around your life but people he has put around your lives so let me ask you this what has God said to you what has he been dealing with you about what's he been dealing with you has he said something to you about your health as he said something to you about your finances has he said something to you about how you're handling your marriage has he said something about what you're called to or what you're born for or the supply that your to bring to the body of Christ let me tell you the reason he talks to us is because he knows something serious is connected to it and if he doesn't talk to us we're going to miss something and if we don't listen to what he says it's going to have an effect somewhere in our lives and the effect doesn't always show up today he's talking amen if he's saying something to us it's because he's trying to rescue us from what is ahead or he's trying to bring us into something more that he has ahead for us amen so learn to recognize when God is speaking to you no matter who's talking because God will say something to you through people that are around your life I remember there have been there have been several times especially it stands out to me since my husband's home going as I remember there was one one thing that I was considering doing and I was in the car with Stephen and he said mom don't do such-and-such and when he did that I didn't just hear on the inside of me I recognized that my spirit recognized the Holy Spirit in those words it wasn't just my mind hearing what he said in me deciding whether that was the Holy Spirit from in here I knew that's the spirit speaking to me that's the spirit giving direction to many times people want God to talk to him but they're not listening to the people God speaking to them through and I recognized because I had my spiritual antenna up about before God about this one thing that I was considering doing in Stephen said don't do such-and-such when he said that my spirit recognized that's that's the that's God speaking to me see listen to that pay attention it's not just your mind whether your mind likes what is being said or not that's not the issue because your mind can like something or not something but that doesn't mean it's God or not God you have to recognize did your spirit recognize that was God answering that for me the other day I was as I said I came back from a five and a half week tour and I was driving to the church to bring some things over and that was the first time I had been back to the offices after the tour and on the way over I was considering a new direction or a new thing regarding the traveling ministry and all the way over I was thinking about this and as soon as I drove up grant who's my youngest son he came out to the car and met me and the first thing he said to me is you need to start doing such and such and it was the exact thing that I was thinking of and I recognized from my spirit God was answering me about what I was just thinking about driving over see I learned to recognize what God was saying and listen no matter who it came through you understand that that's what I'm saying learn to recognize when God is saying something to you now let me ask you this do my sons always have the answer of God in their mouth no but I recognize that too I'm talking about recognizing from your spirit that your spirit goes that's my answer and you grab it I remember I was going through one particular test years and years ago and I knew I did not have the answer to that test I didn't know how to answer that test I didn't know what the right answer for that test was and a person came over to my house and just a visit and they said to me Nancy have you read such-and-such a book I said you know what I have that book I know I have that I've read it in the past but I haven't read it in a long time and she goes oh I I just reading that book and she said I've just I was just thinking about that you know and just asked if you'd read it but when she said that I recognized the spirits of signing me to that see I paid attention in here listen with the ears of your spirit not just with what somebody's saying to your outer ear listen to the ears of your with your of your spirit with those ears your spirit has ears and so when she said have you read that book something on the inside me I recognize God's assigning me that there my answers in there so I was getting ready to leave on a trip the next day so I went my library I pulled out that book I threw it in my in my bag and while I was on the airplane I pulled out that book and read it it was probably maybe only about 40 pages long it wasn't it wasn't a big book but I got to the very last page and there was the exact description of the fact that the test I was facing with the exact scripture and everything on the very last page what if I hadn't listened what if I hadn't recognized that my answer was when the woman asked me have you read this book I recognized and listened to that and found the answer for that now let me tell you what happened when I read that last page of that book and I saw the exact situation recorded and to end testified in that book there was a spirit given excuse me a scripture given there and when I saw that scripture I go that's my answer immediately the bombarding thoughts that's not your answer that's not your help that's not the right direction and from within me the Spirit of God spoke up and said don't let go of your answer what's this mean when God speaks to you through someone else the devil will try to belittle that he will try to diminish that and make it look like that's not your help that's not your answer why because he wants you to dismiss your answer listeners don't dismiss their answer but I'm talking about listening with the ears of your spirit learned to recognize and the Holy Ghost said don't let go of your answer because the devil wants you to listen - here - not even to not even give credibility to what's being said to you because he wants you walking in the dark do you know how I came out of that it was yes I quoted the scripture that was shown in that book that was the answer for that but you want to know how come I was able to get my answer I listened when she said have you read that book I recognized that question held something for me this makes sense to you your listening is so important none of us know it all and we better come into a listening setting without acting like we know it every church service is a listening setting for you because you're not here - you're not here to preach you're not here to give out an answer you're here to take in and the only way you can take in is if you listen many people are sick today because they don't listen they're broke because they don't listen they lose homes and cars and things because they don't listen they lose marriages because they don't listen they lose businesses because they don't listen and they think it's the devil when it really goes back to they don't listen because all along the route of them in the process of losing that God was speaking to him and they didn't hear anything he said because I want you to know as a parent you know as a parent you will say things over and over to your children to keep them from failing God is a wonderful parent over and over he will send answers through the preaching through books you read through his word through people's testimonies through somebody around you he before you end up in a place of losing out or ruin or losing something along the way he's been trying to insert the answer and people weren't listening no child of God arrives that failure or ruin without God trying to help that's why if somebody let me like when my husband went home to be with the Lord I didn't want people to start getting in fear and going what that can happen to a man of God of his caliber maybe it could happen no I maybe it could happen I don't want you to ever go that way because I guarantee you no Christian ever left this earth prematurely without God trying to insert a help into it I don't care who they are I don't care who they are no one who ever ended up at a difficult place at a challenge ever ended up without their answer being offered to them before they arrived at that challenge but why did why did they why did they end up if they didn't listen they didn't recognize when the answer for their life was in someone else's mouth why because they felt I already knew they had already decided what they were going to do and so they didn't listen they already thought they knew the answer they've already figured out their plan so they didn't listen the year after my husband went home to be with the Lord you've heard me talk about that eight different projects that we had to complete and God enabled us to complete those within a year you know how dealt with banks in the city and attorneys and dealing with all of those arenas I never dealt with I listened that was the only way we got through I would put up my spiritual antenna holy goes to what do you say why because I don't know the answer this I don't know what to do when you recognize I don't know everything it puts you in a listening position and because I would listen to Holy Ghost say do this do that contact that person write that letter and I would pick up when he would tell me what to do and it arrived us at completion and victory and all those things God does the same same thing for every single one of his children God's not silent about your help in your life but the thing is people aren't listening to the hill because it doesn't sound like a voice from God or a prophecy or a dream or a vision or something spectacular learn to hear your answer just when somebody says something that has wisdom well praise the Lord I said praise the Lord learn to recognize when God is speaking to you no matter who's talking learn to put up your spiritual antenna be sensitive because the more sensitive you are in your spirit the more accurately you're going to live the more right decisions you're going to make pay attention if things have been going in a wrong direction you're gonna have to start listening amen praise the Lord God doesn't want any of us to fail and he's not just sitting back with his arms folded and saying hope you make it he's always inserting our help we need to listen to it and receive that help amen praise the Lord I said praise the Lord we trust you enjoy today's program visit us at differing ministry's org to learn of our upcoming meetings share your testimony submit a prayer request or visit our online store this program has been made 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Channel: Dufresne Ministries

Views: 4,329

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Keywords: #dufresneministries, #nancydufresne, #jesusthehealer, #whbtc, #dufresne

Id: PNyV1Va6p7k

Length: 27min 40sec (1660 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 06 2020