Interview with God Part 2

The last blog post was about the seed problems that can have a major effect on your spiritual fruitfulness found in the Parable of the Sower Matthew (13:18-23). If you haven’t read that post, I encourage you to read it here.

This week’s focus is on understanding. Hearing and understanding God’s word are the keys to fruitfulness mentioned in Matthew 13:23.

Jesus states, “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”

Sadly, some of us struggle to hear God’s voice. The question then becomes, how do you understand something you can’t even hear? For those struggling to hear God's voice, here's a promise for those who believe, "'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27)."

Jesus also says, "But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice (John 10:5).”

In my last interview, you may have noticed that God’s response to me is through scripture. Every little lamb must begin there to learn God’s voice. Spending time in prayer, and reading the Bible is the best way to build your relationship with God and build the spiritual ear muscles.

In this section of my interview, I really seek God, asking how in the world can we begin to understand and what exactly does He want us to understand?

With that said, I invite you into my time with Jesus and I pray that the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart.

Me: Okay… what about understanding the Word [mentioned in Matthew 13:23]? How can we begin to understand it?

God: Psalms 111:10 AMP - "The [reverent] fear of the Lord is the beginning (the prerequisite, the absolute essential, the alphabet) of wisdom; A good understanding and a teachable heart are possessed by all those who do the will of the Lord; His praise endures forever."

Me: Okay Lord, What does it mean in the Bible to fear, or revere, the Lord?

God: Luke 11:28 “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

John 8:31-32 “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Me: So obedience shows reverence?

God: John 14:23 - “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

Me: So Jesus, what do you want your children to hear? What do you want us to obey? I’m going to be writing this in my blog, you know?

God: Matthew 22:37 “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Me: Anything else? I feel that’s a little cliche. Can you breathe some new perspective? Open my eyes?

At the time, I felt that Matthew 22:37 of the Bible was so redundant and overplayed on the radio. “Love God, Love People.”

It seemed too simple. It’s not the grand, majestic answer I wanted. I felt on my part I already understood the importance of being kind to my neighbors and loving God. So why do I have to be reminded? What's the significance of love anyways? What does it have to do with fruitfulness? How does it all connect?

Now, I've re-read the interview and I wonder why I had all that confusion. Some of the answers were right in my face. So, God really did answer my prayer and He opened my eyes. However, at the time, I continued reading my Bible for a better lesson God wanted to teach me and focused on the "underlying theme" at play: Love.

I'm grateful God is willing to make what He wants me to understand clear. Not only has He opened my eyes, He took me deeper so that scriptures that seem so unrelated and so far from each other all became connected. I pray that as we learn the words of God, and learn to listen to His voice, may we develop the understanding that will make us fruitful.

Until the next post: Interview With God Part 3.