Tune It Out

Make 2014 a year for sharing

“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””– Matthew 4:4

Absolutely quiet.  Have you ever sat in a place and there was no sound at all?  No birds, no cars, no television or cellphone – just the sheer absence of sound.  In this day and age it is often beyond our ability to get to a point where there is peace and quiet.  I’ve found that even when the opportunity, to achieve complete silence, arrives I often cloud the moment with thoughts, worries and my own distractions in life.

If you find yourself silently, watching nature and the world around you, do you realize that there are thousands of radio waves moving past you.  We don’t see these sound waves and voices moving from one radio tower to another, yet they exist none the less.  How do we know they exist?   It’s simple.  Enable a receiver and an antenna and the sounds will be captured.  Connect a speaker and the sounds will be heard.  Cell phones, wireless internet traffic and radio signals are all examples of invisible sound waves that move between a transmitter on one end and a receiver on the other end.  Without the proper hardware on both ends the sounds are not heard.

I’ve heard people say to me, “God doesn’t speak to me.” or “I’ve never heard God.”  What we all must realize is that it’s the same principal.  We must have the appropriate receptor on our end in order to hear the word of God.  Most of us are looking for God to speak to us on our terms, when it’s convenient for us.  God is omnipresent, always with us, and always communicating with us.  He is not a Genie in the bottle that we call upon when we need help.  His desire is to be part of every thought, every moment of our life.  As we wake, as we live, as we speak and as we sleep; His love and mercy should be upon our lips.

God communicates with us through the Word – the Holy Bible.  Every word is captured at the hands of a scribe writing on God’s behalf.  Rich in depth, content and revelations which are as alive in the 21st century as the day they were captured, thousands of years ago.  Secondly, God communicates through the Holy Spirit, dwelling within each of us.  Jesus tells us in John 14:15-17, that God the Father will send us the Holy Spirit to dwell with us and counsel us, comfort us and guide us in the ways of Jesus Christ.  The key is to receive the Holy Spirit though.  It’s one thing to acknowledge His existence; it’s something completely different to develop a relationship with Him to be your mentor and comforter.  Righteousness, humility, love and compassion for others – these are all characteristics of the Holy Spirit within you.

If you want to hear words from the mouth of God, you must be willing to enter into a full relationship with Him.  This includes receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life, and receiving the Holy Spirit into your life as your counselor, mentor and guide.  The next step is to follow His teachings and directions in your life, with the understanding that God is in control and we are here to serve Him and His needs.  So many times I get caught up in the things I want to do for the Lord that I often forget to ask, “God, what will You have me to do today?”  Hearing from God daily requires tuning into His station and picking up on His message.  This is what sustains life, not the possessions of this world.


© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
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Break Away

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” – Mark 6:31

I was looking for the remote again the other day.  I can’t believe how often this simple device comes up missing in my household.  Granted, I am lazy and didn’t want to simply stand up and walk over and change the channel, so I spent 10 minutes walking around the room looking under furniture, behind the tables, in the drawers and between the cushions.  I never did find the remote that night, which to me is completely bizarre.  If the remote only does one thing – control the TV, why wouldn’t it always be by the TV?  Finally, I gave up and manually walked over and changed the channel.  I must say, after pushing the up arrow button 82 times (go from channel 41 to 123) I had a whole new respect for the remote control.

We all get lost every now and then.  We allow the pressures of our daily life to get in the way of what we know is the right thing to do.  Inside of our heart and mind, we know there is something bigger than waking up and going to work (or school) and doing the laundry and the dishes, then putting the kids to bed and picking up the house from the days whirlwind.  There must be something more than this, right?  You see, when we focus on the mundane and the arduous task of living life, we quickly become lost in the tactical to-do list and become overwhelmed with just making it through one more day.

This is why it is so important to find those moments in your day to separate yourself from the chores, the busyness and get with God.  Living life is a requirement, but it is not the complete picture.  There are bills to pay, children to raise and chores to do; that’s never going to end.  But, don’t let it define who you are.  Find time to stop, quiet yourself and breath.  Slow yourself down enough to realize that God wants to talk with you.  The busier we become the less we look like Jesus to those watching.  You can break the cycle through a conscious and focused effort on your part.  Be in His word; reflect on Jesus’ life, His love and His sacrifice.  Connect with the importance of God’s grace and forgiveness that washes away your sin.  Allow yourself the freedom to find God each day and break away from the control of the daily events.  By the way, He’s not lost, He’s not hiding and He’s not avoiding you – it’s just the opposite.
Heavenly Father,
You are an amazing, loving giver of all good things.  You have poured out Your blessings upon us each and every day, and we miss it.  Help us to slow down and capture Your love, grace and mercies each day.  Give us the strength to push past the daily churn and focus on the important things in life, that is bringing Your love and grace to the world.  Search me oh God and find my weaknesses.  Break down the barriers that keep me from experiencing the fullness of Your plan in my life.  In Your name I pray – Amen.

© Sondove Enterprises
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