Christian Living

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Turn the Ringer On!

March 25, 2003
By Rick L King

In this modern world of technology, we are able to turn the telephone ringer up high or down low. When we have such busy schedules we may turn the ringer down, as we don’t want to be distracted by the phone ringing. We may even use an answering machine, as we just don’t seem to have time to talk on the telephone. Even if we can hear the telephone ring, we still must stop and pick up the receiver to find out who is calling.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is making some Heavenly calls. When we have the ringer so low or the answering machine answering the calls, we miss what God is saying to us or don’t get the message when we really need it. Our schedules have become so busy that the Holy Spirit has been turned down so low through our works and other distractions of this world, that we are missing His call. Jesus desires to be intimate with us through His Holy Spirit. In order for that to happen, we must be able to listen for His call. We must order our schedules different so that we have time for those calls from the Lord. We need to learn to just rest and relax in His presence and see what He would say to us. One thing I have learned by the grace of God is that I need to hear from Him daily. My life is not my own, I gave it to Jesus. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us for our good. When we don’t spend the time with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to speak to us, then we are just walking in our own works, which really accomplish little for the kingdom of God. I am constantly seeing in the Spirit the disciples sitting at the feet of Jesus and having intimate fellowship with Him. There is constant two-way communication. This did not stop, or shouldn’t have because Jesus went to be with His Father. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so that this intimacy could continue. We cannot be led unless we learn to take time to listen. Did not the Word tell us that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide us into all truth? Did not Jesus tell us that the Holy Spirit would bring to our remembrance those things, which Jesus spoke? We need the Holy Spirit. We need His guidance.

So how do we turn the ringer up so that we can hear? We turn the ringer up by entering into His presence. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He doesn’t go for the most part where He is not invited. He will knock or cause the phone to ring; yet we must either open the door or pick up the receiver. We are told that we enter into gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Consider when you have done things for someone and they never thank you. How do you feel? Does this really energize you to want to do more for that person? We need to turn the ringer up by entering into His presence with thanksgiving. We so often pray and ask God for so many things and then just go and do our own plans. If we would just stop our works and just start thanking the Lord for all that He has done yesterday, what He is going to do today and tomorrow, we would find that He would show up with His presence. We need to thank Him for things we so take for granted. We have clean water to drink, we have a toilet, we have a roof over our head, and we have food and clothing. Many countries can not say all of that. We are blessed and take it for granted. There is always something to be thankful for. Once we spend time thanking Him and then spend time praising Him, His presence will come. He inhabits our praise. Our ability to hear Him speak increases as we are listening and yielding to the Holy Spirit. As we pray in the Holy Spirit we gain our self built up on our most Holy faith (Jude 1:20). We now are in a position to hear should the Holy Spirit wish to speak to us. We must give Him the opportunity to speak to us. If we were the disciples sitting at the feet of Jesus we would be able to hear should Jesus desire to speak. We must get our self into a position to hear. This is turning the ringer up. The only way to do this is learn to spend time with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is speaking to many these days; will you allow Him the opportunity by spending time with Him? Will the cares of this world choke Him out so you can not even hear the telephone ring? The choice is ours. If we draw near to God, He has promised to draw near to us. Notice that we must start the process. If you don’t pay your telephone bill, you get your telephone disconnected. If we don’t do things to take us into the spirit, we get disconnected also. We draw near, and then He draws near. We open the door or turn the ringer up, and then He will call. Jesus desires intimacy with His Church. He desires to tell us many things. He desires to teach us, lead us, empower us, and protect us. If we do not listen to Him through the Holy Spirit then how can He do this? I pray that we all will turn the ringer up and learn to listen to whatever He would desire to tell us. It is for our good always.


Copyright © 2007
By: Rick L. King
No portion of this may be reproduced or used without written permission from the author.
Please contact me at [email protected] if you have a need for this writing. Thank You.

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