TEXT:

‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’ (Romans 10:17).

Marconi is credited with being the inventor of the radio in 1920, after discovering he could send a signal over long distances. Turn the dial on any radio today and there are a multitude of programmes on the AM & FM frequencies. Digital radio and the internet now mean virtually anywhere in the world one can pick up the broadcast of that invisible signal.

The Bible says, ‘There are many different languages in the world, and every language has meaning’ (1 Corinthians 14:10 NLT). What sounds like gibberish to one person is clearly understood by another. The Bible says, ‘Faith comes by hearing’, so what are you listening to? What we are reading and hearing is sending out a signal to us, and it will influence us in either a good or bad way, if we let it. God’s Word acts in the same way, sending out positive signals.  When we understand it, we can act on it because faith has been created. The unbeliever remains unmoved because it sounds like foolishness to him or too good to be true.

What can help us to tune in to faith’s frequency?

1. Listen with your heart (spirit) not your head – ‘One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying’ (Acts 16:14 NLT).

As Lydia listened to Paul and Silas preaching, God opened her heart, and she believed they were speaking the truth. She heard and believed what they were saying, even though the other women heard the same message but there is no record they acted in a similar way. Lydia had tuned in to faith’s frequency.

In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas were preaching and a man, crippled from birth who had never walked, heard the message and believed he could be healed. Suddenly Paul saw in that man’s face, he had faith to receive healing. Paul said in a loud voice, ‘“Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked’ (Acts 14:10).

Your heart can believe what your head rejects. Your carnal mind is anti-God, but your born-again spirit loves God and wants to worship Him, ‘For God is Spirit, and we must have his help to worship as we should. The Father wants this kind of worship from us’ (John 4:24-25 TLB).

I’m always amazed when a sermon can bless one person but leave others unmoved. It pays to listen with your heart not your head, for a miracle can happen. This is why Satan snatches away the seed of God’s Word when someone does not understand it. He does not want faith to germinate and produce fruit.

2. Make time to tune in and listen

We give a lot of time listening to the voices of radio and television programmes, but so little time reading God’s Word and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Much is made today of young people’s diminishing attention span. This thinking has got into churches, so sermons are shortened to just a few minutes. The truth is, we will give something the amount of time we want to. The youth play games and use social media on their phones for hours, as do adults. We all are perfectly capable of giving quality time to listen to faith’s frequency.

The Bible says, ‘But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God]’ (Matthew 6:33 AMP). I’m a firm believer of honouring God first thing in the morning. I find it’s the best way to start the day. Others prefer a different time to seek the Lord. When is not important, only that you do it! When you do seek the Lord, it won’t be long before faith starts rising in your heart.

3. Fine tune the signal to receive the message loud and clear

Growing up, I learnt how to make a slight adjustment on the dial so that the radio picked up a much clearer signal. It was amazing how small a movement was able to make such a big difference. In response to the question, “What’s wrong?”, so many Christians reply, “Everything!” Yet that is rarely true. Usually, it is one thing that has led to another, resulting in feeling God is a million miles away.

To the church in Ephesus Jesus said, ‘There is one thing wrong; you don’t love me as at first!’ (Revelation 2:4). The church was working hard but had lost the “first love” element. That could have easily been put right with a little fine-tuning! The rich young ruler was told, ‘One thing you lack’ (Mark 10:21). Unfortunately, he picked up a fear signal, not faith, and went away sad.

The Apostle Paul, knew how to fine-tune for he wrote, ‘I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ^‘I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NLT).

Reading God’s Word regularly helps God to turn it from the “Logos” to the “Rhema”. What God said years ago, becomes what God is saying to you today! That’s when faith rises.

4. Hearing must be followed by doing – ‘But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves’ (James 1:22 NLT).

What’s the point of God speaking to you if there is no obedience? Jesus said, ‘My sheep hear My voice’ (John 10:27). Many Christians understand all too clearly what God wants them to do. The problem is, they do not want to obey. ‘Blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice’ (Luke 11:28 NLT).

The more we neglect tuning in to faith’s frequency, the harder it becomes to recognise it. It’s so easy to listen to the wrong voice. Peter did, and Jesus rebuked him for listening to Satan (See Matthew 16:21-23). The Galatians started off so well, then moved from faith into works and went back into keeping the ceremonial law and religious feasts. But, if we want to be led by the Spirit, God will save us from being led astray. Today, as you open your Bible, pray and say, ‘Speak, your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:10 NLT).