PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE WORD
"THEN HE ADDED, “PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU HEAR. THE CLOSER YOU LISTEN, THE MORE UNDERSTANDING YOU WILL BE GIVEN—and you will receive even more."
Mark 4:24 (NLT)
Pay attention to the what you hear.
life is drawn through the Word of God.
Do not despise the Word of God. The words you hear are spirit and life: "IT IS THE SPIRIT WHO GIVES LIFE; THE FLESH PROFITS NOTHING. THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK TO YOU ARE SPIRIT, AND THEY ARE LIFE" (John 6:63).
Pray often that your eyes of understanding may be enlightened—opened (Ephesians 1:17,18).
As you pay attention to the Word of God, you will become whatever God wanted you to be.
Believers are transformed through the application of the Word of God.
Transformation is done in the mind:
1 I BESEECH YOU THEREFORE, BRETHREN, by the mercies of God, THAT YOU PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 AND DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:1,2 (NKJV)
If you pay attention to the Word and stay long enough on it, your understanding will be opened.
You will be transformed, and be like Him, the long time you behold Him through His Word: "BUT WE ALL, WITH UNVEILED FACE, BEHOLDING AS IN A MIRROR THE GLORY OF THE LORD, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE SAME IMAGE FROM GLORY TO GLORY, JUST AS BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Whatever you will become in the Lord, the foundation of it is your depth in the Word of God. In other words, your depth in the word of God determines your height or altitude in God.
Whatever God will do for you comes via His Word. Thus, the blessing and lifting of every believer is through the Word of God.
• To pay attention to what you hear is to make the Word of God your utmost priority.
• It also means to desire the Word of God always.
• Also, it does mean to delight in hearing and studying of the Word.
• For the Word not to depart from you; you have to meditate, think and ponder, on it day and night (Joshua 1:8).
• You live the Word, practice it, you make the Word your way and manner of life—you live by the standard of the Word (James 1:22-25).
• Some talk and preach the Word of God but they do not practice it, however, that should not be your way of life.
You have to be resolute, in order to be a doer of the Word of God (James 1:22,25).
• The system of the world may not want you to make any serious commitment to the study of the Word, and the living or practicing of it.
The world is full of darkness, and believers are supposed to be the light in the midst of the darkness of the world (Matthew 5:14-16).
• Wherever you find yourself on the earth, you are to be a light there and the extension of God's Kingdom.
You are to be a light in your place of work, the neighborhood where you live, and in your family.
• Your life and conduct should glorify God wherever you are. However, it is to be regretted that believers who supposed to be the light of the world do what the people of the world do, that is, they live in sin like the people of the world.
You are an extension of God's Kingdom as said earlier, thus:
• If sin thrives where you are, it means you are not working, that is, you are not doing what you supposed to do—you are not reaching out to the ungodly.
• You are saved to serve, not to sit idle in the Kingdom (Ephesians 2:10).
• God wants you to live right, and your life should attract other people to Christ:
14 YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A CITY THAT IS SET ON A HILL CANNOT BE HIDDEN. 15 NOR DO THEY LIGHT A LAMP AND PUT IT UNDER A BASKET, BUT ON A LAMP-STAND, AND IT GIVES LIGHT TO ALL WHO ARE IN THE HOUSE. 16 LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN" (Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV).
You will not fail in Jesus' name. Peace!