Prophecy: "Lend Every Man An Ear" by Mary Bening
July 28, 2015

James 1:19 " Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.' A caring, listening, available ear is increasingly difficult to find nowadays. Many people are permanently encased in the headphones of their own private interests. Others are too wrapped up in burning the midnight oil or the wick at both ends. When people come to us with their troubles, many of us have a birth defect; i.e our earbone is connected to our mouth bone.

When patience, understanding and encouragement are most needed, we give advice, platitudes and " my experience can top that story.' The burdened who comes to us to unburden themselves, are looking for an earbone connected to a heartbone. When we are going through hell, sometimes God is silent but just His Presence and His grace becomes sufficient to bring us through.

He is the Through God. When we are going through our valley, we will most likely experience alarming aloneness, some kind of fear, anguish, frustration, even frenzy, pain, confusion, grief and even some rage. We might even lose sleep. But the good news is that in the valley, we will have the opportunity to have tender communion with God. He becomes more real, more close, more intimate with us.

So let's be honest and don't just do the right thing; but do the real thing. God comprehends our pain and translates our helplessness into strength. Encouragement has never fixed a flat tire....neither has it ever made a car payment or fixed a broken window. However encouragement from another gives us strength to do what we feel we cannot accomplish. Encouragement also helps us to hold on and attempt what we might dare to try.

Our emotions are sometimes destructive in nature and they can keep us from having a closer walk with God. We have to refuse to dwell on past ugly mistakes and unfair criticism; just like the Apostle Paul who kept his eyes on the prize that mattered. Philippians 3:14 " I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

I pray that this is also our heart desire to press towards that mark. Mistreatment sometimes come through the hands of others, through many different things, e.g financial loss something I have personally experienced; through diseases which I am sure we can all identify with and disappointments which can make us bitter. These things can cause some of us to forsake God and become insensitive to others. Here is where we had better begin to pray so our relationship with God stays intact and brings us His Power.

There are some of us still walking around in the baby stages of our salvation.....in other words this is how I perceive it....we are still wearing pampers and drinking milk. We have not progressed to solid food as yet. We seem to be comfortable in our present baby stage. I wonder when will some of us grow up? What stage is your life in? Are we satisfied where we are? Have we matured at all? Christianity is an exchanged life. Christ came to exchange what could not enter heaven, to that which can enter heaven. Where are we headed, is it uphill or is it downhill? You have the God life by new birth through the planting of the incorruptible seed into our spirit.

God has made us for His Purpose. It's time to wake up and get into the field and start winning souls. The enemy has literally handcuffed people and taken them captive. We cannot afford to remain in our baby stage. Too many people are lost and on their way to hell. Our infancy is over. Ephesians 5:14 Paul admonishes us to wake up for some of are asleep or dead. Christ had within Him a quality of life that was of the Father, that knew no limitations. Jesus was met by the devil at a most difficult time. He was tested in body, mind, soul and spirit, and He Jesus was able to conquer mind, body, soul and spirit. We should do the same and persevere to be strong and humble having such authority. There is light at the end of the tunnel, even when it seems to be the darkest. As we endure persecution, we will grow. It is not the abilities, it's the availability.

Jesus was broken for us to comfort the broken among us. God pursues us in our restlessness, receives us in our sinfulness and holds us in our brokenness.



Mary Bening



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