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Are You Tuned In?

Blog / Produced by The High Calling
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"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." (Romans 8:5, NIV)

Go Ahead, Touch That Dial

Imagine an old AM radio. Static and noise are the most common sounds coming from the speakers, but if we twist the dial to the right spot, we can pick up some worthwhile stations. The best ones encourage us with old familiar voices, and we walk away feeling better than before. It would be great to keep that radio playing all day, but with work and family and life, it isn't possible. Sure, we could try to stream that station on our phones or computers, pop our ear buds in, and go about our day. But life usually requires more attention than that. So we're happy with the time we get to spend tuned in, and we do our best to keep our positive mindset. Then the day happens. There are fires to put out, work to be done, kids to discipline, employees to manage, siblings to chat with, friends and coworkers to lunch with, life to deal with. Before we know it, our mindset has shifted just like the dial on that old radio. We become people of static and noise.

Our Default Is to Fault

Living for Christ can feel like this. We tune into God's Word during our devotional time with open hearts and fresh coffee. We pray for wisdom, patience, and direction. Before we tackle our to-do lists, we pick up on the Spirit’s signal. But it doesn’t stop there. If we’re not purposeful, it won’t be long before we're hearing static and noise again. Sometimes we even start to create static and noise ourselves.

That's our sin nature—desiring to be left alone, to not have to handle the latest work crisis or family disagreement, to crawl back into bed instead of facing another day, to lie to get out of a sticky situation instead of facing it with humility.

Live Intentionally

We need to be intentional about each moment, each decision, and each interaction. That destructive conversation going on in the carpool or in nearby cubicles isn’t going to turn itself into something healthy. We won’t even talk about those decisions we’ll be tempted to make on our own because we have stopped seeking the wisdom of God. We wouldn't keep the radio dial set on static, and we don't have to keep our mind set to static either. When we walk away from our morning quiet time and into the noisy environments where we work, we have to be careful to stay tuned into Christ. Unlike that radio, God can go with us everywhere. Unlike our phones, God is never roaming or out of range. And best of all, God is not a distraction in our daily life. We can tune into God at any point in time, any place in the world, and in the presence of anyone at all.

Questions for personal reflection, online discussion, or small groups

  • How can you adjust your schedule to allow for tuning in prior to starting the day?
  • What obstacles are shouting too loudly for you to clearly hear from God?
  • In what ways can you go about eliminating or simply quieting these distractions?
  • To read more on hearing God amid the noise of the world, check out these great articles: Really Listening to God, Open Your Eyes and Listen.