Third source of communication: Language of Obedience

This is the language that builds and strengthens faith.

Faith results in works, however, works can also result in faith.

One of the fundamental differences between the Greek way of thinking and the Hebrew way of thinking was that for the Greeks truth came by reason, and for the Hebrews truth came by obedience. 

A classic demonstration of this principle was seen in the encounter between God and Moses. When Moses demanded proof that God had indeed called him, God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain” (Ex.3:12)

The proof of God’s call was after the obedience, not before.

The second source of communication: The Language of Self

Just as God’s Word speaks to us, there must also be the word that we speak to ourselves.

Listen to what Oswald Chambers shares in My Utmost for His Highest --

"There are certain things we must not pray about – moods for instance. Moods never go by praying, moods go by kicking. A mood nearly always has its seat in the physical condition, not in the moral. It is a continual effort not to listen to the moods which arise from a physical condition, never to submit to them for a second. We have to take ourselves by the scruff of the neck and shake ourselves, and we will find that we can do what we said we could not. The curse with most of us is that we won’t. The Christian life is one if incarnate spiritual pluck.  Unless we train our emotions they will lead us around by the nose, and we will be captives to every passing impulse or reaction. But once faith is trained to control the emotions and knows how to lean resolutely against weaknesses of character, another entry-way of doubt is sealed shut forever. Much of our distress as Christians comes not because of sin, but because we are ignorant of the laws of our own nature.”

Martin Lloyd-Jones says something along the same lines --

“The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand. You have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. The essence of this matter is to understand that this self of ours, this other man within us, has got to be handled. Do not listen to him; turn on him; speak to him; condemn him; upbraid him; exhort him; encourage him; remind him of what you know instead of placidly listening to him and allowing him to drag you down and depress you.”

 Well, I guess the question is -- can we find someone in the Bible who shared some similar thoughts?

I guess Paul and David might be two characters that would help us understand this truth.

Paul -- "For my part, I run with a clear goal before me; I am like a boxer who does not beat the air; I bruise my own body and make it know its master" - 1Corinthians 9:26, 27

David -- "Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you" - Psalm 116:7

In another place Paul wants to see us speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs as an encouragement and influence to others - surely the same must apply to ourselves - making melody in our hearts to the Lord is an encouraging word to ourselves!

First source of communication: Language of God

One of the first expressions of communication from God is that He describes Himself as a God who feels - Genesis begins with an expression of grieving and a heart filled with pain by chapter 6. For those acquainted with God having such intense emotion, we are sometimes tempted to humanize God at such times.  We need to be very, very cautious that we do not take the terms in their human limitations and with connotations of finitude, but we will be equally in error to deem these words as purely metaphorical with no real emotion behind them.  At the end of the day, I believe we are intended to grieve over evil and to rejoice over good.

John also started off with a description of God's word and being as identical - the incarnate Son of God felt, wept, laughed and hoped. In the beginning was a thinking, feeling God.

But this is where our difficulty begins. As godlike in their origin as feelings are, we must also learn to put them in perspective and protect ourselves from the glorification of feelings as the final affirmation of truth.

God feels with perfect knowledge, and His feeling is in conformity with what is true. He does not act because He feels as much as He acts because He knows.

Nothing is so important to the nature of a word as the truth, and truth is the property of propositions not feelings. Feelings are never described as true or false. Feelings may be legitimate or illegitimate, understandable or incomprehensible; but they are not true or false.

This is where we often get bogged down, longing for feelings when indeed those very feelings could be the most seductive force to take us away from the truth.

The apostle Peter learned this lesson the hard way when he revelled in the glorious feeling of witnessing the transfiguration - how inexpressible must have been the awe when they saw and experienced…
the whitest white the eye could ever contain -
the purest bliss the mind could ever imagine -
the greatest theophany one could ever describe -
the most esteemed human personages the Jewish person could ever have wanted to see – Moses and Elijah -
the grandest ecstasy of spirit the heart could ever yearn for -
the noblest sound the ears could ever desire when the voice came from heaven, “This is my Son. Listen to Him.”

Yet it was in the context of this experience that Peter said what he did about the superiority of the Word --

“For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Peter saw the experience and the feeling as secondary to the certainty of God’s Word.

Knowing then that His Word is constant and eternal and personally applied, let us discipline our wills and minds to hear from Him each day --

•“Early will I seek thee” (Ps 63:1)
•“Search me, O God, and know . . . my thoughts” (Ps 139:23)
•“Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” (1Sam 3:9)
•What do you want me to do? (Acts 9:6)

Paul  says something about this as well -- “That I might know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Phil 3:10).Obviously it was not feeling that drove Paul but the knowledge of Christ.

Even Samuel -- his message was one that broke his heart because he had a message of judgement to give his predecessor and mentor, Eli.  I know that God had given me a word for someone and I did not give it because I knew this couple would be extremely angry.  God had to use someone else in the church, that person knew to speak the truth, the couple were angry for months, but at the end, they thanked him for there was no way they could have dealt with the tragedy if it were not for his word he gave earlier.  I learn a valuable lesson on how my feeling has nothing to do with what God wants for or from me.

"Listen" to these words penned by William Runyan --

1. Lord, I have shut the door,
Speak now the word
Which in the din and throng
Could not be heard;
Hushed now my inner heart,
Whisper Thy will,
While I have come apart,
While all is still.

2. Lord, I have shut the door,
Here do I bow;
Speak, for my soul attend
Turns to Thee now.
Rebuke Thou what is vain,
Counsel my soul,
Thy holy will reveal,
My will control.

3. In this blest quietness Clamouring cease;
Here in Thy presence dwells
Infinite peace;
Yonder, the strife and cry,
Yonder, the sin:
Lord, I have shut the door,
Thou art within.

4. Lord, I have shut the door,
Strengthen my heart;
Yonder awaits the task--
I share apart.
Only through grace bestowed
May I be true;
Here, while alone with Thee,
My strength renew.