Seeker or Sifter

Love you all, praying for you. 
 
I just love God’s Word – it is practical wisdom for the ages.  God’s wisdom always brings success, to those humble enough to receive it.  It always changes your life for the better.  God says an interesting thing.  Be careful how you hear.  Life is full of new information.  It is required for learning.  If you learn something, that means what you didn’t know before, you now know.  So if you’re going to learn anything, you have to hear something new.  Remember the New Information Filter.  1)  Is it true? 2) Where’s the evidence? 3) What’s in it for them? 4) What does God say?  That’s a good start – a discernment tool.  But have you noticed most new information is not 100% accurate?  Because the message if often tainted somewhat by the messenger.  That’s OK.  That’s why God gives us discernment.  How do you hear?  Most people aren’t careful how they hear, they are planning what to speak, what they are going to say next.   Most people don’t listen to hear, they listen to contend.  When receiving new information, a new idea, you can seek first, or sift first.   When you hear something new, a new thought construct, a new perspective – like Jordan Peterson on Joe Rogan.  Most people when they hear something new – a new philosophy, doctrine, or understanding, a new strategy, or reason for success, a distilled process of what worked for someone else – that they share with others.  Most people when they hear new ‘revelation’ that they haven’t heard before - things that person has come to believe.  Whether from God, or personal success and failure experience, or any opinion for that matter.   Most people don’t hear to glean truth, they hear to disagree.  They sift first, instead of seek first.  They gravitate to the 2% they disagree with, and build a case against it, rather than consider the new information provided - and Seek God about what part is true, and what God may want them to learn from it.  If you jump on where you disagree, you are thinking about why you disagree, and how what you believe differs from what they just said, and you missed most of what they were saying - which could miss the purpose that God brought that information to you.  Who do you know that is 100% accurate – other than God?  No one gets everything right, sometimes not even in one sentence.  Most people sift – reject, eject, they look for things they disagree with, rather than things God might want them to learn from.  Most people sift first.  God says sift, (It’s part of discernment) but He doesn’t want you to sift first, without seeking.  You have to seek before you sift.  Humility required.  “God, what about this is true? Anything that you want me to apply or pursue further?”  Forget the messenger, even the totality of the message.  Where is the nugget of truth?  Is there anything true about this?  “Is there anything God, that You are trying to highlight, and bring to my attention?”  They may be 90% wrong, but 10% they could be onto something.   Seek before you sift.  “Well, I don’t agree with that.” (What they really mean is I don’t agree with this 2% of what they just said.  And they go on to sift it out and give all their reasons (even when often they just assumed, extrapolated it into something the speaker didn’t even say or mean).  Then they give their litany of reasons what it’s not true, or accurate, or not true all the time.  But to do that – they had to be thinking of all the reasons why they don’t agree.  That thinking and preparing a response, disabled them from really listening.  So 2% isn’t accurate?   Who cares.  Is there a baby in that bathwater?  Don’t just pull the plug.  Not saying we should be deceived and accept falsehood and deception, every wind of doctrine, but Seek before you Sift. Ask God what is true?  Or what truth does God want to lead us to – prompted by what that person shared - even if it is a little off.   Sifters throw out - based on their life experience, and their set of beliefs – which they have held on to pretty tightly – right up to the time of hearing this new idea.  Often, you are basing that sifting not off of the Holy Spirit, just off of your life-experience and beliefs to date… but what If God brought this to your attention – to grow your thinking, your experience, and your success.  It’s either truth or lack thereof - which could still point you to truth, if you Seek God first.  Whenever you are building a case against something – you are clearly not learning anything.  Better to Seek first, before sifting.   If it’s complete falsehood, a lie and deception – the Holy Spirit will reveal it.  But if it’s just new information - that person’s experience, God may have led them to truth in some areas, while they are still lost or searching for the balance of it.  Praying that you will Listen to hear.   When it comes to hearing God -  Hear – means to hear intelligently – hear with the intent to apply whatever change the Holy Spirit may lead you to.  David said “I have inclined my ear to obey your Word.”  “If God says it, I’m doing it.” was the habit He formed.  That’s when hearing God.  But when it comes to hearing others – hear intelligently means hear to understand, hear to seek, not just sift.  Praying that you will be Sifters – God said we are not to believe everything people say in the area of life, marriage, parenting, business, culture or politics, not every wind of doctrine that sways the gullible, but if our first reaction is to sift, and build a case against what was said, rather than seek God for His takeaways for us, we could be setting a ceiling on the growth God is trying to bring us to.  He uses different methods, He can use unusual sources, from donkeys to commercials, to pictures, to movies to… whatever He chooses.  Praying that you will guard your heart by how you listen.  That you would listen to hear, not just what they are saying or meaning, but what God is saying.  So you hear, and seek first, then sift as the Holy Spirit leads you.
 
Love you all,
dad