Chapter 11: Communication Keys: How to Listen and Speak
We are to speak the language of Hope, as Believers.
Once when I was going through a hard time, whilst in my quiet time with the Lord, God said, “You may be helpless, but you’re not hopeless.” He was letting me know that I may feel helpless in my situation, but I have HIM!
Nothing I face is beyond His ability to get me out of, get me through, or enable me to embrace! The impossible situation that I was in at the time was resolved, with His intervention, and therefore what He said proved true. I hang onto it now.
Take a look at these verses, that give us all “hope”…they are basically saying even when man can’t do a thing for us, God can! And friends, these are the words of Jesus Christ our Lord:
Matthew 19:26 says,
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Luke 18:27 says similar:
“The things which are impossible with man are possible with God.”
Because of verses like these, this means we always have Hope!
God has the power to do everything He wills to do.
Read that bolded line above, again…
Therefore, we can speak the language of Hope to one another.
John Paul Jackson, who died in 2015, preached on Faith vs Fear, and I took notes from his message. I realized after receiving these communication keys, that I could apply his words to both, Speak Faith-Not Fear and Speak-The Language of Hope…
Here is what John Paul Jackson taught aloud:
Fear makes you think about you.
Fear is selfish.
Fear and faith both believe that something that hasn’t happened is going to happen.
Faith believes that something is something good.
Fear believes that something is going to be bad.
They can’t exist at the same time!
One will neutralize the other.
One will be the plumbline of your life!
Fear will keep you shackled.
Fear is the edge of hopelessness…
But Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
Friends, I cannot write it better than he taught it aloud…This is why I share my notes from him. This may have been one of the last messages he gave before he died, I don’t know… but it was impactful to me, and therefore I hope his words, shared, will be impactful to you!
Our words of Hope are words of Faith…whether spoken to others or to oneself.
It is usually our sufferings or fears that cause us to lose hope. Yet, I want you to realize: Our present suffering is directly connected with our future glory! Because Believers have this paradigm, we can have hope no matter what our circumstances, for we know what the future holds, as far as the “great hope” that awaits us!
Romans 8:18 says:
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”
It goes on to say in verse 24:
“For we are saved by hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
Romans 8:14-39, the passage these two verses come from, is vital for a Believer to read and know. When the truth of it gets into your spirit, you will remain in hope. Please familiarize yourself with it, for when you learn to live within this “great hope”, then you can always speak the language of hope. A future of glory awaits us in this life and in the life to come!
We can also get excited about what 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
This passage tells us that the Holy Spirit… the same One who is giving us these Communication Keys right now, is causing you and I to be transformed into Christ the Lord’s LIKENESS! This changing will be from glory to glory! Meaning, our transformation will only increase! Friends, we Have Hope that the beholding of our Lord will cause us to Resemble Him! What hope that is! Not only hope for us, knowing we are transforming…but hope for others, that they will one day SEE CHRIST in us, and desire Him as their Lord too!
So, let’s review:
We CAN speak hope if we remain in Faith.
We CAN speak hope if we keep “The Great Hope”, i.e., our future eternity in glory, the ending of our story, always in our sights.
We CAN speak hope, if we realize that through all the Spirit of God takes us through, as far as life’s circumstances, we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ, as we keep our focus on the Lord.
We CAN speak hope, because God speaks to the now and the future. He does not focus on our errors of the past. His is the Language of Hope. Everyday is a new beginning!! I absolutely love the fact, that that fact alone, gives ME hope! (smile)
Now, you may wonder…
How does Speaking the Language of Hope affect your communications with others?
ANSWER: They will ask you, “What is the reason for your hope?”
See what a powerful passage I Peter 3:15-17 is, in this regard:
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: having a good conscience; that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.”
Friends, if you are Speaking the Language of Hope, as the Spirit is instructing you, you will open up “opportunity” to tell people about Jesus! And He, will give you a “reputation” of being His! Others will “notice” a difference in you, from others around, because instead of speaking doom and gloom, murmurings and complainings, you will have your eyes on Jesus and HOPE will then saturate your speech.
It’s the turning one’s eyes on oneself and problems that prevents the language of Hope. Our eyes must be on Jesus, so He can work through us, and he can respond to our Faith, which is the substance of things hoped for.
Postscript
You have now received the Communication Keys He wanted you to receive; yet, I am going to add this postscript as I compile my book:
Now that it has been a few years since I first shared this instruction from the Spirit as a blog, I note the Spirit was indeed addressing a trend in society even before it took place!
Now, we can’t help but notice those always offended, those feeling they must defend themselves to others, those suspicious of others, those reacting to others without thinking, those speaking out of turn, those who are rude and brash, those who interrupt, those who have no hope, etc.
Clearly, the Holy Spirit knew what He wanted “to counter” …even before Satan let loose and sent out his barrage of evil!
So, Listen!
Obey!
Apply these Keys!
God does not want His Children
to communicate in the same manner
as the World does!
Let’s make these Communication Keys a part of our lives, so that they will bring forth righteousness, and greatly improve our relationships with others!
Please go back and review The List one more time! …Maybe photocopy or write the list down, to keep your focus on his instructions… until His words renew of your mind… and transform your communications. You’ll be glad you did.
Then God can use you in a greater way than He even does now. Hallelujah! (smile)
Please tell others of this book, or gift it to them! I’d love for them to get “all the message”.
But if you aren’t willing do that, at least share what you’ve learned with others!
I’m all about these Communication Keys from the Holy Spirit getting heard! So God can have His Way in and through all of us.