Which Teacher Are You Listening To?

Leaving the Grandstand World

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Today, as is usual at this time, I begin with a poem set to appropriate inspirational music (this time by Josh Woodward). The poem is entitled, "Standing on the Promises." Then I share a chapter from my book, A Course in Christianity entitled, "Which Teacher Are You Listening To?" then I share one more poem set to music and my narration, "Sweet Hour of Prayer."
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Let me be blunt and up front with you. Here are the names of your teachers: Your carnal self and the Holy Spirit. Which one is your teacher?
You don't know? Hmmm. Do you indulge in carnal things like gluttony, addiction to entertainment, or wandering eyes (if you're married)? You know who teaches those fleshy things. Your carnal self.
Do you know the things of the spirit like joy and peace? Love, hope, compassion? Those are taught by the Holy Spirit. Honesty is too. We need to be honest with ourselves. We need to look at our lives objectively and ask, "Who is my teacher? Am I following my carnal self and listening to Satan a lot or am I forgiving others, exploring the spiritual things, and finding I am filled with the fruit of the spirit?"
Yes, we have two teachers in this world--but only one that will successfully lead us to God in the next world. Today we can choose which teacher we follow. Are we going to follow the one who said He was the way? Or the one who operates in this world and who leads us astray?
Two teachers, one student, you.
You've seen those cartoons with a small angel perched on the right shoulder and a small devil perched on the left shoulder of a confused person who needs to make a choice. Who will he listen to? It's like that with us. Who do we listen to?

Those two voices we listen to have within them two consequences: Defeat or victory. It really is a choice to either have failure or to be a conqueror through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world." Why should we be of good cheer because HE overcame the world? We should be of good cheer because He has chosen us to dwell in, and in Him, we live, and move, and have our being. His victory is ours. His joy is ours.
We are no longer fighting this world, no longer kicking off the dogs whose teeth are clamped to our trousers because now we embrace the strength of God through Jesus Christ. Now we are the victors, the winners. Now, we wonder, how many sad people who don't know this, can we nudge/urge into the Kingdom with us? Not by coercion but by our genuine heart-felt love?
We need God. God did not leave us alone in this world to fight its constant battles. We are not abandoned. But, if we look for another way out of this constant conflict, we will not find it. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes unto the Father but by Me." Don't listen to Satan who often manifests to our egos. Don't listen to the one who can't fulfill the promises he makes. They constantly fail. He promises that we will be happy if we eat that carton of ice cream, he promises that we will be happy if we have an affair, he promises we will be happy if we do hard drugs (or soft ones for that matter), he promises we will be happy if we watch all the episodes of Burning Lust, but his promises are disappointing and a lie. So, he promises if you do more carnal activity, that will make you happy. But it never does.
When will we realize happiness does not come from our carnal self? Listen to the One who is the only way out of this refugee camp world where the fallen and the lost dwell. Come home to Him.

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章

1. Which Teacher Are You Listening To? (00:00:00)

2. Standing on the Promises (00:00:12)

3. Which Teacher Are You Listening To? (00:03:48)

4. Sweet Hour of Prayer (poem) (00:08:53)