Who Do You Respond to?

This morning, I have a question for you. Who do you respond to? This question can be examined from several angles. We can explore it from a professional perspective in terms of our work environment, from a family perspective regarding spousal or sibling relationships, or along the lines of a spiritual connection with God.

Notice I did not say, “Who do you listen to?”. Everyone should have a good mentor, coach, or spiritual leader who provides good or godly counsel. However, I know many people who get good counsel and ignore it; in essence, they are unresponsive. It resembles how a doctor does cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and they are pressing on the victim’s chest and blowing air into their nostrils. Then, after many failed attempts, they declare that the person is dead because they are unresponsive. Sad to say, many of us are like this when obtaining advice; we are dead to it; we are unresponsive!

Spouses are speaking to each other about where they can make improvements, but they are unresponsive. Parents speak and support children so they can be well positioned in life, but they are unresponsive. A good friend has been giving you advice for some time now, but you are unresponsive. God speaks to his people via pastors, his word, and the Holy Spirit, but we are unresponsive.  Like the person in need of CPR, we are just lying dead and not receiving the treatment given via words to bring life to us.

God has surrounded us with the right people to aid in our development and journey, but we don’t respond to their advice. Who do we respond to? We respond to the voice that is between our own ears, one of the most dangerous voices there is at times.

Keep in mind that there are many voices in the world, and each has its own purpose.

1 Corinthians 14:10 “There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification”.

Voice selection is essential because God has placed a variety of voices in the world for a reason. It is for us to listen to these voices and respond accordingly, and this starts with a “teachable spirit”. Sadly, many of us don’t desire a teachable spirit because we love doing things our own way. To coin a phrase, “We too Own-way-Ish”. But the most successful people in life aren’t the ones who respond to their own counsel (“One of the worst things a man can do is counsel himself”). They are the ones who have a teachable spirit and consider all the voices around them to have significant value.

The bible says that wives should submit and honour their husbands as authority over them; husbands also must love their wives as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:22-33), children should obey their parents in the Lord for this is right (Ephesians 6: 1-3), and believers must work as unto the Lord and not unto men (Colossians 3:22-24).  These key scriptures speak about having a teachable spirit, a servant’s heart, and responding to the other party with reverence and respect for God.

The problem is most times we see responding to our spouse, parent, and employer as responding to them directly. When actually, God should be the ultimate authority and we should be acting towards him instead of them. So not responding to our wives, parents, or bosses in the manner outlined is displeasing God. Not only this, but it also shows that we are responding to ourselves and only listening to our inner voice of how we want to do things. In this regard, I have one word for you: – DANGEROUS!

Today, I would like us to reflect and see how we respond to situations in our lives. As Jean-Paul Sartre quoted, “Every word has consequences. Every silence too”. So, all our actions, either negative or positive, contribute to quelling or exasperating our environment. Therefore, if we want things to go better in our life, then stop responding to people in the carnal and start responding to God in the spiritual. Adopt the approach of leapfrogging people and looking to God. In doing so, make sure to search the scriptures and see how God wants you to respond, because a Godly response should truly be the only response. (See Blog: Choosing the Right Weapons for the Battle).

My friend, after reading this blog, I sincerely hope you will make some decisions and take some action. I know I will. I’ll leave you with these passages of scripture as a reminder to everyone.   

1. Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
2. 1 Peter 2:18 – “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust”
3. Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”.
4. Ephesians 4:26 – “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”
5. Luke 6:27-36 – “²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you” ….. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
6. 1 Peter 3:8-9 – “8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing”.

PS: Dane Miller was last seen declared alive and taking off CPR monitors.

Your Brother in the Lord,

Dane Miller – “God is the Author, I am the Pen”

Authored Book – What is the Woman Saying – Lessons from Biblical Women.

PS: I welcome your feedback on this blog post and encourage you to leave a comment below or subscribe/follow for new blog releases via email.