What Are You Really Saying?

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Over the last handful of years, I’ve found myself learning a lot about the incarceration system. From prison ministry and also working at a rehab helping inmates transition back into society, they have actually taught me a lot about what life is like inside the pen.

One thing that is focused on --- and you will also see this in movies --- is non-verbal communication. Because of the gang violence being at an all-time high in prisons, inmates have to learn how to hear what people are saying even when their mouth isn’t moving in order to survive. If I’m being honest, I even picked up a few tips for regular civilian life. For example, never sitting with my back to a crowd, always observing the place I’m in before I sit down and make myself comfortable, and never allowing myself to get too comfortable to the point where I forget that tragedy could strike at any moment.

Non-verbal communication is so interesting. Statistics say that actually 80% of communication is non-verbal. Someone can look at your body posture, your facial expression, or your attentiveness to gauge what you’re truly saying even if your words were in total agreement with them. In business, this tactic would help in the hiring process. In prison, this tactic could be the difference between life and death. Most humans would agree that most communication is actually non-verbal, yet we seem to think that the God who created all humans doesn’t also think like this.

If we’re being honest, one of the major problems that plagues modern Christianity is not hearing the voice of God when we pray. It’s interesting. I myself even thought that the God who spoke the world into existence no longer knew how to communicate.

31 We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and a worshiper of Him and does His will, He listens to him. John 9:31 AMPC

What I found out is that we are not only praying when we hit our knees, we are also praying throughout the day without even speaking. With the decisions we make we are showing God how we feel about Him.

38-39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me." Matthew 10:38-39 MSG

With our time, we are showing God who or what we prioritize over Him.

38 And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [[b]cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me. Matthew 10:38 AMPC

And with our heart, we are showing who we prefer over Him.

37 He who loves [and [a]takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; Matthew 10:37 AMPC

And last but not least, with our ambitions we are showing Him that we prefer our own will over His.

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [[c]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. Matthew 16:24 AMPC

By the time we get to our knees, we have already spat in His face over and over and over again. So the question isn’t if God can speak, since He spoke the world into existence, the question should be: Why doesn’t God speak to me?

3 [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures. James 4:3 AMPC

As a kid, I would always wonder about major events in the world and wonder why most of us never knew of these events ahead of time. I would constantly think to myself: if God knows everything, why do we know so little? It was not until recently that through reading God's Word for myself I began to put the pieces together.

Unfortunately, a majority of my life was spent focused on my own personal will, using my prayers as good-luck charms to accomplish the things I personally wanted. This left me devastated when I was struck with the dismal reality of my own plans never turning out how I had envisioned them. The sad reality is that my life was never completely surrendered to God, so in return, the wisdom and discernment of God was never surrendered to me.

We see time and time again in the Bible that God warns the people who love Him and choose Him over everything of certain events that would impact the world. We see in the days of Noah that they were continuing on without a care in the world, not thinking of God or how He felt about the living conditions of society. Only Noah, who considered God, was warned of things to come.

7 And the Lord said to Noah, Come with all your household into the ark, for I have seen you to be righteous (upright and in right standing) before Me in this generation. Genesis 7:1 AMPC

We also see Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah. We see that death and destruction was headed their way. However, because of Abraham's relationship with God, he was warned so that he could warn his family of the upcoming events.

17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham [My friend and servant] what I am going to do, 18 Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him and shall bless themselves by him? 19 For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord and to do what is just and righteous, so that the Lord may bring Abraham what He has promised him. 20 And the Lord said, Because the shriek [of the sins] of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is exceedingly grievous, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether [as vilely and wickedly] as is the cry of it which has come to Me; and if not, I will know. Genesis 18:17-21 AMPC

A few weeks ago, I saw a movie called Escape from Germany. This movie was based on a true story of missionaries who God told to leave Germany because the country would be invaded. The group ranged from 20-30 missionaries who God told to leave. These were people who had laid down their life for God and moved to different countries, pursuing the will of God for their lives.

During World War 2, there were approximately 80 million people who died, with 50-56 million of those people being civilians. I'm sure there were more people that God told other than the 30 people from the movie. Nevertheless, even if we say there were 100 people warned, the math would still show that only 100 people knew about the potential death of 80 million. The sad reality is that in times of tragedy, God seems to show consistent patterns. If you are not thinking of Him, He will not be thinking of you.

11 Has this house, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes [a place of retreat for you between acts of violence]? Behold, I Myself have seen it, says the Lord. 12 But go now to My place which was in Shiloh [in Ephraim], where I set My Name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things, says the Lord, and [because] when I spoke to you persistently [even rising up early and speaking], you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, 14 Therefore will I do to this house (the temple), which is called by My Name and in which you trust, to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole posterity of Ephraim. 16 Therefore do not pray for this people [of Judah] or lift up a cry or entreaty for them or make intercession to Me, for I will not listen to or hear you. Jeremiah 18:11-16 AMPC

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Question of the day: Would God consider you a person that deserves to be in-the-know?