"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD has

made even both of them."

                                                       Proverbs 20:12

 

          In each of the letters that Jesus instructed John to write during the time he was exiled on the island of Patmos, they all have one particular statement that resonates in their messages: "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Nothing could be more profound in an attempt to issue instruction than to appeal to one's inner perceptibility. It is here that our knowledge base has the potential of becoming more acutely aware of things-far greater than just what we hear with our natural ears.

          Every one of us has a certain level of perceptibility. It is inborn in us as a result of being made a spiritual being. Sometimes we call it intuition, extrasensory perception, or simply a gut instinct. But the fact is we all possess some sense of perceptibility. Unfortunately, because of so much dependency upon the five physical senses, we find, in many cases, folks simply disregard their own capabilities in becoming more perceptive. They have a tendency to rely more on their feelings and emotions rather than letting their spirit inform them of things they need to know. John made an interesting statement in his first epistle. He said, "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (1 John 2:20).The unction has many different functions, but one particular aspect of it is it works much like a spiritual radar. I'm sure you are familiar with a metal detector. As you sweep across the ground, a sensor begins to beep. The closer you get to any metallic object the faster it beeps. Your spirit has the same ability to detect things that are underground or hidden away from your physical senses. And it is certain that God wants us to develop in this realm more and more. In fact, I believe there is a place where we can learn how to tap into a spiritual database of things unseen, which hold major implications on our spiritual prosperity.

          Remember in Mark chapter four where Jesus gave the parable of the sower and the Word? Among the four types of soil given, he explains the different response that occurred with each hearing the Word. The first type of soil he called wayside soil. This is a reference to someone who lets what is said go in one ear and out the other. They are basically unresponsive listeners. They prefer to be indifferent. They have ears to hear, but have chosen to keep the gate to any sensory perception shut away. You could actually describe this kind of person as someone who operates on the basis of "selective hearing." They are people who have a tendency to tune you out when you speak! They hear you, but their minds are a million miles away from taking in what really matters.

          The second kind of soil he mentions is stony ground. This is the individual who shows some interest in hearing what is said but never lets it go any further. In other words, it is never a heart issue. They seem eager to hear and learn but unwilling to make any practical application. Therefore, no critical changes occur. They fail to give the more earnest heed, and so things leak out of them like a broken vessel.

          The third kind of soil Jesus talked about was thorny ground. This qualifies as someone who has so much activity occurring within their mind that they find it very difficult to become a devoted listener. Other interests are constantly pulling upon their attention, and so nothing ever really gets settled inside.

          The last and final soil was called good ground. This is obviously the individual Jesus knew had a sense of perceptibility about them and paid careful attention to everything that was spoken.  These are folks that not only make it a practice to do the Word, but they are sensitive to discern both good and evil.

          There are actually three levels of perceptibility: 1) Awareness, 2) Engagement, and 3) Insight. If you think back again to how a metal detector works, you can see very easily these levels and how they affect your ability to improve your perceptibility. Awareness begins with sweeping across your surroundings, listening for the beeper to go off. Engagement is focusing your attention on the beeper, listening intently to the exact area of interest, and then being diligent to dig down deep until you gain full understanding of the situation. Insight is when your knower is fully enlightened to the situation and you have the wisdom to know what to do and how to respond so that you are prepared to make something positive come out of it.