Monday, April 9, 2012

Rig for Silent Running

Hello everyone,

It has been almost a month since I posted anything and I think it is time for me to start again.  Today I want to talk to you about a conversation I had with my cousin several months ago and the impact it had on my life recently.  My cousin was going through a time in her life that had her searching for answers.  We were talking and she kept telling me that she was trying very much to hear from God.  She said she felt like she needed to do what they do on submarines but couldn't remember exactly what it's called.  I told her I thought it was called rigging for silent running.

Now I am certainly no expert on submarines but here is what I have been told about this subject.  When a submarine thinks it's going into battle, it's biggest strength is the element of surprise.  For a submarine to keep the element of surprise, it has to be totally quite when it heads into battle.  So the captain tells the crew to rig for silent running which means to stop making noise.  The submarine has to be totally quiet.  The sound of one clanking pot can resonate through the water and give away the location of the submarine.  That could get them killed.

The reason that this concept resonated so strongly in my life was because I was faced with a situation and I didn't know what to do or who's word to trust.  Now let me say that just like the old gospel song says, "this battlefield was of my own making."  Meaning I was seeing a problem that didn't really exist but I sure thought it did.  I was looking at circumstances and making judgments unfairly.  Ultimately I decided to block out all of the noises that were influencing my mind.  I purposed to rig my heart for silent running.  I didn't talk about the problem to anyone because I determined to hear from God about the situation and not let other people influence what I was hearing from him.

Now don't get me wrong, I think it is very good to get other people's input into certain decisions you make.  The bible says that there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors and I believe in getting good sound counsel when making decisions.  But this particular time, I purposed to hear what the Lord would have me do.  Do you know what he said, "Stop and wait."  It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear but it was exactly what I needed to hear.

So let me ask you, what voices are you listening to that you should not?  Maybe one of the voices you need to tune out is your own.  I know it was that way for me.  Whatever they are, let me encourage you to examine the voices you are listening to.  If they are full of fear then they are not from God.  Tune those out and listen to what the Lord has to say to you.  You will be glad you did.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

2 comments:

  1. That told me exactly what I needed to do !! :D

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    1. I agree that this is exactly the right thing to do unless there is aleady written instruction on the subject. In that case we should study everything we can find in the word asking the Holy Spirit to help us understand the spirit of His Word, not just a legalistic application. If in studying the word, we still do not have peace or if we agree with the word and it is not what we want to do, then it is time to pray thy kingdone come, thy will be done and to remember that is God who works in us both to will of His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. If we allow Him to, He will help us choose His best and not just His permissive will.

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