Noise Cancellation

A couple of years ago, my son Levi and I embarked on a 10-day trip to China. At the airport he convinced me to purchase a pair of headphones that have a “noise cancellation” feature.

Here’s how it works. A microphone in the headset picks up nearby noise. The built-in processor then sends a sound to the headset at an opposite frequency, thereby canceling out the original sound. No sooner than the plane was airborne, I discovered the extra money for this special feature was worth it.

When I engaged the noise cancellation feature, I heard nothing except the music or the movie on which I was focused. I so enjoyed these headphones. I put them on and the noise of the world seemed to disappear.

The Bible also has a noise cancellation feature. Whenever your life gets too loud with the criticism of others, the temptations of the enemy, or the rumbling of your own doubts, going to God’s Word will negate the noise.

Paul taught; if you want to cancel out the noise of doubtful distraction, develop your faith. Developed faith is the result of listening to the uncluttered message of Jesus Christ through his Word. The more you hear his Word, the stronger your faith becomes. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ,” (Romans 10:17 NIV).

Peter wrote that the lessons from Scripture are life transformational. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,” (1 Peter 2:2 NIV).

I have learned the more time I spend in the Scriptures; the less distracted I am by the racket the world makes.

I encourage you: if you’re not already doing it, add reading Scripture to your daily routine and ask God to speak to you through what you read. He will honor every minute you spend in the Word.

The S.O.A.P method for me has always been the most productive approach to reading God’s Word.

S. Choose a section of Scripture to read. On a practical level, I have discovered reading the Proverbs and a section of any of the Gospels (my favorite is Mark) every morning cancels out the sounds of temptation and doubt and makes it possible to hear the music of spiritual growth.

O. Jot down a few Observations from what you are reading. What did you observe about the scripture that is impacting you at that moment?

A. Think about your life. What can you begin to Apply from your observations so that it will bring transformation to your life on a daily basis?

P. Prayer throughout the day based on what you just learned and ask God to help you exercise this truth in your life.

I encourage you to focus today on listening to God’s Word, not the noise of this world.