Be Quick To Listen Slow To Speak And Willing To Help Others

Hello and welcome to Social Media Ministries, my name is Spencer Coffman. Thank you so much for spending this time with us today.

Again at Social Media Ministries, our mission is to spread the living Word of Christ with as many people as possible and also help them understand and interpret the Bible and of course, we do that through the use of social media. We can’t do it without the help of viewers and listeners like you, so feel free to use the share icons and share it on your social media so that others can see or hear this as well.

Today we are talking about helping others. Now this is a part of the Bible or it is not really a part of the Bible, it is something in the Bible that is throughout the whole Bible. It is a message within the messages of the Bible. It is kind of the underlying message and it is talking about helping and giving and just being a good representative of Jesus and our goal is to follow Jesus.

We must fix our eyes on Him and what did He do? All the time He was here, He was helping others. So that is what we are talking about today. God wants you to help other people as much as possible and so there are a few things that need to happen in order for you to help others.

The first thing we are going to dive into right here, you must be quick to listen. You can write that down, quick to listen. Why is this? Well, in order for you to help other people you need to listen, because you need to know what they needed help with.

We are going to turn to James 1:9. We can get there, here we go, James 1:9 says, ‘The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.’ Sorry not 1:9, 1:19, but we might as well keep going here. Humble circumstances, this is a good lesson within this lesson. ‘You must take pride in your high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position because he will pass away like a wildflower.’

For those of you who are saying, well I don’t want to help all these people because all they want to do is take my money. Your money is not going to last with you. You are going to pass away. They are going to pass away. Everybody dies. So be humble. Give generously.

Let’s go to James 1:19, ‘My dear brothers, take note of this, everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.’ You must be quick to listen. Why? Because you need to know whether or not someone needs help. You can’t just be going around being like, hey I am going to help you, what do you want me to do? You would get locked up. People would say, you are crazy, someone’s going to call the police, it is not going to go well.

You must be quick to listen, listen to other people. If someone starts asking you for help, don’t just be like, no. Now obviously if you are on vacation in Las Vegas or New York or walking around the streets and all these people are stopping you trying to give you stuff, trying to get stuff from you, yes, that is not the time. Remember there is a time and a place for everything. Everything is a season. That is biblical too. We are not going to read the verse, hopefully, you know it. If not Google, there is a time and a place for everything.

If people are asking something of you, take the time to listen to them, whether it is a friend, family member, a relative. Someone calling, they got a job to do. They are just trying to do their job, listen if it is a worthy cause, and if it is something you are supposed to do God will tell you, the spirit will tell you.

Remember you are to have already decided in your heart what you are going to give. You have already decided, already to have decided in your heart what you are going to give. What does that mean? Well, you have made that decision, you need to know where to give it. How are you going to know who needs your help? Where are you going to give it if you don’t listen?

Consider Jesus, He went around, someone would stop Him, a blind man begging on the side of the road and Jesus would say, what is it that you want from me? What do you mean what do I want from you, I am blind. That is what the person said? No, the person says Lord, I want to see and then Jesus gave him or her sight.

Jesus knew. He already knew what the blind man wanted. He knew He was going to heal that blind man way back when, years ago He knew. He knows. God knows everything. Yet He still asked the blind man, what is it you want from me? Why would He ask? Because He is being an example and He is also teaching that person, ask and you shall receive and He is teaching us we need to listen to what others want. So be quick to listen.

The next thing is someone’s asking you for something and you don’t have the power like Jesus had where you can just heal anyone. You got to think about it. So if someone calls you up, says hey, I need 50 bucks and it is your friend or your uncle or whoever or it is some telemarketer. Tell them you got to think about it because you can’t just give away all your money to the first person who asks. You need to be led by the spirit.

How can you be led by the spirit if you instantly do whatever someone asks of you? You can’t. Some people and the spirit are so in tune with the spirit that literally the spirit is speaking to them all the time and that is exactly what they are doing. But for those of us who are not there yet, we need time. So if someone asks for something if I ask you for money right now you are not just going to punch up your credit card and type it in the comments below or you are not just going to call a number and give it. You are going to wait and pray about it, talk to God, and let the spirit lead you and tell you what to do.

For some of us, the spirit will speak to us in numbers and he will say, all right 50 bucks or whatever the number is. For others, maybe someone has asked you for a dollar amount and then you are talking to the spirit and to God and saying, should I do this and they are saying, yes or no. Or leading you in a direction. It varies based on the person.

But the point is you need to listen, then you need to wait and ask God. God wants you to pray about your choices. You tell whoever it is that is requesting, someone says hey I need help paying my rent this month. All right, okay I understand what you need. Let me think about it and if they say, well how long, I need the money now. The answer is no, don’t be forced into anything.

Remember if you were with us last week we read a verse about Paul speaking about the church in Macedonia who gave not out of force, they weren’t forced to give, they just gave. If someone is pressuring you that much, that is out of force, it is not right. If you tell them ‘Wait, I need to think about it, give me two days, give me three days’, and if they are not gonna do that then it is not something you are supposed to give to anyway.

But when those three days come, you better have an answer. Pray fast, do whatever you need to do to get to figure it out, not you but by praying and speaking with God.

All right Philippians 4:6, God wants you to pray about your choices. I am not just telling this as some sort of advice, this is really biblical. Philippians 4:6 says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything.’ So someone asks you for money. ‘Don’t be anxious about it, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving.’

Lord, thank you that this person came to me with this request. They must see that I am someone who is generous or who has the ability to give it. They have recognized that. ‘With thanksgiving present your request to God.’ Should I give this money? Should I help them? How much should I give? However, you need to be asking it, with everything, by prayer and petition. So God doesn’t just say do it once.

God, should I give him this money? Well whatever, and then walk away. No, you need time. It is not instant prayer and petition. When you are petitioned, the definition of petition is not something like, hey can you do this, yes or no, boom on to the next. Unless people are collecting signatures, but then signatures getting, all that takes time.

Most people, they have to explain it. So it is a petition, it is more work, you are going again and again and again and again, prayer and petition to God. So you are asking Him over and over. Present your requests to Him. Now this goes not just for giving, but for everything. Everything in your life, by prayer and petition, speak to God. Don’t be anxious about anything, He wants you to bring everything to Him. The day you became a Christian you gave complete control to Christ. He is in control of your life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.’ I really encourage you to check out these verses, they will be in the description below for you to look up at a later date and read and talk about. Because it is through discussion, speaking with others that you are going to start learning and internalizing things and it is going to become more of who you really are and that is what we want. We want to become more like Christ. The more of the Bible we can know and understand, the better off our lives are going to be.

Now when someone asks for your help, listen to them, ask God if you should help them. So our steps, listen, wait, pray. When you pray to God, ask. Then you are going to receive the answers you need and after that, you will know whether you are going to give or not give to that person, organization, individual, charity, nonprofit, etc. He will let you know.

Maybe you will know right away, maybe you are that in tune with the spirit that when someone asks or God has been putting something on your heart, like hey, you need to give $500 and you are like, $500? I have been carrying around this $500 in my pocket for two days now and then all of a sudden someone says, we are trying to raise $500 to pay for XYZ and you are like, I got it here. I got the money.

That can be you. God does that. He works in all kinds of ways, not only in mysterious ways. He can have you know He is leading you. The spirit is leading you. Whether you have something in mind already or whether someone is asking you and you need to go to God you will know the thing in time. You need to be quick to listen to another person’s request, slow to speak with your answer.

In addition, what is the point of all this? Why are we even talking about it? Well, it is because the Bible says you are to give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you, Matthew 5:42. If someone asks you for a loan that is different from giving, but are you supposed to turn them away? Well obviously if you don’t have the money or the ability then you really can’t do that.

That doesn’t mean you are supposed to lend to everyone because then you would be in a bad position, but if someone wants to borrow from you we are to help others. So yes, within reason. You don’t be foolish, within reason. Let other people borrow from you and if they never pay you back then that is life.

There are verses in the Bible, Proverbs. Don’t lend to others with exorbitant interest or if you lend don’t expect to get repaid back because even the pagans expect to be paid back with interest. If you are lending and you are not expecting it but then you do get paid back that is a blessing from God. It is another example.

Think about what Jesus gave for people. He healed everyone who asked Him, whether it was lepers who were outcasts out on their own, Jesus healed them. Blind people begging on the side of the road, that people used to spit on and kick dirt on. People who are paralyzed and crippled, Jesus healed them. He even raised people from the dead. Anyone who asked, even people who would touch Him in a crowd, He felt power leave Him and He would ask, hey, He knew and then the person would say this and I really wanted to be healed and He would say, go ahead, you are healed.

Even when people went after Him He gave. He even gave His life. He didn’t want to freely give it up. He was praying, He was so distraught, He was dripping in blood. His sweat glands were producing blood, not solid blood but blood and water, sweat and a little bit of blood in the sweat and He was praying to His Father to take this cup from me, but if it is your will He will do it. He did it, He gave His life and God Yahweh gave His son, His only son. Think about that. It is not like He had 20 sons and He is like, okay you can go ahead, I will give you or I will give you His only son. If you are a father and you have one son can you imagine?

Pretty powerful. God did it. Why? For you. He did it for you and Jesus did it. Why? For you. You may not even be asking Jesus to save you but He still did it for you. He still did it. Everything that you have here on earth was also given to you by who? God.

You are taking care of it. How good care are you gonna take of it? Hopefully, the best you can. You are a caretaker, you are a steward. Ask God what He wants you to do with everything He gave you. Whether it is your time, your money, your wisdom, giving advice to other people, etc.

Remember that giving is also above and beyond the tithe. Remember tithing is off the top, giving comes later. Giving time, money, wisdom, advice, etc. Tithing 10th, no exception. If you need any clarification on that we have some other sermons that you can check out, card up above and that will help provide a little clarification. You can also comment below, but think of how powerful that is.

God gave His son. Jesus gave His life. What are you going to give? You can give anything and everything that God gave you, it is part of your service, your ministry to help others. Be like Jesus. Help other people.

Let’s pray. Lord Jesus thank you so much for each and every person out there, that you died and gave your life for each and every one of them. Lord I ask that anyone out there listening who maybe didn’t know that or maybe hasn’t made that decision to invite you into their life, you stand at the door and knock and Lord I ask that that person would let you in. That those people would let you in, that you could become a part of their lives.

All they need to do Lord is ask. Come into my life, forgive me of my sins, and thank you for dying for me, and if they do that Lord I ask that you would show them who to talk to and that each and every person Lord show them exactly what they need to do and help others help them to listen to requests and to take some time and speak to you. Then Jesus, guide them, allow the Holy Spirit to tell them what you want them to do, and then have them do it.

Lord, I ask that you would bless each and every person out there who is obeying you, give them the blessing, allow them to benefit from these words today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Once again I want to thank you for tuning in, for giving us your time today. Remember Jesus died for you and if you need to know more about that or why He did that, feel free to comment below, send us a message on social media. We want to share that with you and help you. That is the greatest gift of all. He helped us have eternal life. All you have to do is ask. God bless.