Selective Hearing

Have you ever noticed how two people can say the same thing but only one gets heard? Why is that the case? Why do we see this type of behavior? Have you noticed that the one who gets heard is usually the one whose name is well-known?

Scripture proves these hearing biases we have. Mark 6:4 says, “Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is treated with honor everywhere except in his own hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.’”  One of the words used for “honor” is “recognition.” This verse is loaded, but one of the points I believe Jesus was saying is that those who tend to be closest to you (relatives and those in your hometown) tend to be those who don’t take you as serious as those who really don’t know you or have a kindred relationship with you. As a matter of fact, the familiarity and ignorance of the character of Jesus caused Him not to be able to do many miracles in His hometown because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58).

Humanity still shows that we would rather listen to the ones whose famous rather than the ones we’ve always known. After all, we’ve always known them. We hear them release prophecy often. We hear them sing often. We hear them preach often. But we tend to give more attention to those we don’t know. We buy their books and CDs, but if someone we know releases a book, we may or may not purchase it, even if they are saying the same things. We invite famous people to headline conferences in our area while there are tried and true men and women of God whose always been solid among us.

What causes this behavior? Could it be that there’s something more we’re drawn to? It’s not necessarily the word that’s spoken; it’s something deeper. I believe it’s the notoriety the person has. Think about it. The anointing comes from God who is the Father of the famous preacher who spoke it as well as the local one. So it’s not like one person is “off.” It’s that one of them has something we desire, and it’s not word! It’s attention and notoriety. Just a thought…

So the next time someone in your family releases something from God, listen to them. Don’t take them for granted. Don’t let God have to remove some of your friends and family to places their anointing will be appreciated more. Don’t miss out on what He’s using them to say to us simply because we’re too common with them.

And to those who feel ignored because you’re too plain, not flashy enough, or not famous enough, keep teaching. Keep speaking. Someone is listening. God will not supply you with what will not be demanded for later. Don’t wait until your name gets great to start obeying God. Do so now, whether people pay attention or not. The seed has been planted, and God will remind them of what He used you to say.