He Who Holds Your Ear Holds Your Future - Apples of Gold - February 21, 2011 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 21, 2011

“He Who Holds Your Ear Holds Your Future”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

He who holds your ear holds your future.

Choose wisely who you listen to because they will greatly affect your life.

You will become a disciple of those you listen to the most.

Do you listen to Rush Limbaugh everyday?  Then, in a sense, you are putting your future into his hands.

Every morning on my way to work I listen to Family Life Today.  When my children were young, I listened to Focus on the Family.  I chose to give my ear to wise men with great depth of knowledge on marriage and family, and it had a mighty impact on me as a husband and father.

I know a pastor’s wife who cheated on her husband.  She said one thing that influenced her was listening to the wrong music.  Whatever music you listen to, it will have an impact on your future.

I was standing in a parking lot last week and a couple men pulled up in a pickup truck.  I could hear the music loud and clear, and it was very denigrating to women.  I hope their wives or girlfriends are paying attention, because that music will affect their future.

Success speakers know this truth.  That’s why they tell you to buy their CDs and listen to them over and over. 

Some people are disciples of Donald Trump.  They want to be rich like he is, so they listen, knowing that his words can affect their future.

Let’s say you watched Oprah everyday for 20 years.  Do you think she affected your life?  Think about her philosophies and those of her guests.  Think about the books she recommended.  If you watched that much Oprah, I’m guessing she was a large influence in your life.

If you read Cosmopolitan and watch Sex in the City, your future is going to be quite different from the person who reads PC Magazine and watches the History Channel.

He who holds your ear holds your future.

What I’m saying is, the people we listen to are the people who influence us.  Those who influence us change our thoughts and actions, and that changes our future; so we need to choose wisely who we listen to.

Think about it.  Who do you listen to the most? 

Who should you listen to most?

Here is my suggestion, and it breaks down into four S’s.  The first S is:

Scripture.

I think God’s Word is the highest wisdom, and I want that wisdom to hold the most sway over my future.  That means I need to hear Scripture more than I hear Sports Center.  Yes, I did just say that.

One way I do that is by memorizing Scripture.  As many of you know, I’m on a quest to memorize the book of John before I turn 50.  I’ve already memorized the books of Ephesians and Colossians, and I keep going over them so I don’t forget them.  That is one way I keep my ear tuned in to Scripture.

The second S is:

Spirit – as in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things.”  (John 14:26)

He called Him “the Spirit of truth” and said, “He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13)

As Christians, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, and He is teaching us.  We need to tune in to the still, small voice of the Spirit inside of us.

So that is a powerful one-two punch that will mightily impact our future if we lend them our ear:  the Scripture and the Spirit.

The third S is:

Saints.

By saints I mean Christians who are grounded in the first two S’s.  Their life is founded on Scripture, and they are full of the Spirit. 

I want to lend my ear to the saints, the people of God who have built their own life on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, the people who believe it, who live it, and who are bearing the good fruit of it.

And my final S is:

Sermons.

I love to listen to good sermons.  I listen to sermons at church, of course, and I also listen to them on the radio and online.  One great source of sermons is a website called www.SermonIndex.net. 

When I think of sermons, I don’t just think of fire and brimstone preaching.  To me it includes a wide variety of teaching by Christians, covering topics from doctrine to dollars, from faith to family. 

Sermons are delivered by people with the first three S’s.  They are saints full of Scripture and the Spirit delivering a Spirit-empowered sermon based on the Word of God.

Those four S’s – Scripture, Spirit, Saints and Sermons – those are who I choose to listen to the most, because I think they will provide the best possible influence for my future.

Choose wisely who you listen to, knowing this…

He who holds your ear, holds your future.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
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