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Many people have told me that they have disconnected from the news because it is all so bad that they just cannot handle it. The loudest, most brash, biggest bullies, and filthiest name-callers all seem to rise to the top of the media coverage with their version of the latest issue. The next problem is bigger than the one before, and they seem to be building on one another far faster than we can mentally process them. There are those who predict the end of America. Others say judgment has come. Still others are oblivious to anything but their daily schedule. But they all feel the frustration. It is like a demonic spirit that has engulfed our nation and is strangling its good sense. In this time, remember who you are.

If you are a follower of Christ, the Messiah, then you know his promise. The entire Bible is given to us as the word of God, as is Jesus Christ. In Christ is our salvation, and in the Bible is instruction on how we are to work out our salvation here on earth.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The promise of eternal life, knowing the end game (so to speak) should give us all the confidence to speak boldly as we ought to speak and having done all, to stand.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:6 “…see that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD.”

Likewise, Isaiah 33:14-16 says, “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions, that keeps his hands from the holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the fortresses of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.”

As the LORD says, your heritage–your prophetic place–is in his righteousness, and it is you who shall have a place of defense in the fortress of rocks, dwelling on high with bread and water.

Do not be overwhelmed by the things of this world. As Paul said in Romans 12:21, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Let’s not sit around wringing our hands over the unrighteous, but rather seize our place in the righteousness of the LORD. You don’t have to be enslaved by oppression–it has no authority over you. So stand in that gap. Be that royal priesthood. Obey God rather than man, for the night is far spent and the day is at hand. Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, and let your light so shine.

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Mark 7:37 “The people were utterly astonished and said, ‘He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak!'”

Deafness has been a huge part of my life. My first language was Sign Language even before I learned how to verbally speak. My Loved Ones were very special to me, even if I was just mainly a ‘type of property’ to them. To say I did a lot for them would be an understatement.

Literally, I was their ‘voice and ears’ for them while growing up, as much as they had me to do and as much as I was able to as a child, teenager, and young adult. I could write a novel on all the ‘harrowing interpreting experiences and phone calls’ I had to do, but I digress. Overall, I just wanted them to be proud of me, to be happy with what I did in life, and to just ‘love me.’ (This is something I still wish for to this day.)

They were raised in an Institution, a School for the Deaf, if you will. Back then, parents sent their disabled kids (Deaf, Blind, & Lame) away to be raised by Institutional ‘House Parents’ instead. From the stories that I heard, there was a lot of crying going on at both ends (Parent & Child), a lot of separation anxiety, and emotional family upheaval. Imagination tells me that it was pretty hard to live such a ‘fragmented life’ as this. Not that all Deaf people who were raised in an Institution turn out to be dysfunctional, but I believe this was ‘one of many reasons’ why mine did.

Even though my Loved Ones were Deaf, it curiously seemed to me sometimes that they liked ‘Music’ by their ‘silly pretend dancing and hand clapping’ throughout my childhood at times. One of them even told me at one point that if they were able to hear, they think that they would have liked listening to ‘Country Music.’ I often wondered what kind of music they would have really liked to listen to and what kind of impact that would have made in multiple ways.

The other day, I was listening to some ‘spiritually uplifting’ Christian songs playing on the radio in my car. I then wondered if my Loved Ones were able to hear this kind of ‘Godly Music and Preaching’ every day, if that would have made a difference in their minds, hearts, and lives? If it would have made them more loving and kind? (Tears flowing as I write this.)

Isaiah 35:5 “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.”

Like everything in life, there is a type of ‘frequency,’ if you will, a kind of ‘tuning in’ or channel that we each adhere or subscribe to. Either we gravitate towards the ‘things of God’ or we do not. Whether we pick up on ‘positive frequency or negative’ is up to us, and it does not matter if one is Hearing Impaired or Hearing, either.

We all have choices to make every day, and we can choose the things of God, the Bible, and Music that glorifies Him even if we can hear or not. So, reasoning tells me that if my Loved Ones could hear, they would still be ‘who they are now’ because of the things they choose to ‘gravitate and tune in to.’

Mark 7:32-37 “Some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him. So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue. And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’). Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly. Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it. The people were utterly astonished and said, ‘He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak!'”

Good news is that in Heaven no one will be Deaf, Blind, or Lame; everyone will be whole, just as Jesus is! The Bible tells us that we will see Him as He is because we will be like Him! People who are Born Again and who were Deaf in this life have this to look forward to, for they will be able to hear in Heaven! (Praying continually that my Loved Ones will be ‘Truly Born Again’ before it is too late!)

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.”

Until next time… Maranatha!

(JESUS = THE WAY, THE TRUTH, & THE LIFE!)

Your Prophetic Heritage :: By Bill Wilson

The Deaf Will Hear :: By Candy Austin