SOUND CHECK

[prophetess m. brignac]

Of all the senses God has gifted and blessed man with, two of the most vital, and profound ones are that of "hearing", and that of "sight, so much so that, scripturally, the Bible warns us that the lack of "sight" causes the people to "perish". It is not until one has been a sighted individual, or has had perfect hearing , and then experience a loss or deficit in either of these senses, that one really appreciates them, and gains an absolute undestanding , respect, and appreciation for their value. Having experienced a degree of compromised vision on a personal level, I can attest to the fact that such an acquired deficit requires intense adjustment, and compensation. "Vision" is so relevant that it provokes the ears to respond to the images reflected or captured on the retina, and it causes the ears to shut out all else to concentrate on the visual download being received, thus producng "hearing", or the reception of "sound". What you "see" can greatly affect what you hear, and how you respond to what you see. It is the gift of sight that sometimes provokes our hearing in a crisis or emergency situation, such as the eyes seeing an 18 wheeler bearing down on a child in the street, chasing a toy or a pet, and reflexively the ears then "hear" the screeching of tires, the honking of horns, and the grinding of brakes as they make an attempt to grip the asphalt, and avoid a tragedy. It is when one sees a gun blast, and a spiraling bullet, that the coinciding sound of it's roar, and the voice of someone saying "Run", or "duck", penetrates the senses, and compels us to react. For many of us, we are like the disciple Thomas, in that we don't want to "hear" God, unless we can tangibly "see Him"! It is the very presence of accumulated images, retained in the archives of our eyes, that sometimes, determine what we hear and how we hear it. It wasn't until the Prophet Isaiah "saw" the Lord, "high and lifted up" that He "heard" the Lord ask "Who will go, and whom shall we send?", and he was able to respond correctly. What we "see" in the everyday, and outside the pulpit or sanctuary walls, lives of men/women of God, stongly influences "if" we "hear" their sound, "what" we hear, and how we receive it. When we see those of the "priesthood" living like "dogs" with no moral standards, personal discipline, constraint or restraint, and boldly appeasing all of their carnal appetites with no thought to, or consideration of their "position", Coveant with God, or the impact their behaviour may have on others who are watching thei lives,no oe can expect the people of God to pay any mind, "say amen", or respect their "sounds"!

Sound is one of the most profound of all senses, and without it, we go through life "on mute", experiencing it like a "silent movie", or a never ending "mime" show! "Sounds" have a profound impact on us, and they set the mood or atmosphere, stir lust or demand reverential awe and worship,provoke sadness or depression, joy or peace, provide comfort or chaos, alert us of danger, allow us to sound the alarm of "danger" for others, and ease our course of life, if we "have an ear to hear"! It was a "sound" commanded of David to "soothe the savage beast" that was driving Saul into madness.There are so many sounds, rumblings, explosions, quakes, and thunderings within the realm of the spirit, that they cannot all be numbered or identified, but the one sound we never want to ignore, miss, dimiss, twist, or misappropritate, is the sound of God's voice. Throughout the course of one day in our lives, our audtitory senses or ears are bombarded and often overloaded with downloads of sound, and every now and then,we should have the wisdom to "pull back" from everything, shut off, shut down, and shut in, and do an extensive "sound check", to see what "incoming" we shouldn't have received, delete those sounds that are unproductive, and archive those sounds that are instuctional, revelatory, corrective, protective, productive, edifying, and for our safe keeping. When we enter into an intimate relationship with the Lord that's nurtured by daily reverence and devotion, as a way of life, we become very sensitive to kingdom "sounds", whether they be the "still small" voice of God, or the bearly perceptible "brush of angel's wings",and we are blessed to "hear' on a far greater spirtiual plane than the typical or ordinary person. If one was to perform a random "sound check" on the regular believer, you would probably find the accumulative 'sounds" of "gossip", murmuring, complaining, criticism, grumbling, doubt, unbelief, and if you check closely, you may detect a little "hissing", and "snapping", and a bit of "swearing" for good measure, but these are NOT the sounds of God's kingdom, or His "kingdom minded ", and kingdom dominated people!

In the entertainment world, or any venue where the accoustics are relative to the "production" or rendering of "sound", there is aleways a "mic check", prior to beginning the actual show or service, to asure that the proper volume, mix, balance, and quality of acoustics are what they should be, because without the sound check, there's a possibiity that the "sounds" may echo, have too much, or not enough "bass", fail to carry properly, or be distorted. The same exact principles of a "sound check" should apply to the lives of God's people, and when and where it's not practiced or recognized, all one can hear is too much "feed back", distortion, and the disappointing absence of volume or depth to effectively convey and receive the heavenly sounds of God relating to His people through men, or an acceptable, corporate sound of reciprocal worship and adoration. Where there's discord, contention, word curses, spite, malice, back biting, selfish ambition, greed, envy, competitive jealousy, pride, arrogance, control, rebellion, and slander, there is, indeed, a "sound" released, but it is a sound of torment , and of offense to the Lord, no more than an aggravating "noise", and it never leaves the bulding, because heaven does not receive such ungodly "sounds",in spite of the "gifts and the callings", and the "awesomeness" of flesh. There are sounds that one clothed in wisdom would do well to listen for, embrace and hear. One should strain to hear the imminent sound of thundering "hoof beats" that signal the return of Christ, in judgement! One should be sensitive to the sound od God's voice saying "detour not, neither to the left, nor to the right!" We should be able to hear His warnings that "trouble lies at the door, and "satan desires to sift you as wheat." We should be able to hear the "ruwach' breath of God, as He sweeps through, and moves in our services,and in our personal "secret places" where we've prepared Him room! We should be able to hear the angel of the Lord warn us of "danger", or "get thee to another place, because destruction is breathing down your neck!"Men always have and still do fret over whether or not there's a "Word from the Lord", and there always is, bcause even when God's not speaking, audibly, He's speaking through our circumstances, but in order to learn the kingdom "langage" of God and interpret His sounds, one must first execute a thorough "sound check", and do so as a pattern, and dsicipline of life!

We should be disciplined and "trained in our hearing, to be able to hear the "sound" of the "blood" that flowed from Immanuel's veins, and yet overflows as a fountai of life. We should be able to hear the sounds of shifting, realignment, and reformation! We should be able to hear the demons gnashing their teeth and plotting against the people of God. We should be able to "hear" our blessings, as they pursue us and gain momentum. We should be able to hear the gentle coaxing of the Lord calling us to a tine of early fellowhip at the 3-4 hour. We should ber able to discern the sound of our manifest healing, as our blood cells are purged and purified, our minds are regulated, and our organs and systems are surgically repaired! We should be able to hear the sound of a new "crowning" as God elevates us, and brings us from glory to glory! We should hear the sound of the 'sighing' of God's heart in disappointment and sorrow, when we establish 'other gods",and violate our covenant with Him!.We should be able to hear the sounds of the groanings of the Holy Spirit ,when we go our own way in self will, or when He's releasing a prayer burden to us, or He's grieved in the "flesh dominated" worship services we offer up to the Lord! If all these "sounds",are a mystery and mystical to you, chances are that you need a serious, log over-due 'SOUND CHECK"! God has given you an ear to hear, all that's relevant to your life, and your journey with Him, but it's up to you, to perform the necessary sound checks, and turn up the volume, to hear and know what God is saying unto His Church, and unto you!