Battle Drill #27:

Listen Before You Answer!

Proverbs 18:12-13 (NAS95)

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Listen Before You Answer!”

Effective communication skills are essential to the success of any military operation. In radio communications, there is a very important word that you must learn if you are going to be successful as a soldier. That word is “over.” When the speaker says, “over,” it means he is finished speaking. It implies that you, the receiver of the message, are now allowed to answer. If the speaker doesn’t need or expect an answer, and has nothing else to say, he doesn’t use the word, “over;” rather, he uses the word, “out.” Now, you as the receiver must give the appropriate response, such as “roger,” which means, “received,” and implies you understand what was communicated. That is different than “wilco,” which means “will comply” and indicates that you understand and will complete the task that has been given to you. Here’s the point of this lesson, both military protocol and basic communication etiquette dictate that you would never answer “roger” or “wilco” until the other person says, “over” because you can’t answer wisely without first listening to the entire message being communicated. You always listen before you answer, and that skill must be learned if we are going to CM as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Let’s learn how to train this skill, by listening to what the Field Manual has to say about it.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

Good communication requires two things: 1) assertiveness, which is the ability to put into words what you are trying to communicate; and 2) active listening, which is the ability to listen and hear what the person is saying to you. It takes both people to achieve effective communication, but it is active listening skills that allow you to verify you have heard the message before you answer the message; it is the skill of mirroring and validating the person for sharing their heart and mind with you. Which is why active listening requires your full person, your full attention. You can’t multitask when communicating with a person and expect to do it well. You need to stop what you are doing and give your full attention to the other person.

I encourage you to pray in the Spirit for God to give you wisdom and discernment so that you can have ears to hear what the person is trying to communicate to you. Often, we all need help to do this because what we hear is not always what the person is trying to say because we have filters from our own life experiences, our hurts, habits, and hang-ups, which can distort an accurate interpretation of the intended message. There are not only filters, but assumptions, particularly in situations where we already perceive we have been wronged. Therefore, active listening requires God’s assistance, as well as full body listening, to include your eyes to watch for non-verbal cues, and your ears to listen to words and tone because we all know that the same words can have different meanings based on how they are said. It requires patience to seek validation that you heard properly and to seek clarification when confused by what the person is saying, or why they are saying it to you.

If you care more about your response than you do the other person’s message, then you will never be good at communication. You may be able to lead meetings, give presentations, or speak from the front, but you will not achieve effective interpersonal communication skills. Listening before you give an answer requires you to have humility, one of the greatest attributes people can achieve through their relationship with God, and one that defined Jesus. A powerful illustration of this, from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, is found in Mark 10:46-52:

Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

Until you realize your own need, as a fellow blind beggar, to cry out for mercy and ask Jesus to open the eyes of your heart, you live in the reality of Proverbs 18:12a, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty.” A prideful person never listens before they answer because they presume to know what the other person is thinking and is going to say. A prideful person interrupts instead of listening, rushes to make judgments about the other person, and imputes motives on the other person based on those judgments. No wonder such pride leads to destruction, of our relationships, and of our own lives. There is a better way! Let us now take the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

If you haven’t learned the humility to sit in prayer and listen for God, then how do you expect to sit with a person and listen to them? Do you have a regular rhythm of practicing silence as a part of your prayer life? Silence with God is where humility is forged into our character! It is my firm conviction that there is a direct correlation between our prayer life – our consistency to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen – and our ability to listen before we answer. Why? Because a good listener is someone who has learned the value of humility, and a humble heart is forged in the crucible of your prayer life, not the productivity or efficiency of your work life. A famous example of this is found in Luke 10:38-42:

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Mary was humble to listen, as Proverbs 18:12b states, “humility goes before honor.” Jesus honored her and forever established the precedent that sitting at His feet and listening is the one thing necessary in the Christian life. Are you daily doing the one thing necessary? Why is it that we so often give ourselves to answering before we listen, to working before we pray, to going into our day without first reading the Field Manual? I’ll tell you why, because of pride! And we demonstrate our pride through our inability to be good listeners. Our relationships are filled with presumption and pride and that is why we are experiencing destruction in so many aspects of our culture and communities. Presumption and pride are the enemies of communication! That brings us to the final action step of our training regimen.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…

Jesus taught us in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is our Commander’s intent – for the world to know that we belong to Jesus and that they, too, can come into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, in His life, death, and resurrection. This is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ – Christ crucified, resurrected, and glorified is coming back to rescue His bride.

Are you listening? Or, in military language, “Do you copy? Over.”  

We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. How are we to know how to serve others, in the name of Jesus and with the love of God, if we don’t listen well enough to know the needs of our neighbors, which includes those in this room, those at home, and those with whom we work and play? Let’s take our cue from Jesus who went up to the blind beggar and listened to Him. We must learn to ask that same question, “What do you want God to do for you?” Instead of being presumptuous and prideful, assuming we know their answers or imputing motives on their lifestyle or circumstances, what if we actually listened? If we want people to understand Jesus is the answer, then we must be different when we approach them – humble, active listeners who care about them as real people and not just targets of evangelism.

Do you copy? Over.

According to military radio etiquette, you can respond to today’s message in one of two ways: 1) “Roger,” which means, “I have received and understand;” or 2) “Wilco,” which means, “I understand and will comply.” Maybe “Roger” is the best you can manage today. That’s ok; it is my prayer that as you walk with Jesus, it becomes easier and quicker for you to respond not just “Roger” but “Wilco.” May we work hard to discipline ourselves to listen before answering. Maybe “Roger-Wilco” is the right answer, even if it is redundant, “I receive, understand, and commit myself to training myself to comply.”  We will all fall short, but don’t quit just because you fail. Just like in anything, get back up and do it better the next time.

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Battle Drill #26:

“Apply First Aid – The Joy of the Lord is My Strength!”

Proverbs 17:22 (NAS95)

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Apply First Aid – The Joy of the Lord is My Strength!”

When I was a soldier, we were required to learn first aid and CPR. Why? Because the potential is high that a soldier, whether in training or on a battlefield, will need to apply first aid. In the same way, and for the same reasons, the good soldiers of Jesus Christ must train themselves to be able to apply first aid in all circumstances. God has provided a great medicine for our soul – the sweet balm of joy! There is much suffering and many tribulations in this life; therefore, we must build our lives upon the sure foundation of what Christ has given to us – His joy!

There is great joy found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is not only the joy of our eternal salvation, secured through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but this is the work of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of God’s presence in and though our lives that gives us a joy that will empower us through the mountaintops and valleys of our emotions and life experiences. Nehemiah 8:10 commands and promises, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Let me be clear from the beginning that the joy of the Lord is not a response to your circumstances, it is the posture of your heart in your circumstances, it is the firm foundation upon which you can biblically respond to your circumstances as a good soldier of Jesus! The strength of your joy is found in none other than the Rock of your Salvation – Jesus Christ! Let’s take the first action step of a soldier’s training routine to live on mission.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ “Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

An exceedingly great army came to life because God breathed His Holy Spirit upon a bunch of dry, lifeless bones. Ezekiel described the bones as “very dry,” as if to say, “there’s absolutely no life left in these bones, and there hasn’t been for a long time.” And how similar is the experience of a broken spirit? A broken spirit dries up the bones! The decay is not instant, but the longer the spirit remains broken, the more apparent it becomes that there has been no joy in that person’s spirit for a long time.

Have you lost your smile? Do you feel dried up by the circumstances of your life – weary from this life and heavy-burdened by sin? The answer to your dry-bones condition is the balm of joy through a relationship with Jesus Christ because a joyful heart causes good healing!

As I shared with you at our worship in the park service in Memorial Park a few weeks ago, my favorite song to start off the day is from Psalm 118:24, “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” This verse both reminds me and exhorts me to live according to what is true. One of the greatest ways to train this battle drill is through singing, so let us sing together this wonderfully simple, yet powerful hymn from Psalm 118:

This is the day (this is the day).

That the Lord has made (that the Lord has made).

We will rejoice (we will rejoice),

And be glad in it (and be glad in it).

This is the day that the Lord has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day (this is the day)

That the Lord has made.

The reason this verse, and its corresponding song, are so powerful to me is the context of the passage, found in Psalm 118:20-23:

This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter through it. I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

We rejoice and are glad because Jesus Christ has come and brought life to our dry bones! Jesus told us in John 10:7-11 that He is the gate of the Lord:

So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

Additionally, after Pentecost, in Acts 4:8-12, Peter preached that Jesus is the chief corner stone which the builders rejected:

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Holy Spirit brought life to the Church on Pentecost, raising up a new exceedingly great army for God. In the same way that the dry bones of Israel needed the Spirit of God to bring life and raise them up for a purpose as God’s army, so do you and I, today, as His Church, need the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our dry bones. Like the first Pentecost nearly two thousand years ago, God calls forth life to our dry-bones condition on purpose! He’s doing the same today, in and through us! Let us now take the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

Paul invites us to join him in Philippians 2:18, “You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.” Later, Paul commands in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” You can declare this in song, just like we did with Psalm 118:24, but you are to apply this to every circumstances. This decision, whether you rejoice, or not, has significant implications on your emotional stability, mental health, and spiritual vitality.

We see this truth laid out for us in Proverbs 15:13-16:

Joy is not about our ever-changing circumstances, but our unwavering trust in God and His promises – our rejoicing in Him and His power to perform every promise, on time, every time, in us and through us! How many of would “rejoice always” if we walked under own strength. It’s impossible! Our joy comes from knowing that the resources at our disposal are not limited to the inadequacy of our humanity, but rather the resources we have access to flow from the fountain of grace that brings us salvation and the power to walk confidently and securely in all our circumstances – the Holy Spirit! In His power, we live on mission for God. This brings us to the final action step of our training regimen.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

We live on mission by reflecting the heart of Jesus Christ in how we live our lives and in how we conduct our business. This is our calling as image bearers of God – to reflect Jesus by living our lives as He did His. Jesus was motivated by the joy of the Lord, and went to the Cross for His joy to be made full in us, as promised in John 17:13, and as described in Hebrews 12:2-3:

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

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