As I prepared to preach Nehemiah 8, I couldn't help but notice the eagerness of the listeners in Nehemiah's day. God was truly preparing the soil of their hearts to receive the Word. Is there a way to prepare our hearts to hear the Word preached or is the tenderness of our hearts completely up to the Holy Spirit?
Certainly, the Holy Spirit can break the hardest heart without people preparing for it. If that were not true, no one would be saved. Nevertheless, believers can ready their hearts for the Word preached by the following:
Humble your heart - Remind yourself how much you need Him
Engage your emotions - Use song to lift emotions to match the gravity of the biblical themes
Ask for help - Pray for divine assistance in hearing the Word - attentiveness and tenderness
Ready to write - Bring your Bible and a journal to take notes (active listener)
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