The two primary characteristics of the people of God are that they listen and obey. It’s not enough just to listen or recognize that God has said something; we must obey. We are in desperate need of listening to God and perceiving what He is doing, Pastor Allen Jackson says, and that is more about the attributes of our hearts than it is about our physical ability to hear. It is possible, he says, to be the people of God, and engaged in all kinds of religious activity, yet still be oblivious to what God is saying and doing. A person becomes a spiritual listener by putting off the old self and being made new in the attitudes of our heart and mind. When we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us, our hearts will remain tender toward the Lord and we can recognize what He is doing and participate in His purposes in the earth.