Jesus said, “Take heed what ye hear”, Mk 4:24.  What you listen to will affect you and your relationship to the Lord.  Things you hear will either strengthen your faith in God’s words or cause doubt.  

What you hear can strengthen your faith. When you listen to the words of God, God gives you more from his words.  v.24 …Unto you that hear shall more be given.  v.25 … to him shall be given.  You can read and listen to things that bolster your faith in the words of God.  Listening to Bible believing preaching and teaching is a good way to strengthen your faith and learn.  God gives you more from what you hear and from what you read.  Even good supplemental material can help.

What you hear can weaken your faith.  When you hear things that are contrary to the truth of the words of God, you start losing what you had. v.25 … from him shall be taken even that which he hath.  Kids that grow up in church and then go to college often start believing things that are contrary to the Bible.  Soon, it’s as if they have never heard or believed the Bible.

What you hear can affect your spirit.  News, for example, can make you mad or afraid.  Something you hear can trouble you.  In Matt 2:1-3, hearing about the birth of Jesus troubled Herod and all Jerusalem.  When something has troubled your spirit, you may be reading, but you aren’t getting anything.  And you are losing some of what you had before.  The effect on your spirit is having an effect on your mind.  Your mind is not sound, 2 Tim 1:7.  I have heard several people say that they know people who have lost their minds.  Watch out what you’re listening to.

What you hear can cause confusion. 1 Cor 14:29-33. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.  I know people who have no peace right now about what to do.  And they’ll say after praying, I just can’t get peace about this or that.  Often, the reason they can’t get peace is that they have read something that has confused them.  And that confusion has taken away something they had from the word of God before.  You’ll hear people talk about not being sure if they believe, for example.

Conclusion

Get back into your Bible.  You may need an audio Bible, as well, just to help you focus on what you’re reading.  Pray Ps 119:18 before you read.  And protect your spirit and your mind by taking heed to what you hear.