What is the name God is calling you that you're afraid to step into? What is God call you that He placed in you that you don't see yet?
I've had those two questions running through my head for a few weeks. I started reflecting on them after reading the story of Gideon in Judges 6 & 7. Gideon's story isn't a long run in Scripture, but it has some powerful lessons for us.
Judges 6:1-16 is the passage I was reading when these questions formed in my mind. I'm only going to include a couple of verses here, but you can read the passage in its entirety here if you want.
"When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said: The Lord is with you mighty warrior." (Judges 6:12)
After stating how he didn't see how God was with Israel (Judges 6:13), Gideon protests the name Mighty Warrior.
"Pardon me, my Lord, Gideon replied, but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family." (Judges 6:15)
Not only could Gideon not see how God was with His people, he didn't believe what God had to say about him with the name God used.
Granted, from a human perspective, Gideon was right. His human perspective couldn't see God and definitely wouldn't see his hiding in a winepress as being a mighty warrior. I suspect we'd all feel the same way in a similar situation.
But, God isn't limited by our human perspective. He sees beyond it. He sees what He has placed in us.
In the moment when he was first called a mighty warrior, Gideon didn't look it or feel it, but God knew that was what he was going to become. So God called Gideon a mighty warrior - He called out what He knew was in Gideon and called Gideon to step into it.
I think God does the same thing with us. He uses the people He places around us to call us to step into what He has for us.
We may not see in ourselves what someone is calling out in us. We might protest what we hear and have our own list of reasons why we're not the person that is being called out in us.
The question is whether we'll respond or not. Gideon protested and asked for proof it was God, but eventually stepped into the name he was called. And Gideon is no remembered in Scripture as a mighty warrior.
What about us?
Will we respond by stepping it it, even if we're not sure yet?
Or will we run from it, because we're not sure yet?
Like Gideon, our choice determines the life we'll live and how we will be remembered.
Showing posts with label speaks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label speaks. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
How do You Respond to Hearing God's Word?
Take a look around you . . .
How many Bibles do you see?
Where are they sitting? The floor? A table? A shelf?
How long since they were last opened?
I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, but I do want to challenge you today, the way I've been challenged recently.
This one starts with a book my three year old niece signed out of our church library. I've read a lot of different stories to her, but, while I don't mind reading most of them, I'm not used to them being anything other than stories to me - some familiar, some not. To say I was a little surprised when the one I was reading to her began to challenge might be an understatement.
I went home later that evening still thinking about it. The story was a simple one about a kid who lost his Bible and hadn't been treating it well, and why he should treat it better once he found it. As I sat at home that evenings, I counted at least 10 Bibles on the shelf by my chair, another on a table, and there's one in my office at work. And then, who knows how many available through the Bible app on my phone. All of them used at some point or other - some more than others.
I left the thoughts about it at that, until I was reading in Nehemiah a couple weeks later, when I couple of verses prompted the thoughts again.
To set the scene a bit: Nehemiah had returned to Jerusalem and had led the rebuilding of the wall, with the other exiles that had returned. It was now complete and they had been re-establishing the residents of the city. All who could understand had gathered to hear Ezra, the priest, read the Law of Moses aloud.
Nehemiah 8:5-6 says:
When Israel heard God's Word being read they stood to their feet and then they bowed low in worship of God.
When I read those words, all the questions I had asked a couple weeks ago cam flooding back.
It was different for Israel because they didn't each own their own copies of God's Word, but I began to wonder if we could learn something their response to God's Word. Something I wonder if we've lost with all our easy and immediate access to Bibles today. Something I've lost.
How do I treat God's Word?
How do I respond to it being read?
The Bible is God's Word to us. God speaking to us through it - into our lives today.
But, maybe I've gotten so used to it being always available I've forgotten what a privilege it is to have it so easily accessible to me?
Maybe it's become so commonplace in my life I don't treat it the way I should?
I'm not saying our Bibles should be objects we worship. But, I do wonder if the way we treat them can, at least sometimes, be a reflection of the value we're placing on God's Words to us? Maybe there is value in us reflecting on the way we treat the Bibles we have and whether that reflects the value we place on it, or if there's some inconsistency there we need to deal with.
How does my heart respond to hearing God's Word?
Maybe it won't be the right place to physically stand and then bow low in worship in response to God's Word, but even then, we still can in our hearts.
What is the attitude and response of your heart to hearing God's Word?
Is how you treat your Bible (or Bibles) a reflection of that? Should it be?
Do you need to change something here?
How many Bibles do you see?
Where are they sitting? The floor? A table? A shelf?
How long since they were last opened?
I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, but I do want to challenge you today, the way I've been challenged recently.
This one starts with a book my three year old niece signed out of our church library. I've read a lot of different stories to her, but, while I don't mind reading most of them, I'm not used to them being anything other than stories to me - some familiar, some not. To say I was a little surprised when the one I was reading to her began to challenge might be an understatement.
I went home later that evening still thinking about it. The story was a simple one about a kid who lost his Bible and hadn't been treating it well, and why he should treat it better once he found it. As I sat at home that evenings, I counted at least 10 Bibles on the shelf by my chair, another on a table, and there's one in my office at work. And then, who knows how many available through the Bible app on my phone. All of them used at some point or other - some more than others.
I left the thoughts about it at that, until I was reading in Nehemiah a couple weeks later, when I couple of verses prompted the thoughts again.
To set the scene a bit: Nehemiah had returned to Jerusalem and had led the rebuilding of the wall, with the other exiles that had returned. It was now complete and they had been re-establishing the residents of the city. All who could understand had gathered to hear Ezra, the priest, read the Law of Moses aloud.
Nehemiah 8:5-6 says:
Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, Amen! Amen! Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. (emphasis mine)
When Israel heard God's Word being read they stood to their feet and then they bowed low in worship of God.
When I read those words, all the questions I had asked a couple weeks ago cam flooding back.
It was different for Israel because they didn't each own their own copies of God's Word, but I began to wonder if we could learn something their response to God's Word. Something I wonder if we've lost with all our easy and immediate access to Bibles today. Something I've lost.
How do I treat God's Word?
How do I respond to it being read?
The Bible is God's Word to us. God speaking to us through it - into our lives today.
But, maybe I've gotten so used to it being always available I've forgotten what a privilege it is to have it so easily accessible to me?
Maybe it's become so commonplace in my life I don't treat it the way I should?
I'm not saying our Bibles should be objects we worship. But, I do wonder if the way we treat them can, at least sometimes, be a reflection of the value we're placing on God's Words to us? Maybe there is value in us reflecting on the way we treat the Bibles we have and whether that reflects the value we place on it, or if there's some inconsistency there we need to deal with.
How does my heart respond to hearing God's Word?
Maybe it won't be the right place to physically stand and then bow low in worship in response to God's Word, but even then, we still can in our hearts.
What is the attitude and response of your heart to hearing God's Word?
Is how you treat your Bible (or Bibles) a reflection of that? Should it be?
Do you need to change something here?
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Calming the Storm
That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowds behind, they took Him along just as He was in the boat. There was also other boats with Him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him."
-Mark 4:35-41
I can find it hard to imagine what it would be like to be in the boat when Jesus calmed the storm. One minute you're in the middle of a violent storm and the next everything is completely calm. All because of Jesus' words. I get the disciples' reaction to it.
This isn't just a thing of the time when Jesus was on earth. His words still have the same power to calm the storm today. It's not always a physical storm, in terms of wind and waves and danger of drowning. The storm can be the circumstances around us, the emotions of a situation. All sorts of things can be the storms of our lives.
When we're listening for His voice, we hear Him speaking to the storm.
When we cry out to Jesus, as the disciples did, we can hear Jesus' voice speaking.
. . . Speaking peace when worry, anxiety, and fear over things we can't control is raging.
. . . Speaking truth when lies are dragging us down a dangerous path.
. . . Speaking encouragement when it feels like too much for us to keep on going.
. . . Speaking guidance when the path to take is obscured.
. . . Speaking courage when fear of the storm has pushed us into hiding.
Jesus continues to speak to the storms in our lives to calm them. Even if the storm continues to rage around us, His words can be the calm that keeps us persevering and clinging to Him.
What storm in your life do you need Jesus to speak to right now?
Will you take the time to listen for His voice speaking to it?
Thursday, February 25, 2016
The Right Soil
The Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20 is a familiar one.
A farmer goes out to scatter seed. There's four places the seed lands:
Each of the soils represents a heart and how receptive it is to the Word of God.
In some hearts, it will be snatched away before it even try to grow.
In some hearts, it will begin to grow, but won't last when hard times come.
In some hearts, it will be choked out by the worries and anxieties of life.
In some hearts, it will take root and produce fruit in their lives.
I've always heard this parable spoken of in regards to salvation. It's a pretty clear application.
As I was reading it recently, I was struck by how this applies to more than just salvation. The same concepts continue to apply to our hearts after salvation as well.
We continually have a choice in how we'll respond to God's voice in our lives. When He speaks to us, our hope may be that those words will always take root in our lives and bear fruit, but that's not always the case. Those words can land on any one of these types of soil when we're believers as well.
Sometimes we've wandered away and given Satan access he shouldn't have and he uses this to grab the words before they have a chance to grow.
Sometimes we're not will to deal with the sin in areas of our lives and when the word speaks to those areas it grows quickly but doesn't last because there's no way for the roots to go deep.
Sometimes our focus shifts and we get so focused on the worries and anxieties of life that they choke out the words of truth God is speaking.
Sometimes our heart is receptive to what we're hearing and we respond in a way that brings what God desires those words to bring in our lives.
What kind of soil is your heart right now?
A farmer goes out to scatter seed. There's four places the seed lands:
- Path - where the birds eat it up right away
- Rocky Places - where it springs up quickly but doesn't last when the sun comes because there is no root
- Thorns - where it gets choked by the thorns growing around it before it can really take root and grow
- Good Soil - where it takes root, grows, and produces a crop
Each of the soils represents a heart and how receptive it is to the Word of God.
In some hearts, it will be snatched away before it even try to grow.
In some hearts, it will begin to grow, but won't last when hard times come.
In some hearts, it will be choked out by the worries and anxieties of life.
In some hearts, it will take root and produce fruit in their lives.
I've always heard this parable spoken of in regards to salvation. It's a pretty clear application.
As I was reading it recently, I was struck by how this applies to more than just salvation. The same concepts continue to apply to our hearts after salvation as well.
We continually have a choice in how we'll respond to God's voice in our lives. When He speaks to us, our hope may be that those words will always take root in our lives and bear fruit, but that's not always the case. Those words can land on any one of these types of soil when we're believers as well.
Sometimes we've wandered away and given Satan access he shouldn't have and he uses this to grab the words before they have a chance to grow.
Sometimes we're not will to deal with the sin in areas of our lives and when the word speaks to those areas it grows quickly but doesn't last because there's no way for the roots to go deep.
Sometimes our focus shifts and we get so focused on the worries and anxieties of life that they choke out the words of truth God is speaking.
Sometimes our heart is receptive to what we're hearing and we respond in a way that brings what God desires those words to bring in our lives.
What kind of soil is your heart right now?
Sunday, December 27, 2015
One Deadly Thing we do Too Much
Comparison kills.
It kills . . . friendships.
. . . ministry opportunities.
. . . joy.
. . . satisfaction.
. . . our relationship with God.
I was reminded of the deadly role of comparison recently. It didn't seem like it was a big deal. It was just a passing thought. But, a few hours later, I realized that momentary thought was having a deadly impact on my ministry in this situation.
As I sat with a group of people praying together, the thought crossed my mind that the other people in the group seemed to pray more eloquently and with more smoothly flowing words than me. I quickly dismissed the thought as being ridiculous - I mean, why would anyone compare that?
It wasn't until a few hours later that I realized the impact of that passing thought. I didn't pray much in that group after I made that comparison. Even a fleeting comparison of my prayers to others' prayers had killed that time of engaging in prayer ministry in that situation. And, if I'd left it undealt with would have eventually killed any prayer ministry opportunities in the future.
Comparison is an insidious plan from Satan to kill what God wants to do in and through us. In the moment it seems harmless. We think nothing of it. We often miss the impact it has on us until later.
Comparison keeps us held back in fear. We're not good enough. We'll never do it as well as someone else. Comparison leaves us cowering in a corner trying to protect ourselves, rather than living the life God wants us to live.
John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." Satan is the thief that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Comparison is one of the tools he uses to do this. It's an effective tool in his arsenal because it can seem harmless in the moment.
Jesus offers us life - an abundant life - if we choose to follow Him. He invites us into a life we couldn't imagine on our own. We have to step out and trust that He is with us in it - that He will never fail or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Even when comparison would kill us, when we're facing our own insecurities about how to do something, we choose to trust God and go with Him.
I fight each day against falling to the comparison game that always leaves me wanting. It kept me from doing what God asked me to do for far too long. Now that I know what comes when I don't give in to comparison, I don't want to do back. But, it's still a choice I make daily and I still have to deal with moments when I give in to the comparison game again.
The difference comes when we choose to go to God with it when we begin to make those comparisons. Instead of giving into the fear, the need to protect ourselves, the death that comes with comparison, we need to seek God's perspective on the matter.
When I realized the comparison I had made was having a negative impact on things, I instead asked God for His perspective on what He was seeing there. I asked Him how He saw me in that setting. As my perspective changed, I realized that it's not eloquent or smoothly flowing words that make prayers effective, it's the heart behind them. And that meant my comparison was worthless and an attempt by Satan to steal, kill, and destroy in my life.
Then I had a choice to make. I could continue to believe the lie that came from the comparison, or I could choose to believe God and see things from His perspective. But, I had to choose. I couldn't be passive about it. I had to make a choice and act from that point.
We all have that choice when we realize we've gotten caught in the comparison trap. We can stay there and allow that comparison to kill. Or, we can ask God for His perspective and change our view on the situation. What will you choose to do?
It kills . . . friendships.
. . . ministry opportunities.
. . . joy.
. . . satisfaction.
. . . our relationship with God.
I was reminded of the deadly role of comparison recently. It didn't seem like it was a big deal. It was just a passing thought. But, a few hours later, I realized that momentary thought was having a deadly impact on my ministry in this situation.
As I sat with a group of people praying together, the thought crossed my mind that the other people in the group seemed to pray more eloquently and with more smoothly flowing words than me. I quickly dismissed the thought as being ridiculous - I mean, why would anyone compare that?
It wasn't until a few hours later that I realized the impact of that passing thought. I didn't pray much in that group after I made that comparison. Even a fleeting comparison of my prayers to others' prayers had killed that time of engaging in prayer ministry in that situation. And, if I'd left it undealt with would have eventually killed any prayer ministry opportunities in the future.
Comparison is an insidious plan from Satan to kill what God wants to do in and through us. In the moment it seems harmless. We think nothing of it. We often miss the impact it has on us until later.
Comparison keeps us held back in fear. We're not good enough. We'll never do it as well as someone else. Comparison leaves us cowering in a corner trying to protect ourselves, rather than living the life God wants us to live.
John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." Satan is the thief that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Comparison is one of the tools he uses to do this. It's an effective tool in his arsenal because it can seem harmless in the moment.
Jesus offers us life - an abundant life - if we choose to follow Him. He invites us into a life we couldn't imagine on our own. We have to step out and trust that He is with us in it - that He will never fail or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Even when comparison would kill us, when we're facing our own insecurities about how to do something, we choose to trust God and go with Him.
I fight each day against falling to the comparison game that always leaves me wanting. It kept me from doing what God asked me to do for far too long. Now that I know what comes when I don't give in to comparison, I don't want to do back. But, it's still a choice I make daily and I still have to deal with moments when I give in to the comparison game again.
The difference comes when we choose to go to God with it when we begin to make those comparisons. Instead of giving into the fear, the need to protect ourselves, the death that comes with comparison, we need to seek God's perspective on the matter.
When I realized the comparison I had made was having a negative impact on things, I instead asked God for His perspective on what He was seeing there. I asked Him how He saw me in that setting. As my perspective changed, I realized that it's not eloquent or smoothly flowing words that make prayers effective, it's the heart behind them. And that meant my comparison was worthless and an attempt by Satan to steal, kill, and destroy in my life.
Then I had a choice to make. I could continue to believe the lie that came from the comparison, or I could choose to believe God and see things from His perspective. But, I had to choose. I couldn't be passive about it. I had to make a choice and act from that point.
We all have that choice when we realize we've gotten caught in the comparison trap. We can stay there and allow that comparison to kill. Or, we can ask God for His perspective and change our view on the situation. What will you choose to do?
Monday, December 21, 2015
Do You Doubt God's Voice?
I've often doubted if what I thought I was hearing was really God's voice. Or if it was just my own thoughts. And I've talked to others who feel the same way. We know God speaks, but we doubt it's actually Him when He speaks to us.
As I've been reflecting on the Christmas story these last few weeks, I've been struck by how so many of the people involved heard God speak in some way and they knew it was God. Scripture doesn't record that doubt kept them from believing that it was God speaking to them. And this after 400 years of silence from God. Even then, they still believed God about some things that may have sounded a little crazy and scandalous.
An angel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple to announce that he and his wife would be the parents of John the Baptist. He didn't believe perfectly, but he knew that it was God speaking to him. Luke 1:11 says, "Then an angel of he Lord appeared to him . . ." Zechariah knew it was God speaking to him - even if the message brought sounded impossible.
Luke 1 goes on to provide the account of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus - the promised Messiah. Mary had questions about how it would happen, but she did choose to believe. Verse 38 records her response to the message from God the angel brought, "I am the Lord's servant, may your word to me be fulfilled." Again, she heard God speak and she believed him.
Now, it could be easy to dismiss these two examples because the appearance of an angel seems like it would be easier to believe the words. But, in both of these situations, the message brought would be challenging. A son in your old age. A son when you're a virgin. Not exactly the easiest things to believe.
And then there's Joseph. God spoke to him as well, and he chose to believe God and follow through on what he was told. Matthew 1:20 tells us that "the Lord appeared to him in a dream." God's words to Joseph to take Mary as his wife even though she was pregnant wouldn't have been an easy message, but Joseph didn't doubt they were from God.
Luke 2 talks about a man named Simeon who was at the Temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus as required by the law. He has been told by God he wouldn't die until he saw the Messiah. When he saw Jesus at the Temple, he knew exactly who this baby was.
If Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph believed these messages from God when they heard them, what made them sure they were from God? What gave them the confidence to trust that these hard and scandalous messages were actually from God?
I think some words in how they were described provide the key to that.
Matthew 1: 19 described Joseph as "faithful to the law."
Zechariah and his wife are described this way in Luke 1: 6, "Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly."
Mary is described as being highly favoured by God by the angel who came to her in Luke 1:28.
Luke 2: 25 described Simeon as righteous and devout.
All of those descriptions speak of people who chose to follow God - to seek God and to know Him. It's because of their relationship with God that they had learned to recognize God's voice. They knew Who He was. They knew what He had said in the past. And because they knew that, they knew this was God, and they knew they could trust what He was saying. This was where their confidence to believe and to act on what they heard came from.
This challenges me in my own walk with God. To be continually seeking to know God better. To develop a relationship where I more easily recognize God's voice and am ready to believe and act on what I hear.
As I've been reflecting on the Christmas story these last few weeks, I've been struck by how so many of the people involved heard God speak in some way and they knew it was God. Scripture doesn't record that doubt kept them from believing that it was God speaking to them. And this after 400 years of silence from God. Even then, they still believed God about some things that may have sounded a little crazy and scandalous.
An angel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple to announce that he and his wife would be the parents of John the Baptist. He didn't believe perfectly, but he knew that it was God speaking to him. Luke 1:11 says, "Then an angel of he Lord appeared to him . . ." Zechariah knew it was God speaking to him - even if the message brought sounded impossible.
Luke 1 goes on to provide the account of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus - the promised Messiah. Mary had questions about how it would happen, but she did choose to believe. Verse 38 records her response to the message from God the angel brought, "I am the Lord's servant, may your word to me be fulfilled." Again, she heard God speak and she believed him.
Now, it could be easy to dismiss these two examples because the appearance of an angel seems like it would be easier to believe the words. But, in both of these situations, the message brought would be challenging. A son in your old age. A son when you're a virgin. Not exactly the easiest things to believe.
And then there's Joseph. God spoke to him as well, and he chose to believe God and follow through on what he was told. Matthew 1:20 tells us that "the Lord appeared to him in a dream." God's words to Joseph to take Mary as his wife even though she was pregnant wouldn't have been an easy message, but Joseph didn't doubt they were from God.
Luke 2 talks about a man named Simeon who was at the Temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus as required by the law. He has been told by God he wouldn't die until he saw the Messiah. When he saw Jesus at the Temple, he knew exactly who this baby was.
If Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph believed these messages from God when they heard them, what made them sure they were from God? What gave them the confidence to trust that these hard and scandalous messages were actually from God?
I think some words in how they were described provide the key to that.
Matthew 1: 19 described Joseph as "faithful to the law."
Zechariah and his wife are described this way in Luke 1: 6, "Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly."
Mary is described as being highly favoured by God by the angel who came to her in Luke 1:28.
Luke 2: 25 described Simeon as righteous and devout.
All of those descriptions speak of people who chose to follow God - to seek God and to know Him. It's because of their relationship with God that they had learned to recognize God's voice. They knew Who He was. They knew what He had said in the past. And because they knew that, they knew this was God, and they knew they could trust what He was saying. This was where their confidence to believe and to act on what they heard came from.
This challenges me in my own walk with God. To be continually seeking to know God better. To develop a relationship where I more easily recognize God's voice and am ready to believe and act on what I hear.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Desperate for the Truth
Most of the time I can go through life content with knowing just enough of the truth to keep going. I just need to have enough of God's truth in my life to be able to live a comfortable life. I may even know I'm deceived in a specific area, but it doesn't really bother me.
At least, that used to be how I lived. I can't live that way anymore. Not once I discovered the freedom that comes with knowing the truth.
Hearing the truth can be painful sometimes. And it can be difficult to learn how to live the truth - especially is we've been living deceived for a while.
But once we learn of the freedom the truth brings in our lives, we see no other way to really live. We become desperate for the truth.
I'm not talking about what we decide the truth is. Or what our culture tells us the truth is. Those will keep us living lives that are bound up in deception.
The truth we are really desperate for is God's truth - contained in His Word. God's truth is what sets us free. God's truth is what really allows us to live.
But we live in a world where truth isn't sought. A world where truth changes from person to person. We get caught in a trap of deception and we're now convinced it's the truth.
We're all caught in it to some degree. It's more obvious for some of us than for others. Sometimes we can hide the ways we're caught in the web of deception and sometimes we can't.
The good news is that we don't have to stay stuck. With God's help, we can begin to discover His truth - the real truth. The truth that frees us.
As we seek Him, we hear His truth spoken to the lies we've been believing. As we take the truth we hear and ask God to help us learn to live it, we find one more part of us is freed from the web of deception we've been tangled in.
As we begin to experience this freedom, we want more of it. We start to search for the truth because it is what sets us free.
We'll spend our entire lives on this seeking of God's truth. And we'll quickly discover it's a worthwhile way to live. Growing deeper in our relationship with God as we continue our desperate search for the truth.
At least, that used to be how I lived. I can't live that way anymore. Not once I discovered the freedom that comes with knowing the truth.
Hearing the truth can be painful sometimes. And it can be difficult to learn how to live the truth - especially is we've been living deceived for a while.
But once we learn of the freedom the truth brings in our lives, we see no other way to really live. We become desperate for the truth.
I'm not talking about what we decide the truth is. Or what our culture tells us the truth is. Those will keep us living lives that are bound up in deception.
The truth we are really desperate for is God's truth - contained in His Word. God's truth is what sets us free. God's truth is what really allows us to live.
But we live in a world where truth isn't sought. A world where truth changes from person to person. We get caught in a trap of deception and we're now convinced it's the truth.
We're all caught in it to some degree. It's more obvious for some of us than for others. Sometimes we can hide the ways we're caught in the web of deception and sometimes we can't.
The good news is that we don't have to stay stuck. With God's help, we can begin to discover His truth - the real truth. The truth that frees us.
As we seek Him, we hear His truth spoken to the lies we've been believing. As we take the truth we hear and ask God to help us learn to live it, we find one more part of us is freed from the web of deception we've been tangled in.
As we begin to experience this freedom, we want more of it. We start to search for the truth because it is what sets us free.
We'll spend our entire lives on this seeking of God's truth. And we'll quickly discover it's a worthwhile way to live. Growing deeper in our relationship with God as we continue our desperate search for the truth.
Friday, March 27, 2015
How do we Hear God's Voice?
It's not often we're pointed to the truth of God's Word and God's ways on popular TV shows. But I was reminded of the importance of listening for God's voice and learning to recognize it a few times recently as I was re-watching a few seasons of one of my favourite shows.
In a few of the episodes I've watched recently, the topic of God speaking to us and how do we know if it was God or not has come up. I think those are questions we can often wrestle with ourselves:
I know those are questions I've wrestled with in my own walk. And they're questions that I think are ones we continue to to learn more about all the time.
As I keep growing in my relationship with God, I become more convinced that He speaks to us. And I learn more about how He speaks and how to know if it was God. It's a journey where I don't expect to arrive at the end while I walk on this earth.
When it comes to relationship, it's something where we're always learning and growing. With our friends, the longer we call them friends and the more we take the time to get to know them, the more we recognize things about them easily. The same is true in our relationship with God - the more time we spend with Him, the more easily we will recognize when He is speaking to us.
In the TV show I was watching, one of the characters said something about asking God and then listening carefully for His response. That line stuck with me because I think it's the key to all of this. We have to create space to listen for God's voice.
Just as we create space to listen to our friends, we have to create space to hear God speak. We can't just quickly pray and then move on to the next thing. We can't just quickly read a few verses in our Bible and then run to the next activity we have planned. It our time with God is just to check the next things off a "to-do list," we don't recognize God's voice speaking to us.
To recognize God's voice when He speaks, we have to create the space to learn to listen for His voice.
We begin by learning to linger over our prayer and Bible reading.
We begin by intentionally creating space.
And as we learn to recognize God's voice more in these intentional times, we learn to recognize God's voice when He speaks in the midst of the busy moments of our lives as well.
In a few of the episodes I've watched recently, the topic of God speaking to us and how do we know if it was God or not has come up. I think those are questions we can often wrestle with ourselves:
- Does God speak to us?
- How does He speak to us?
- How do I know if it was God speaking?
I know those are questions I've wrestled with in my own walk. And they're questions that I think are ones we continue to to learn more about all the time.
As I keep growing in my relationship with God, I become more convinced that He speaks to us. And I learn more about how He speaks and how to know if it was God. It's a journey where I don't expect to arrive at the end while I walk on this earth.
When it comes to relationship, it's something where we're always learning and growing. With our friends, the longer we call them friends and the more we take the time to get to know them, the more we recognize things about them easily. The same is true in our relationship with God - the more time we spend with Him, the more easily we will recognize when He is speaking to us.
In the TV show I was watching, one of the characters said something about asking God and then listening carefully for His response. That line stuck with me because I think it's the key to all of this. We have to create space to listen for God's voice.
Just as we create space to listen to our friends, we have to create space to hear God speak. We can't just quickly pray and then move on to the next thing. We can't just quickly read a few verses in our Bible and then run to the next activity we have planned. It our time with God is just to check the next things off a "to-do list," we don't recognize God's voice speaking to us.
To recognize God's voice when He speaks, we have to create the space to learn to listen for His voice.
We begin by learning to linger over our prayer and Bible reading.
We begin by intentionally creating space.
And as we learn to recognize God's voice more in these intentional times, we learn to recognize God's voice when He speaks in the midst of the busy moments of our lives as well.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Freedom? A Prison Cell? Or Both?
"Living free but from a prison cell"
(All You've Ever Wanted, Casting Crowns)
I haven't been able to get that line out my mind since the first time I heard the song.
"Living free but from a prison cell"
I think it's far more true than we would care to admit, even though, at first listen, it may not seem to make sense. But, if we think about it for a while, we can't help but see the reality of it.
God sets us free from the things that used to imprison us. He breaks the chains that held us down and opens the door of our prison. But, instead of getting up and walking out the open door, we stay in our prison cell. We're free, but we' staying in the prison cell.
It sounds ridiculous, but it's what we often do. And I can't help but wonder what God thinks when He watches us do this.
He loves us enough to pay the ultimate price for our freedom. I wonder if He looks at us with compassion, longing for us to walk out the open door. Longing for us to really live in the freedom He has brought in our lives.
Where has God brought freedom in your life?
Where has God opened the prison door for you?
How you walked through the open door to really live in the freedom God has brought? Or are you trying to live out the freedom within the confines of the prison cell, completely missing the open door?
Saturday, September 7, 2013
What's Your Response to God Speaking to You?
I was reading the often all-too-familiar Christmas story the other day. This time as I was reading Matthew's account of it, I was struck by Joseph's example of hearing God speak and obeying it.
In the first two chapters of his gospel, Matthew records three examples of Joseph hearing God and obeying what he hears.
First, Joseph is told by an angel in a dream that he shouldn't be afraid to take Mary as his wife because the child she was carrying was from God (Matthew 1:20). A few verses later, we're told that Joseph did take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24).
The second example comes after the visit from the Magi. An angel again appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him he needs to escape to Egypt with Mary and the child because Herod wants to kill the child (Matthew 2:13). So Joseph took Mary and the child to Egypt (Matthew 2:14).
An angel of the Lord appears to Joseph a third time after Herod's death and tells him to return to Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-20). Once again, Joseph obeys (Matthew 2:21).
Now, I acknowledge that God would have still protected His Son and carried out His plan no matter what Joseph had done. But I think Joseph still sets a great example for us in these instances.
When God spoke to Joseph, Joseph's response was to obey - even when it cost him to do so. He set an example of hearing God and then obeying God. I think it's an example we would do well to follow in our own lives.
I sometimes wonder if the biggest reason why we don't hear God's voice in our lives is that we haven't yet responded in obedience to what God has already said to us. We've asked God to speak to us and He has, but for whatever reason - whether fear or not wanting to do it or any other excuse we may give - we haven't obeyed what God has told us.
And, so I wonder if, when we are in this situation, God's response when we ask Him to speak to us again is, "I already told you what to do, when are you going to do it?"
I know it often plays out this way in my life. When I haven't obeyed what He's already told me, I get easily frustrated when I feel like He's not speaking to me. But I've learned in those times I need to step back and look for where God has already spoken and there's something I need to do.
Now, I'm not saying God won't ever speak to us if we're not obeying what He's already told us. Putting God in a box like that will never work. But I do think He speaks more - or, maybe better put, we listen to Him better - when we're already doing what He has told us.
We can learn much from Joseph's example here in Matthew 1-2. When we hear God's voice, our response should be obedience to what we hear. And as we keep responding that way we keep hearing God's voice directing us.
In the first two chapters of his gospel, Matthew records three examples of Joseph hearing God and obeying what he hears.
First, Joseph is told by an angel in a dream that he shouldn't be afraid to take Mary as his wife because the child she was carrying was from God (Matthew 1:20). A few verses later, we're told that Joseph did take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24).
The second example comes after the visit from the Magi. An angel again appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him he needs to escape to Egypt with Mary and the child because Herod wants to kill the child (Matthew 2:13). So Joseph took Mary and the child to Egypt (Matthew 2:14).
An angel of the Lord appears to Joseph a third time after Herod's death and tells him to return to Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-20). Once again, Joseph obeys (Matthew 2:21).
Now, I acknowledge that God would have still protected His Son and carried out His plan no matter what Joseph had done. But I think Joseph still sets a great example for us in these instances.
When God spoke to Joseph, Joseph's response was to obey - even when it cost him to do so. He set an example of hearing God and then obeying God. I think it's an example we would do well to follow in our own lives.
I sometimes wonder if the biggest reason why we don't hear God's voice in our lives is that we haven't yet responded in obedience to what God has already said to us. We've asked God to speak to us and He has, but for whatever reason - whether fear or not wanting to do it or any other excuse we may give - we haven't obeyed what God has told us.
And, so I wonder if, when we are in this situation, God's response when we ask Him to speak to us again is, "I already told you what to do, when are you going to do it?"
I know it often plays out this way in my life. When I haven't obeyed what He's already told me, I get easily frustrated when I feel like He's not speaking to me. But I've learned in those times I need to step back and look for where God has already spoken and there's something I need to do.
Now, I'm not saying God won't ever speak to us if we're not obeying what He's already told us. Putting God in a box like that will never work. But I do think He speaks more - or, maybe better put, we listen to Him better - when we're already doing what He has told us.
We can learn much from Joseph's example here in Matthew 1-2. When we hear God's voice, our response should be obedience to what we hear. And as we keep responding that way we keep hearing God's voice directing us.
Are you listening for God to speak?
Are you responding to what He says with obedience?
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Does God Still Speak to us Today?
When I was watching one of my favourite TV shows earlier today, a conversation on it made me start thinking. The family on the show is Catholic and discussions about faith are a regular part of the show. In this particular episode they were talking about whether God speaks and people can hear from Him. Some people in the family said He does and some people said He doesn't.
It got me started thinking about how we approach this in our own lives. Do we think that God still speaks to us? Or do we think that we talk to Him and He doesn't talk to us back?
I would say that Scripture makes it clear that God does speak to us today. And much of church history would tell us the same thing. Personal experience can too.
I began to wonder if the difference in whether we think God speaks to us today or not comes from how we approach it. If we go into it thinking God doesn't speak, then we're not going to stop and listen for His voice. But if we go into it thinking that God can and does speak to us, then we'll be listening for His voice.
I think we sometimes struggle with the idea of God speaking because it's not like sitting across the table and having someone say something to us. If God did that, I don't think we would have any question about whether God speaks to us today.
But, that's not what happens. We have to learn to recognize God's voice and how He speaks to us.
My biggest question when it comes to God speaking to us today has always been "How do I know it's actually God speaking?"
We learn to recognize God's voice better as we listen for it. If we don't take the time to listen, we'll never learn to recognize it.
How are you doing at taking the time to listen? Are you starting to recognize God's voice when He is speaking to you?
It got me started thinking about how we approach this in our own lives. Do we think that God still speaks to us? Or do we think that we talk to Him and He doesn't talk to us back?
I would say that Scripture makes it clear that God does speak to us today. And much of church history would tell us the same thing. Personal experience can too.
I began to wonder if the difference in whether we think God speaks to us today or not comes from how we approach it. If we go into it thinking God doesn't speak, then we're not going to stop and listen for His voice. But if we go into it thinking that God can and does speak to us, then we'll be listening for His voice.
I think we sometimes struggle with the idea of God speaking because it's not like sitting across the table and having someone say something to us. If God did that, I don't think we would have any question about whether God speaks to us today.
But, that's not what happens. We have to learn to recognize God's voice and how He speaks to us.
My biggest question when it comes to God speaking to us today has always been "How do I know it's actually God speaking?"
We learn to recognize God's voice better as we listen for it. If we don't take the time to listen, we'll never learn to recognize it.
How are you doing at taking the time to listen? Are you starting to recognize God's voice when He is speaking to you?
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The Way We Think Matters
I've been thinking a lot lately about the way we think about ourselves. The thoughts that fill our minds. The things we tell ourselves over and over. The things we eventually come to believe about ourselves.
The way we think and talk to ourselves has incredible power. In much the same way as someone else's words can have incredible power in our lives.
If something gets repeated often enough, we begin to believe it. And when we begin to believe it, we live it completely. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And then we get frustrated because we find ourselves stuck in patterns of thinking and living that we don't like and that we want to break out of, but we don't know how.
I know I've been there. And I know how frustrated I got when I felt stuck like that. I wanted to change, but I didn't know how to change those things, because I really honestly thought the things I was believing and telling myself over and over were true about me and couldn't be changed.
But, the good news is that we can change the way we think. It is possible - even though it may seem impossible at times.
With God's help we can begin to believe and tell ourselves things that are really true about ourselves. We can change our thinking to be in line with what God says about it.
We have to learn to listen to God speak His truth into our lives.
Through His Word.
Through other people in our lives.
Through His voice speaking to us personally.
It takes practice. It take time. But it is possible. Because God doesn't want us to stay stuck in those ways of thinking about ourselves. He wants something to change in us and He will help us to make it happen.
What are the things you're telling yourself about yourself?
What are you believing about yourself?
Do they need to be changed to be more in line with what God actually says is true about you?
Take them to God. Ask Him for His truth. And ask Him to help you believe it.
The way we think and talk to ourselves has incredible power. In much the same way as someone else's words can have incredible power in our lives.
If something gets repeated often enough, we begin to believe it. And when we begin to believe it, we live it completely. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And then we get frustrated because we find ourselves stuck in patterns of thinking and living that we don't like and that we want to break out of, but we don't know how.
I know I've been there. And I know how frustrated I got when I felt stuck like that. I wanted to change, but I didn't know how to change those things, because I really honestly thought the things I was believing and telling myself over and over were true about me and couldn't be changed.
But, the good news is that we can change the way we think. It is possible - even though it may seem impossible at times.
With God's help we can begin to believe and tell ourselves things that are really true about ourselves. We can change our thinking to be in line with what God says about it.
We have to learn to listen to God speak His truth into our lives.
Through His Word.
Through other people in our lives.
Through His voice speaking to us personally.
It takes practice. It take time. But it is possible. Because God doesn't want us to stay stuck in those ways of thinking about ourselves. He wants something to change in us and He will help us to make it happen.
What are the things you're telling yourself about yourself?
What are you believing about yourself?
Do they need to be changed to be more in line with what God actually says is true about you?
Take them to God. Ask Him for His truth. And ask Him to help you believe it.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Hearing God Repeat the Same Message
Have you ever had one of those times when it seems like every where you turn the same thing keeps coming up?
Different sources - same message.
When that happens I find myself wondering what God may be trying to tell me. It causes me to stop and listen more carefully. To pay attention to what I'm hearing.
I've found that God often speaks this way. He gives the same message to me in multiple ways. I might read it in my Bible, hear it in a message at church, read it on a blog or in a book, or have it come up in conversation with a friend. When that happens multiple times, I become pretty sure it's God speaking.
God speaks to us, but we have to learn to listen. If we don't begin to pay attention to those times when God keeps saying the same thing to us, we miss what God is saying. And missing what God is saying, makes life more difficult to live the way we were created to live it.
Different sources.
The same message.
Are you listening?
Different sources - same message.
When that happens I find myself wondering what God may be trying to tell me. It causes me to stop and listen more carefully. To pay attention to what I'm hearing.
I've found that God often speaks this way. He gives the same message to me in multiple ways. I might read it in my Bible, hear it in a message at church, read it on a blog or in a book, or have it come up in conversation with a friend. When that happens multiple times, I become pretty sure it's God speaking.
God speaks to us, but we have to learn to listen. If we don't begin to pay attention to those times when God keeps saying the same thing to us, we miss what God is saying. And missing what God is saying, makes life more difficult to live the way we were created to live it.
Different sources.
The same message.
Are you listening?
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Learning to Listen
I spent my May long-weekend camping with friends (hence the lack of posts since Thursday last week). It had been a few years since I had camped and far too long since I took time away from normal life that wasn't to go to something - a wedding, a conference, etc. It really was a relaxing and fun weekend.
Being away made me realize that there is something important about getting away from "normal life" every once in a while that is necessary. While I was there, I didn't worry about cleaning my house (just doing the dishes after eating), or about what I was going to wear (just wanted to be comfortable) or even what I was going to do next (I figured that out as one game or conversation came to an end). And I needed that.
I needed that time out with friends to be refreshed. It didn't take some big event for that to happen. Just some time to enjoy the company of other people and not worry about everything else in life.
The first night we were there, I woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn't go back to sleep right away, so I grabbed my jacket and headed to the beach. I sat on the beach for half an hour and just listened to everything around me. And I talked to God. No one else was up. As I sat in the silence, I was able to hear God's voice.
Sunday afternoon brought some time in a canoe. Peaceful. Quiet. Once again I was able to hear God's voice.
Monday morning was one last chance to sit at the beach and listen. And again I heard God speak.
As I've reflected on how easy it seemed to hear God's voice when I was there, I've also wondered why it seems so hard sometimes in everyday life. Often I struggle to hear God's voice.
Earlier today it struck me. The reason why I struggle to hear God's voice most of the time is because I don't slow down enough and get quiet enough to actually listen. I rush through life, and in the midst of the noise of it all, I often miss God's still small voice speaking. I heard God speak when I was camping because I stopped and made the space.
But I also know I don't have to get away to hear God speak. I can learn how to hear Him speak in the midst of my everyday life. But I have to learn how to create space to listen in it. If I don't create that space, I'll keep missing His voice. But if I learn to create that space to hear Him speak, I won't always be waiting until I can get away to hear God speak.
How are you doing at creating space in your life to hear God speak?
When was the last time you heard God speak to you?
How can you make time to hear God speak in your everyday life?
Being away made me realize that there is something important about getting away from "normal life" every once in a while that is necessary. While I was there, I didn't worry about cleaning my house (just doing the dishes after eating), or about what I was going to wear (just wanted to be comfortable) or even what I was going to do next (I figured that out as one game or conversation came to an end). And I needed that.
I needed that time out with friends to be refreshed. It didn't take some big event for that to happen. Just some time to enjoy the company of other people and not worry about everything else in life.
The first night we were there, I woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn't go back to sleep right away, so I grabbed my jacket and headed to the beach. I sat on the beach for half an hour and just listened to everything around me. And I talked to God. No one else was up. As I sat in the silence, I was able to hear God's voice.
Sunday afternoon brought some time in a canoe. Peaceful. Quiet. Once again I was able to hear God's voice.
Monday morning was one last chance to sit at the beach and listen. And again I heard God speak.
As I've reflected on how easy it seemed to hear God's voice when I was there, I've also wondered why it seems so hard sometimes in everyday life. Often I struggle to hear God's voice.
Earlier today it struck me. The reason why I struggle to hear God's voice most of the time is because I don't slow down enough and get quiet enough to actually listen. I rush through life, and in the midst of the noise of it all, I often miss God's still small voice speaking. I heard God speak when I was camping because I stopped and made the space.
But I also know I don't have to get away to hear God speak. I can learn how to hear Him speak in the midst of my everyday life. But I have to learn how to create space to listen in it. If I don't create that space, I'll keep missing His voice. But if I learn to create that space to hear Him speak, I won't always be waiting until I can get away to hear God speak.
How are you doing at creating space in your life to hear God speak?
When was the last time you heard God speak to you?
How can you make time to hear God speak in your everyday life?
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Rain
I walked carefully along the muddy trail. It had been raining recently and the ground showed evidence of that. But the sun was shining now. As I walked I listened to the birds chirping and the wind rustling the trees.
Alone with God in nature. That's when He often speaks to me. This time was no different.
As I looked carefully for where my next step would land, God began to speak.
The rain renews all that I have created. The trees and grass and flowers all need moisture to grow. But, the rain can leave a mess sometimes. It takes time for the ground to soak up all the rain.
Your heart is like that too. It needs my rain to come and make things grow. To come and make things beautiful. But when my rain comes to your heart, sometimes it makes a mess before you soak it all up.
I wasn't quite sure where this all was going at that moment. I kept thinking about it as I walked on.
The further I walked the less muddy the path was. Eventually it become quite hard and dry. God spoke again.
When the ground is hard and dry, things can't grow. The rain comes and softens the ground so that things have room to grow.
Your heart is like that too. Over time it can become hard and dry. Then nothing grows. When I send my rain, it softens your heart so I can make things grow. The rain might leave a mess for a time when it comes, but it is what allows Me to work in your life.
Long after I finished my walk, I was still thinking about what God had said to me.
You see, I'm someone who usually tries to avoid anything in my life that could be seen as rain on my heart. It doesn't often seem to be pleasant. It's often hard.
But, those are times when God works. Those are times when God brings healing . . . grace and mercy. We need the rain. Even if it leaves a mess for a time. Without it, our hearts become dry and hard and nothing grows.
Alone with God in nature. That's when He often speaks to me. This time was no different.
As I looked carefully for where my next step would land, God began to speak.
The rain renews all that I have created. The trees and grass and flowers all need moisture to grow. But, the rain can leave a mess sometimes. It takes time for the ground to soak up all the rain.
Your heart is like that too. It needs my rain to come and make things grow. To come and make things beautiful. But when my rain comes to your heart, sometimes it makes a mess before you soak it all up.
I wasn't quite sure where this all was going at that moment. I kept thinking about it as I walked on.
The further I walked the less muddy the path was. Eventually it become quite hard and dry. God spoke again.
When the ground is hard and dry, things can't grow. The rain comes and softens the ground so that things have room to grow.
Your heart is like that too. Over time it can become hard and dry. Then nothing grows. When I send my rain, it softens your heart so I can make things grow. The rain might leave a mess for a time when it comes, but it is what allows Me to work in your life.
Long after I finished my walk, I was still thinking about what God had said to me.
You see, I'm someone who usually tries to avoid anything in my life that could be seen as rain on my heart. It doesn't often seem to be pleasant. It's often hard.
But, those are times when God works. Those are times when God brings healing . . . grace and mercy. We need the rain. Even if it leaves a mess for a time. Without it, our hearts become dry and hard and nothing grows.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
God, I'm Listening
I listening for Your voice
I want to hear from You
Sometimes it seems so hard
To hear Your still small voice
Over noise all around me
I want to hear You better
To recognize Your voice always
Teach me, God, to listen
To pay attention, look for You
I'm listening for Your voice
I want to hear from You
You speak so many different ways
I don't want to miss them
Your Word - the pages come alive
Creation - the beauty of all You made
The imprints on my heart and mind
Teach me, God, to listen
To pay attention, look for You
I'm listening for Your voice
I want o hear from You
Sometimes the words of others
Make your message clearly known
The still small voice that guides me
As I walk each day
Your voice still speaks so clearly
Teach me, God, to listen
To pay attention, look for You
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Make the Time to Hear
Snow crunches beneath my feet with each step I take. Freshly falling snow quickly covers my footsteps. The only sound is the trees rustling in the wind and the crunching snow under my feet.
The world around me has been turned white. Everything looks so beautiful and clean.
I love going for a walk in the snow. It gives me time to think and reflect on things. It seems like God speaks to me most often when I'm out in nature and away from all that would distract.
The other day was no different. I was walking in the snow in a park near my house. I was almost ready to head home when I heard God begin to speak.
"It's been a while." Something stirred in my mind.
I stopped. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping to hear. I had some specific things I wanted God to answer and this was not an answer to any of them.
"It's been a while since you stopped and took the time to really listen to Me."
This time I listened. I quickly realized that I had spent a lot of time recently asking God for things. But it had been a while since I'd sat long enough to hear God speak or taken the time when reading my Bible to really pay attention to what God might be saying though it. I had allowed the busy-ness of the season to crowd out that time.
I've known for a long time that to have a relationship with God it requires more than me just doing all the talking and then just getting on with life. A relationship requires two way communication. I need to listen too. I'm just not always good at listening.
But that evening on my walk, I was reminded that I need to make listening for God a regular part of my life no matter the season. Listening doesn't mean I have to just sit there for hours. But I need to stop talking long enough to hear God speak. And sometimes that may mean sitting. Other time that means paying attention to things around me to be able to hear what God may be saying through them.
"Lord, help me to make listening to You a priority. Keep my eyes and ears open to what You are saying."
With that, I headed for home.
How do you do at listening to God speak in your own life?
Has it been a while since you took the time to listen? In prayer? Through taking the time to slow down when you read your Bible to actually hear from God?
The world around me has been turned white. Everything looks so beautiful and clean.
I love going for a walk in the snow. It gives me time to think and reflect on things. It seems like God speaks to me most often when I'm out in nature and away from all that would distract.
The other day was no different. I was walking in the snow in a park near my house. I was almost ready to head home when I heard God begin to speak.
"It's been a while." Something stirred in my mind.
I stopped. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping to hear. I had some specific things I wanted God to answer and this was not an answer to any of them.
"It's been a while since you stopped and took the time to really listen to Me."
This time I listened. I quickly realized that I had spent a lot of time recently asking God for things. But it had been a while since I'd sat long enough to hear God speak or taken the time when reading my Bible to really pay attention to what God might be saying though it. I had allowed the busy-ness of the season to crowd out that time.
I've known for a long time that to have a relationship with God it requires more than me just doing all the talking and then just getting on with life. A relationship requires two way communication. I need to listen too. I'm just not always good at listening.
But that evening on my walk, I was reminded that I need to make listening for God a regular part of my life no matter the season. Listening doesn't mean I have to just sit there for hours. But I need to stop talking long enough to hear God speak. And sometimes that may mean sitting. Other time that means paying attention to things around me to be able to hear what God may be saying through them.
"Lord, help me to make listening to You a priority. Keep my eyes and ears open to what You are saying."
With that, I headed for home.
How do you do at listening to God speak in your own life?
Has it been a while since you took the time to listen? In prayer? Through taking the time to slow down when you read your Bible to actually hear from God?
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