Did You Hear That?

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

On a pretty regular basis I hear people say they don’t know what God’s will is for their life. Or they say that they aren’t sure what God wants them to do. Sometimes, this conversation comes with a little (maybe a lot) of angst. I get it.

Sometimes, I go down that path too. I get all spun up in questions like “Am I doing the right thing?” or “What if I’m hearing you wrong?” That last one is my favorite. As I feel God telling me to do something, I start down the path. “What if this isn’t you? Could this be me inventing things?” And I don’t make any movement at all because I am afraid of making the wrong movement. And we all know not doing something is a decision in itself.

As I ponder this, I begin to look at who God is. This is the God that got people’s attention through the most amazing circumstances. He talked to them in dreams, through angels, through animals, through storms, in burning bushes, through Scripture, through manna falling on the ground to name a few….

And then I remember texts like today’s verse. God takes the responsibility of talking. He initiates the conversation and tells us over and over again in the Bible that it is his job to get us where we need to be. He will tell us the way to go, he will direct our paths, he will say go this way or that.

Why is it I think I am going to miss the message? If God can talk to people in all these ways, he can certainly get my attention. And as I reflect on how I’ve heard God and known it was him in the past, I am sure he can do that again.

So what are we to do? The Bible says our job is to believe. To believe in Jesus, to believe that God will do what he says he will do (and there are a ton of promises about how he will work out his plan.) So listen for the voice. Don’t be afraid to follow it. Don’t dismiss it. God is talking to his kids…..every single day.

Whisper In The Wind

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13 (NLT)

Elijah was tired. He had just prayed down fire from heaven; prayed for rain to start again; fought the prophets of Baal and faced down King Ahab. He suddenly felt alone and afraid. And he ran away from all of the things that were overwhelming him.

After he got to Mount Carmel, God showed up. Funny thing though, God did not show up in the windstorm, the earthquake or the fire. God showed up in a very quiet whisper. And in that whisper, he started a conversation.

So many times when things are going all wrong, we want God to show up in something huge and miraculous. We want him to come in and “fix it” for us. But more often than not, God shows up in a soft voice whispering to our hearts. We tend to tune it out because we want to see God’s power. What we don’t realize is the power of that conversation.

There is power in a whisper that tells you he sees. There is power in a gentle thought that shows he understands and there is power in the fact that the Almighty God of the Universe has chosen to draw very near to one of his kids.

Don’t discount the whisper. There is more power and love in that gentle whisper than there is in all the windstorms, earthquakes and fires that you encounter. Because God is the one whispering to your heart. Listen for him and like Elijah, come out of the cave and talk to him.

Do You Hear That?

One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.  Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”
“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.
Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”
Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before.  So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.
And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:2-10 (NLT)

This passage is probably familiar to many of us. We know it as when Samuel was called by God. But recently when I read it, something else popped out.

Samuel didn't recognize God's voice at first. Every time he heard it, he ran to Eli. He had to learn to recognize who was calling him. He had to figure out what God's voice sounded like.

I hear so many people say that God doesn't speak to them. And then others ask how you know it is God. First, I believe that God speaks to all of us but we often don't recognize His voice. And I believe that as you develop your relationship with God you will hear Him, learn when it is Him and when it is not and you will then recognize when He speaks. 

Of course, it is not always so cut and dry but like Samuel, God will keep speaking. He will be patient and keep talking so you will learn when it is Him. Your job is to listen.

Do You Hear That?

My child, listen to what I say,
    and treasure my commands.
Tune your ears to wisdom,
    and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight,
    and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver;
    seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
    and you will gain knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:1-5 (NLT)

We had the pleasure of having my father-in-law live with us for a while. And even though it was our pleasure, it was not without its challenges. One of those challenges was a few years down the road when he would get his time mixed up.  He would wake up in the middle of the night or early, early in the morning, get dressed and go downstairs expecting everyone to be up.

Now, I get up early so I can spend some uninterrupted time with God.  I need this to start my day on the right footing. And Baba needed to sleep. It was important for his health. The first time Baba showed up downstairs way too early, I was taken by surprise. But as this habit continued, I learned to listen for him.

I listened for every creek of the floor, every slipper drop or the door to his room opening. I did this as I went through my morning routine being acutely aware of what he was doing all the time.

Baba has since gone to be with Jesus but the other day it occurred to me that if I could get used to listening for Baba so closely, what was preventing me from listening for Jesus so closely?  Could it be that we hear what we get accustomed to hearing?  Take mothers for example, they can hear their child doing something from rooms away (or not hear them which is a sure indicator that something is amiss.)

Maybe when we say "I can't hear God" it is because we are not tuning our hearing to him. Could it be that we don't hear him because we aren't really listening for him and the other noises in our lives are getting it the way? What would happen if we were constantly listening for the Voice or the lack thereof? Wouldn't we get so used to hearing it that we knew the sound immediately? What a difference that would make in our world....

God's Got This

God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  1 Corinthians 1:9 (NLT)

Most mornings, I wake up, say "Good Morning" to God and ask him what he wants to read. I figure I may as well go straight to the source. Not every morning do I get a clear, concise answer but I did this morning.  The text that popped into my mind was 1 Corinthians 1:9.  Super random so I figured it was probably God. I got up and read it. Then, I read it in different versions. Here it is in the MSG.

God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

After praying over this and pondering it for a while, I think I have a paraphrase that I can take with me today.

God's got this. Don't worry. He doesn't ever drop the ball. If he's invited you to join him and Jesus in a partnership, you are good to go.

Pretty much, he's invited us all to join him and Jesus in a partnership.  I guess we have no excuse to not join in.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Using What I Already Have

Sing to the Lord!
    Praise the Lord!
For though I was poor and needy,
    he rescued me from my oppressors. Jeremiah 20:13 (NLT)

Yesterday we talked about the negative voices we hear in our head that cause us to doubt who we are and how much God loves us.  What are some things you can do when you hear those voices?  Here are some things I do to counter these attacks.

Prayer and Quiet Time - Luke 5:16 tells us Jesus often went off for quiet time with God and to pray. No doubt he was the most attacked person who ever lived. His time with God reset his focus and helped him to hear the still small voice.

God's Word - There are so much in God's Word that tell us who he is and how he cares for us. Dive in. Read it and remember.

Use Your Brain - when you are being emotionally attacked, you need to use your brain to counter attack. Think about who God is and what you know about him. Think about your past with him and your current relationship. Use this information to determine if what you are hearing is from him.

Praise!  Any time we praise and worship God in song, it takes our minds off of our troubles and focuses them on God.

Props - when I feel that I am being attacked, I develop props that help remind me who is in control. For example, one of the things I do is ROAR - out loud. You see the Bible says the devil prowls about as a roaring lion trying to devour us. But the Bible also says that Jesus is the Lion of Judah - and he has already conquered through his death on the cross. Jesus is the stronger lion. When I roar, it reminds me that this battle is already done and I can relax.

God loves you and every day he is telling you. When you are being attacked, fight back. God has already won this war. Remember to use the tools he has given you.

That Is Not God's Voice

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

"You know you can't do that - you always mess things up."
"Do you hear yourself? What makes you think you can do anything right?"
"You always mess things up. You are worthless."

Do you ever hear voices like these?  I do. And when we hear them, we are tempted to think it is God talking to us. But it's not. How can you know? The Bible tells us. 

Gentle words are a tree of life;
    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4 (NLT)

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:6 (NLT)

God tells us in the Bible to watch our tongue, to guard what we say and to use our words to build each other up.  God will never do anything contrary to what is in his Word so you know that those negative thoughts are not his.

Will God convict you when you are doing something wrong?  Absolutely. But his words will be words of encouragement or gentle reproach, not condemnation.

So, next time you hear Satan utter those awful thoughts in your head, fight back. I'll share some tips on how to do that tomorrow.

Walking The Walk

So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NLT)

In one day I had a success and a failure. Except true to human form, I noticed the success but not the failure. That's because I am talking about in my behavior. It's easy to recognize when we've done something good but totally miss when we didn't. Let me explain.

On this day, I was emailing with my accountant. She was asking me questions about taxes and asked a question about something. I sent her the answer.  Later, as she questioned again I started thinking about the fact that really I could still be technically correct but word the answer in such a way that I would get more money back on my refund. I started to type and then the Voice asked me if I was being honest. Completely honest. I backspaced over my response and was completely honest. Success! I listened to the Voice.

Later in the day I was talking to someone and they made an unfavorable comment about someone I knew. It wasn't a bad comment but it wasn't a totally positive comment either. The conversation went on and I contributed with a comment here and a there. We finished talking without any super negativity and I went on with my day.

The next morning as I was reflecting with God on the day before, he brought this to my mind. He revealed to me (as only God can) that my heart was in the wrong place. That in my heart I was holding a grudge against the person mentioned and that my heart was glad something unfavorable was said about them. He pointed out that while I didn't say anything wrong, my intentions were not his. Failure.

You know the really cool thing? During this same quiet time with God, the text he brought to me wasn't a text about where your heart is or how you should love one another. The text he brought was Galatians 2:20. This text reminded me that no matter how many times I fail, while I walk this earth, my trust should never be in my own behavior but in Jesus. It reminded me that while I live in this earthly body, I will have days--no, fleeting moments--when I am more Christ-like and I will have moments when I am not but as long as I stay focused on Jesus I am good.

During that conversation with God, I talked to him about why I reacted the way I did and we worked through it. I talked to him about my perceptions and he revealed how my perceptions might not be reality. There was healing in my soul. My heart overflows with love for a God who loves me enough to work with me in my failures. And because he takes the time to do it, I trust that I should listen when I hear his Voice.