I am about to make a statement and I wish for you to consider the importance of this statement in reference to your own behavior as I will mine.
"The most important thing we will do today is hear from God".
Do you agree? Disagree? What in all creation could be more important than hearing from God-hearing God speak to you-directly to your heart?
Some will say that it is important but I have little time to pray...there is so much to be done and so much to deal with.
We make time for that which is important to us. What about all the time you spend worrying about things whatever they are. Is worrying more important than hearing from God?
But it takes so much, some would say, to actually sit down and concentrate and 'make contact' with God.
If you are not in the habit of seeking God, it will be hard. The Bible says,
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
"There is very little time when I am around all these people." The Bible shows us it is possible to pray alone with people around us. Jesus had great focus on His Father. He shows us here that he wants us to learn this discipline.
Luke 9:18: Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with him; and he asked them, “Who do the people say that I am?”
Luke 11:1: He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
Hearing from God does not only happen in an attitude of prayer. Reading God's word and listening for God to speak to you in a message for your life is a must. Part of 'seeking God's kingdom' is actively searching the scriptures daily for a personal word from God. He speaks to us in the Holy Word. I keep thinking of all I have missed in the past. That is my problem-it is wrong. I should be looking for what God is telling me now-for this day-today.
He will speak to us from His word. But just opening the Bible and blindly pointing and then reading is not a good way to hear from God. It may well work, but this is not part of a disciplined life.
We may need a message for someone else who is having hard times. This is a spiritually honorable thing to do. We all need to get to the point where we have a time where we go through a prayer list and pray for our 'neighbors'. I have found that this is a place where God so often speaks to me for my own needs.
God's Spirit covers everything and works through it all for our good to continue completing His work in us.
Philippians 1:6; “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
He speaks to us in His word; he speaks in prayer. God speaks when we are listening.
Did you really hear that?
God speaks when we are listening.
That is a loaded statement. God speaks when we are listening and if we are listening, we can hear His undeniable voice. God wants an intimate relationship with us-He is with us always. He wants us to realize how great a life this is with Him.
That may be threatening for some. They may have been hurt so many times by others in this life that it is heard to trust. Trust is built and learned. It takes a lot of prayer and seeking to overcome these types of fears. Again, it cannot be done without discipline.
The word intimate throws some folks off. If a life has been lived in having control over everything and being tough to have it, that heart has a hard time being intimate with anything but self. This is another reason Jesus died on the cross-so we could overcome our control issues. Overcoming takes great commitment and discipline.
Men have a hard time with intimacy with God. Flush all the 'macho' and get it done. But women have just as hard a time for their own reasons-so, respectfully, get over yourself and put yourself in the place God has for you where you can hear Him speak.
Read Holy scripture and listen...
Pray and listen...
Meditate and listen...
Fellowship with believers and listen...
But, don't just listen...hear.
You are precious to God's heart. His love is eternally deep for you. He is speaking. Listen and hear.
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven,
I miss so much. I confess that I use every excuse to not pray or read the Bible. I don't really know what Holy meditation is. I want to know this kind of discipline. Have mercy on me and lead me-teach me-speak, I will hear.
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