Epiphany

There are those times in our lives when God does speak loudly. We may have an epiphany or revelation about something that feels like we’ve been hit over the head. Something might dawn on us that’s like the clouds opening up and the Sun rushing in. When these happen it’s glorious and I’m so thankful but more often than not when the trumpets stop blaring we’re able to see how God had been whispering to prepare us for a long time, His timing is always perfect.

In Small Things

Another small aspect of Hearing from God is that He is concerned about little stuff in our lives. We can develop a familiarity and hear Him speak in the midst of our day to day activities. I could tell you many stories of God speaking about the tiniest of things. I wish there were more of them that I had actually listened to but that’s how we develop trust for the next time or the time after that

Small Voice

Often we don’t recognize God’s voice because we are listening for thunder instead of a whisper. There are times when God speaks loudly but most often He speaks in whispers. He wants us to slow down, make time to connect intimately and seek Him. We are to become good listeners. Too often our time with Him is spent talking and not listening. We have our agenda or our idea of what prayer is supposed to sound like (don’t get me started on that…) and we talk right over Him.

Try this at home, you could become proficient.

I hope we’ve been able to put some of the doubt about hearing from God behind us. If this is new to you, here’s an idea on how to start. Set some time aside and find a quiet place to be alone with God. Thank Him for loving you and ask Him to join you right here, right now. Call on Jesus. Open your heart to whatever He may want and put aside any agenda you might have. Ask Him to remind you of a scripture. Find that specific verse and then memorize it. Pray for God to show you who to share this verse with. In the next few days you’ll see God present you with an opportunity.

 

I’ve suggested this exercise here before and have heard some great stories that came of it. If we will meet Him and be faithful in the little things we’ll see Him do the amazing. The results of this exercise will be having heard from God, knowing that He heard you and building trust and intimacy. As we’ve said before, there’s nothing better.

Check

Because of man’s selfish nature we should always examine those that are claiming to have a Word from God. This might seem like a difficult task but it’s not as hard as you think. God has given us The Bible for the purpose of checking out what people say. Some of you are thinking, “Hasn’t the Bible been misused by people too?” That’s for sure. However, in the book of Galatians we are given a checklist that is hard to fake. We’re told in Chapter Five that rather than focusing solely on what folks say, we are to look closely at who they are. You see a person that’s intimate with God, that’s led by the Holy Spirit and that knows Jesus is filled with: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. Whatever is presented as a word from God should be backed up by this list not only in the life of the speaker buy also in how it’s communicated.

Reservations

If you have reservations about hearing from God as a result of other’s overuse of “God told me” or for any other reason for that matter, please don’t dismiss the possibility because of someone’s attempts at manipulation. God has been misquoted since the Garden of Eden. There will always be people that use Him and His Word to get their own way. Don’t let them discourage you from seeking to hear His voice. There’s nothing better. His love for you would not be complete if there wasn’t two-way interaction. So don’t quit, He has much to tell you.

Trump

One of the reasons hearing from God is such a difficult topic is that people use the words “God told me” in far more situations than He actually did. The phrase is so overused that it not only clouds the issue but too often closes minds to the possibility. “God told me” can be used to trump almost anything. Often it even contradicts God Himself. You can see how disconcerting this could be. The important thing to keep in mind with this is that though God is unique and wants that kind of relationship with us, He will never violate who He is. You will never hear something from Him that would go against His nature or ask you to violate His Word. So you can see how important knowing Him is.

Hearing Him

This aspect of our relationship with God is the one I’m most often asked about. “Can we really hear from Him? Or how do you know when you’re hearing from God?” are questions I get often. The short answers are yes and it takes time and commitment. Let’s dig into this a little deeper over the next couple of days as it is such an important aspect of what we have been discussing. If an intimate relationship is what God wants with and for us then like any other, communication is vital. If we are going to be led by Him how will He give direction?

Thumping

Because of God’s uniqueness along with His one of a kind love for each of us, relying on formulas and programs is not the best way for us to touch people’s hearts. This is where intimacy with Him really comes into play, where the trust we’ve been talking about over the past several days has its opportunity to shine. It’s by His leading that we are most effective in loving those He puts in our lives. Because He knows so much better than we do, we must rely on Him to prepare the way and to present our chance to touch folks. Jesus (obviously) was the perfect example of this for us. He sought The Father with all His heart, loved the people around Him well and when God led Him to a special encounter He responded. Never the same speech, He didn’t hand them a flyer or lump them into a group. He let them know they were special even when what He had to say was difficult.     

Singular

The love that God has for us and thus the love we’re called to share with others is completely unique, one of a kind. Think about yourself for minute. If God loves you because He made you, does that fulfill your greatest need? What if His love is only because you received His Son or are part of some group? If that were the case for me I wouldn’t feel loved at all. I’d feel herded, insignificant, essentially unloved. Understanding this makes life the incredible adventure God intended. Imagine the significant opportunity of every encounter we have with each other. Consider the things to be shared and learned. Think of the joy or pain that doesn’t have to be experienced alone. That’s God’s love and we’re the ones that know it and get to share it.