Yeah. I’ve been there. Just yesterday, in fact. And before I go on, let me say this:

It wasn’t worth it.

No, it really wasn’t. So let me tell you my story.

I like to transcribe. That is, I like to listen to audio recordings or watch a video and then type exactly what is being said. And, I love getting paid for it! It’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had “working.” (Except being a camp counselor at Rhodes Grove Camp in PA during college. Man, that was the best!) Anyway. I started working for this person, a thirty-something female, doing all of her transcriptions for her. I loved it! But every time I did one, there was a tug at my heart and I would think, “Something is just not right about what she is saying here…” But because I could never really put my finger on it, I did nothing about it and just kept going. Like I said, it was fun! And she was my main customer; I knew she appreciated my work and I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. I even once talked with Rick (my husband) about it. I said, “She seems to be hinting at something about making the universe pay attention to you…she’s not saying anything about God, but I just don’t feel right about it.” I’m embarrassed to say that even then I didn’t really consider breaking our working relationship.

Last week I got the first job from her since October. And it was great timing too, because our daughter Lila has been on a great schedule, so I knew exactly what times I was available to work. I was really excited to finally get some work coming in again. So I finished up that transcription last weekend, with excitement for another.

Yesterday, I received the new assignment. I started typing away, for about an hour before I came across this: “I mentioned the trinity of self. And there are three parts to the self and they are all equal, of equal value and have equal value and purpose. So you have the lower self, which is the subconscious. You have the lower self, which is the conscious, and the higher self, which is the god within.”

I totally freaked out. I have not heard such blasphemy before! She finally came out and said what she had been hinting at the entire time. And suddenly it all came together in my mind. All of her previous talks about making the universe listen to your requests and making your own future…none of it was innocent! I was devastated, and as soon as I heard that, I knew that I could no longer work with her. This time there was no question!

But if only I had listened to the Lord’s voice sooner! Now I see that I have helped her to spread a false gospel! And what’s worse is this–she used a Bible verse to back up these beliefs! (“The Kingdom of God is within you” from Luke!)

2 Corinthians 6:14-16
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

None! There can be no harmony between me (a believer) and she (an unbeliever). I cannot be bound with her for the sake of money! I can no longer deny what I felt the Lord speaking to me long ago.

Last night, after I made this decision…I faced the hard part. Telling her. I sent the email, practically in tears. I can only hope that she accepts and has respect concerning this topic. I had grown fond of her and communicating with her, but I had to choose to obey my God and not further this false gospel with my very own fingers!

Afterwards, I felt terrible. I felt like, yes, I had made the right choice, but I was feeling down. I needed some encouragement. I suddenly felt like I needed to worship the Lord! So I grabbed my husband, and we got out the songbook. I started with prayer, praising God for helping me make the right decision. Then Rick opened the songbook, and the song, “My Reward” by Paul Baloche was the first page opened to. In case you haven’t heard it, here are some of the lyrics:

“Jesus, You are my reward. To hear Your voice on that day is all I’m living for. Jesus, You are my reward, to see Your face on that day is all I’m living for.”

It was perfect. We moved on to sing, “Lord, You are more precious than silver. Lord, You are more costly than gold. Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds. And nothing we desire compares with You.”

The funny thing was, earlier that day, I had been praying about becoming foster parents. Rick and I both feel called to do this. I started to listen to the Lord, and this is what I heard:

I am building your family. Trust Me for each nail to be hammered into the walls. The nails symbolize the sacrifice My Son made for you; and they also symbolize the sacrifice it will cost you with each child to make your family grow.
Sacrifices of time, effort and love. Every sacrifice will be remembered as Cornelius’ prayers & alms were piled up before the Lord. Sacrifice will build your family.

Little did I know that the Lord was calling me to make a major sacrifice that very day. Not necessarily to do with children, but still, that sacrifice is building our family, because it is a stepping stone in learning to obey God with all that I do. I must be absolutely willing to give Him everything–money, entertainment, busy-work.I also need to learn how to take immediate steps to obedience when I hear His voice–I don’t want to wait until I see proof in the natural! If  you hear God’s voice calling you away from something, obey Him right away!

Lord You are more beautiful than diamonds, and nothing I desire compares with You.

How about you? Has God called you to give something up and you didn’t until it was almost too late?

There is also a difference between being filled with the Spirit and receiving the baptism of the Spirit. Both happened in Scripture. But, let’s focus on what it is to be filled with the Spirit. I can tackle receiving the baptism of the Spirit another day.

Let’s look into Scripture to find out what people actually did when they were filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

—-

Luke 1:41-45:
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”
Elizabeth spoke prophesy and blessings to Mary when she was filled with the Spirit.

Luke 1:67
“And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied“
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit when he obeyed God and thus prophesied.

Acts 2:4
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”
When they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they spoke in tongues. (Check out my book for a biblical explanation of tongues!)

Acts 4:5-12
 ”On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” “
Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and had the right words to speak to the court and the boldness with which to do it.

Acts 4:31
“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
They were filled with the Holy Spirit after their prayer and began to speak the words of God with boldness

Acts 13:8 -11
But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.
Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke truth against the magician who was attempting to stop God’s word from being spread, and he proclaimed judgment on the sinner. The judgment took place immediately.

Acts 13:52-
“And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
They were continually filled with the Spirit and joy

Ephesians 5:18-21-
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

We are instructed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, like a person gets drunk with wine. This terminology is a present perfect tense and means we must be filld over and over again. It is a repeated process- we must be filled with the Spirit continually.

From these Scriptures and my quick summaries, you can see the proof of being filled with the Spirit is not limited to speaking in tongues. Here are the other things that happened when people were filled with the Spirit:

• Boldness
• Speaking truth
• Joy
• Prophesying
• Singing to each other
• Singing to the Lord
• Giving thanks to God
• Worshiping God
• Loving one another

Just think. If speaking in tongues was the only proof of being filled with the Spirit, why would Paul have said in 1 Corinthians 14:5, “Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying”? Paul thinks prophecy is better than tongues!

Here’s another question to ponder. If being filled with the Spirit was a one-time event, would we who have been filled ever sin again??

And if being filled with the Spirit happened only once in a person’s life, why then was Peter filled both on the day of Pentecost and when he spoke to the courts?

My conclusion is that we must be filled over and over again with the Spirit. Yes, tongues is one proof that we have the Spirit, but according to what we have read in the Bible, there are other proofs as well! Take another look at that list, and if you have not experienced these things, maybe it’s time to ask our Lord to fill you with His Spirit, perhaps for the first time!

May He bless you as you seek Him!!

The next morning, we read the Proverb of the day: Proverbs 3:5-6. These verses suddenly took on a whole new meaning.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.”

If you are anything like me, you probably already had understanding of this verse. Even when I studied it in depth, the meaning remained the same to me. This meaning was basically, “Trust the Lord, don’t think you understand. In everything you do, think of God and then He will make His plans succeed.”

But that morning, as we read together, God gave it new meaning tome, simply because of what was going on in my heart and mind. Have you ever read Bible verses over and over and it’s not until something happens in your life that suddenly the Lord breathes anew on that verse and you understand it in a whole different light?

This time, as I read the words “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight,” my new understanding was this: If you acknowledge God in everything you do, if you think of Him while being tempted, and you acknowledge that He truly is right there beside you, simply remembering His presence will help you step away from that sin, and in stepping away from sin, the result will be that God makes your path straighter.

There are many verses in Scripture concerning paths we can have.
First, there are the straight paths. (These paths are very good!)

• Proverbs 3:6
  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
• Jeremiah 31:9
  I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble
• Hebrews 12:13
  Make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

We can follow dark paths, or, walk paths of light!

• Psalm 119:105
  Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.

There is the path of life, (God’s path) which the righteous follow.

• Psalm 16:11
  You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
• Psalm 23:3
  He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Then, there are the paths of sinners.

• Psalm 1:1
  How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
• Psalm 17:4
  As for the deeds of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept from the paths of the violent.
• Proverbs 2:15
  Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;
• Proverbs 4:14
  Do not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil men.

And, God knows your path!

• Psalm 139:3
  You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
• Psalm 142:3
  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path.
• Proverbs 5:21
  For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths.

See what I mean? May you acknowledge God’s presence in all of your ways and may He guard you from sin because of His loving and strong presence!

These types of judgment in the Old Testament were administered by either God (as in the case of the ten plagues ofEgypt) or by judges that were appointed to make decisions for the people. What I find especially interesting is that the word “judgment” was never used in the Old Testament to talk about criticizing.

According to God’s Word, judgment referred to a punishment or a reward, not criticizing others. In our society today, we often use this word in a sentence like this, “Don’t judge me!” I am beginning to realize that this phrase reveals the current heart of our society. It’s the popular belief that there is no moral law, there is no right or wrong, that everyone should be allowed to do what they think is right, because there is no ultimate law.

In the Bible, God has set specific laws. There is right and wrong. When Judgment Day comes and God is sitting on His throne in front of us, He is not going to be criticizing us in His thoughts or His words. Psalm 9:7 says, “He has established His throne for judgment.” He is going to judge what we have done–He is going to punish us or reward us. We will be judged depending on whether our actions were right or wrong according to His law. In other words, if we have lived according to His standards, we will receive His rewards. Those who have lived in disobedience to what the Bible says will receive punishment.

Matthew12:36 says, “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.” And Ecclesiastes 12:4 explains “God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” Every act will receive judgment.

But my goal in today’s post is not to simply explain judgment according to the Old Testament.

Yesterday, during my time with the Lord, He led me on a passionate prayer journey concerning the hot topic of abortion. Did you know that from 1973 through 2008, nearly 50 million legal abortions have occurred in the U.S? 50 million!? Let yourself think for a moment about the lives that are not here. What are we missing without them? We will never know. Some of us may be missing out on siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins! While I was in prayer, the Lord put something on my mind that I spoke aloud immediately:

“The womb is sacred. The womb is holy.”

Can you think of a more holy place? It’s where life itself begins! Even Jesus was grown inside of a woman’s womb! The sacredness of the womb is defiled by abortions. Literally, it is defiled by death. Can you imagine murder taking place in a sanctuary? Or in a cathedral? It is almost unthinkable. Yet, our country and many others around the world have taken to inserting death where only life should be.

Then the Lord spoke again:
“The Lord gives. And the Lord takes away.” (See Job 1:21).

In that instant I realized this. It is God’s job to judge according to His word. True. But it is not our job to judge how an unborn and innocent child should be judged (punished or rewarded) for simply being conceived! Whenever this argument comes up in public arenas, women say that it is their choice to have an abortion and that no one has the right to “judge them.” But criticism is not judgment. Judgment has to do with punishment & rewards. When a woman has an abortion, she has taken on the role of God. She has become the judge that determined that the child needs to be punished for living! We need to begin valuing life and realizing the true meaning of judgment.

Today, when you spent time with the Lord, pray for life! Pray against death! Pray for the women considering abortions! Pray that they will open their hearts to love the child or give the child up for adoption. May the will of God be done and the judgment truly be left to Him and Him alone!

PS. What are your thoughts? What else do we “judge” that is actually a commandment of God? Do you tell people, “Don’t judge me!” Is this because you are making unrighteous choices? Let’s talk!

Last week we looked at Deuteronomy 18:20-22, where a false prophet has a few definitions, including someone who “speaks presumptuously in His Name.” A while back, I discovered this fantastic passage in 1 Samuel. God told Samuel to go and anoint the new king who would replace Saul. Samuel wasn’t sure who he was looking for, as God had chosen to withhold that information and only tell him which family to visit.

As we have discussed before, knowing God’s voice involves knowing Him. Samuel was the prophet of the day, and he knew how to hear God’s voice since he was a young boy (see 1 Samuel chapter 3 for his details!) In this passage we find that even God’s prophet has the temptation to look at the flesh instead of listening to God’s voice! These verses explain Samuel’s first reaction upon meeting the family.

“When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, ‘Surely, the LORD’s anointed is before Him‘” (1 Samuel 16:6).

What was Samuel using here? Was he practicing his senses, like Hebrews 5:14 says? No, he was using his eyes and his reason, his mind. Luke 5:22 says, “But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning in your hearts?’” We must look past our own reasoning and logic skills to hear His voice more clearly. This is why we must flee from fleshly lusts. Let us listen past our own minds to hear Him!

Right after Samuel looked with his eyes and used his reason to believe that Eliab was God’s choice for king, God interrupted his thoughts! (How blessed Samuel must have been…the rest of us might have to listen a lot harder before we hear His interruption!) Here’s 1 Samuel 16:7:

“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

This is such a great passage. First, Samuel looked on his own to determine who the king would be. His first reaction was that it must be Eliab! Why not? He was the oldest, he was apparently good-looking. What more could you want in a king? It’s a good thing that Samuel did not choose to speak presumptuously at this point! I think we all have assumed things to be from the Lord when in fact they are actually from ourselves and our own reasoning. But we must wait until we hear God’s voice instead of our own.

Just think of what might have happened if Samuel spoke and anointed Eliab instead of his brother David! First of all, it would have been a disobedient move that would have separated him from the voice of God. Secondly, just imagine the family strife that would occur when David appeared and God said, “Uh…Samuel, this was the right one, not him!” Lastly, because the Lord specifically said, “I have rejected him,” (1 Samuel 16:7) of Eliab, if Samuel had anointed him, Israel would have another terrible king! Yikes!

After God interrupted Samuel’s thoughts, he proceeded to look upon the rest of Jesse’s sons.

“Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, ‘The LORD has not chosen this one either.’ Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘The LORD has not chosen this one either.’ Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The LORD has not chosen these’” (1 Samuel 16:8-10).

It must have been difficult for Samuel to keep saying no to Jesse concerning each of his sons. But instead of considering them, he waited upon the Lord. When all the sons had passed by, it appears that Samuel was confused. “And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are these all the children?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep’” (1 Samuel 16:11).

So today’s lesson summed up: When you simply look with the eyes and reason with your mind, you may not be hearing God accurately. Wait for Him to speak and then speak the same.

Oh Lord,
According to Your Word, I pray that we, Your people, would listen to You! I pray that our ears would be open, that the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened by Your light (Ephesians 1:18). May we not be as disobedient children, running to other gods when You are so near (Deuteronomy 4:7). Since You are so close, so near to us, may we draw near to You, walk in Your ways and not our own, in Jesus’ Name! Thank You for Your promises that You will subdue our enemies as we draw near to You and listen to Your voice. May we honor and love You with pure hearts, that we may walk on Your holy hill (see Psalm 24).

Father, I pray that we will not be so drawn to answer the stubbornness of our hearts instead of listening for Your voice of truth. May we walk in Your ways as You long for us to do! I ask for intimacy in the hearts of Your children. Just as a good father disciplines his children because they have gone astray, he does not save them from the consequences of his actions because they are consequences. But as the child listens to and obeys the father, he will save his children from their enemies, in whatever form they come. Thank You Father, I pray we will truly walk in Your ways! Thank You that You are so near to us, may we remember how near You are–You are never far, praise the Lord!

For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God
whenever we call on Him?
(Deuteronomy 4:7)

My favorite prophecy in the Bible is found in Revelation 21 & Isaiah 60. It is a short description of part of our future life in the heavenly Jerusalem.

“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its lights, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it…” (Revelation 21:22-26).

& here is the corresponding Scripture in Isaiah 60:19–

“No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory.”

Wow. Take a moment and picture that! I cannot imagine the pure beauty of light being only from God! We won’t need the sun or lamps or the moon or candles or light bulbs! No, the only light we need will come straight from the glory of God and the Lamb (Jesus Christ!) Have you ever noticed references to God being as “light” throughout the Bible? Turns out that this is not only symbolic talk–it’s fact and we will see it in the New Jerusalem!

Let me share a couple of examples:

•  “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5)
• “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105)
• “For You light my lamp, the Lord my God illumines my darkness” (Psalm 18:28)
• “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)

Simply beautiful.

Next week’s question:

Perhaps right now you think you may know the voice of strangers better than you know the voice of Jesus. Maybe you are much more familiar with the voices of your culture, greed, anger, hopelessness and failure. This makes it especially difficult to know God’s voice. If this is you, my recommendation is to turn off the TV, turn off the movies & the music. Then “turn on” the Bible. The only way you can become familiar with the voice of Jesus and know how to recognize Him is if you start reading His words regularly and becoming very familiar with what He has said all throughout the Bible. Jesus is “the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Read what has already been written. No one else can do this for you.

God says that we must train our senses to know good from evil (see Hebrews 5:14). The pastor can’t do it for you. Your mom can’t do it for you, neither can your teachers, friends or mentors. Only you can make sure that you devote adequate time and energy to learning His voice, His character and His truth within Scripture. As you do this, you will learn when He is speaking elsewhere to you because He will never contradict what He has already written in His Word! Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that He should lie.” And, of course Jesus will speak using His words spoken in the past, because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

 

This style of hearing God and recording what you hear Him say has recently become more popular with the book, “Jesus Calling,” by Sarah Young. The author heard about hearing God’s voice everyday and writing it down. I learned how to do this before I saw her book, and was thrilled when I learned of it! I also have a copy of a delightful book, “Come Away, My Beloved,” by Francis J. Roberts which is also filled with words from the Lord. Every time I pray and ask God to speak through that book as I open to a random page, God speaks directly to my thoughts and worries using what Francis recorded years ago.

This is also a terrific way to hear God’s voice- through the writings of other Christians who have heard Him speak. My personal prayer journals are filled with quotes from “Come Away, My Beloved,” because I often will open it when I am longing for God’s voice, and He always speaks accordingly. I’m sure the Lord can use that or any devotional book to speak right to your heart concerning your own thoughts & circumstances. After all, “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works” (Psalm 33:13-15) and God “alone know[s] the hearts of all the sons of men” (1 Kings 8:29).

But not only can you hear Him through the writings of others, but you can record what you hear, too! When I want to hear His voice (of when I already sense that He is speaking to me) I ask Him to speak as I have a pen in hand. Usually, He starts to remind me of Bible verses or He gives me a short phrase, and then the words start to flow. Scripture is, of course, “God-breathed,” and He has already spoken to us with the Bible. (It is called “the word of God!”)

This is one reason that it is incredibly important to read the Bible and become very familiar with it. If you do not know the word, you have nothing to hold on to, nothing to anchor you to the truth and prove that you are indeed hearing God’s voice and not another. As Jesus said, “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:5).

God has spoken many times when I stop and listen. He reminds me of Scripture & I write it from His perspective. Often wheat He tells me can relate to many Christians; sometimes it is very specific to my life.

Here are two examples of what God has spoken to me in this way:

10/23/2011
Oh, I love you, daughter! You are Mine and I am holding you so close, close to my heart. Feel my heart beat, it is so full of love for you and for the world. It is burning with desire to know and be known by My people. I am full, full of love. You are Mine and I am so close. My protection is on you, stop worrying about worldly dangers! I send My angels for protection. Oh daughter, My heart is yours, I am for you. My heart is full of love for you, relax in My arms. I am holding you.”

 In just that paragraph there are a plethora of Scriptures referred to! Here are some I’ve found:

Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms

Deuteronomy 1:31
the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son

Isaiah 43:1
You are Mine!

Psalm 91:11
For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.

Galatians 4:9
you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God

Matthew 6:31
Do not worry then

So you can see how Scripture is of utmost importance when listening for God to speak!

Here is another example of God speaking in my life. This time it was right after I read a certain Bible verse. As you can see below, I asked Him for clarity, and then He so graciously responded!

————————————————————————————————

March 30, 2010

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you…” Isaiah 30:18

Some versions say “longs” instead of “waits”

 Lord, do You like delayed gratification? I know I do…probably a bit too much. Help me to balance. Also Lord God please help me realize that You wait to be gracious to me—You wait for the perfect timing, for all things to be positioned so that it will all work together for my good!
                       

[God speaking]

I long to be gracious to you My child. But there is a time and a place. All things have their seasons, and a season of waiting will only bring you more gratification once you receive My gracious gift at the right time. All things work together for good for you because you love and Me and because I have called you according to My purposes. Remember, I am waiting to be gracious to you.”

 ——————————————————————————————-

You can even see in this example how it is mostly Bible verses woven together:

Isaiah 30:18-Romans 8:28-Ecclesiastes 3

Now you try it! Stop, listen for the Lord & ask for Him to speak while you wait with a pen and paper (or a computer screen!) If you don’t hear Him right away, pray and open the Word or a nearby Christian book. He can use so many avenues to speak. Then share here if you get anything!

My Recommendations for books for learning to hear God’s voice:

• 101+ Ways God Speaks and How to Hear Him (Sandy Warner)
• Jesus Calling (Sarah Young)
• Come Away, My Beloved (Francis J. Roberts)
• How & Why to Pray for Healing, Pray in Tongues & Give Prophecy (Jennifer N. Buczynski)