"Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds." Psalm 71:17
Does this verse amaze you? It does me! To think that God has been teaching me all these years back further than I can remember. Wow. To think that He was there helping me perceive and learn... for years... there... with me... coaching, instructing, teaching. Just wow. To think that there is no event in my life that He wasn't right there actively helping me understand. Oh Lord, let this hit us. For a learner like me, this utterly blows my mind and brings me close to tears. And another awesome thing about Him being a Teacher is that it implies He speaks to us. I LOVE that about Him! I love that we can hear Him. I mean seriously, what kind of God is so incredibly awesome that He makes it possible for the finite to hear and understand the infinite. It is mind blowing that God says, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3 Are you confident in knowing God's voice? Here are a few ways I grew in confidence in hearing and knowing God's voice: 3 Ways to Grow in Hearing God's Voice
1. Saturate your mind with Scripture. It is God's words. If you want to know what He sounds like, go to the book He wrote. Only makes sense right. As you read, ask Him to help you understand and have a journal handy to write down the things that stand out and the insights you gain. The Holy Spirit is the One who illuminates our minds to Scripture. So if you have an ah-ha moment, recognize that as God's voice.
It's like if you were to learn another language. The best way to learn it is to submerse yourself in the culture of people that speak it and it becomes natural. When we saturate our minds with Scripture, we are then able to recognize God's voice and heart. 2. Ask Him questions. When I was in college (and had much more free time than now) I would get up and walk 1/2 way down the block to my church and pray with the pastor and his wife for the church for an hour. Then I would go on a little walk down this beautiful road and pray for another hour. Then I would get home and do my Bible study. Everyday for almost two years I would spend at least three hours a day with the Lord. On my prayer walk I would get to this rock on the side of the road and sit there with my journal asking God questions. After I asked God a question, I would write down the thought that came to my mind and I would weigh it against Scripture. "Would God really say that?", "Does it contradict anything He said in His Word?", "Does that match up with what His Word shows me His heart and character are like?" If it didn't contradict Scripture or His character I would take it as though God has spoke to me. Looking back, that is the time I grew in confidence in hearing God's voice. 3. Memorize Scripture. A lot people feel like they have a bad memory and just can't memorize Scripture. But really, just because something is a little bit difficult or doesn't come naturally, doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. In fact we should be a people marked by doing hard things. And the reality is that God takes broken things and uses them to show Himself to be great. He wants to take you're bad memory to show Himself capable. Like how He took me, a girl who has a below average memory and can't remember names or faces or even my very own life events sometimes. God is so awesome that He took my not so great memory and enabled me to memorize the entire books of James, Philippians and half of 1 Thessalonians and hundreds of other verses. THAT is how capable God is! (I don't tell you this to brag-in fact I most often try to keep it secret. But then I miss the opportunity to brag on God. Because honestly it's not something I am capable of on my own!) So surely if you have a better memory than me (which I'm confident you probably do!), He can do MUCH more through you! About Laura
Laura, the founder of Missional Women is married and has six kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries since 2002 and serve with Master Plan Ministries where she is Director of Women's Ministries. Laura has written 7 books and 2 ministry tools. You can see them all at the Missional Women Store and can find her on facebook, twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram, periscope, blab and her author site.
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I'm glad to get to share my dear friend Rhonda's heart with you this week. She is a regular contributor here and her perspective on life are a blessing to all she is around. Thanks for sharing with us today Rhonda! Last week was not my favorite week. My beautiful, yet overly dramatic daughter was having meltdown after meltdown. We had to cancel a weekend getaway we had planned because of money. No matter how hard I worked, the house seemed to get dirtier by the day. I dropped the ball on more than one occasion and overall I just wanted someone else’s life. Why ME??? Why can’t I have the perfect life like ______ (fill in the blank with anyone in my circle who isn’t me). Just like my 3 year old I whine “It isn’t FAIR!!!” Is this what my life is supposed to look like? Lack of joy and contentment? Looking at what everyone else has, instead of being thankful for what God has given me? No... No it isn’t what my life is supposed to look like. In Philippians 4:11-12, Paul talks about learning to be content. He says he has learned the secret of being content in “any and every situation”. Paul- who was in PRISON while writing those words. How could he be so content when he had every reason to whine and complain? He goes on to say in verse 13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” A New PerspectiveColossians 3:1-2 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Phillipians 3:20 But our citizenship in in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Do I believe this? That my citizenship is in heaven? That my life here on earth is a small blip of what eternity in heaven is going to be like? My heart and my mind should be set on things above, not on earthly things. But when my focus is only on what is right in front of me, I lose perspective. I falsely believe the “if onlys” instead of walking in the truth that because I have placed my trust in Christ to save me from my sin, I get to spend ETERNITY in HEAVEN with HIM!!! What better news is there than that? When circumstances truly do seem awful, as citizens of heaven, we have the privilege to step back and focus on the bigger picture... the truth that this life is not forever and that there is an awesome place waiting for us! It’s only when we step back from what’s right in front of us that we gain the proper perspective and the full picture! As humans, created in God’s image, we have a natural desire for things to be perfect. We don’t want things to go wrong, we don’t want failure or sickness. I’m glad that I can actually look forward to a day when this hope will be realized- I “eagerly await”! Paul lived a life of purpose. His circumstances were hard. But his circumstances did not stop him from preaching the gospel. His hope? Heaven... eagerly awaiting a savior... Jesus Christ. Will you do the same? Will you join me in gaining perspective and living a life of purpose and hope? Rhonda has two beautiful daughters (the oldest of which both of my boys want to marry someday) and is on staff with Master Plan Ministries in Grand Junction. She has a passion for the Lord and living on mission as a family. She is a great blessing to me through her vibrance, passionate living and love for the Lord and His Word. |
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