Hearing God

Today I was listening to a broadcast and the topic was hearing God. This is something I want to do better at in my life so it caught my attention. Here are some things I learned or was reminded of as I listened.

* God wants to speak to us. All throughout the Bible he spoke to the prophets. ("thus sayeth the Lord" they would say). He even wants to speak to us about the tiniest details of our lives....He cares about us that much!!

* He speaks more than we realize but we hear Him best when we are at peace. Strive each day to be at peace, doing whatever it is you have to do to remain peaceful.

* How do I know it is God speaking?~ This is a question that I wrestle with at times. Here is what was said:
~It can be a feeling, something doesn't feel right. It may not always make sense in our mind.

~ A stirring in our spirit about something. ( Acts 17) Just because this happens though doesn't mean it is God. He will confirm it with witnesses (others who speak into your life) or through His word.
~ What He is speaking to us may not always make sense to us. This is something that I have learned about God. He thinks outside of the box and we need to follow Him even when it doesn't make sense to us. I think true living happens when we do this. I love His creativity.

~Take a baby step and see if God's favor is in it. ~Hosea 5

~Lastly, even when He speaks to you and it doesn't' happen right away, maybe not for a long time, that doesn't mean it wasn't God. Take Abraham and Sarah for example. He told Abraham he and Sarah would have a baby, even in their old age. It took years and years for that to come to pass. God did it though.

*Hearing God can take time and practice. There will be times when we think He is leading us in a certain direction or to do something and it ends up being a mistake on our part. That's okay, we will make mistakes along the way as we step out in obedience (I have). This is how we fine tune our ear to Him and can hear Him over the other noises in our lives.

* One phrase that got me was "Faith is spelled RISK".

From my experience, I have heard God when I am busy about something and a thought will cut through my current thought. It has nothing to do with what I am thinking about or doing, it is almost out of nowhere, but I know instantly what it is in regards to. It is the coolest thing and it brings me such peace...I know the thought was from Him. For example, I was dating a guy a year or so ago and I was not sure if I should keep seeing him or not and had been praying about it. He was a great guy and treated me great but I still wasn't sure about it. I was doing some homework one afternoon for a class I was taking and this thought passed through my mind..."It could be good but I have better for you." Huh, was my first thought but then I realized immediately what it meant. It was a relief and I knew what to do about it. What peace I had about that situation at that moment.

I know I still have a long way to go as far as fine tuning my ear to hear the Father's voice more throught my day. Jesus talked about living an abundent life and I imagine that it starts with hearing and obeying the voice of God. Imagine what He could do with us for the glory of His Kingdom. My hearts desire is to hear Him more clearly and to respond...even going to the ends of the Earth for Him.

What is He speaking to you?