What are YOUR ANSWERS to those questions?
I want you to tell me. Post a few words and let me know what's happening on your end. I love hearing from you!
Yesterday -- in this series entitled, Hearing God's Voice -- we talked in detail about getting all prepared to hear from God and then, hearing "NOTHING".
No worries... today we're going to talk about hearing SOMETHING. God does, in fact, speak, so today and tomorrow we will focus on two common responses: YES and No.
PART 4:
What is it that I can I expect God to say?
and
Just how does He do that?
"Call to me and I will answer you
and tell you great and unsearchable
things you do not know."
Jeremiah 33:3
1. God sometimes says NOTHING... (Day 234)
2. God sometimes says YES............. (Day 235)
3. God sometimes says NO............... (Day 236)
4. What else does God say??? (Tune in Day 237)
When I was a little girl, I remember a kid showing up at grammar school one day with a Magic 8 Ball. "Ask me a question!" he said, "And the Magic 8 Ball will answer you." Someone would ask a YES or NO question, the little boy would shake up the ball, and everyone would pull in close to view one of a handful of pre-set answers that would appear on a little screen. "Oooooo!" "Ahhhhh!" the children would whisper, followed by: "Me next!"
Okay, just so there's no misconception, I'm not here to advocate fortune-telling in any way. It's just a story I know that many of us can relate to. People want to know what The God of the Universe has to say about things. But if you think Hearing from God is a schoolyard game, you're wrong. It's real and it's serious stuff! Don't be thinking that there are a bunch of pre-set answers that God gives out, because that's simply not the case. Does He say YES and NO? Absolutely! But He's also known to go into great detail as well. He gave Moses intricate instructions regarding the tabernacle. And He was very specific on how Noah was to build the ark. (Just to name a few).
That said, there are times when I'm just looking for a simply YES or NO. I want to make sure that I am, in fact, hearing from God about something, before I take the final leap of faith to do it. I want a confirmation!
*Is this the way you want to go?
*Shall I do this with the money?
*Am I on the right track here?
*Are you with me on this, Lord?
*Is this what you want me to say?
*Is this what you're thinking, God?
* Is this really going to work?
* Do you want me to do this now?
* Is this really going to work?
* Do you want me to do this now?
The other day, while Prayer Walking in my RED sneakers, there were several things I wanted to make sure that I was hearing correctly from God.
Question #1 Did I hear you correctly Lord? --
Are you really going to do this?
Like a neon sign, a big YES! flashed on in the forefront of my mind.
I was kind of taken back by the boldness of it all! It made me chuckle.
Question #2 In regards to this particular situation, Lord --
Is this what you want me to do?
Another bold YES! flashed in my mind.
Okay... I guess that's how God wants to do it today.
If there's one thing I've found, God is never boring!
I proceeded to ask Question #3 and Question #4....
Once again -- the same thing!
"YES!" and "YES!"
were brightly flashing on and off in my mind!
Then came Questions #5... "Okay... What about this Lord? --
Is this where we're going?
NOTHING! It was like looking at a box of scrabble letters that were turned upside down so that I couldn't see them. Nothing stood out in my mind. It was virtually BLANK.
Ahhhhh. 4 YES and 1 NOTHING.
Was this a joke? Was my mind playing with me? It was so odd, I went through the entire thing again. I asked each question, one at a time... and the exact same thing happened.
4 YES and 1 NOTHING.
What's really important here, is what came along with the YESes....
PEACE!
You'll always feel a peace.
It's a foundation of calmness with an excitement to move ahead. There's a
"Divine Knowing" that's attached, that assures you that God is speaking. It's a hard thing to understand if you haven't experienced it, but when you do experience it, you'll totally understand it. LOL. So for now, let me say this...
If there's confusion, calamity, chaos, distress, severe anxiety, disorder, or total upheaval... HOLD OFF! Always wait for the peace!
That doesn't mean that you won't be a little anxious or concerned about what God's asking of you. Remember... God wants to work
in partnership with you. With that in mind, He'll often ask you
to do something that you think...
"You're talking to the wrong person, Lord. I can't do that! I don't know how!"
That'll make anyone a little nervous. In time, you'll learn to trust Him to do His part. In fact, often that's how you know it is God speaking, because
His ideas are bigger and bolder
than anything you'd ever
attempt on your own!
So the flashing neon sign on the forefront of your mind, might sound a bit dramatic, but He does sometimes do it that way -- or in some form of that way. Here's another way He does it.
Often with me, it starts off by my feeling inclined to do something specific for God. An idea pops into my mind, and I can't seem to shake it. Even though I dismiss it over and over again, it keeps coming back to me. Eventually the thought will cross my mind... "Is God trying to tell me something?" Without fail, later in the day, or shortly thereafter, I'll see something -- maybe a magazine article, or a picture in a store. Or I may hear something --
a song on the radio, or a conversation someone is having at the check-out line.
I may even take note of something specific that someone is doing while I'm out and about town. The key here is this:
a song on the radio, or a conversation someone is having at the check-out line.
I may even take note of something specific that someone is doing while I'm out and about town. The key here is this:
No matter what it is...
It sticks out like a sore thumb!
I'm not looking for it, either! -- Somehow, it finds me!
God will immediately connect, whatever that is, to the idea that I had earlier in the day. "Isn't that funny?" I'll think. "God was just speaking to me about that this morning." Hmmmm.
Then later that day or the next, I'll be reading my Bible and a verse will jump off the page. Or I'll be sitting in a study group and the speaker will share something from God's Word. My ear will totally turn toward it, as if it's being said on a loud speaker. Or just maybe, I'm sitting doing a morning devotional and the little scripture at the bottom of the page, is vying for my attention. Yup! It just so happens to TOTALLY connect with that "God Idea" that's been on my mind.
Then later that day or the next, I'll be reading my Bible and a verse will jump off the page. Or I'll be sitting in a study group and the speaker will share something from God's Word. My ear will totally turn toward it, as if it's being said on a loud speaker. Or just maybe, I'm sitting doing a morning devotional and the little scripture at the bottom of the page, is vying for my attention. Yup! It just so happens to TOTALLY connect with that "God Idea" that's been on my mind.
Before I know it, along comes a friend who shares some random event that he's experienced... And once again, some tiny detail specifically stands out and connects to the idea. Even though I've pushed that idea aside, it keeps resurfacing again and again! "Could this be God?" I wonder.
You got it! Right about that time, I can be found in prayer somewhere with God saying... "So Lord... Is this what you're telling me to do?"
Where's that NEON sign now? Cause I'm looking for it!
Keep in mind, there are literally hundreds, maybe even thousands of ways God speaks and says YES. That's because His conversations are personal and detailed. I could spend a whole year just talking about this alone. Hopefully, today's blog will get you in the right mindset for hearing Him say YES to you!
Just to recap, keep these things in mind:
In response to your prayerful inquiry,
* Is God blatantly saying...
"YES -- Move Forward! -- Go ahead! -- It's time?"
* Is there a PEACE?
* Do you sense a "Divine Knowing" that God has spoken?
* Is His request Bigger and Bolder than anything you'd normally consider?
* Is it something that can only be accomplished in partnership with Him?
* Does He seem to be confirming His request/idea in multiple ways --
several times over?
You got it! Right about that time, I can be found in prayer somewhere with God saying... "So Lord... Is this what you're telling me to do?"
Where's that NEON sign now? Cause I'm looking for it!
Keep in mind, there are literally hundreds, maybe even thousands of ways God speaks and says YES. That's because His conversations are personal and detailed. I could spend a whole year just talking about this alone. Hopefully, today's blog will get you in the right mindset for hearing Him say YES to you!
Just to recap, keep these things in mind:
In response to your prayerful inquiry,
* Is God blatantly saying...
"YES -- Move Forward! -- Go ahead! -- It's time?"
* Is there a PEACE?
* Do you sense a "Divine Knowing" that God has spoken?
* Is His request Bigger and Bolder than anything you'd normally consider?
* Is it something that can only be accomplished in partnership with Him?
* Does He seem to be confirming His request/idea in multiple ways --
several times over?
* Are you finding it difficult to miss that He's trying to tell you something?
One more thing -- and this is important! You might be thinking, "So what? That's just your mind playing with you. You're making more out of this than needs to be. I'm not so sure this is God at all."
Let me tell you what makes me so sure it is God.
The first time... Yeah... I thought that. But after that happened a couple times, and I didn't do anything with it, I noticed, God asked someone else, who did act upon it. The results were unbelievable. God had my attention. He used those times to confirm to me that I was in fact hearing His voice.
Then it moved to a new level. As I stepped out in faith, believing God was speaking to me, I noticed that the results from my actions were total "GOD-things." People were getting ministered to. God was speaking to people through me. People were encouraged, set free, saved! WOW!
I knew, without question, that God was at the center of it. There was no doubt that He was using me. I was totally incapable of producing those kind of "Divine Results" on my own. All the glory went to God!
As time went on... God would stretch me. The tasks He suggested took greater steps of faith, but I followed through, knowing, deep down, I'd heard from Him. When I didn't follow through, I ALWAYS ended up regretting it. Eventually, it became obvious that God had, in fact, spoken and I had missed it! That's okay, because it only strengthened my desire to follow through the next time.
You see... He hasn't done this once, or twice, or even a few times. I can't count how may times He's done this in my life -- hundreds perhaps???
But it all starts somewhere, and that's where we've started today in this blog.
From here on out, it's...
One more thing -- and this is important! You might be thinking, "So what? That's just your mind playing with you. You're making more out of this than needs to be. I'm not so sure this is God at all."
Let me tell you what makes me so sure it is God.
The first time... Yeah... I thought that. But after that happened a couple times, and I didn't do anything with it, I noticed, God asked someone else, who did act upon it. The results were unbelievable. God had my attention. He used those times to confirm to me that I was in fact hearing His voice.
Then it moved to a new level. As I stepped out in faith, believing God was speaking to me, I noticed that the results from my actions were total "GOD-things." People were getting ministered to. God was speaking to people through me. People were encouraged, set free, saved! WOW!
I knew, without question, that God was at the center of it. There was no doubt that He was using me. I was totally incapable of producing those kind of "Divine Results" on my own. All the glory went to God!
As time went on... God would stretch me. The tasks He suggested took greater steps of faith, but I followed through, knowing, deep down, I'd heard from Him. When I didn't follow through, I ALWAYS ended up regretting it. Eventually, it became obvious that God had, in fact, spoken and I had missed it! That's okay, because it only strengthened my desire to follow through the next time.
You see... He hasn't done this once, or twice, or even a few times. I can't count how may times He's done this in my life -- hundreds perhaps???But it all starts somewhere, and that's where we've started today in this blog.
From here on out, it's...
"One foot in front of the other.
One step at a time. One day at a time.
That's how you do it!"
Until tomorrow,
Gail
