God has so much to speak into your life. But if you don't draw apart from the busyness of your day and spend time alone with Him in quietness and solitude, you will not hear it. Jesus Himself spent much time alone with God. If anyone could get away with not doing it, surely it would have been Him. How much more important must it be for us?
I have a devotion that will be running on Proverbs 31 and Crosswalk next Thursday, July 31st, titled "My Thoughts vs. God's Word". It is about combatting the negative thoughts in my head with what God's Word says about me. My thoughts are not always from God and many times I end up dwelling on more of the negative ones than the positive ones. Especially concerning myself. When I find myself spiralling downward in negative thinking, I also usually realize that I have not been spending enough time in the Word of God.
Life comes at us hard. As I've been writing about lately, life can be ugly, sad, defeating, and unfair. And at this point there's not a lot we can do about it. We can't go back and change the past. It is what it is. Or should I say, It was what it was. But what about what it can be....
Maybe you don't know how to be intimate with your husband or you just don't want to be. Or you have a past that haunts you. You've been a bad girl. You haven't been happy or fulfilled. You don't feel noticed or speical. You are working hard all day and come home to a messy house each evening. You've been exhausted and you're tired of trying so hard. You've heard of God speaking to others, well why isn't He speaking to you? Maybe He is.
At the top of this post I copied a paragraph written by Stormie O'Martian. Re-read it. Do you believe that God does indeed have much to speak into your life? Sometimes when we are left to our own thoughts or even the thoughts from those in our lives, it doesn't make us feel much better. God's Word though is not about self defeating thoughts and feelings. God's Word tells us the truth, the real truth.
Today, try to find a moment alone. But not totally alone, with the Lord. Pour out your heart. Then listen. No noise. No human voices. No TV. No music. No kids. No husband. No co-workers. Go in the bathroom if you have to. Take a walk. Sit in your car. Whatever it takes, grab a moment with God and ask Him to fill you. Read the Hope verses from a few days ago (http://melissataylorp31.blogspot.com/2008/07/dont-you-dare-lose-hope.html ) or some verses you find on your own. Repeat tomorrow.
The rest of the world may not care or notice you. But God does. And He has something to say. Quiet and calm your self and mind so you can hear Him.
There is hope. You are normal. You are okay. And best of all you are loved tremendously, NO MATTER WHAT. So, get happy, thankful, and praise God for the good He is doing in and all around you. During that quiet time with Him, find some things to thank Him for. Be intentional on noticing them. Keep them with you in your mind during the day.
I've been kind of serious this week on my blog, but it's just what's been on my mind. Friday is fast approaching, and I'm going to lighten up. Yeah, Fun Friday.
In closing, ask God if He's speaking to you and if you are having trouble hearing Him, ask Him to give you the spiritual ears to hear Him.
And if you comment here, let us know how you hear God and how you know it's God you are hearing.
If you wonder why you've never heard God, let us know your perspective as well.
Blessings,
Melissa
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7 comments:
I know it is God because it is so clear, concise and not what I would do in myself. I know it is God because when I try to find the words that say “not me Lord”, they can’t seem to be spoken. I know God is speaking because things come with such understanding these days. I know it is God because it doesn’t feel wrong, shameful or ugly.
It use to be that when people talked about hearing God I would chuckle to myself and think “yeah right”. If God talks so clearly to you, then why not me? The reason was that I wasn’t listening. I was hearing and it was going in one ear and out the other. These days I am taking the time like you said to get in the quiet before the Father and hear his words to me.
This past week I have been so low that past behavior seemed the only answer. But then I have been so high that I wanted to bust with praise. It is this thing we call life that makes us have those highs and lows. If we didn’t we wouldn’t be alive.
Thank you Melissa for taking the time to listen to the Father words. Thank you for sharing with us your heart and creating dialogue among survivors.
Love ya,
Diane
Right now I'm wanting God to speak some specific direction to me. So far, I only know His silence. I'm in a rush to know His answer, but God is never in a hurry. Because I have known His guidance in the past, I know I can trust Him, but right now I'm waiting. Over the years He has spoken SO clearly - I have story, after story, after story of the most amazing ways God has led, so I know I can wait on Him now as well.
I wish I could say I find it easy to sit in silence and wait for God to speak, but sometimes I question who's thoughts are running through my head. Are they my ideas or ideas God has planted there?
I read once that experiencing long periods of God's silence can be special as He only makes those wait whom He knows will continue seeking and waiting.
Everything I've been reading lately is pointing to drawing apart and spending more time "listening" to God. Your blog post here is just another in a long line calling me to be still and know that He is God!
Thanks for another gentle nudge!
Love & hugs,
Joy
I know it is God speaking when I receive a rebuke followed by something to remedy it. God never speaks to His children hopelessly. Even when God rebukes, He spokes hope to us. If I will do something, then He will do something. If I repent, He forgives and chooses not to remember. If I submit to Him, then He becomes my strength. If I am anxious and pray, then He grants me peace. No matter what the circumstance, God never tells us to repent so that we can "be on our own."
This morning in my quiet time I was feeling quite low. I just kept going over mistakes I had made in my life and beating myself up over it. No good was in it, no hope. These were sins I had already acknowledged and been forgiven of by God. That was not from God. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of a verse about casting our sins into the sea. It is Micah 7:19"...You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." When I looked at that in my Bible, I had written beside that verse "No Fishing." You see, that's God speaking. He addresses the problems, shows me where I am wrong, but also shows me how to get out. He gives me "the way of escape." 1Cor. 10:13 I understood that I had been "fishing in the past." God did not grant me a fishing license. I understood that it was not coming from God, and that I needed to take those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. I needed to be reminded that I have been forgiven, and that God, when He looks at me, is not seeing all of the failure, hurt, sin, or abuse. He sees His child.
And sometimes I know it is God just because I know. Sometimes it cannot be explained. We have to be so careful not to be taken in by Satan's lies. I always remember that when Satan tempted Jesus, he used scripture, although wrongly. I always check what I "hear" with His word. Does it fit God's character and His word? Or is it coming from Satan, in an attempt to throw me off course?
And Diane said it well in stating that she wasn't listening. We have a huge problem today in that we want to do all the talking, without ever stopping and listening before God. Not being still in His presence. I will leave you with this thought: if we are supposed to listen to God then why do we do all the talking, and then sign off with an amen without ever pausing to get a response?
In His Love and Hope,
Karan
Melissa,
When I ask God a question or have a thought or a dream where I think He is trying to speak to me, I ask myself "Does this line up with His Word? Does it line up with His character?" If I can answer "yes" to both of those questions, I can feel pretty confidently that it is Him. I really think He wants to speak to us so much more than we slow down enough to hear Him!
God's greatest to you...especially on FUN FRIDAY (it is my 21st wedding anniversary! Hey, God!)
Lynn
I once heard this:
How do you discern between God's Voice and Satan's voice in your mind?
Satan's voice sounds more like your own.
I can't say with absolute certainty that this is true, but it's been my experience that it does tend to be accurate. The negative thoughts that permeate my mind all have my own vocals attached to them.
Like others, I match everything against what the Bible says. If it doesn't line up, it didn't come from Him.
"The rest of the world may not care or notice you. But God does. And He has something to say. Quiet and calm your self and mind so you can hear Him."
This part spoke to me so much. Sometimes I wonder why I am even here because I seem to not matter. Thank you for reminding me that no matter what HE sees me and knows. It is so easy to forget that and to think"well, I can skip reading today".I know I would be hurt if my husband decided he just wouldn't listen to me today. Is it really any different with God? That is His love letter to us. Thank you for your 'serious' posts. They help me so much.
The times I find it hard to hear from God is when I have not spent time in His Word. We get so busy in todays world and with our families we push God aside.
I love listening to K-Love and so many time when I need encouragment or I'm seeking a Word from God I will hear it in a song.
Melissa, these past few days hearing your story and reflecting on my own past with abuse I have heard song after song of how God loves me. I heard one the other day called "Empty Me" by Chris Sigh.
One of the verse I have clung to this week states:
"Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride and any foolish thing my heart holds to, Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you".
I learning to empty myself of the pain I feel inside and the foolish thoughts my heart holds onto that I'm not good enough for God to love or use because of my past. May I be filled with Jesus love.
It never fails after I hear "Empty Me" the song "Jesus Messiah" by Chris Tomlin comes on and tears fill my eyes. A song from God reminding me:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
(My) Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for Sinners (Me)
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all.
All my hope is in You (Lord)
Your blog has encouraged me to be still and listen to God sweet voice and know that He is God.
Thank you Melissa for sharing your heart with us.
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