Wouldn't it be amazing if there was a phone, a direct line, that we could just pick up and hear God's voice?
That would be awesome! But... it's not exactly how it works, is it?
It's not that our good Father doesn't want to talk to us, the truth is He wants to be near us, He loves us... but I think if we had a direct line, we would take His voice for granted and we would not seek Him.
He speaks to us in a whisper, so we have to lean in, be still, quiet our heart and mind. God created us with a need for relationship with others, but ultimately with Him. He wants to draw us to Him not only to guide us, He also wants us to know about everything Jesus already did for us, so our relationship can be built on love, grace and truth, instead of fear, guilt and condemnation.
So lets say we took some time to pray, lean in and listen, and we are now sensing God is leading us in a certain direction... but how do we know it's God's voice? Here are some "filters" from the pastor at Valley Creek Church* that have definitely helped me discern and confirm His voice:
That would be awesome! But... it's not exactly how it works, is it?
It's not that our good Father doesn't want to talk to us, the truth is He wants to be near us, He loves us... but I think if we had a direct line, we would take His voice for granted and we would not seek Him.He speaks to us in a whisper, so we have to lean in, be still, quiet our heart and mind. God created us with a need for relationship with others, but ultimately with Him. He wants to draw us to Him not only to guide us, He also wants us to know about everything Jesus already did for us, so our relationship can be built on love, grace and truth, instead of fear, guilt and condemnation.
So lets say we took some time to pray, lean in and listen, and we are now sensing God is leading us in a certain direction... but how do we know it's God's voice? Here are some "filters" from the pastor at Valley Creek Church* that have definitely helped me discern and confirm His voice:
- Does it align with scripture? What God is saying will never contradict what He has already said [in His word].
- Does godly consul confirm it? We can ask some of our close [godly] friends, mentor, or someone we trust who is spiritually mature, to pray with us and see what God is telling them about our situation.
- Is there a sacred echo? When it's really God talking to us, we will hear and see confirmation over and over in our everyday life, even when we're not looking for it.
- Does it lead us to Jesus? Where ever He is leading us will always bring us closer to Him.
Living in the will of God makes all the difference. It will help us mature spiritually and bring us joy; leaning in will bring upon a closer relationship with our Creator who loves us more than we will ever understand.
Lets spend more time leaning in... He has a lot to say to us.
*here is the link to the message from Valley Creek Church, in case you want to listen to it.
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