I have my 'GRITS Getaway Gals' here for the week-end, so I apologize for being a day late in publishing this post. I'm loving my time with daughter & friends of 22+ years, and will hate to see them leave, but our time together has been precious. But in our business of the day, lets not forget our best friend ever...Jesus.
Week 7 ~ Learning to Listen
Oh, that you would hear Him calling you today and come to Him. Psalms 95:7~ Believing God for Direction ~ Why would our Creator make a plan to love and get to know us, yet not talk to us? As Jesus communed with His Father, so can we! We have all the tools: we come to God in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul states in I Corinthians 2, Who would ever believe we have with (us) the very thoughts and mind of Christ, and have with us the power to move the hands of God by prayer. This verse should motivate our desire to increase our understanding towards the things of God. How can we know what God wants for us? We ask!
If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him and He will gladly tell you, for He is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask Him. If you don't ask with faith, don't expect the Lord to give you any solid answer. James 1:5,6Hearing God's voice is a personally uniquie process that grows with our desire to hear, and it is lived out by practice, and the faith to believe God can and will talk to us. As Rob and I prepared to move to Sweden for Bible school, we exercised our faith in a deeper way than ever before. As we took baby steps forward, God led us in the direction towards success and inner joy. Since then, our testimony has encouraged others to take more time to listen, then step out in faith towards what God is calling them to do.
Before we accept Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit is considered upon us, gently leading us to Him. Once we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit is then inside us, and enables us to grow and serve at the level we desire. Our growth process takes time in studying God's word, time spent with other believers who will help us along our journey, and most important, our time spent in prayer, seeking our Heavenly Father. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we acknowledge Him in our lives! Some travel the journey more quickly, others more slowly. The unknown intrigues us and we have a void until we begin to find the answers to our naturally inquiring minds.
~ Our Love for the Father is very personal ~ The Bible assists in helping us know God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus is the only one of the trinity who walked on earth, it makes it easier to have a relationship with Him. We read of His kindness and compassion towards others. Since Jesus no longer walks on earth, God sent us the Holy Spirit to give us access to His thoughts. I found out many years ago that God is only a prayer away. God desires to use us to bring kindness and compassion to others. We grow in serving others. The Holy Spirit motivates this desire as we continue to seek Him.
~ God is as Real as you Want Him to be ~ Can you think of times when you were going through a crisis when God seemed more real than ever? Through the death of a loved one, health problems, the loss of a job, and life's failures in general, we pray more, we listen more, we depend on Him more. Jesus will take every opportunity to make Himself real to us, but He cannot come to us without our permission, acceptance, and desire. There were times during my single years that I still loved God very much, even went to church, and read my Bible. However, I did not want anyone even suggesting that I was doing wrong for going out dancing with my girlfriends. But in time, I came to my own crossroads, when I had to give up everything and surrender to my Lord. And that's when my life began turning around for the better, and I started dreaming bigger!
Now glory be to God who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare or even dream of, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. Ephesians 3:20What are your dreams? As you seek God, He will lead you towards those dreams He has planted inside your heart.
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