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Category: hearing God

By Posted on Posted in God the Father, growth, hearing God, prayer 1 Comment

Over the past 2  years or so, I have grown in my personal relationship with Jesus more than all the other 18 years of my christian life combined. The single most influential thing I have learned to do is to visualize myself with Him. I have discussed this many times on my blog already, but will touch on it again. The change that has taken place in me cannot be explained in mere words.  When we imagine ourselves walking and talking with Jesus in person, and we allow Him access to our imagination, He can communicate to us in amazing ways. Through this practice, the depths of His love for me have been uncovered. His will for me has been more clear. His character and His heart have been revealed like never before.

By no means have I neglected to read His word or worship Him in prayer and song. Visualization is not the only way to fellowship with Him, and must be kept in balance with the truth of His word.

While I have grown ever close to Jesus in recent years, I must admit that my relationship with the Father is strained and undefined. Frankly, I don’t know what to do with Him! My growing-up father was not a model of love and care. Surely that affects my view of Father God. Typically, He is assigned a distant, judgmental persona in my heart.

This week, a breakthrough came in this area. I was reading in Hebrews chapter 1:

 1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…

That last verse really came alive. I remembered when Jesus said in the book of John, “If you have seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.”  If I know and trust the heart of Jesus, then I already know the heart of Father God!

In the middle of bible study worship this week, the Father spoke to my heart and assured me, “I am as tender as My Son. You can trust Me. I do not judge you; I love you.” What a breakthrough.

I am working on visualizing the Father. Uncertain of His form, I have been asking the Holy Spirit to help me in my imagination. Great things are happening in me as I grow closer to both Father and Son.

By Posted on Posted in God's word, hearing God, trusting Him No Comments

God has really been impressing on me the importance of listening to Him. My girls and I are studying the Life of David via my Chronological Bible. I am so impressed with the way that David listened to God. He really tuned in to what God was saying.

God speaks in so many ways. Through others, through the Bible, through circumstances, music, literature, nature, and also through the gentle and quiet voice of His Spirit. We just have to be attentive.

In the past week, God has spoken to me so much. I doubt it’s more than usual… I think I’m just listening more! Two specific situations stick out that I want to share.

My husband has been under immense stress of late. God has blessed his business beyond what we imagined and there is much work to do. I have tried to make suggestions about how to reduce his stress, but he wasn’t quite hearing me. One morning I was thinking about what to say to him before he left for work (at 6:00 a.m.). Suddenly, I sensed the Lord telling me to get out a piece of paper and write my husband a note. I couldn’t believe how clearly all of my thoughts came together and how concise it was. I gave it to him and he ran off to work.

He came home that afternoon and told me that the office manager had just called him into her office and told him many of the same things that were in my letter. I had no idea she was going to do that! She insisted on a couple of things that I was also very upfront about in my letter.

I was so blessed. I really felt like I was going out on a limb… I didn’t want to tell my husband what to do, especially in regard to his business. The Lord used both me and the office manager to tell my husband what was on His heart. My hubby received it as a word from the Lord, and it drew us together in a way that I did not expect.

I had another moment this week as I was looking at a picture of a butterfly. The Lord spoke to me these words:  You are the wing.

What?  Was that you, Lord?  Has my recent sleep deprivation and slight dehydration affected my mind? Where did this random thought come from? Why won’t it go away?

Sometimes, God speaks in abstract ways. I spent some time going back to Him to make sure it was His voice. I tried to analyze it. I tried to suppose what it meant. I started to panic and wonder if I could really trust myself to hear Him.  I thought back to past situations when I misheard or misunderstood His word to me. I was a mess… and had to text a friend as I sobbed in the el pollo loco drive thru. (Strange, I admit, but it was my only time alone the whole week!!)

I wrestled for a bit and decided on letting it go and waiting for God to show me what it meant. Those of you with different personalities might wonder why it took me an entire day to get there… but I am a work in progress!

A few days later, I ran into a friend at church and she drew me aside to ask a question. She wondered if I would be available to help her with something. At that moment… I knew what it all meant. God wants me to be a wing and bear some of the responsibilities and burdens with this friend and another friend that is closely involved. It’s a pretty minor thing now, but God has revealed the potential for our venture, and I am excited!

What a blessing to hear Him, and then understand. I was relieved to get some insight in only a few days. The Lord has spoken to me before, and it has taken long periods of time to bring it all to fruition so that I could see and understand. Waiting is the hardest part, don’t you agree?

What is God saying to you this week? Are you listening? Write down what He says, ask all of your questions, make all of your excuses, and then surrender. Lay it down. Let Him handle it. He will provide ALL that is needed. He will open ALL of the doors. He will teach you ALL that you need to know. He will carry you ALL the way!

“You will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.    And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher.    And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:19-21

By Posted on Posted in God's love, hearing God, spiritual lows 2 Comments

A few years ago, I went through a traumatic experience that left me virtually “undone”. At the time, I was teaching bible study on a regular basis, starting to speak at retreats, and experiencing new things in my spiritual life that astounded me. God was taking me to a whole new level.

While struggling with getting pregnant after a miscarriage, I thought I heard God clearly tell me something that did not pan out. I was devastated. Not so much about the thing that didn’t pan out… but by the fact that I was convinced I heard Him clearly. It made me question everything. All that God had done in me, and everything I thought I’d heard Him say in the past.

It was a dark time for me. I couldn’t trust anyone or anything. I didn’t want to walk with God anymore… but where could I go? I knew too much. I knew He was real. I just didn’t know how to move forward.

I look back on that season with such a different perspective now. God allowed my “undoing” for very good reason. I had a lot of understanding regarding His word and His ways, but I had no clear understanding of how much He loved me.

And that is what I learned in the dark season. I couldn’t pray, I couldn’t read the word. I could only sit and cry. I didn’t want to hear anything from Him that required action on my part (because I was convinced I couldn’t trust my own hearing).  It was then that He began to speak words of love to me. For the first time in my life, I was able to receive it.  Soon, I was able to read the bible again. From there, He spoke words of love to me. Over and over, He spoke His love to me.

It forever changed me.

Now, I have a much clearer understanding of His love. It has permeated my heart, my mind, my soul. By no means have I arrived… the depths of His love are unfathomable! It will take me a lifetime to fully understand. In the past couple of years, He has worked to remove many of the barriers that once stood in the way of His love. The affection of my Heavenly Father and Savior on the cross flow more freely into my heart than ever before.

I heard Joyce Meyer say something this morning that really got me thinking about this very subject of love. Consider two of the disciples. Peter continually professed his love for and devotion to Christ  (Matthew 17, Mark 8, Luke 22). On the other hand, John was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (which he professed in his writings in John 13:23, 21:7, 21:20). While Peter was focused on his own love for Jesus, John was blessed with a clear understanding of how much Christ loved him.

Both men were affected by the understanding that they had. Both professed their understanding in words and actions. When we look at the moment that Jesus went to the cross, we see a vast difference between these two men. Peter found that his devotion to Jesus wavered when he denied knowing the Savior, yet John was present at the foot of the cross and accepted Christ’s request to care for His mother.

This morning I realized that I used to be a Peter, but now I’m more like John. This penetrating understanding of His love and care for me has proven to be of more value to me than I ever imagined.

If this revelation is sorely lacking in your life… ask God to give you a deeper understanding of His love. When you read the scriptures, press in and look for the evidence of His love. What you discover there, repeat to yourself over and over. You will believe far more of what you say out loud than what you merely read.

May you confidently become the individual that Jesus loves, and may you proclaim it all the day!