How Do I Hear God?

"How do I hear God?"

"Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." Psalm 119:105 NKJV

That is a common question. A good one too! We want to hear from God. We need His direction, wisdom and intimacy; but sometimes it can feel like He is far away. We second guess and question what we thought we heard from Him. 

Feel at peace. Hearing from the Lord is developed. Yes there are things that He will speak to you because He chooses to reveal something to you clearly and there is no question about it in your mind. However, the ability to really hear Him is part of the natural process of your maturity in your walk. The deeper you go in your true knowledge of Him, the more you will be able to discern His voice. 

True knowledge of God consists of: correct Biblical understanding, familiarity of His presence and an effective prayer life. Have you broken through the walls and barriers that keep you from effective time in God's presence? Has your prayer life taken you into the reality of the spiritual realm? Do you have daily consistent time in God's LIVING and ACTIVE Word where each day you learn more and have clearer biblical understanding? 

Not only do we need more biblical understanding but we also need to hear a fresh Word from the Lord each morning through our daily reading (meaning, a verse jumps off the page into your heart and you know God is speaking to you).

The more you mature in your intimacy and relationship with Jesus through these things, the more clearly and easily you will hear from the Lord....day-by-day. Journal what verses He speaks to you each day. When you look over the month....you will see how God is leading you!

Don't Forget

"And He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while'" (Mark 6:31). Have you gotten to a quiet place with the Lord lately? Just you and Him? "And they all ate and were satisfied" (Mark 6:42). Have you eaten of His Word until you were satisfied? If you've been down and discouraged or feel like you are far from victory, the FIRST thing to ask yourself is...have you spent time with Jesus? Real time. Time in His presence where His Word jumps off the page and into your heart?
If you feel far away from the Lord right now, remember... "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (Psalm 86:5). Call upon the Lord...be refreshed in the REALITY of His presence! The more we live day by day apart from experiencing His presence, the more we live weak and hungry lives. We all are going to find a way to meet our souls needs somehow...let's not turn to idols but to the true and living God!
If there is one MAIN THING the enemy goes after...it's your time spent with the Lord. Remember that...

Is God Waiting?

Sorry I have a cold so my voice is a little funny :o)

CONTINUAL OR COMPARTMENTAL?

I hate it when I lay down in bed at night and think..."Oh Lord, I wasn't in continual communion with you throughout the day." I think of how my day could have gone much better. I think of the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit that I was not sensitive to. Why did I miss out? I compartmentalized my time with Him. I spent time with the Lord but didn't stay in fellowship with Him throughout the day.

John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing."

How do you remain in Jesus?
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing;" -PRAYER
Psalm 119:97 "O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day." -THE WORD
John 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love." -BE IN LOVE WITH JESUS

Abiding in Jesus is anything but compartmental. It's all about continual AND...this is a key to joy. Jesus says in verse 11 that He was telling them these things "that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." Wow! Joy...sometimes it may just seem so far beyond your reach and not something you are able to live in and live with but know that your Father LOVES you and desires for you to have joy. Please remember joy is NOT circumstantial. You may have everything you ever wanted...and still not have joy. When it comes to joy it's all about Jesus.

THE WAY OF JOY -these scriptures are awesome!
Nehemiah 8:10c "Do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
Psalm 16:11 (my favorite) "Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."
Jeremiah 15:16 "Thy words were found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Thy name."
Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Your Good Shepherd

I thank you all so much for all of your prayers! I am continuing to work hard...there are so many details involved. I pray you are all doing well and I really am so blessed when I get to see you in person...not via the internet! Anyway, I just wanted to encourage you today with what the Lord is speaking to me.

HE IS OUR GOOD SHEPHERD
Are you allowing the work of your Good Shepherd to be accomplished in your life? Do you remember what His work is? Isaiah 61:1-3 describes it.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

Are you brokenhearted? Captive? Mourning? Depressed?

Take some time away and be immersed in the Lord and His presence. Allow the Good Shepherd to tend to you. Isaiah 40:11 "Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes."

Maybe you're always pouring out and neglect your time with Jesus. Is your cup overflowing? Psalm 23 gives very descriptive ways that the Lord tends to us. He makes us lie down and restores us. He leads us in righteousness. He comforts us. He anoints us so our cup overflows! If you feel like you're trudging forward...go to your Good Shepherd so you can live out of an overflowing cup rather than out of a dry and empty one.

Be Blessed
Love you!

Rach xoxoxoxo

A Divine Defining Moment

Be encouraged today to know that we all go through trials. It is a part of life on earth. And it's okay. Trials in your life do not mean that there's a problem that needs to be fixed. Okay, maybe there's a problem that needs to be fixed, but we can only be so proactive in preventing difficult circumstances and hardship. I'm not talking about consequences to sin and the discipline of the Lord. I am talking about having hard days, dealing with hard emotions and feeling pain. We cannot see how everything is going to work out in life and prevent hard times.

Do you know that you have barely scratched the surface of intimacy with the Lord? Do you realize how little you know God? I'm not saying that to discourage you...but wow...there is so much to know! Is there a special way God touches your heart...and you know it's Him loving on you? Have you learned how to hear His voice as you meditate on His word? Does He make you smile during the day?

Hardships are all about knowing Jesus. They woo us to Him. They help us see Him because we're pretty blind. Difficult circumstances can either bring us toward the Lord or away from Him. Don't be swallowed by them. When you are overwhelmed in your difficulties you are in position to experience a supernatural God. And that is NOT a bad thing. We look at hard times and seek to get out. It is our natural response. Look at a hard day, a hard year or even just a hard moment as your opportunity to having a Divine Defining Moment.

At times I may want my spouse or friend to be perfect. But if they were perfect and I did not know them in an intimate way...it sure would not mean much. God perfects you through the trials...but I assure you, He is more interested in you knowing Him more intimately through them. As you know Him more intimately and personally through the trials, the work of holiness in your life will be genuine and authentic. You will be real. Life will be an adventure and a thrill. God does not just want to make you a "better person." He wants you to be alive. To live life to the fullest (John 10:10). And God does not love you more if you are more holy. That's love. Loving people just as they are...that's what Jesus is all about. Don't get me wrong...God is totally into holiness and perfecting you. It's a glorious purpose of His. It is how the world sees God in our lives.

When Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned, what did they do? They prayed and sang praises to the Lord. In that moment, do you think they were doing that because they were happy they were becoming more perfect people? Maybe. But I think it was a supernatural moment. They allowed the suffering to be a Divine Defining Moment. They let God have His way. The result? An earthquake, all the prison doors open and chains broken, the gospel shared and salvation occurred. Now that is an exciting story to tell! God is no bore. He is an exciting God. Trials invite you to experience that.

Let those trials come...and get to know your God.

WHY DO YOU FOLLOW GOD?

Why do you follow God? Really. Ask yourself. Challenge yourself. Ask God to search out your heart and show you. We live in a VERY self-centered culture. Have you brought that mindset into your relationship with God? I am convinced, that when it all boils down, there are basically two "types" of believers.
The first "type" would be those who just simply live life. They make their own decisions, they choose their own direction and live life on their own path of "choice." They then pray and ask God to "bless" their decisions and choices and invite Him to be a part of their life. They try to do the Christian thing when it comes to making decisions. They are caught up in the "rights and wrongs" of everything. Does God love them? Absolutely. And not any more or less than the other "type" of believer we will describe. But let me ASSURE you. They are REALLY missing it and missing out. Their prayers are a list of wants and needs. "God I want this car, heal my body, may me children be good, etc." There is nothing wrong with this. God is our Father! He wants us to lay these things before Him. But if that's all there is...is there something wrong?
The second "type" of believer is a FULLY surrendered one. They simply live for God. They learn to hear Him and recognize His voice (John 10:4). Their life is not their own (1 Corinthians 6:19). They have "given up" on their dreams and goals...well, they have given them to Him. Their decisions and choices are based on OBEDIENCE to God. They follow the "path" that He shows them. They choose what He has chosen for them. These believers are partaking of the spiritual blessings that they have been freely given in Christ Jesus. There is intimacy with the Father. There is "true spirituality" if you will. Rather than asking God to be a part of their life, they ask to be a part of what God's doing in this world. They actually take the Bible for what it says. They actually read it and obey it. They seek to be purified and allow God into those "secret" places of their hearts and minds. No holding on to secret sins. God has complete access.
Can you be a "believer" and live as the first type? Can you be an unbeliever and live as the first type...but not really be a believer? Sure you can. I'm not saying they're not a believer...but I'm also not saying they are. People can be deceived into thinking they are living for God when, unfortunately, in reality they just want God to bless their life. They're not really interested in living for Him. Please do not think I TOTALLY live as the second "type" of believer. But that is my desire. Is it yours? Why do you follow God? Have you counted the cost of following Him? Enough of my opinion on this matter...let's just read what Jesus said. He says it much more boldly, bluntly and seriously that I think I ever could. I have too much "people pleasing" in me. Here's what He says about following Him...

Luke 14:26-28 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he CANNOT be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me CANNOT be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?" (emphasis mine)

Matthew 10:37-39 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it."

1 Corinthians 6:19 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, who you have from God, and that you are not your own?"

1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world, nor the THINGS in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is NOT in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the WILL OF GOD abides forever." (emphasis mine)

WARNING: We tend to always give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and we justify ourselves and tell ourselves things like "well, I definitely don't love the world and I know life here is short and...." so on and so forth. Let me challenge you to, rather than make yourself sound good in your head, to say "Lord, there is so much of me that loves this world...I am so focused on myself...I live life my own way...HELP ME LORD!" Don't puff yourself up before the Lord. Humble yourself before Him. That is the way of the true disciple. Remember the Pharisee puffed himself up before the Lord in prayer, the tax collector repented and was broken over his sin. Which are you? Jesus is coming back and your days are much fewer than you think. Sense the urgency. Live for eternity. You will be standing before Him before you know it.
I love you so much. I am praying for you. Pray for me too.

Your sis,
Rach

Your QUIET TIME: Is Spending Time With God Your Favorite Time of the Day?

1. Be still before Him

Psalm 46:10 NKJV

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

We need to stop and acknowledge who it is we're talking too. Almighty and all powerful Creator! We need to know He is sovereign (in control) and He knows the future. He holds you in His hand.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

We need to come before Him and lay distracting thoughts aside, thoughts of things we need to do that day, problems that cry for our attention, worries that are filling our head...we need to clear our minds and focus our attention so that we can hear from God.

Psalm 4:4

Tremble, and do not sin; meditiate in your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.

We need to come ready to fill our mind with thoughts about Him...prepare to converse with Him.

Psalm 23:1-3

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

God wants to restore and refresh us when we are in His presence and it is His desire to lead us beside the quiet waters. There is a "sweet place" we can be with God where we sit in His presence and He calms our hearts and minds.

Zepheniah 3:17 NKJV

The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

2. Be open and honest with Him

Read Psalm 139:1-6

• God knows every thought in our minds but we need to CONVERSATE with Him in order to have a relationship!

Psalm 64:2

O You who hear prayer, to You all men come.

• God wants to hear us. Don't be afraid to open up your mouth and say what you really feel...God already knows it. You need to speak it to Him in prayer. This is how you communicate with God. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

Psalm 89:46-48

How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? Remember what my span of life is; for what vanity You have created all the sons of men! What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?

The Psalmists were painfully open and honest with God. They communicated openly with God so that they could deal with what was going on inside them...so that they could acknowledge it and be directed and healed by the Lord. Speaking out loud to God helps us put in perspective what is going on inside of us. It may just help you stay focused with all those thoughts swimming around in your head!

3. Be listening to Him as you read the Bible

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It is in your intimate one-on-one time with God in His Word that you can have a very powerful encounter with communicating with Him. It is in His Word that you hear His voice and respond!

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

in the NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

• The Bible is God's Word. It is how He communicates with us.

• When we open the Word of God we need to understand the verses are not going to jump off the page into our hearts without the Holy Spirit.

1 John 2:27 NLT

But you have received the Holy Spirit,* and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you all things, and what he teaches is true--it is not a lie. So continue in what he has taught you, and continue to live in Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 NLT

This is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things Godehas freely given us.

• Talk to God while you are reading His Word!

• KEEP A JOURNAL FOR YOUR TIME WITH GOD. Record verses that speak to you, something God showed you that day, prayers He answered, prayers you want Him to answer!

Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

Hello sisters! I pray that the Lord spoke to you through the Beth Moore study if you got the chance to listen to it! God has so much in store! So often we get caught up in each day's demands and miss the voice of God!
I was encouraged this morning reading the book of Matthew. Jesus says in Matthew 13:11 speaking to the disciples, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven..." Verses 16-17 "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." Verse 43b "He who has ears to hear let him hear." I want to encourage you to BELIEVE that God has given you ears to hear and eyes to see! Have you heard from the Lord lately? What's He been speaking to you about? Have you been seeing God move in your life and heart? In the lives of those around you?
When you come before the Lord...do you expect to hear Him? Hebrews 11:6 is such a challenging verse for me. It says, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." I don't know about you, but my reward for seeking Him is getting to hear and see Him!
I pray you have ears to hear and eyes to see. Let God speak to you through His Word today! Don't just read the Bible to know about the Author, read the Bible to know the Author! Maybe you've gotten caught up in the routine of devotions, like I do so often. Let's return to having a heart that wants to know the Lord today. May God do a work in us by His Spirit!

It is so important to know the Lord. It is important because God says it's important!
John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent."
Matthew 7: 23 "And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."
1 Corinthians 1:9 NLT "God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

I'm going to be posting practical ways to "hear the Lord" for the days to follow. Love you all!