Listening

So this has been something huge God has been teaching me lately; the importance of listening to God's voice. I have always been the one who usually does all the talking in the relationship, but just recently the Lord has said, Matt, be quiet. It has been a struggle for me to sit and listen to what God wants to say, but I am going to share some ways that God has reached me and some ways you can also listen to His voice more clearly.

Now the first thing is first, I will be honest, I have been fearful in the past, and still can be of wanting to hear exactly what God says. Why? Well because usually what He tells us to do is out of our comfort zone, but if you truly want to follow the Lord with all that you have, then it is so necessary to listen first. Yes, it is scary that the Holy Spirit wants to take over your entire life, all your plans, all your dreams, all your comforts, he wants to take all of it and lead you in everything you do. But, this is so awesome! For real, God has some amazing plans for each and every one of our lives and it is worth it. He promises us this all throughout scripture, and we know that our God is faithful.

Listening...First thing is first, when I am not hearing God's voice it is always because I am distracting my mind with other things. And usually this is because I am worried about something. We must seek peace. We must allow God's presence to give us rest no matter what we are going through. Psalm 34:4 "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 50:14 "Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you"
Seek Him out. Cry out to Him, read His word, pray genuinely from your heart. God desires for you to have rest in Him.

To listen to His voice we must first know this, which is huge, No thoughts are random. "We take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5. Don't hesitate to write down every thought you have as you are listening to the Lord. Spit it out. If you hear something that does not make any sense, don't sit there and go, huh?, ask God, what does this mean? He will tell you if He so desires. 1 Corinthians 2:12.

Another way most of us can hear God's voice is when we feel a tug on our hearts. He will whisper, "Go talk to so and so", and we will say oh no my mind is just telling me that. Think again. Like I said, No Random Thoughts. We must take every thought captive. If you ignore the first call, usually He will begin to tug on your heart, and way too often we do not respond.

Let's not become numb to God's voice. By listening to the Lord we can learn so much more about Him and we can find so many more answers. He does not want us to be searching after Him aimlessly. That is why He has sent us The Counselor(Holy Spirit). He is our Teacher and guides us in God's will.

Well, I hope this helps with anyone who has been struggling listening to God's voice, or maybe you have never realized the importance of this. I have gone through so much of my life always talking away and never just sitting still and saying God, I am here ready to listen to You.