Talking With God

You know as I've read through the Bible these past couple of years, there has always been one thought that has continued to come back to my mind. People in the stories in the Bible always seemed to be having conversations with God. I mean, they talked to Him and He talked back, giving them instruction, guidance and encouragement.

So now if the Bible is true (and I believe it to be so) then this must mean He will talk to us as well. Because the Bible states that God is no respecter of persons, Acts 10:34 So that tells me that if He talked to those in the Bible, then He will talk to me also.

There are a couple of camps when it comes to hearing God speak; the "Bible only" group, and the "God's Voice" only group. The Bible only group says that everything you need to hear from God is in the Bible. That if He is going to speak to you, it will be through the Bible and from nowhere else. The God's Voice group goes by the voice that they hear after praying to God.

The problem I have with the Bible only way of thinking is that the Bible doesn't give me an answer to everything that I will need to know. Let's take marriage for instance, we can see throughout Scripture that marriage is important to God, that much is true. But where in Scripture does it tell you "who" to marry? When I met my bride, I thought this girl is cute, and I like her. So how could I know to marry her or not? I mean I didn't turn to 1 John 3 and see it written that David should marry Cheryl.

Here's the thing, by reading in the Word I know that marriage is a good, God thing between a man and a woman. That's the big picture, but to narrow the focus down a little, I've got to dialogue with the Father. I have to talk to Him and ask, "Lord, is Cheryl the woman you have for me to marry?" Then I have to take the time and listen for Him to give me an answer. And this answer will show up in my spirit, not on paper in a book. Because that is where God speaks to us, in our spirits. Proverbs 20:27

There are so many voices in the world today that it is hard to know when God is speaking, or when it is our own desires raising their voice, or even for that matter the enemy giving voice to wrong thoughts and trying to foist those off on us as God speaking. If we are just listening to voices without the foundation of Scripture to know whether they are true or not, we will end up becoming flakey.

So many Christians these days (myself included) make "prayer speeches" to God. We talk and talk and talk then run off to face our day without really taking the time to get quiet and listen for Jesus to speak back to us. And we wonder why our lives aren't producing the fruit we would like to see. God is a gentlemen when it comes to our relationship with Him. What I mean by that, is that He will not push Himself on us. If we don't take the time to talk with Him and listen for Him to speak back, then He will let us just go our own way, never once forcing us to stop and listen to Him.

I by no means have this all figured out. I have to force myself to get still, be quiet and listen for His voice, and yes on more than one occassion I have fallen asleep doing so. I figure I'm in good company as the disciples did this too. Matthew 26:40-41 Here are some practical things that you can do to position yourself so that you will be able to hear God speak to you:

• Get alone somewhere where there will be no distractions. I prefer outside at a local park sitting in my truck.
• Turn off your cell phone.
• Take your Bible, a pen and some paper. (To write down anything He says to you.)
• Set aside some time for this, don't rush into it, I mean how often do you like to have a conversation with someone who is rushing through it?
• Start with simple things like, "Lord do you love me?" This question is a good one, because you know in Scripture that He does. It will be easier for you to start out with simple questions you know the answers to, then to ask Him things like, "Should I change jobs? Which college should I go to? or is this the person for me to marry?" Start with simple things, hear His voice on those and then gradually move up to the harder questions.
• Practice, practice, practice. As with anything, this will not happen immediately, you will have to take time and learn to hear Him. Don't be discouraged, keep after it.

I really do think that you will be able to hear God speak to you about every little detail of your life, but it is something that comes with diligence and time. You are just as important to the heart of the Father as any of those saints in the Bible, and He is just waiting for you to take the time to listen to Him. So, read your Bible so that you will know the foundational truths, and talk to God and give Him time to speak back to your heart...you'll be glad you did!

Get 'm up folks, let's go out there and whip something for the Kingdom today!