Welcome Confident Heart Online Study and Encouragement for Today friends!! If you’re new here, welcome!
On Sunday, I started an online study of my book, A Confident Heart and I’d love to have you join us! (Click here for more details).
One of the first things I learned, when it came to overcoming self-doubts and living in the security of God’s promises , is that we have to recognize and listen to God’s voice. It’s also the topic of my P31 devotion today. Here’s a little more about where my “listening to God” story came to a turning point. At the end I share “How to Discern God’s Voice” and a give-away.
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I sat on looking out the window, wondering what the future held. My excitement, mixed with the fear of getting over-committed, ignited a rapid firing of thoughts: What would I say yes or no to? What was God calling me to do? How would I figure out His plans and purpose for my schedule?
Wondering and worrying wasn’t getting me anywhere, so I wrote questions in a notebook: “Lord, what should I say yes to? Where do You want me to spend my time? Will You please show me Your plans for me this coming year?”
I wanted a sneak peek into God’s calendar so I could adjust mine. Instead, I sensed Him telling me not to worry about tomorrow but to live each day in the hear and now. {And He even spelled it that way.}
I did okay when it came to obeying God in the obvious things. It was selfless acts of obedience that challenged me most. But that day, I made a commitment to live in the “hear” and now.
A few weeks after, I noticed my husband’s side of the closet was a mess. Immediately I thought about how J.J. enjoys “order” although it’s not his natural inclination. Then I sensed God whispering, “One way you could really love J.J. would be to organize his side of the closet.”
I wish I could say I obeyed. Instead, I argued: “He’s a grown man; he can organize his own side of the closet. I have two kids, two dogs and myself to keep up with. Have you seen our garage and attic, Lord?”
“Did you hear Me? Are you going to obey Me now?” God’s Spirit nudged.
How did I know it was God? you might ask. Well, I knew it wasn’t my idea.
Just that week I’d read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, and recognized myself in the third servant. He hadn’t been entrusted with much so he buried his talent in the ground. I always assumed since he wasn’t faithful with it because he thought his Master wouldn’t notice.
Sometimes I saw my role as a wife, mom and friend as “average” one-talent kind of assignments. Plenty of people have the same responsibilities, I thought. Without realizing it, I let myself slip into being selfish and impatient here and there. But God wanted my willingness in every area of my life – hear and now – acting on His promptings throughout my day.
Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (NIV) And the more we listen to and obey God, the more familiar His voice becomes.
Obedience means exchanging our will for His.
So, why does God wants moment-by-moment, day-by-day obedience? Because He loves us and wants us to trust Him.
God is so patient as we learn to trust Him. And we discover over time that it’s in our relationship with Him, we find the purpose, direction and meaning we’re looking for. When we live in the “hear and now” our calling and our calendar begin to reflect our love for Him, and His love for us — not our need for fulfillment or the desire for others’ approval and acceptance.
Dear Jesus, am I living and listening the way You want me to? Sometimes I fall into the trap of waiting for a better tomorrow or an easier assignment so that I can be faithful. Help me trust You. I want to but sometimes I’m afraid. Give me courage to listen and follow You with all my heart! Amen
PS. I reorganized JJ’s side of the closet ,and I’m almost sure I heard God chuckle and felt the warmth of His smile. May He smile on you today as you commit to live in the hear and now – acting on what you hear and living it out now.
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Discerning God’s Voice
Here are a few questions we can ask. When I sense God speaking, whether it be through scripture, an impression on my heart, circumstances or through His spirit in me, I always look for Biblical consistency:
- Is it consistent with God’s Word and God’s ways?
- Is it consistent with wise Biblical counsel I’ve sought?
- Is it consistent with God’s leading through doors He’s opened and closed?
- Is there a consistent theme I’m seeing in my life or hearing during my personal Bible study time, through sermons, Christian songs, conversations, etc?
Recognizing God’s ways and God’s will comes as we spend more and more time in His word. All of us have different things that draw us closer to Jesus, and here is one practical thing that helps me: watching the Gospel of John movie on DVD. It makes Jesus, His words, the people and the stories He lived in come to life in a powerful way. After watching it, when I read my Bible I can see Him and hear Him. Which makes me want to spend more and more time with Him, which helps me know Him and recognize His voice more clearly.
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So, what is one thing you could do to become more familiar with God’s voice?
Let me know by clicking “Share Your Thoughts” below and you’ll be entered to win my “Listening to God” gift pack which includes a copy of the Gospel of John movie on DVD, my book A Confident Heart and my message on CD, Rest Assured: How to Rest, Be Renewed & Remain in God’s Promises and Plans .
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I lost my job the Monday before Christmas. I have never had a problem in the past with finding a new/different job when I needed to look for one. However, this time has been VERY different. I had worked in the banking industry for almost 10 years. We had just moved In May 2011 because my husband had lost his job and had been unemployed for 3 1/2 years and was offered a job that required us to relocate. It would require relocation to an area where we had no family, knew no one…our kids (11 and 8) would be required to move from what they knew all of their lives as “home’…leaving friends, schools, teachers, etc and move where they knew NO ONE but since Dad had been unemployed and we had lost our house and several other material things, we felt this was where we were being led.
Since losing my job, I have applied for SEVERAL jobs (cashier positions, customer service, lead cashiers, etc) and not only have I not gotten a job offer, I haven’t even been invited for an interview. Talk about feeling discouraged!!! I have made a commitment to spend time with God daily…to set aside time for me to get in His word and talk to him out loud sharing with him my insecurities and asking him to guide EACH step not just my path towards finding a job. I am struggling on how to know the difference between a door that God is closing and knowing when he wants me to :”insist” a little more…..as you know, 99.9% of the jobs available require you to apply on the company’s website so your application is mixed in with all how ever many thousands more are out there. So…I decided to go to the companies after I had applied with a hard copy of my resume and to “introduce” myself to the hiring manager so they would have a face to put with my name. Actually received response from two people who said they would be calling the next week for interviews and they would be contacting me to set up a time…and still I heard NOTHING. Is this God telling me this isn’t the right job for me???
There have been several situations with my children that I have been able to drop what I was doing and go to school for one reason or another to help them that I would not have been able to do had I have had a job and for that I am thankful. The finances have been stretched as far as I can stretch them and I am wondering what is God trying to tell me that I am missing>?? I have so enjoyed the Prov 31 daily devotions and the encouragement I get from them daily. I am also reading Micca Campbell’s book An Untroubled Heart and appreciate the encouragement from that as well. Please pray for me and my family. My husband commented “we survived one round of unemployment, I don’t know that we can survive another.” Thank you for your love, care and compassion. May God continue to use you for His service.
Dear Sweet Lord, here is one of your children who needs your presence, your guidance, and your love. Light her way as she looks for work. Help her to find a job that will bless her and where she will bless them. Fill her husband with trust in You and the strength to support Cyndi as she struggles through these challenging days. We know you love us…all of us. Let Cyndi feel your love in the ministering from friends and the angel-strangers you send into our lives. Build a hedge of protection around their family and let their love for one another grow. Bless them with good humor and fill them with hope. This world is a hard place sometimes, but we know you have overcome the world. Bless them as only you can. In Jesus name, amen.
HUGS my dear Cyndi!!! I so understand in a way what you are struggling with. My husband has been unemployed for almost 3 years. However, he is working in the school systems as a sub teacher, it is something but not SOLID employment….. not looking forward when the schools are on break in the summer. I am underemployed and I have to commute for about 1hr to my job cause we had to move out of the city we were in – had to leave friends, stuff to do, faster internet, etc to go to the country. I wonder where God wants us to be other than close to family in the grander scheme of things. Both of us are dealing with anxiety and depression, esp my husband who has a Masters Degree and is so frustrated the way things are.
God had provided for us, but we are still skating on thin ice with the financial things….
May the Lord give you and your hubby strength to go through this and I hope that you will both find the right jobs for you both.
Hi Cyndi, we have been through what you are going through. We had to sell everything we owned to pay our bills. My husband couldnt find work, i didnt earn enough to cover our basic bills, so after much prayer and desperation we moved country. It has been the hardest 6 years of my life. We left our family, our church, our friends of +30 years. Its been really tough. I lost confidence that God even cared about me as an individual. I know He loves me because He loves everyone, but i dont think He likes me. I fight these negative thoughts all the time,which is why i signed up for this course. God has been good to us. We both have jobs now which i am so thankful to the Lord for. We are determined to hang in there until we stand before God face to face. God knows what He is doing. Turn to Him and the Word in those times of panic and despair. My heart and prayers are with you.
One of the ways that I want to be more intentional in hearing God’s voice is to memorize scripture and surround myself with more of God’s word (hearing, speaking, listening) My husband has started playing audio recordings of the bible before we go to sleep at night. This was all his idea and has truly blessed our family 🙂
The only way to begin to recognize God’s voice is to get to know Him, spend more time with Him, have a two-way conversation. I find myself praying in the car, praying to fall asleep at night, praying as I put my son to bed, but I have not set aside a real quiet time. And when I’m praying I’m doing all the talking and none of the listening. I ask Him to fix things, then refuse to listen to what He wants ME to do. I find myself afraid of listening to what God wants of me for fear it will be too difficult.
I know I need to spend more time in his word and in quiet prayer time so I can learn more of his promises and get them stamped in my heart. I want his best interest in my life and know I need to make changes in my life career wise, but it so hard for me to get out of that “norm” and my fear to make change holds me back. Thank you for your devotion today and I want to take this so I can move forward to hear the direction he wants me to go next.
This post came at a perfect time for me. I’m struggling in discernment. I so want to do God’s will and try to listen for direction, but find myself in the same struggle again and again, because I end up doing it my way. My son is in a severe downward spiral in his life and it’s heartbreaking to watch. I’m struggling with how to help him…..I try to give him to God, because I know from my own experiences that sometimes we have to go through pain to get to the other side. I end up realizing that once again, I haven’t helped him, but only enabled him to go further down his destructive path. I’ve believed I was supposed to help my son, but maybe God’s will is for me to let go and serve him in other areas. I will keep working at trying to listen and keep my own ideas out of his plan for my son and I.
Debbie i am going to pray for you right now! I have been living your pain for a few years now. Thank the Lord, we finally are seeing to light. I have 2 sons that were on a destructive path of drug addiction. I struggled with the “God, they are all yours. I’m out.’ Only to run and help them again. Its the WWJD that kept me going back. I can only say prayer kept me sane…..we mostly sane. I pray that you hear Gods voice in your decisions concerning your son. I pray for support for you, that your son hears Gods voice as well, and that you find peace in your decions. That is the hard part. Letting go and being able to feel peace. I pray you can find that. It took me a long time, but I finally did it. After going thru this, I have often wondered how God is going to use this experience in my life. I never asked Why, i just ask what? what do You want me to do with this? I’m still waiting to hear
I need to consistently, daily, spend good quality time with God, reading His Word, being quiet and listening. Life gets in the way and it only gets worse the less time I spend in His Word. Thank you for this Prov. 31 post today! God Bless you!
God seems to place a “focus word” on my heart each year, and this year it is “discipline”. I am endeavoring to be more disciplined in giving Him the first fruits of my day, spending as much time with Him as He desires in order for me to hear Him. Today’s devotional and the questions you posted at the end of your blog were very helpful, Renee. I will utilize those questions to help me discern my Father’s voice and live in the “hear and now.” God bless you and your ministry!
It is amazing how God works. At the same time I am seeking his guidance for something very important in my life I began your study. I’ve felt him nudging me to spend more time just being with him and I was reminded of it again in your devotional. I love the practical steps you offer to help me with this process. You have been a true blessing in my life. This is the second time I’ve done your A Confident Heart study. I can’t wait to see what I learn this time.
I read your devotional on Encouragement for Today and then popped over here to read more. I am a stay-at-home mom and I have struggled with my selfishness and impatience, too. It’s hard to be giving of yourself all day. But this area is exactly where God is speaking to me lately – doing what he wants me to do in the moments. I have definitely been on a God-journey this year, and I am looking forward to what I will look like when He has worked this out in me. I know I need to take more time to hear God’s voice, and then I would recognize Him speaking to me more quickly. That has been one of my long-term struggles. Thank you for the encouragement!
I just got done talking to my husband last night about hearing God sometimes I just to follow him then other times I brush it off later reget it. I really need to read this today. Cause I am very confused on what I am to do and where God wants me to go..Thank You Renee for sharing this God BLess
The consistent thread in my life right now is trust. In order to trust someone, you have to know him. So I need to spend more time with Him, to get to know Him more. Then I will be able to discern His voice more.
I agree.
Wow!! I’ve been asking for the same to be able to hear Gods voice at the times I’ve needed to make a major decision, but I figured that he don’t only direct us by hearing him all his promise’s are in His word.
What a great devotion something I needed to read this morning!!
Be Blessed
One thing I am trying to do to hear God’s voice is practice quietness, just being still before God each morning as part of my devotion and prayer time. It has made a big difference in my attitude and perspective as I go through the day!
I need to slow down enough to hear the Lord speak to me. Then I need to kill my flesh off in order to be obedient to him. When I am obedient, things work out better in my situations. This should always be an encouragement for me. I am getting better, but I have a long way to go.
Good morning. Thank you so much for this article, and for you Proverbs 31 devotion today. I know God led me to it because it is EXACTLY what I was praying for this morning. As a matter of fact, He has been impressing upon me in the past few weeks to delete my facebook account because I have gotten so addicted to it. I comment at least twice a day, and check it every chance I get to see what people have to say to me. I was seeking their approval and their wisdom and guidance, instead of going to Him myself and seeking HIS best for me. Last night, I was so burdened by His voice to deactivate it that I finally did, and so far this morning I have already spent more time in prayer and have a peaceful heart. I know that the temptation will rise to go back to it, but I now fully understand why He has asked me to do it and know that He will give me the strength to stay away from it. Thank you for serving Him, and posting devotions and words of His wisdom for women like me, that need a little “push” in the right direction of life. I thank God that He knows what I need…. even if I am too hard-headed to get it in a timely manner.
I did the same thing and I feel like it is helping me just be more aware of God in general. It has also helped my attitude! It’s hard to focus on the Lord when people are complaining all the time–whether in “real time” or on Facebook. And it’s easy to fall into the habit! My hope for both of us is that if we return to Facebook we will be discerning about who we friend–that they will be real, Godly, encouraging friends!
Boy did this speak to me! My best friend has been telling me the same thing for such a long time. She also said that I had the same habit you mentioned, of asking God what He wanted me to do and where Then I went about doing it, without depending on Him for direction each step of the way. She said that I take over and push God out of the way and say “I got it from here, I don’t need you!” (how dumb is that?) I am just coming to realize how very much I need to be connected to Him every moment of every day and I am committed to living in the moment. I have to admit that it is a struggle, I was always such a control freak, but I don’t want to be in control anymore, I just mess things up.
Thanks for your advice.
I recently dedicated my life to the Lord. At the age of 24 and knowing what I know now, I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. Being a new Christian, I struggle with realizing what is God’s plan for me and what is my plan for me. Everyday I find myself praying over and over again for the same things not really paying attention to what the Lord wants for me. I really needed to read this devotional today. After reading this, I feel like the Lord spoke to my soul through this devotional today and I am so grateful. Just what I needed to read:)
You have made the most decision of your life. You are in the right place. God will lead you and give you what you need.
I have struggled for years finding God’s purpose for my life. Reading in Renee’s blog about asking guidance from God for the step by step journey will really help me alot. Many times I think I can handle the details, but if I rely on Him to help me I will figure out my purpose.
I know I need to spend more time in prayer. Also, I used to keep a journal of thoughts from my devotions & even wrote down some of my prayers & requests & answers to prayer etc. I think starting to journal again would help me to focus during my devotional time. Sometimes I think that is my main problem-losing focus-so many things are on my mind at once that sometimes they invade my mind even during devotions & prayer which can easily drown out the Spirits still small voice. I definitely will be spending more time in prayer & devotions so that I can hear my Jesus speaking to me.
Thank you for the devotion, blog & chance for a gift!
~Blessings~
I love this idea of journaling. I have never thought about doing that during my devotion times, but I relate to the “busy mind” syndrome and think I will try journaling as well. Thank you for this idea. Good luck to you!
Definitely doing my “God and I” time early has had a big impact on me and hearing God’s voice. I have 7 children and have tried many other times to do my “quiet time” when it wasn’t all that quiet. I just recently started consistently doing it early before the kids wake up… WOW! I can feel and see how God has helped me tune into Him so much more throughout my day! You are so right, it is easy to ASK God for guidance, but FOLLOWING it every step of the way is a whole new ball game! Thanks so much for this post…. it is exactly what I needed to read today!