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 .
Also, if you want to join my online study, please click here for more details. I just found a deal this week for those who can’t afford the book and shipping. Amazon has the Ebook for $8.99 and they offer FREE Kindle for your PC software! So, you only have to pay $8.99 and the book downloads onto your computer! Email [email protected] if you want more details about that deal!
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I’ve heard a lot about listening to God in prayer and to be honest I do not get it. Am I just suppose to sit there and wait? For what? I struggle with keeping my mind quiet. However I do see and sense the thread of. Ommon concepts that keep popping up in different areas of my daily life. I do have those “aha” moments when I can so clearly sense God showing me things, revealing my doubt, providing opportunities to believe and trust. On the way home today I took a different street because of road work. I was so busy praying and talking to God that I did not notice my surroundings. When I looked up it was the old neighborhood I grew up in. How I got there I am not sure. I watched the kids, the moms the people walking with groceries. I remembered what it was like to be a kid there. The fears, uncertainties and challenges I faced. How it had all left scars in my heart and mind. The furrows that had been plowed on my back and I remembered that God had found me there. He found me before I knew him. Before I knew that I would need him, before I knew that my life would depend on him. Before I knew and understood that it was for freedom that I was set free. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was surveying some of the land we had traveled. It was really not that far from where I was really going yet it was a world away and there the God of all creation reached out to that afraid little girl and kept her safe. He loved her, he called her with loving kindness and he made her free. It was him saying I am the same God now that I was then, you can trust me, I will take care of you, I love you.
So I guess the thing I can do to practice living in the “hear and now” is listening.
I know God is speaking to me all the time. I too have troubles knowing if it is me or God speaking. I am trying to be quiet and listen. The calmer I am the more I understand. I always feel better when I am helping God’s people, more so than when I am doing something for myself. Going through major changes causes the hearing to be distorted and I just need to sit and be quiet and know God is there with me.
Loved the topic today! I always wonder…is this God speaking to me? Thank you for some guidelines to help me better discern what He wants from me.
The way i feel the closest to our God is to praise and worship him and I know if I took more time each day to do that i would draw closer to Him. Once i get through with praise and worship it takes me into an extended prayer time with Him. I want to draw closer and closer to Him each and everyday. Spending more time in his word has made me thirst for more of His word. I want to be transformed each and everytime i come into His presence……
In order for me to become mosr familiar with God’s voice, I need to spent more time in His word and being still so that I am able to hear His voice.
Thanks you so much for this study. My very best friend and sister in Christ is spending the winter in another state and we will not be together for our usual bible study so this is a wonderful opportunity for us to learn and grow and share in a different venue! I am already being challenged and stretched and I look forward to what God has in store for me tomorrow.
I have a lot of trouble sleeping at night…sometimes more than others. One thing I do to help me rest, focus my thoughts, and hear God’s voice is listen to sermon messages on CD or cassette tape as I drift off to sleep. It helps me focus on God’s Truth instead of worries, wandering thoughts, or frustration over lack of sleep. I have also been known to put in Christian movies to help me rest at night as well. Another thing I could do is just be still and pray…for others, for our country, for myself, pray God’s Word…I think I would hear God more often if I prayed more often.
~Jen
I must simply dwell in THE WORD more each day.
I am a college student and I was always brought in a Christian home and I believe in God and He’s the leader of my life. My family has gone through a lot and so my parents have taught me to have God. Yet, I realize I don’t sit down and do devotions or read the Bible. I always talk to God throughout the day. Today, I intentionally took time to sit down and just talked to him as I usually would. It was such an amazing, different experience, because I heard God’s voice. I sat there and I could just sense Him to trust Him with everything and I never have so clearly heard His voice as I did today.
What I know I need to do is take more time to spend in God’s presence. I do a little devotional and pray each morning and some times in the evening. But I don’t take the time to pray and just sit in his presence, waiting on Him. I know that I would hear from Him more if I do this.
Sometimes I feel that I’m not hearing God’s voice. The message this morning and the Proverbs 31 devotion touched me. I have asked God to open my ears and my eyes that I may hear and see Him whenever He speaks. That He will strengthen my trust in Him to follow what He tells me and where He sends me.
I so want to hear God’s voice every day and struggle with whether I can even hear Him. One thing I am trying to do is to learn how to be still and clear my head so He can talk to me. I find my thoughts taking over and I wonder if I could just quit “talking/thinking inside” if that would help me hear His voice.
Just like the comment above, this is my first time responding to a blog posting. I just finished reading your devotional on the Proverbs 31 website. Your topic of hearing from God has been my life challenge. As a young mom I struggled withing the busyness of raising three boys. Two have moved away from home, and yet the challenge as a full-time working mom still remains. I have felt guilty, felt like quitting, felt inadequate…and yet the challenge STILL remains. I wonder if I will conquer it on this side of eternity. Yet, it must be attainable. The verse, ” Be still and know that I am God” can be encapsulated in the words, “Be still.” So easy, yet nearly impossible in the world’s cacaphony.
As I get older, I am trying to get simpler in my plans. One thing I can do to become more familiar with God’s voice is to find a place and a time to just be still. Too long a time……and I fail again. Too fancy a place….and I won’t maintain it in the long run. Sooooo…for me…. I have begun to take even just 5 minutes in bed at night, before the light is turned out .I try to quiet the sounds of the day…. and the day to come– to God….and just be still. I don’t plan…argue…..or recite the plight of my day to Him. I just listen. ( I do need to be sitting upright or my eyes get heavy!!!!! 🙂 )
I have been trying this in earnest since Christmas. God has been moving…..now the second half of the challenge begins…..to trust that it is Him in what He says and does. Hummmmm….a life challenge to be sure.
Probably the main thing I need to do to hear God’s voice is to put time aside everyday to spend time reading His word and meditating on it. Also, I remember a time when I really put in the effort to memorize scripture and that is so helpful. It is so great when the Holy Spirit brings His word to mind when you need it. Also, I agree with praying His word out loud. That is so powerful.
Spending time in God’s word, in prayer, and in wait….just quieting my soul to hear Him has helped me to discern when it’s really His voice I hear. And I’ve learned that the more you seek Him, the more you’ll hear Him.
Loving the study so far! Can’t wait to delve even deeper!
YES!! Instead of getting on the computer, worrying, whatever……I need to set the time for God.
Thank you, Thank you Renee….what a true Blessing you are!!! After reading Day 3’s message, I just had an AHA moment and think it’s God’s voice talking to me. This is the first time that I’ve actually felt a peace and felt confident that he is telling me that I need to have daily dependence, interaction, and intimacy with Him. The verse “The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” ” 1 Samuel 3:10 was read at during church service on Sunday, and I came across it again on your Proverbs 31 website, and have prayed about spending more time with Him and getting into His word. I’m so guilty of turning to him for the Big ‘things’ but not turning to him for the day to day ‘things.’ ‘God is Good, All the Time! All the time, God is Good!’
Thanks you!
~Shannon
Love that my friend forward this all to me. I lost my job so of course am down over not having a job. So I pray this study will lift my thoughts. Help me, encourage me to find a job and get me more focused on what God wants for my life. I have not been attending church so this will help get me back on the right track. Also life at home is not “easy” since all the kids left for school
I love reading scripture and than praying the words in that scripture for myself or my family or for others. It really starts to hit my heart in a tender spot. One time I was desperately in need of praying for a group of people and I got out my book of topics of scriptures and started praying the scriptures. I felt like the Lord led me to the scriptures under the headline called ‘Help” and yes, I definitely received the help from the Lord that I desperately needed. Here is the scripture verse I felt that the Lord led me to — Psalm 94:17 – 19 “Unless the Lord had been my help, I would soon have dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot is slipping, Your mercy and loving kindness, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul. ” (amplified Bible). I am very happy for the Lord’s comfort and His ability to lift me up when I really needed it. I found so much comfort in that time of prayer that I did not want to leave, I felt so loved and comforted by the Lord. Thankful for His presence, and wishing you all to have that same comfort at different times when you commune with Him.
I have found that the more I seek the Lord and obey Him the easier I hear His voice. When I get stubborn or am disobedient I feel the distance. I wouldn’t trade the relationship I have with my Lord. He guides me in every area of my life. One of the cool things is when I make a decision to do something without praying and see how God has been leading me without me knowing it. As I put Him first He leads me in my every day life and activities. He is constantly speaking to me and I can say He is my best friend.
Wow, that is awesome !
Sometimes it is hard to let go if He closes a door. just want to hang on to old places to minister and not to move on up to do something more and new. I have got to learn that He will only lead me to better things.
One way to be sure it is God’s voice I am hearing is to be sure it is God’s will and not mine. Don’t think it is Him just because I want the outcome to be whatever it is I think I am hearing. I can tell if it is God’s will by realizing if it is in His word, or if it I would be being obedient to him if it was something I am praying for. Also, sometimes I will get different confirmations. Maybe a messge from church will confirm it, or something like that. I think the most important thing is to be in the Word daily. The more we are, the more we can hear His voice.
What I need to do is just get quiet and be still. It seems to be hard to do that with all that is going on around me but I know for certain it would help because it has in the past. So I’m just going to make time and do it!
thanks so much for sharing the “hear and now” message, Renee.
Beth
What is one thing I can do to become more familiar with God’s voice? Wow! There are so many things I can do. For starters, if I could just STOP questioning God. If I could just STOP trying to figure everything out. If I could just TRUST Him. Afterall, I know that He is in control, that He has a plan for me which He wrote long ago, and that He is working all things for my good, yet I still am guilty of thinking otherwise. Recently, I experienced something really heart breaking at work, and I continue to struggle with it. I have good days where I live and walk in God’s promises, then there are days like yesterday where the only words I could speak to God were things like I am so broken…what are you doing to me…why would you let me feel this horrible…what did I do, etc. I do so good, and then I just blow it, over and over again, I blow it. I am thankful that He loves me. I’d be lost without Him. When I start to fall, I want to stop and listen to His voice, instead of doing the “human thing” and being anxious about His plan for me.
Renee:
This is the first time I have ever commented on anyone’s blog. This past year I have been focused on Matthew 6:33″ Seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you”. KKLA Christian radio always on when I’m in the car, lead me to the daily devotionals (I receive 4 per day and 5 per week) one of which is the Encouragement for Today which lead me to your Website today. Yesterday, all I could feel, hear and speak were doubts, even though my faith knew better, and I wondered what was I doing wrong. Today, I am tremendously encouraged by your website and the Online Study Confident Heart, which I plan to join when I am done writing this. When I read your word for the day “Blessed” I heard and felt the Holy Spirit as He reminded me that I am blessed. If I were to describe how I hear Him at times,(sometimes in church, home, car, lunching with people, reading) I would have to humbly admit that it seems that He moves me to tears. Does this happen to anyone else, or is it just my own emotional state at those different times?
He moves me to tears too sometimes. I love your heart for Him!! I am happy you commented and let us get to know you. thank you for taking time and having courage to do that. Glad you are here!!
The one thing I do to help me discern the voice of God is to read His Word. One good way for me to do that is to listen to a dramatized version of the Bible on CD. Somehow His voice comes into my heart and is more alive and real. It sinks into my heart and soul deeper when I hear it with the headset on. They block out everything else so all I hear are the voices on the CD. With my eyes closed and my heart open I experience His Word like no other way does. Thank you for this study. This is a topic I have had difficulty incorporating into my life all my life. I have no confidence on my own, so I desperately need confidence in God. I need to hear positive affirmations I hear in the Bible because I was brain washed as a child to believe I was no better than the dirt in the ground. My parents were not positive, loving, or reassuring at all. Just the opposite. So thank you for this study. I pray I will glean all you have to offer and incorporate it into my life on a daily basis.
Thank you for sharing. I so often want to hear Gods word but do not trust myself to make the decision. I love your example of straightening your husbands closet. I would have felt and thought the same thing as you did. I love how you stated that you know the thought was not from you but from God to clean it up. I don’t think I would have because of my own selfishness, responsibilities, etc. and next time I may act and think differently!
I think for me I need to meditate more on God’s Word and His promises for me. God is so good to me and loves me so much and I tend to “forget” this fact. If I have His promises in my mind I will be more likely to hear His voice. I have a tendency to be negative. That is something I daily battle. If my mindset is focused on God’s promises and love for me I am much more likely to hear His voice and respond to it.
Thank you, Renee, for doing this study online. It has already been a blessing to me. I look forward to many more in the weeks to come.
I could pray more. I’m really got a those quick night time prayers, you know Tue ones right before you fall asleep. I need to spend time in His word. I don’t do it nearly enough. I need to stop treating him like a personal genie and start treating him as a friend.
The best way for me to listen to god speak is to look into my heart and mind for his answers. When Jesus is dwelling within me he is communicating constantly with my heart, my conscience, my soul and my spirit. It is
beautifully described in John 10: 27 ” my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”
Good night and God Bless.
One idea that came to my mind for learning to be more familiar with God’s voice was the importance of meditating on His Word. The word “meditate” always seemed a little weird to me, until one of our pastors suggested to look at it this way….if you know how to WORRY, then you know how to meditate. Worrying is something I could relate to!! Meditating is exactly the same process…but we focus our thoughts and attention on something that is positive and helpful. For me, I know that I hear God best when I am seeking him and regularly spending time with him. You can’t trust someone you don’t know, and you can’t really hear God’s voice until you learn to know his heart. It’s definitely a process, not an event, and I appreciate you pointing that out in chapter 1.
I know I was feeling alone and in a “stuck” place a couple weeks ago, and I remember just praying a quick prayer in my mind of “Help me, God…encourage me…you know how I’m feeling.” I was at the computer at the time, and decided to stop by the Proverbs31 devotional blog. I read the 1/5 entry, which I found very encouraging, and at the bottom I happened to read the invite for this online book study. I knew God had just answered my prayer, as I had sensed him drawing me to this book for a while, and there was my opportunity to engage! God knows exactly what I need, and it is such a comfort when he shows me how passionately he loves me. The past few days I’ve been meditating on our key verse and the word “blessed,” which Webster’s defined as “divinely or supremely favored, consecrated, holy, fortunate.” When I meditate on the fact that I am God’s daughter, an heir to the throne of the Most High, chosen by him, set apart for his purposes, it sure impacts my attitudes and behaviors. I did the laundry with a different attitude this week, as I pictured a holy crown on my head, rather than feeling frumpy and unappreciated. I keep forgetting whose I am!! Thank God he never gets tired of reminding me! 🙂
Thank you for inviting us along with you. Recently I have been hurt and my heart is broken so this study could not have come at a better time. I have come to realize over the past week that I struggle in “pleasing others” in which I fall short when I should be listening to God. God loves me unconditionally and if I listen to Him I will not fall short because He loves me and if I am in His will I will see the promises He has for me. At this time I am going to use this broken heartedness to stop and listen to Him, my loving Father, I am going to take the time (the time I have been using to do for others) and stop to see if I can hear Him. Thank you Renee for reminding me that I am worthy of His love and that He will and does speak to me if I will just listen.
I am so thankful for this book and this online study. Most of all, I am thankful for Renee and her life! Just when I thought that I could not take it anymore, I started reading A Confident Heart. I take comfort in the fact that Renee’s thoughts are exactly like my thoughts. And, if Renee found confidence, comfort and peace, maybe I can, too. For the first time, I have some hope…
I have heard God’s voice when it seems I have a moral issue. For example, once I was checkIng out at the grocery store and after I paid & walked out, I realized that the cashier had given me too much change. 17 cents to be exact. And I heard God tell me to go back inside & return the money. Instantly I asked,really Lord? They’ll thInk I’ve lost my mind returning 17 cents. But I did it anyway. Now I don’t know why I was asked to return the change, but I did obey. However, it seems like it’s the big things where I feel like I can’t hear His voice. I really believe that at those times, I’m so consumed with talking at God, asking to hear his voice, that I’m not quiet enough to hear. I think I need to be still and be quiet, so I can listen for his voice.
I have been feeling like I need to find a little time at the end of every day to sit in silence and reflect on what has transpired throughout the day. I feel like I need to approach God with gratitude and wait to hear him speaking to me in the silence
“Be still and know that I am God.” I have to be quiet and listen and then pray that He’ll give me the courage to do His will. The Lord has been speaking “Put Me First” to me lately every time I bring a concern to Him. I also know that He speaks to me through His Word and I have to put reading His word and memorizing scripture before my favorite TV shows. So my motto for 2012 is More of Him and much, much less TV.
A friend told me that the more time that I spend with God, that the better I will be able to recognize his voice.
Renee!!!! This was so profound to me. One thing I am going to do is – – Continue building my relationship with Him through journaling. I have found that not only journaling but listening as I journal, I can sense those impressions. Thank you for reeling me back in and reminding me that Yes, He does speak to me and I have spent enough time with Him over the past 6 months especially to be in tune to what He tells me. I am not going to let self doubt or unbelief keep me from trusting and obeying His will for my life. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! to all questions.
If you had a friend that you called or spent time and you never let her talk, how much do you think you would know about her? Not much, right? Sometimes I feel like I am this type of friend to God. I pray all the time and ask, ask, ask, but I don’t listen to Him and what He has to say about my life. To have a real relationship with someone, we have to do a lot of listening and some talking. That’s the way it is with God, so we can get to know Him and love Him like Jesus did. To hear God’s voice is necessary that I am still in my thoughts and in my heart. Sometimes I have to make myself be quiet and still before I pray or read scripture..and that is so hard for me because I have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Often God’s voice is as quiet as a whisper, and that’s why it is important for me to be quiet and still before Him.
Today, I am asking God to speak to us, and to give us a listening heart because that is usually where He speaks. As God whispers, let us be still and listen.
Renee, So blessed to be able to do this online study (my first one) and I love it. I look forward to it and to what other sisters have to share. God became more real and familiar to me when I read a book by Watchmann Nee titled “Song of Songs”. I have referred back to the book over the years, because I felt God’s love so strongly. He drew me so close to him and I had a deeper understanding of his love after reading the book. It was an interputation of the Song of Solomon and Life changing for me.
The major way I can be available to listen to what God has to say is by making the time to sit in silence and pray and read my Bible. Then I have to act in faith and obedience and truly let God, lead me where He would have me to go.
I have to sit quietly and just listen.. Reading His word and the word of others who know his voice helps also.
Gods impressed on me last year to “Talk less & Listen more” something that is hard for me to do, in most conversations I find myself thinking I need to constantly talk/give an opinion. Maybe because listening touches a sensitive nerve, I feel vulnerable. Unfortunately it was like a New Years Resolution, I was all excited and ready to make it happen but over time with busyness of life (Wife, Mother & full time employee) I lost focus. So for 2012 I will continue trying to “Talk less & Listen more”. Listening to God begins with the reading of his word & praying consistently & diligently and that brings on conviction, therefore I know I need to force myself to set aside quiet time to do the above so I can hear his soft & gentle voice speak to me. I know he’s there.
I need to really listen and take in what God is saying. Sometimes I have a message from God that I don’t really ‘hear’. So I don’t act on it as I should. This is where I need to put my attention.
I have been struggling with the concept of hearing God’s voice for several years. I kept feeling like I just couldn’t connect with Him enough to really hear Him. I came across very similar information that Renee has shared as far as listening and discerning His voice vs mine or the enemy. I’ve had to discipline my life and organize my time to allow peace and quiet in God’s presence each and every morning before my day becomes too filled with “stuff”. I actually look forward to this now rather than view it as an obligation plus I feel empty and deprived if I don’t get that time with Him first thing of the day. I had to learn that the way God speaks to us is not always obvious like a mountain top experience, but that we have to open our hearts, minds, and ears to His voice that will likely come to us through the study of His word, a song, or people He sends to us. Thank you so much, Renee, for all that you are doing. I give God much praise and glory for leading you on this venture and for bringing everyone along with you.
I too struggle with listening for His voice. I have often felt like maybe He doesn’t speak to me. I am learning that God’s voice may not be audible to me but it is a feeling I get that something is right or maybe isn’t right. I am trying so hard to carve out that quiet time to be alone in my study of His word. It is so hard for me as a single mom of three teenagers to have even a minute alone much less a quiet one!
Wow! What a great devotion today. I have had a season away from God (read that as I have not been paying attention though i know he was always with me) and have just started connecting back in the last 4-5 months. His absolute faithfulness to be is astounding eventhough I know I have been like a spoiled child for a couple years now. Now that I am here and connecting back in he is there just as he was when I was choosing. Of to connect. Tonight was a hard night at home with my little girls, they are in a rebellious and fiesty place and I was sitting on my bed praying about it and decided to look at the assignment for today. And I find this wonderfully honest and directive study about trusting God and listening and obeying as HIS child. How can I expect my girls to be obedient and trust me when I have not been modeling that behavior at all with God? What a HUGE realization that was for me. The other line that got me was the last … “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.”. THAT is where I have been the past 2-3 years trying to get fulfillment from others and their approval and acceptancVe. And you know what though God used that time in my life for his glory… It was not where I should have been in my life. Thank you Renee. Thank you fellow bible study followers. Thank you for helping me see and HEAR God’s will and words for my life. This is a journey I will not soon forget. Bless you all!
Boy, does the idea of a spoiled child hit close to home. God has been doing things in my life and putting me places where I DO NOT WANT TO BE! I am still struggling with it, but I think that as He is allowing me to recognize this He is also allowing me to be more aware of other, bigger, God-centered things. I hope. 🙂
I am so thankful. I put my trust in Jesus and by faith i hear his voice. I try to obey-it’s a struggle so I keep confessing my trust in Jesus. Miracles are happening PTL. It’s baby steps.
I am excited and nervous to begin this study. “A Confident Heart,” was definitely written for me. I am 55 years old and have grown so weary from a lifetime of self-doubt. I find myself thinking of my relationship with the Lord in the past tense. I “used” to pray more, be involved in church, read my bible more, etc. I want to live in the now. One important thing I can do to hear God’s voice is to stop numbing my mind with tv. It is such a powerful escape for me. I don’t have to think when I am zoned out in front of it. I look forward to turning my focus back to God and growing in Him.
Amen Vickie! I’m 50 years old and also weary of self-doubt. I’ve also been using TV to zone out and forget my problems instead of laying them at the feet of Jesus. Praise the Lord for this study and being able to share and support each other. Let’s pray for each other that we can get away from the temptation of TV.
Vickie I am 56 and I so identify with what you are saying! I was encouraged when I read the words of Paul this morning telling me to forget the past and strive forward in Christ. We cannot change what we did or did not do in the past. We can focus on today and the days ahead. I will pray for you and would covet your prayers also!
Renee,
I thank you so much for coming into my life. I am going through some struggles in my life. I am studying your book & trying to get all I can from this study. I thank you so much.
The way I can listen for God voice is by reading & studying more. Also by spending time in prayer. I am learning to pray scripture because of you. Thanks! Your very encouraging.
I used to ask God to yell at me because I was a bad listener. I found out that with patience time and practice He much prefers to speak quietly and lovingly to me. I just need to make myself present.
Like any other relationship, you need to spend time together to become familiar with His voice. This is done by spending time in the Word as well as prayer.