Today I had coffee with a friend who loves to listen. Holly is so good at getting me to open up and talk about things I don’t normally talk about. Every time I ask her a question she turns it around and asks me something that peels another layer from my heart.
I used to feel bad that she gets me to do most of the talking when we’re together, but then I realized she is most comfortable listening. It is a gift. I always leave our times together feeling loved, encouraged and listened to.
I want to take the gift Holly gives me as a friend and give it to the One who listens to me day and night. I want to become such a God-listener that when I have coffee with Him, after we’re finished with our sweet time and I get up to do life, (even though He goes with me) I want His heart to be so deeply touched that His whispers, “Wow, she just listened. She asked all about me. We talked about what’s on my heart, my mind, in my thoughts. She went on and on about how she appreciates me. She spent time simply thanking me for all that I do. Even when I asked about her dreams and burdens, she turned it around and asked about mine. Renee was more concerned about me than she was about herself. I feel so loved, encouraged and listened to after spending time with her.”
Wouldn’t it be amazing if those were God’s thoughts after our time with Him?
Not only would we be giving to the One who gives so much to us, but imagine how our perspectives would be changed. Our outlook on life and ourselves would be completely transformed if we set our eyes on Him alone. Instead of focusing on what we may think is wrong with us, we’d be consumed by all that is right with Him.
Stay with me now, what if we took the magnifying glass we look through each day as we focus on our concerns and instead we placed it on God’s character, God’s love, God’s power, God’s provision, God’s strength, God’s glory. Imagine if He was bigger in our eyes than we are? Oh that it would be so!
I want to be a woman who listens to God – not the accuser, not my doubt, not my critical thoughts, not my fears. I want to stop thinking so much about me and start thinking more about HIM! I want to be a woman who hears His voice above all the others. It’s up to me to stop talking and start listening.
During my coffee-talk with Jesus today, while He brews my faith with His love and truth, I am going to ask, seek, soak, drink and believe. I am going to thank Him, love Him, encourage Him and listen to HIM! Won’t you join me?
If you found my blog through my P31 devotion today entitled, What’s Wrong with Me? , thanks for stopping by. I’d love to hear your thoughts about becoming a woman who listens to God instead of our own criticisms. I’ll be giving away my CD – Speak to Me Lord, I’m Listening and I’ll share more in the coming days about my journey of listening to Him. Now it’s your turn, click “comments” below to share your heart and enter the drawing. Be sure to include your email address.
Discover more from Renee Swope
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
“What’s wrong with me”. I have been asking myself that same question for some time regarding my struggle with losing weight. I have dangerously high cholesterol, and I need to get this under control. It seems like I can go along really good for a couple of days and then all of a sudden I do everything wrong and a little voice in my head is telling me what a loser I am because I have messed up again. I of course rebuke this voice and ask for God’s help. I need help and guidance on how to accomplish my goal for losing this extra weight that is causing health issues. I feel like I am locked in a place I can’t get out of and I also know that is a lie and that God is with me every step of the way. I need suggestions and help with this issue. Thank you.
I find my conversations with God most often a one-way street, simply because I fail to take the time to be still and listen. My heart knows He has so much to say to me! I find myself always in such a rush that I fail to take the time to really really listen. Thanks for your insight!
Blessings!
I just had a talk with myself this morning and decided I am going to quit organizing and angonizing over the details of my life. I’m going to let God take care of the details and I plan to follow his directions.
This is my first time on your blog and it definitely will not be the last. I’m glad I took the time to study my Encouragement for Today email!
Diana
[email protected]
Thank you so much for today’s devotion. On my commute to work this morning, I was bombarded with almost every one of the “what’s wrong with me” issues you listed. I felt like a total failure.
I don’t always read the devotions on the day they arrive . . .this morning I did and it was by no mistake!
Thank you for your encouragement and for reminding me that I actively need to take my thoughts captive asking for the Lord’s perspective and thoughts.
Blessings to you and the prov 31 ministries.
I love this post today. This morning in my Bible reading time, I’m afraid my mind wandered. Shopping list, things I needed to day today, the thing I said to my daughter last night that made her cry, the bills that needed paid.
I was not paying attention to God this morning, and I wasn’t listening to His heart today.
Thanks for the reminder.
I am working to silence the “I should have…” that really says, “What is wrong with you? Why didn’t you….?” It is always good to know I am not alone in my struggle to allow myself to make mistakes along the path to becoming who God made me to be. Thanks for the devotional and post.
What a heart-challenging writing! Tears filled my eyes as I read your comments from “God” as you anticipated His response to your listening heart! Intimacy with Him! Such a longing of my own heart. And so well expressed! We are so “busy” talking, ….Oh Father, draw me to Your knee and do what it takes to shut my mouth!! When I meet with You each morning “I” dominiate the time …” So convicting ….Can you imagine heaven?? Speechless at last we will be! But how my heart longs for His will ..”on earth, as it is in heaven.” May He quiet your heart today to hear Him speak your name …and may we sit together in silence at His feet.
I really enjoyed your devotion on Proverbs31 Ministries today Renee. I was struggling with this just yesterday, the negative talk, what’s wrong with me? Thank you for reminding me that God made me and loves me just the way I am.
As far as your blog about listening…I consider myself a good listener. Many times I, like your friend, would rather listen to someone else than be heard. Wouldn’t it be something if I listened to God with the focus I listen to others? You have sparked a desire in me to hear more what God has to say to me, the person he fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you.
I really needed to read your devotional today, and reading your blog really underscored the point for me. What you said about listening to the accuser’s lies instead of focusing on who I am in Christ resonated deeply with me.
I’m getting married in just shy of three months, and the anxiety I feel from this huge commitment is immense. My parents have been divorced for ten years and its always cast a shadow of doubt for me–I wonder if I’ll end up like them. I can see in my life that God has designed my future husband and I to serve Him together and that our relationship is a blessing somehow to the Kingdom. But I only see this if I look very closely. The enemy is much better at clouding my view of the truth with issues of sin, fear, and failure.
I want to reply to his lies with Psalm 139:14, and then I want to stop focusing on what I fear, and embracing the joy, peace, and hope that God extended to me through his Son.
Thank you so much for opening your heart and sharing. You’ve really encouraged me today!
(P.S. my email for the drawing is [email protected] Thanks!)
I have never been a very good listener…I’m guilty of thinking about what I could say while I’m supposed to be listening. This challenge is one I will definetly take on and improve my listening skills, starting first with God. Thank You
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” That says it all – I have re-dedicated my life to the Lord several years ago after my husband passed away. My “eyes” and “ears” have been opened up to so many of the lies I listened to and fed myself. Thank you for your devotions.
This is my first time visiting your blog, and your post today was very encouraging. I am coming to a place in the Lord where hearing His voice and having His heart are paramount. How can I know Him and be like Him if I don’t spend time cultivating the art of listening.
My eight year old daughter, Hannah, is a beautiful reminder to me of just how simple this is to do. She has been taught to wait on God and listen to what He says…and He speaks to her and through her so effortlessly when she quiets herself down and receives from the God she knows loves her so very much. Many times the Lord will use her to speak something to me – how humbling. I am so thankful to the Lord. If my little one can hear Him than my excuses and fears are unfounded.
It is my prayer that we all become more like Jesus. He only did what He saw and heard the Father doing and saying; and that was a product of the intimate relationship He had with the Father. I agree with what you wrote so beautifully today about your precious friend Holly. We don’t get to know someone by talking. We get to know them by listening and showing our love for them through our questions and concerns for their heart.
Thank you for your contribution to the body of Christ, and thank you for who you are, Renee. God made a super great thing when He made wonderful you!
Many Blessings,
Paula
I read your devotional today. It was really timely. Last night I was really beating myself up, and I was feeling the after effects of it this morning, in the midst of trying to be cheerful and encouraging for my kids. I struggle so much with the lies that I am worthless, a mistake, unwanted. I have been struggling major depression for about 10 years now, and it has been a long hard road. Praise God that He got me to a Christian counselor recently, and we have started to work through some of the issues and negative self talk. I pray that someday I will be able to see myself as God sees me, consistently.
thank you so much for your insightful comments.
God Bless,
Heather
[email protected]
Listening is a fine art. I sometimes have to force myself to stop and pay attention and listen to my husband when he’s talking about work, etc. I know how much it means to me when someone truly listens to me full attention and it’s something I need to work on more. Focusing on listening to God also I am sure would be life-changing!
Renee,
The truth that you reminded me of was powerful today. Thanks for speaking from your heart. I met you and Lysa on the cruise…and have been reading your blogs ever since. We are waiting to adopt our little girl from China and I feel like during my quiet time I’ve done all the talking about little “Emily”. God has much to say to me…I need to shut my mouth and open my ears!
Thanks Christine
[email protected]
Thank you for this thought provoking post Renee. You are a treasure.
Hey Renee,
Great post & devotion today.
Thanks for sharing your heart.
Margaret
This is so good. I hog the conversation with God way too much.
I had given up on God this past year.Realizing again that I needed Him, I have been trying very hard to spend time with Him each day. My attitude is changing from negative to positive right before my eyes. The enemy will always try to get me down but if I focus on God daily then Satan is going to have a VERY DIFFICULT time discouraging me!I am putting alot of my efferts into listening to His voice during my prayer time.Sometimes I don’t realize that He needs to hear mine more often.A sincere prayer life comes from discipline. I think God is working on me in this area, among many others!! 🙂
~Cheri [email protected]
Renee …
For the past year, I have been praying for God to reveal to me His plan for my life. It has only been in the past couple of months that I have allowed myself to get quiet enough to hear His words. My husband and I both have heard His words, and now we are taking a giant step of faith … and it is probably one of the scariest steps we have ever taken as a family, but we know that it is of God and He will provide and protect us during this time.
Thanks for your incredible insights and your encouragement!
carlyn
[email protected]