I have come across so many Christians who think that God doesn’t speak to them – that He only speaks to preachers or people who seem to have everything together.
This is so wrong. Our God is a communicating God. He loves to talk with His kids – even when they have been naughty! Take Adam & Eve – God took the time to speak to them in the garden after they had disobeyed His instructions.
There is one verse that I give people who think that God isn’t speaking to them:
My sheep hear My voice & I know them & they follow Me. John 10:27
I believe that God is always speaking to His children, His sheep. We have the ability to hear His voice. He makes a way so that we can hear His voice. Believe this. Get rid of any thoughts that tell you otherwise. Those are lies. The truth is – God desires to speak with you.
One of the main problems we have with our hearing is – our expectations.
Most Christians do not expect God to speak to them.
Expect God to speak to you in church
I wonder how many people who attend church this Sunday will go with an expectation that God will speak to them during the service. I try to always go with this expectation – I take my journal and pen with me, expecting to write something down that God has impressed on me as vital to my personal growth or an answer to a current problem. I need to record what I hear from God – otherwise it can be so easily lost. God told Jeremiah to “Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you” (Jer 30:2). I need to be able to go back to it later in the day or during the week and ponder what He has revealed to me.
It’s not just the sermon where God may speak to me. Sometimes it could be just one comment from the person up the front or a line in a worship song. What I receive from God will be different from the person sitting next to me – which makes God so awesome, don’t you think? He knows the exact wisdom, guidance or encouragement that we need for that moment.
Expect God to speak anywhere, anytime and anyhow
The cool thing is though, God doesn’t just speak to us in church. Oh, no – far from it. He speaks to us anytime of the day or night, anywhere and anyhow.
The key to hearing from God is related to how much you EXPECT God to talk with you in your everyday messy life.
Remember Adam & Eve – God didn’t wait until they had their stuff together before He had a chat with them. No, He came to them in their messiness and initiated the conversation. He does the same for us too. We are not expected to be perfect before we can chat with God. He takes us as we are. I love that about Him. When I was younger, I used to wait until I feel like I am acceptable before I approach God in conversation – how silly is that! What a waste of precious time, waiting until I was acceptable. Well, right now friend, you are acceptable to God through what Jesus has done for you. Right now, you can hear from God.
“My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him” Psalm 62:5
Expectation is another word for HOPE. To believe strongly …to anticipate. Do you anticipate God to speak to you today? -It doesn’t matter what you are doing or where you are going – do you anticipate God to show up in your day? To anticipate, is to assume something is going to happen – you are preparing for it and you are counting on it.
Keep your expectations wide.
Keep your expectations wide. What do I mean by that? Don’t have a narrow expectation on how God will show up. God is awesome and can speak through anything and anyone. God has spoken to me through looking at a dead tree, watching a little kitten, viewing a movie and talking with a stranger.
“We cannot expect too little from man, nor too much from God.” Matthew Henry
I say – you get what you expect. If you don’t expect God to speak to you today – then your ears won’t ‘hear’ Him. But if you treat everyday in anticipation of what you will learn from Him – you will receive an abundance of aha moments where God will fill your spiritual tank to the full and overflowing.
Action Step: Make it your aim this week to increase your level of expectation – pray first thing in the morning – God, I want to hear from you today, please help me to listen – show me more of your character – more of your wisdom. Father, I want to thank you in anticipation for what you are going to show me today.
Next week: I will post a follow up article on 7 Ways to Hear from God.
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Comment: I would love to know how your week unfolds – please share how God turns up in your week…
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