About five years ago, when Brandon and I were working at Calvary Temple in Modesto, I sensed that God was about to move us on. We were very happy there, with a large, successful youth ministry, national influence and a youth staff of nearly 100 leaders, but I couldn't shake the sense that God was readying the next step for us. At that point in my life, I wrote in my Bible Study journal the following question; "what are you doing NOW, to prepare yourself for what God has for you in your future?"
My question for you ladies, as we begin to study how to hear the voice of God in our lives, is "what are you doing NOW to prepare yourself for what God has for you?"
I am frequently asked by people how to hear the voice of God. Though I am by no means an expert, I have learned a little over the years in this area. Often we look for the formula or the steps that will allow us to suddenly "hear" God. Just as often, we overlook the very basic elements that lay the foundation for us to hear the Lord. I understand from friends in the home building industry that if the proper foundation is not laid, the entire house is destined to be weak, to crack, sag and leak, and ultimately to fail. That same illustration applies to us in our relationship with God; without a proper foundation, the entire relationship is weak, cracks, and ultimately fails. Let's look together at today's thoughts on how to prepare to hear God; and begin to lay a foundation.
"And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord..." I Samuel 2:26
Samuel was just a toddler when his mother gave him to the Lord. She took him to the temple, to Eli the priest, and left him to serve there. Samuel grew up in the temple, he literally grew up in church! He was around people who talked about God, ministered before God and were experienced in hearing from God. At this point in history, God chose to speak to his people through very few chosen people, and in fact Scripture says about this particular time that "the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions." (I Samuel 3:1) The verses immediately following describe Samuel's experience hearing God for the first time. The Bible says that Samuel was lying down in the temple when "the Lord called" to him.
I love that Samuel had no idea that it was the Lord calling to him. Three times God called to him, and three times he got up and went to Eli, the priest, asking if he had called him. When Eli realizes that it must be the Lord calling Samuel, he instructs Samuel in how the respond to God. In verses 9 & 10 of I Samuel chapter 3 we see Samuel respond to the Lord's call and Scripture says that "The Lord came and stood there, calling..." Ohhhhh to hear God's voice that clearly, to have Him stand there and call to me. Just typing that produces an indescribable LONGING inside of me. Tears fill my eyes, passion wells up inside of me, and I can't help but ask; "how do I get there?"
It starts with willingness. Willingness to learn, willingness to try, willingness to respond. Samuel, who went on to become one of the greatest prophets (one who heard from God on behalf of the people) Israel had ever known, had to start as a young boy with no experience. Let me be clear, his age is not important here....young in his relationship with God is probably the easiest way for us to relate. Samuel was an amateur, but his lack of experience did not become his excuse; he was willing to learn.
As I pursue the Lord, I want to declare once again, before all of you, that I am willing. I am willing to learn, willing to be challenged, willing to lay down appearances and pride and just admit that I don't have it all figured out. For that matter, I don't have anything figured out, but I am willing to learn, willing to study the Word, and willing to grow.
And you? Are you willing to learn? Willing to put in the time to get to know Him? Willing to renew your commitment to make time for Him? Are you willing to lay things aside that get in the way? Willingness is really where it starts; for all of us. We have to be willing to prepare ourselves now so we are ready for what God has for us.
For Further Study
Read I Samuel chapters 1 - 3
Write down what stands out to you
Write down the qualities you see in Samuel
Your Assignment
Evaluate yourself, are you willing to......(you fill in the gap)
Post to the group if you "are willing" and what you are willing to do
(eg. "I am willing to spend time reading my Bible, not watch as much TV, and I am willing to learn to hear God's voice.")
I am excited for what God has for every one of us!
di
My question for you ladies, as we begin to study how to hear the voice of God in our lives, is "what are you doing NOW to prepare yourself for what God has for you?"
I am frequently asked by people how to hear the voice of God. Though I am by no means an expert, I have learned a little over the years in this area. Often we look for the formula or the steps that will allow us to suddenly "hear" God. Just as often, we overlook the very basic elements that lay the foundation for us to hear the Lord. I understand from friends in the home building industry that if the proper foundation is not laid, the entire house is destined to be weak, to crack, sag and leak, and ultimately to fail. That same illustration applies to us in our relationship with God; without a proper foundation, the entire relationship is weak, cracks, and ultimately fails. Let's look together at today's thoughts on how to prepare to hear God; and begin to lay a foundation.
"And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord..." I Samuel 2:26
Samuel was just a toddler when his mother gave him to the Lord. She took him to the temple, to Eli the priest, and left him to serve there. Samuel grew up in the temple, he literally grew up in church! He was around people who talked about God, ministered before God and were experienced in hearing from God. At this point in history, God chose to speak to his people through very few chosen people, and in fact Scripture says about this particular time that "the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions." (I Samuel 3:1) The verses immediately following describe Samuel's experience hearing God for the first time. The Bible says that Samuel was lying down in the temple when "the Lord called" to him.
I love that Samuel had no idea that it was the Lord calling to him. Three times God called to him, and three times he got up and went to Eli, the priest, asking if he had called him. When Eli realizes that it must be the Lord calling Samuel, he instructs Samuel in how the respond to God. In verses 9 & 10 of I Samuel chapter 3 we see Samuel respond to the Lord's call and Scripture says that "The Lord came and stood there, calling..." Ohhhhh to hear God's voice that clearly, to have Him stand there and call to me. Just typing that produces an indescribable LONGING inside of me. Tears fill my eyes, passion wells up inside of me, and I can't help but ask; "how do I get there?"
It starts with willingness. Willingness to learn, willingness to try, willingness to respond. Samuel, who went on to become one of the greatest prophets (one who heard from God on behalf of the people) Israel had ever known, had to start as a young boy with no experience. Let me be clear, his age is not important here....young in his relationship with God is probably the easiest way for us to relate. Samuel was an amateur, but his lack of experience did not become his excuse; he was willing to learn.
As I pursue the Lord, I want to declare once again, before all of you, that I am willing. I am willing to learn, willing to be challenged, willing to lay down appearances and pride and just admit that I don't have it all figured out. For that matter, I don't have anything figured out, but I am willing to learn, willing to study the Word, and willing to grow.
And you? Are you willing to learn? Willing to put in the time to get to know Him? Willing to renew your commitment to make time for Him? Are you willing to lay things aside that get in the way? Willingness is really where it starts; for all of us. We have to be willing to prepare ourselves now so we are ready for what God has for us.
For Further Study
Read I Samuel chapters 1 - 3
Write down what stands out to you
Write down the qualities you see in Samuel
Your Assignment
Evaluate yourself, are you willing to......(you fill in the gap)
Post to the group if you "are willing" and what you are willing to do
(eg. "I am willing to spend time reading my Bible, not watch as much TV, and I am willing to learn to hear God's voice.")
I am excited for what God has for every one of us!
di
posted by Di Beals | 10:34 AM
1 Comments:
Today during the face to face Bible study, we discussed the many distractions that keep us from hearing from God, and one of the most common was simply finding the time to quiet ourselves during our busy days. Just like we make time for our spouses, families or close friends, we cannot expect to have an intimate relationship with God unless we carve out some time to "be" with Him. My time is in the evening when my family is asleep; the house is quiet, the phone doesn't ring and there is usually nothing of redeeming value on tv to distract me. The more time I invest in my relationship with God, the more equipped I feel to tackle the challenges that come up. So, to answer the question: I am willing to dig deeper. Instead of simply doing my obligatory 10 minutes, with Him, I plan to dig deeper and really focus my energy on learning, hearing and acting.
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