Walking With Christ

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”(ESV)

How do you hear the voice of God when the voice of the enemy is so loud? How do you hear God when the chaos of the world is all you seem to be able to hear? How do you silence the doubt and fear to hear the call of hope?

1 Kings 19:11-13 (11)And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. (12)And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (13)And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”(ESV)

The bible is an extremely tightly woven web of lessons and stories. Pull on one thread and you’ll often discover a dozen or more paths that lead down an infinitely complex rabbit hole. It’s a great problem to have. It does also make keeping a linear thought far more difficult.

I’m all over the place today because I’m struggling with the very thing I’m writing about today. I want to hear the voice of God. I need His guidance. I need His peace. The world is crowding in and it’s so easy to get overwhelmed. This is a constant struggle for me, but I know why. I want nothing more than to spend every moment I have in His presence. I also know that this is a selfish desire that serves no purpose in the kingdom. For me to only focus on what I want and need leaves others gasping for air that I should have given them. I want to be with the Father, but my place, my job, my purpose is to be in the world (in not of).

The problem with being in the world is that it’s so dangerous. It truly is. It’s so easy to trip over unseen dangers and slide into a trap. It’s so easy to get unbalanced while reaching for the lost. This extremely careful balancing act requires spending time to focus on needs. It’s impossible to help others if you can’t help yourself. What does that look like?

1. The sound of silence. Like Elijah in 1 Kings above, we have to remember that God does not speak through the noise of the world. He will not scream over the chaos. He doesn’t need to. His voice will carry through everything and be heard by anyone who is listening. One thing that people often overlook is that Elijah had to be quiet to hear the voice. It’s very difficult to hear when we are speaking. Never underestimate the power of silence.
2. Know whom you seek. Know God’s character by being immersed in His word daily. This will make it so much easier to recognize His voice. As it says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, (16)All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (17)that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.(ESV)
3. Seek and ye shall find. Seek guidance from the holy spirit. The holy spirit was sent to help, teach, and guide us. We can ask for discernment, understanding, and peace. John 14:26-27.
4. Live, laugh, love, and sing. Live with a spirit of worship. Music, prayer, meditation, or even reflection on what God has done in our lives can elevate our spirits above the chaos to hear His voice. The act of worship and praise focuses our attention on God’s greatness and faithfulness, which works well to silence fear and doubt. Psalm 100:2.
5. Don’t go it alone. Surround yourself with fellowship. Being in a group of faith filled people and sharing struggles with them can give clarity to situations and confirm what God may already be speaking to you. Giving and receiving testimonies to what He has done displays His will, builds faith, brings hope, and encourages peace. The support of mature believers can help to discern His voice. Hebrews 10:24-25.
6. Great rewards for the one who waits. Practice patience, show grace, and develop perseverance. We are designed to hear His voice, but we have the habit of listening to other things. Breaking this habit and forming new ones will usually take time. There will be steps forward and stumbles. Celebrate the small wins and be graceful when success is just out of reach. Keep going and it will happen. This will develop a deeper trust in Him, His timing, His ways, and ultimately, your faith will be rewarded. Psalm 130:5.
7. Be obedient. Life a life of obedience. Reading the bible and doing what we are commanded to do clears the path for even clearer communication. Disobedience and sin muddle the situation and deafen our spiritual ear. Being aligned with His heart is the quickest way to hear His voice. 1 Samuel 15:22.
8. Known thine enemy. Part of knowing the Father also mean knowing and understanding the enemy. If we know the enemy well enough to recognize his lies then we can begin to reject them in order to seek truth. The enemy seeks to condemn, confuse, and discourage. God’s voice will bring conviction, peace, and encouragement. God’s word will counter and silence the lies of the enemy. James 4:7; John 8:44.
9. Rest. This isn’t just talking about the sabbath day, but rather it is a continual state. Resting in His love will fortify the heart against doubt and fear. It can help to inoculate against the lies of the enemy. Knowing you are deeply loved by God provides a foundation of trust to believe that He is speaking to you, even when it’s hard to hear. 1 John 4:16.
10. Write that down. Last but not least, write it down. Keeping a prayer journal that includes even the smallest of praise reports can help to display patterns over time. It can help to monitor the negativity and how God works through our situation to guide us, protect us, shape us, and grow us even when we don’t think we hear His voice. Writing things down can help, when looking back, to show those moments when God did speak. It will also help to form the foundation of future testimonies for you and anyone who gets to be involved in your journey. Include the things you’ve given to God as a reminder not to pick them back up. Include doubts and fears so that later it will be obvious when God held you from danger, sheltered you while the danger passed over you. Write down thanks when He shows you His truth through this journal. Habakkuk 2:2.

It’s important to note that not everyone will hear God the same way. There is a multitude of ways that He speaks. He speaks most obviously through His word. Reading His word daily is the first and best way to hear what He has to say. Through reading the word, certain verses will jump out at you or stick in your mind for later. A message from Him will often be repeated through different pathways. It’s a message that you have been conditioned to hear by the whispers of the holy spirit. It may be a random conversation that seems unrelated to any other yet ties back to exactly what you are thinking about. It could be a dream. It could be the literal and very audible voice of God. He can speak to or through anyone of us. Most often times, the messenger has no idea that they were being used to pass the message.

I guess it shouldn’t seem odd that writing this helped to calm and focus me today. Getting in the habit of doing these has helped me in so many ways. All I can do is praise God and sing to His glory for the things He has shown me through this process. I’ve seen the face of the enemy more clearly. It doesn’t scare me like it used to. It’s no longer this unassailable behemoth. Now, it’s more like a pitiful animal caught in it’s own trap and so full of rage at knowing that it will be the cause of it’s own undoing that it wants to watch the world burn without actually having the power to make that happen. The light chases away the shadows and makes all things clear. What a difference that can make.