Walking With Christ

I was taking a trip to a place that I had never been before, so I was using Google maps for directions. I knew where I wanted to go but not how to get there, so it was important to follow the instructions. I nearly always pick the fastest and most direct route because I’d rather spend more time at my destination than on the journey to get there. I knew part of the trip, since I was leaving from an area that I knew pretty well, and the instructions were pretty loud. I turned the volume down for Google maps so I could better hear the conversation I was having with the people riding with me.

Long story short, I was so engrossed in the conversation we were having that I forgot to turn the volume back up as we got closer to our destination, and this caused me to miss one vital turn on the trip. We ended up having to take a detour that took much longer than I had budgeted time for, and we were later than expected getting to our destination.

The Holy Spirit is the Google maps voice on our spiritual journey. If we ignore that voice or turn down the volume, we run the risk of missing turns or hazards that we would have otherwise been warned about. Our enemy knows that listening to that voice is the only way for us to get to our destination, so he will do anything he can to make sure we miss things, misunderstand other things, or drown out that voice altogether.

The world today is so full of distractions. It’s loud and busy all the time. It’s so easy to get distracted, even if we are really wanting to hear nothing but that voice.

1 Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire the sound of a low whisper.(ESV)

We won’t find His voice in the distractions. If we’ve turned down that volume, reduced our sensitivity to His voice, or simply gotten lost in the distractions of life, how do we get back to a place where His voice is the first thing we hear?

Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.(ESV)

First, surround yourself with fellow believers. God often speaks through the counsel of His people. He will give supernatural wisdom meant for you to those around you.

Philippians 4:6-7 (6)Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7)And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(ESV)

Guard your mind and heart to block out the distractions from the enemy.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God.(ESV)

Be still. Practice being still. This is a skill that is easy to lose. Practice being still in the middle of the storm. If we are not still, by action or speaking, then we are not actually listening for any voice.

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.(ESV)

Jesus, God very God, spent time alone to enforce His stillness so that He could hear His/our Father. If Jesus, one-third of the Holy Trinity, needed solitude to connect with the Father, how much more do we need it? Make time to be alone with God.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.(ESV)

Meditate on His word like it’s more important than oxygen. It is. Meditating on the word of God is like memorizing the map instructions before leaving the house. In those times when you can’t help but not hear the GPS, having the directions memorized will help you stay on course until you are in a more quiet place and can hear once more.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.(ESV)

This kind of prayer will teach the mind to hone in and focus on that voice. It will help you block out the things that are less important or meant as a distraction. A lot of moms develop “mother’s ear”, where they will either not be able to hear their child screaming in their face because they are having a conversation with someone or they will hear their child cry three houses down even though they are vacuuming.

Perhaps the most important part of this is to remember that missing a turn does not negate the GPS instructions. It does not mean that you will never reach your destination. It will simply mean a detour that was not intended, and mean you will make it to your destination a bit later than planned. Like GPS when you miss a turn, the Holy Spirit will recalculate the trip when we make a mistake. It will do so without judgement or reprisal.