When you start to listen to God through circumstances, impressions, teachers, or the Bible, sometimes he’s going to lead you in ways that you don’t understand. Hang in there! Following God is not always easy, but it will reap more blessing in your life than you can imagine.
“God does speak — sometimes one way and sometimes another — even though people may not
understand it” (Job 33:14 NCV).
A lot of us think we’re too busy to listen for
God’s response. But we have to take the time to tune in and listen, because
God is speaking. Job 33:14 says, “God does speak —
sometimes one way and sometimes another — even though people may not
understand it” (NCV).
The question is, “How do I understand it? How do I
tune in so that I can hear God’s voice?”
Here are four of the channels that God uses:
- God speaks to us
through the Bible. It’s your
guidebook for life. It shows you the right step to take. That is why you
need to read God’s Word every day. If you’re not having a daily quiet
time and reading the Bible, God is getting a busy signal when he wants
to speak to you. You have to keep a constant connection, because God’s
will is found in God’s Word.
- God speaks to us
through teachers. Have you ever
been in a church service and felt like what the teacher was saying was a
direct message from God to you? There’s no way I or any other teacher
could figure out exactly what to say to meet every need. But God knows.
So before every service I pray, “God, you know the people and the needs
out there. Give me the right things to say.” Somehow, in the way only he
can, God uses my teaching and the teaching of other pastors to meet the
needs of people who are listening.
- God speaks to us
through impressions. There are two
extremes to this. One extreme is the rationalist who believes no
impression can be from God; it all has to be logical. At the other
extreme is the mystical belief that every impression is from God. You
need to get in the middle and realize that every impression has to match
God’s Word.
- God speaks to us
through our circumstances. If we’re going
to live a life of significance, God’s got to make constant course
corrections, and one of the things he uses to do that is the
circumstances that come into our lives. When you start to listen to God
through circumstances, impressions, teachers, or the Bible, sometimes
he’s going to lead you in ways that you don’t understand. Hang in there!
Following God is not always easy, but it will reap more blessing in your
life than you can imagine.
Talk It Over
- When was
a time that God used one of these channels to speak to you about his
will for your life?
- How do
you think God wants you to test an impression to see if it is from God?
- How do
you need to change your perspective on your circumstances so that God
can use them to speak to you?
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