3 ways to hear from God: part 1

When there are a million different voices telling you who to be and where to go, how do you hear from the only One who really matters? 

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1. Keep a journal

When you spend time praying and studying the bible, it can be very helpful to keep a journal. These moments spent alone with God can be the only time you get to peacefully sit before Him.

With all your attention turned to Him, in a surrendering position- what better time to listen?

Sometimes my quiet time feels like me just talking and not ever hearing from God.

You know, prayer request after prayer request. 

And I don't give God a chance to say anything. 

So I finally took everyone's advice and got a journal. At first I didn't know what to write. (Heck, I still don't know what to write sometimes. I'm no expert. Just a chick who loves Jesus, remember?)

But eventually God began to pour things into me during my quiet time with Him. He would give me wisdom on situations that I know I could not have come up with on my own. He would give me ideas and He would convict me. 

And in good old Godly fashion- He would wreck me.

Being wrecked is like feeling such an overwhelming sense of love from God that you just simply cannot. You just cant. 

Point is, if you journal during your time with God, you can invite Him to speak to you through what you write. It is a way of opening up to receive. 

You can leave feeling more peaceful and accomplished than you were when you came.

It is extremely important to hear from God. How else will you know the status on those cookies?

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

[Psalm 91:1 NKJV]

2. Through Christ-centered friendships.

I have a lot of friends. Only about two of them rebuke me though so, I have two friends.

One is a hugger. I'm just sayin.

My friends see me the way God sees me and they only want what is best for me. 

There are times God speaks to me directly through them because they are not afraid to tell me the truth. In fact, they know it's what I need to hear. 

If you have Christian friends who constantly challenge you to grow, while still accepting who you are, God can thrive in those relationships.

Sometimes they give me advice on situations I didn't even tell them about. I know it comes from God because I really needed to hear it, but they didn't even think much of it. 

And then of course there are times they give me help and pray for me because well...I'm not exactly disguising my problems.

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them

[Matthew 18:20]

3. Your Pastor

Your Pastor has a very special grace to deal with...you.

I already told you that you're supposed to be at church on Sunday morning and there is something about being exactly where God tells you to be that sets you up to hear from Him. 

Think about it, how many times have you been sitting in church and you feel like the Pastor wrote the sermon just for you?

He says something about your life and at first you're like...nahh.

Then you're like, wait a minute, that's too specific. 

Then you look over at you're friend like

are you hearing this right now?

Seriously, I don't get it. Did you read my journal? That whole cookie thing was a joke you know.

It's no surprise we hear from Jesus at church. After all, the temple is His father's house. If I wanted to hear someone's voice, I would go to their house.

And when there are cookies on the table when I get there, that's just a bonus.

Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
(Hebrews 13:17 NLT)

+ Check out part two of "3 ways to hear from God" here!

How do you hear from God?