How to Listen to God
“God is speaking to you. Enter the conversation”- Eugene Peterson
Have you ever heard someone say, “God told me…”?
How on earth do they do that? How does someone know if God is telling them something?
Here are some ways to learn to listen to God and to recognize when he is speaking to you:
1) Learn His language
God speaks Bible (not King James only- He speaks NIV, ESV, RSV, even the Message).
Think about it this way:
My friend, Pauline, is from Liberia. If she spoke in her home language to me- I wouldn’t understand and might not even notice. In order for me to listen to her speak in her language, I would have to learn her language.
When you have learned your way around Scriptures, you will recognize God’s language as he speaks to you. You will know that the thought, “Have a hissy-fit at so-and-so” cannot be coming from God, since his word coaches you to be patient.
2) Be quiet
Hey, it works the same way in real life. You have to shut the mouth in order to hear what someone else is saying.
Now, there are folks in my life that I never have to worry about holding a conversation with. When we are together, they talk- and talk and talk and talk. I can’t get a word in edgewise. They leave never having heard anything that I might have wanted to contribute.
Even though you can’t see God, he is there- in you, around you. He has things to say. Be quiet and listen.
more later…
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