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God wants to talk to you. This is so important, because we are tempted to believe that God is some extremely strict personality that reveals Himself to a select few without any reasons. No! He is a rational being, and He created us to be in fellowship with Him. In fact, I believe the first and most important thing to know is that God is more interested in talking with you than you could ever be. In Genesis 3:8, we see Him “walking in the garden in the cool of the day”; He was out to have fellowship as usual with Adam. Notice that He was the one that went looking for the man. If God wanted that kind of relationship with Adam [who was not born again and could not be], then how much more you who contains His very life and nature? So, get the monologue idea out of your mind; quit thinking you are so desirous, yet God is so resistant.
Get to the Word. This is critical because it is a part that many of us miss. To hear from God consistently, you need to be able to recognize His voice; however, how do you know His voice except you train yourself to do so by studying His only literary work? When you read an author’s writing, you learn a lot about His personality. Jesus said unequivocally “search the scriptures…they are they which testify of me.” You need to search. I believe this is a good place to let you know that there’s no formula for hearing God – no 2 plus 2 equals 4. Absolutely not! You’ve got to train yourself to hear Him. John 1:1 says “and the Word was God”; when you read the bible under the HolySpirit’s tutelage, God is unveiled to you. You learn His communication skills and preferences. It’s a lifelong experience that only gets better, so don’t seek to learn it all in one day.
Have expectations. I think this is a pivotal opportunity for Christians to be different. People of different religions around the world pray all the time, yet do they get a response – or, better still, do they expect a response? You may have been so used to praying without answers that you cannot imagine even hearing from God. Well, that mindset has to change. Proverbs 24:14 says “so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul; when thou hast found it…thy expectation shall not be cut off.” Here, Solomon speaks of the knowledge of wisdom. Wisdom is the word of God. As I share these thoughts with you, you’re receiving the knowledge of wisdom. The next thing Solomon says for you to do is to have an expectation. Then, he promises without an iota of doubt that your expectation will be realized. So, expect God to talk to you! And, don’t hear Him once and think “oh, glory…that’s okay for me.” Expect to hear God every time you talk with Him.
Don’t seek the spectacular; focus on the supernatural. Romans 9:8 lets us know that “they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” The senses in this verse refers to your five senses (of touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell), while the promise refers to the Word of God. To be a child of the flesh is to rely completely on how you feel. It is to live based on your physical senses – to be instructed, guided, and controlled by them. However, the children of the Word, as we know, do not live by their senses “for to be carnally (sensuously, fleshly) minded is death” [Romans 8:6]; rather, we live by the Word. As such, you do not have to feel a certain way when God is talking to you or hear a roaring sound, thundering, and such things. If you thought you never heard God before, who do you think reminded you recently that you had not yet studied the Bible? No, it was not your mind! You thought it was your mind, because you have trained yourself to look out for the spectacular. God is not always in the spectacular; but, He is surely in the supernatural. If God says something as simple as “go and read your Bible” to you, it’s supernatural, because natural men do not experience such reminders. I am sure you were not reminded to pray when you were an unbeliever. So, though that experience may not be spectacular, it is very well supernatural. You ought to cherish it and obey the voice; in that instruction, God is training you for greater future conversations.
He is Lord! In one of my favorite scriptures of all time, Revelations 1:17, Jesus said to St. John the Divine “Fear not; I am the first and the last.” My question to you is “is Jesus the Lord of your life?” If He is, why then are you worried about failure? Why do you think it may be getting too late for Him to speak to you about your future? Why do you feel constrained by time? Be patient; He is Lord! If He is Lord of your life, you can be rest assured that He wouldn’t mess your life up. He never destroyed anyone’s life, and yours will not be the first. So, don’t feel like He’s taking too long to answer; while you wait for instruction about your career, listen to instructions about being courteous, studying the Word, and praying. Let those “simple” instructions prepare you for the big ones. The Lordship of Jesus is more than a casual declaration; it means that your life is His responsibility. He said He is “the first and the last”; that means He lives in eternity. So, do not be concerned about time. It is the exact reason He said “fear not”. Trust in His Lordship.
Remember, God wants to talk to you. Just study His Word, expect His voice in your spirit, and look at the right thing – not the spectacular but the supernatural.
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