"Listening To God" - Inspirational Weekend

First of all, to hear God speaking to us, we have to be willing to listen to Him.  We need to set aside a special time everyday to read the Bible and pray to Him.   The primary way the Lord speaks to us today is through His holy Word, the Bible.   That is how we learn to know God and His will and purposes.  He guides us by means of His Word, and teaches us what we need to know in order to live a full and victorious life, a godly life.   Through His Word and by prayer. we grow close to the Lord and learn to love Him with all of our heart.   And of course, God speaks to us through prayer as well.  But we need to spend time in prayer listening for Him to speak, instead of us doing all the talking.  "Be still and know that I am God"  -  Psalm 46:10a .   It is best to set aside a specific time and place everyday to fellowship with and pray to the Lord.  King David, in Psalm 143:8 prayed :  "Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust:  Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee."   King David spent time with the Lord in the morning, before the day began.  I personally have my quiet time with God in the early morning, before I face the "battles" of the day.   It starts the day off right, and gives you a sense of direction for whatever may lie ahead.  Find a quiet spot in your home, or sit on your patio.  My grandfather used to sit on the front porch in his rocking chair when he read the Bible.   I rarely do deep studying when I sit on my patio, because there are distractions outside.  The point is, study where you are least distracted and can focus entirely on the Lord and His Word.  Journal key Scriptures and insights that you may gain at this quiet time.  The gazebo below looks inviting; a good place to study God's Word if the birds and other things don't distract you overmuch.   

God can also speak through other people and through circumstances.  He knows how to get your attention.   Following is a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley titled "Listening to God."

We also need to have a right attitude in order to hear God speaking to us.  First of all, we must want to do His will.   God pays attention to a heart that is totally surrendered to Him.  We need to desire God's will first, before anything else or our own selfish desires.  Matthew Henry has said, "The first lesson in Christ's school is self-denial."

Psalm 40:8 :  "I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart."

Sometimes God does not answer our prayers right away, and sometimes He is silent.  The silence can be deafening, and causes you to wonder if you have displeased God in some way.....and maybe you have, or maybe not.  Do not let that stop you from praying to Him or stop you from listening for His "voice" through His Word.  Someone once said, "God has not promised to give us answers, but He will give us grace."    Make sure there is no unconfessed sin in your life that is hindering you from hearing from the Lord.  If there is, repent and confess the sin to God and make the necessary changes to stay in fellowship with Him.

Following is a beautiful nature video to grace your happy weekend.   Nature teaches us a lot about God if we will just pay attention.

Psalm 32:8,  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you."

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness."  -  Lamentations 3:22-23