Are we listening?

Our Daily Bread
I had a talk with my boss about communication this week.  He encouraged me to communicate better with others, especially when it came to explaining how our software worked.  I said I would work on it, but technically speaking, you can't communicate with someone who doesn't want to be communicated with!  Ha!

Isn't that how we are with God sometimes?  We say we are seeking God, we are not really listening for his responses.  We talk and talk to God in our prayers, but we never close the communication loop by listening.  Samuel had a trusted adviser that helped him to learn the voice of God and to obey.  We have each other in the church to do that same thing.  Find a trusted adviser this week.  Be a trusted adviser.  Pray and listen

Lord, please help your children listen as well as talk!

Simply Saturday
He will speak
I have been praying about the topic for today.  I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be until I read the devotional about "listening to God".  I want to write a little about that now based on the story of Samuel.

Listen
I have a bad habit.  I tell someone to call me and then set the ringer on my iPhone to "off" so I don't hear the ring!  Yikes!  We can be that way with God.  We ask God to answer our prayers, but we don't "have our ringer on" to listen for his answer.  Samuel heard the call of God, but didn't realize it was God calling!

Discern
This is where discernment comes in.  We need to discern what God is saying to us.  Is it really God speaking or is it something else?  I joke with friends that it is so hard to listen for God when all the other voices in my head are sooooo loud!  Just kidding!  Like Samuel, we sometimes need a trusted adviser to help us discern the voice of God and what to do with the message.  I pray you have at least one close friend or minister that you can discuss these things!

Act
Once you have discerned the voice of God and what to do, then DO IT!  I know it is difficult at times to do the things that God wants us to do.  We can feel unworthy.  We can feel awkward because of the separation from the world that doing God's will can cause.  Separation is good in this case!  Just do it!

I hope this helps simplify things a little.  We have a tendency to make things too complicated!  May the Lord be with you!

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Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40