Start Your New Life Today Part 3

G.o.d wants to be involved in even the smallest details of our lives.

Also difficult for our finite minds to grasp and believe is that G.o.d wants to be involved in even the smallest details of our lives. Don't ever hesitate to take what you think are small things to G.o.d. After all, everything is small to G.o.d. Sometimes we act as if we will tax G.o.d's ability if we ask Him for too much help. I remember a woman who came to me for prayer and wanted to know if it would be all right if she asked G.o.d for two things. If not, she a.s.sured me that she would only ask for one. It always makes me sad when I hear people say things like that. I want everyone to know how generous G.o.d is and that He wants to give even more than we know how to ask for. You have not because you ask not (see James 4:2), so go ahead and ask boldly because it is G.o.d's will that you do so.

It is vital to know what G.o.d's Word says about His role in your life, because it confirms His divine plan to be intimately involved with all that concerns you. G.o.d's Word says to acknowledge Him in all our ways and He will direct our paths (see Proverbs 3:6). To acknowledge G.o.d simply means to care what He thinks and to ask for His opinion. Proverbs 3:7 says, "Be not wise in your own eyes." In other words, don't even think you can run your life and do a good job without G.o.d's help and direction. It takes most of us far too long to learn this important lesson.

The world makes it easy for us to fill our ears with all kinds of things that drown out the voice of G.o.d and place Him far in the background of our lives. However, the day comes for every person when only G.o.d remains. Everything else in life is currently pa.s.sing away; and when it does, G.o.d will still be here.

Nothing can satisfy our longing for G.o.d, except communion and fellows.h.i.+p with Him. Hearing from G.o.d is vital to enjoying G.o.d's eternal plan for our lives. Listening to G.o.d is our decision; no one else can make it for us. G.o.d won't force us to choose His will, but He will do everything He can to encourage us to say yes to His ways.

CHAPTER 12.

The Most Direct Way An experience my husband and I had reminded me of the way life goes when we think living the way we want is better than following the leading of G.o.d's Holy Spirit. When Dave and I travel, we sometimes hire a guide to show us the best and most important places to see. One time we decided to explore without following a guide. We thought we would have a better experience by doing what we wanted, when we wanted. Instead, we quickly discovered our independent trips were almost a complete waste of time. We spent a large part of the day losing our way and another large part of the day trying to find the way out. The experience of wandering aimlessly trying to find particular places taught us following a guide is a much wiser use of our time.

The Holy Spirit is ready to guide us all day, every day. When we go our own way, thinking a life of doing what we want to do when we want to do it will be good, we lose so much time trying to find our way, we can waste our entire lives. G.o.d is committed to guiding us. Learning how to hear and follow Him is very important.

The Bible is full of great promises for our individual walk with G.o.d. The Lord will lead us step by step. By faith, we take the step He has shown us, and then He gives us the next one. At times we may stumble and fall down, but He always helps us back up. We continue forward in His strength and His grace, knowing that every time we face a fork in the road G.o.d will guide us.

G.o.d wants us to care about what He thinks, and quite often if we show we do by seeking Him, He responds by saying, "Do all that is in your heart, I am with you in all that you do." G.o.d is not a dictator; He is our Divine Partner in life. He allows us the freedom of making many choices. When we receive Jesus as Savior, G.o.d gives us a new heart and puts His Spirit in us (see Ezekiel 36:26). He writes His law (His will) in our hearts and expects us to follow what we find there. It is important that we do not over-spiritualize hearing from G.o.d and make it a difficult thing to do. The longer you walk with G.o.d, the easier it is to follow Him.

G.o.d is not a dictator; He is our Divine Partner in life. He allows us the freedom of making many choices.

G.o.d will guide us in the way to go, but then we have to do the walking. A walk with G.o.d takes place through one step of obedience at a time. Some people want the entire blueprint for their lives before making one decision. G.o.d does not usually operate that way. He leads us one step at a time.

CHAPTER 13.

Looking Ahead One of the many benefits of hearing from G.o.d is the help He gives us to prepare for the future. The Holy Spirit gives us the message the Father gave Him. He declares to us things that will happen in the future.

We see many instances in the Bible when G.o.d gave people information about the future. Noah was told to prepare for a flood (see Genesis 6:1317). When Moses was told to go to Pharaoh and ask for the release of the Israelites, he was also told Pharaoh would not let them go (see Exodus 7). Obviously, G.o.d does not tell us everything that will happen in the future, but the Bible says He will tell us of things to come.

There are times when I can sense inside my spirit that something good is going to happen, or at times something challenging. Of course when I sense something challenging is about to happen, I always hope I am wrong and that it is just my imagination, but if I am right, then having the knowledge ahead of time acts as a shock absorber in my life. If an automobile has good shock absorbers on it and hits a hole in the road, it cus.h.i.+ons the impact for the pa.s.sengers and no one gets hurt. G.o.d giving us information ahead of time serves the same purpose.

I remember many times like this, but one in particular was when I felt strongly inside my heart that one of my children was really struggling with something major. When I asked, my child told me everything was just fine, but by the Spirit I knew something was wrong. Several days later I received some news that was painful and discouraging, but it would have been a lot more difficult had I not been given a previous warning.

First Corinthians 2:5 teaches us to put our faith not in the wisdom of men (human philosophy) but in the power of G.o.d. Verse 11 says no one discerns the thoughts of G.o.d except the Spirit of G.o.d. Since the Holy Spirit knows the secret counsels of G.o.d, it is vital for us to know how to hear what He wants to say to us. The Holy Spirit will help us realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts of divine favor and blessings G.o.d bestows on us. Human wisdom doesn't teach us this truth, but it is from the Holy Spirit who gives us the mind of Christ (see vv. 1213).

The Holy Spirit knows both the mind of G.o.d and G.o.d's individual plan for you. His road map for you is not necessarily like anybody else's, so it doesn't work to try to pattern your life after what someone else heard from G.o.d. G.o.d has a unique plan for you, and the Holy Spirit knows what it is and will reveal it to you. You must get comfortable being an individual who is not like everyone else. G.o.d likes creativity and He moves in a variety of ways.

When G.o.d shows us something that is to take place in the future, He rarely tells us the exact time it will take place. This can be frustrating to us unless we learn to trust G.o.d's timing. The Bible says our times are in His hands. G.o.d put a dream in my heart to teach His Word to large numbers of people. I felt very sure I heard from G.o.d and began teaching a small Bible study. I spent a lot of time being frustrated because I thought everything would happen right away. I did not know that G.o.d's way is usually to start small and gradually allow growth as we prove we are capable of handling it. I encourage you to enjoy where you are at on the way to where you are going. Enjoy today while you embrace tomorrow by faith. Do not despise the day of small beginnings and always remember G.o.d may not show up early, but He will never be late.

Enjoy where you are at on the way to where you are going.

CHAPTER 14.

Do You Have Selective Hearing?

Recently G.o.d told me that when we are unwilling to hear in one area, it may render us unable to hear in other areas. Sometimes we choose to turn a deaf ear to what we know the Lord is clearly saying to us. We only hear what we want to hear, which is called "selective hearing." After a while, people think they can't hear from G.o.d anymore but really, there are many things they already know He wants them to respond to, but they haven't done so. I have learned that the more quickly I do whatever it is the Lord tells me to do, the more quickly He reveals the next step I am to take.

A woman once shared with me that she asked G.o.d to give her direction concerning what He wanted her to do. He clearly put in her heart that He wanted her to forgive her sister for an offense that happened between them months before. Because she wasn't willing to forgive, she pulled away from her prayer time. When she did seek the Lord again for something, He always responded, "Forgive your sister first."

Over a period of two years, every time she asked the Lord for guidance in something new, He gently reminded her, "I want you to forgive your sister." Finally, she realized she would never grow spiritually if she didn't do the last thing G.o.d told her to do.

She got on her knees and prayed, "Lord, give me the power to forgive my sister." Instantly she understood many things from her sibling's perspective she hadn't considered before and within a short time their relations.h.i.+p was healed and stronger than ever before.

If we really want to hear from G.o.d, we can't approach Him with selective hearing hoping to narrow the topics to only what we want to hear. People take time to listen for His voice when they have issues they want solved. If they have a problem, or have concerns about their job, or need wisdom on how to have more prosperity, or need to deal with a child, they are all ears to hear what G.o.d has to say.

Don't just go to G.o.d and talk to Him when you want or need something; also spend time with Him-just listening. He will open up many issues if you will be still before Him and simply listen. As we study G.o.d's Word, we are confronted with many things that will need to change in our lives in order for us to be what G.o.d desires us to be. If we are willing, G.o.d will do the work; but if we make excuses and have selective hearing, we will remain in bondage and darkness and hearing from G.o.d will become more and more difficult.

For many people, listening is an ability only developed by practice. I have always been a talker; I never had to try to talk. But I have had to learn to listen on purpose. The Bible says, "Be still, and know that I am G.o.d" (Psalm 46:10 NIV). Our flesh is full of energy and usually wants to be active doing something, so it can be difficult to be still.

As I said, talking has always been easy for me. I told my husband one day we needed to talk more. It seemed to me he never wanted to spend time just sitting and talking. He responded by saying, "Joyce, we don't talk, you talk and I listen." He was right and I needed to change if I expected him to want to fellows.h.i.+p with me. I also discovered I was doing the same thing with G.o.d; I talked and expected G.o.d to listen. I complained that I never heard from G.o.d, but the truth was I never listened.

When you ask G.o.d a question, take some time and listen. Even if He does not respond right at that moment, He will in due time. You may be doing some ordinary task when G.o.d decides to speak, but if you have honored Him by listening as part of your fellows.h.i.+p with Him, He will speak at the right time.

Please don't fall into a trap of listening for voices. Remember that G.o.d speaks in a variety of ways, and His most usual ways are through His Word and the inward witness which often manifests as a strong "knowing." He may also work through circ.u.mstances or some other very normal things. I wrote a book t.i.tled How to Hear from G.o.d, and I suggest it for anyone who really wants to learn more about this important subject.

You may be doing some ordinary task when G.o.d decides to speak, but if you have honored Him by listening as part of your fellows.h.i.+p with Him, He will speak at the right time.

CHAPTER 15.

Let the Holy Spirit Defend You Most of us spend a great deal of time and energy in life trying to defend ourselves, our reputation, our position, our actions, our words, and our decisions. We are truly wasting a great deal of our time. When people are judgmental in nature or character and are judgmental toward us, we may finally after much effort convince them of our purity of heart. But with a judgmental nature, they will quickly find something else about us to judge. In these types of situations, it is best to pray and let G.o.d be our defense.

This gives us much to think about. The Holy Spirit as Comforter to us is called to our side to give us aid in every way. When we need defense, He acts as a legal a.s.sistant would for a client, a counsel for our defense to plead our case, an intercessor for us. It is good to know we don't have to defend ourselves when we are accused of something; we can ask for help from the Holy One and expect to receive it. He is our Advocate. Just thinking about that should bring us comfort.

We notice in the Holy Scriptures that Jesus basically never defended Himself. Philippians 2:7 (KJV) says He "made himself of no reputation." He didn't try to make one, and therefore He did not have to worry about keeping it.

We don't have to defend ourselves when we are accused of something; we can ask for help from the Holy One and expect to receive it.

After years of trying to be well thought of, I discovered that it is much better to have a good reputation in heaven than on earth. I want to have a good reputation with people, and hopefully, I live my life in such a way that I do. But I don't worry about it anymore. I do my best and let G.o.d take care of the rest.

Romans 8:33 tells us it is G.o.d who justifies us; we don't have to justify ourselves, not even to G.o.d the Father. Why should we then have to try to justify ourselves before people? We don't have to when we understand the Holy Spirit is our Advocate.

Not needing to defend ourselves, but instead trusting G.o.d to be our Vindicator, is just one of many privileges and freedoms that are ours as we enter into a new life lived with Jesus as our Savior. Once we receive Him we begin an exciting journey. Sometimes the journey is difficult, but our most difficult day with Jesus will be far better than our best day ever was without Him. Make a decision to enjoy your journey. As you walk with G.o.d you will learn, and as you apply what you learn you will experience more and more freedom and joy.