Experiencing God

Experiencing God-Chapter 10-God Speaks to His People

Question 1. What are some ways God has spoken to you? How did you know it was God?

Well to me it seems that God spoke to the patriarchs in a direct way. It appeared that Noah, Abraham and Moses were involved in face-to-face conversations with god. These conversations were not one-sided. While these ordinary people talked to God, the Lord replied back. These men of God heard the Lord when he spoke!

How come these men of the Old Testament were able to hear God’s voice, where it seems that many people of today do not hear when he speaks and miss their calling? In my opinion, life may have been simpler back then. While it is true that in order to survive, people worked harder in those times than they do today. In today’s society, we do not have to work so hard to get food. We just go to the super market or food pantry and get what we need or even grab a quick lunch at the local fast-food burger joint. If we are not in the mood to stand over a stove, we can just throw something in the microwave.

Since we have it easy compared to these men of God-who had to do back-breaking labor to keep their stomachs full-we should be able to carry on a conversation with God. However, in today’s society there are way more distractions, where even the most devout Christian may not clearly hear God’s voice. Some of these distractions include:

I wonder if I will get out of debt.

I wonder who is going to win American Idol.

I wonder what if going to happen to my favorite character on my favorite soap.

I wonder if my favorite team is going to win the Super Bowl, World Series or Stanley Cup.

I wonder if I will ever have children.

I wonder if my marriage will survive.

I wonder if my spouse still loves me.

I wonder if I will get that nice house or car.

I wonder if I should buy the I Pad now or wait until the newest version comes out.

All these wonders-and many more that are unlisted-distract us from clearly hearing god’s voice. The best thing to do is eliminate the wonders in our lives. It will not be easy to do. One day you will be wonder-free and the next you will be back to wondering. It is best to live one day at a time.

Here are some ways that God spoke and speaks to me:

I heard his voice when he told me I was going to heaven.

He spoke to me through another person when I learned about salvation.

He speaks to me through the Bible and other Christian books.

He speaks to me through sermons, preachers and different speakers I listen to on the radio and watch on television.

I know when God speaks to me because I am filled with joy and happiness. If I have any negative thoughts, feelings and attitudes, I know that it is not God speaking to me. God is not a negative person.

When God speaks, I know it was him. When I first became a Christian, the Holy Spirit took up residence in my body. He speaks to me through the Holy Spirit.

Question 2. How might God be building your character and trust in Him right now in preparation for a new assignment?

I am the type of person who, when faced with a difficult situation in life, lacks confidence. Moses was like this when God revealed his plans and gave him the assignment to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. God gave Moses the confidence and guidance he needed. As with any new assignment, God will not just push me in without any preparation at all. This is similar to the exams I took in college. I could not expect to get an A if I did not prepare for the test. I also could not prepare by staying up the night before the test. In my case, I had to take at least a week to prepare myself for the test.

God has higher expectation for me than I have for me. Without God, nothing is possible. However, with God, nothing is impossible. Whenever I come to a roadblock in my life, God will always work through me.

When God speaks through me, I will understand what he wants. His message is clear; he will not speak in riddles.

Whatever assignment God has for me, it might not come around for a while. He knows the exact time and day when I am ready to take on the assignment. In the meantime, I will continue to prepare.

Question 3. Have you been willing to accept small assignments from God? How do you think God would evaluate your willingness to be faithful in a little?

I realize that the size of an assignment does not matter as long as it is from God. Now the question is would I recognize a task that God wants me to do? For the last few years I started several Christian related blogs. On some of them I lost interest. I think the reason is because I get involved in so many projects that I do not have enough time to get everything done in a day. Then I get frustrated because it seems that I just wasted a day, especially if I get side-tracked from what I started out to do.

Since taking the Experiencing God Bible Study, I have returned to the blogs-I currently have three-because God wants me to. I have a countless amount of people I can reach out to. All I need to do on my part is to dedicate one to two hours a day. I just have to manage my time a little better.

I am not sure how God would evaluate me in any small tasks I do for him. However, I feel that I am not doing enough. I believe that there is more that I can do. A great example is when I ran on the track team when I was in High school. When I started running my first year, I knew what I could do but I didn’t realize my full potential. Therefore, I started out by running sprints and mid-distance. I realized two things. The first thing I found out, I was not fast enough in the sprints. The second thing I realized was that I had the endurance to run longer distances. By realizing this I found out that I was a better runner in long distance. As with being God’s servant, I know what I am able to do. However, I do not know my full potential unless I have God show me what to do.

Question 4. Do you need God to guide you specifically in a situation in your life? If so, how might you prepare to receive the next guidance He gives you?

I need God’s guidance through all the walks in my life. This is true even when I am in the calm of the storm. I must focus of God and be obedient. I must pray and ask him to guide me. Without doing that I will-most likely-end up on the wrong path.

When God speaks to me, I have to respond right away. I cannot say “Give me two months, Lord.” Therefore, when he speaks I have to adjust my life so I can carry out God’s plans. I also have to be obedient to God. If I am not going to be obedient, God is not going to guide me.

I need to trust what God tells me. He knows what he is doing and saying. If God gives me a little assignment and I am expecting a large assignment, I must take the smaller assignment. If I am unreliable on the smaller ones or refuse to take them, how can I expect God to trust me on the larger ones? After all, God may be giving me the smaller ones to prepare me for the larger ones.

While I am waiting for God’s guidance, this is what I need to do:

Pray

Be patient

Depend on God’s timing and not my own-His timing is always best

Do not be in a hurry

Continue with the love relationship with God