When I got into my good writing groove at Starbucks, I opened my Bible to search out scriptures to include in my writing. I flipped and flipped and was getting pretty excited because the Lord was showing me exactly where to go to grab what I needed. I was looking to make one more point before my writing session would be over for the day, and I eventually landed in the book of John, chapter 15, where my eyes went directly to a scripture that I've read a kazillion times. In the latter part of verse 15, Jesus says, "...for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."
It was like the words jumped off of the page and began to speak. The Lord spoke to my heart and said, "There are so many who don't know that I am speaking to them. There are so many who want to hear my voice, but they need to know that they CAN hear my voice. There are so many who don't know if it's my voice they're hearing or if it's that of a stranger. I've just said, clearly, that what I hear from the Father, I make known to them (those who are mine)."
He told me to go on Facebook and ask if there was anyone who wanted to hear God's voice. He told me to ask if there was anyone who wanted to hear His voice more clearly. The post was already written in my head before I could even close my Bible! He told me to invite those who were interested to a 14-Day Class/Workshop/Whatever We Want To Call This Thing of learning to hear His voice.
I didn't know how He was going to structure it. I didn't know how it was gonna be done. All I knew was that if I did what He said to do, He'd show me how to get it done.
And He did!
For 14 days, the Lord gave me specific scriptures, messages, videos, and studies to share with the participants. We had an amazing time, and those who gave themselves completely over to the Lord in those 14 days proclaimed that they were closer to Him at the end of the journey than they were when we started!
And here we are again!
And if you know me, you know there's nothing I love more than allowing God to use me to help others know Him better. I'm honored to be on this journey with you, and I'm SO GLAD you're here.
So, today I'm going to challenge you to push past your feelings and MAKE TIME in your schedule to hear from the God who created you, who loves you like crazy, and who WANTS you to hear Him because He DESIRES to speak to you.
I'm telling you now that you're not always going to feel like setting the time aside to meet with God. There are going to be so many things vying for your attention because the enemy doesn't want you closer to God.
You will need to push past those feelings. Our feelings get us in trouble, so ignore them! Shut them down! (Read Galatians 2:20)
You will need to push past those distractions--social media, answering e-mails, the television, family requests that aren't life or death and don't need your immediate attention... Do what you need to do to get to God! He DESIRES to speak to you!
For the journey, you will need:
A Bible - You need a bible that is easy for you to understand. I suggest the NLT or the AMP version. I'm going to ask that you not use your cell phone as your Bible because you WILL BE distracted. I don't care how strong you are or how determined you are in these 14 days, your phone will distract you when it's time to read and study. You'll actually need to write things in your Bible, so having actual pages is a plus. And there really is just something about "talking back to" the Word while you're reading it, writing on those pages and responding to the Lord as He talks to you.
A Journal - This doesn't have to be fancy. You don't need to go and purchase a $10 journal. You can get a spiral notebook. You can use a composition notebook. Shoot...you can get some loose leaf paper and staple it together, but you need a "notebook" of some kind that will be used specifically for this 14-day journey.
A Pen and/or Highlighter - You will be writing in your Bible. You will be writing in your journal. You can highlight where you feel is necessary, if you feel it's necessary, because you may want to remember certain scriptures to revisit later. You may feel the need to highlight in your journal too, if there's something you want to revisit there.
Internet Access - You will access your daily assignments here on my blog. There may be videos to watch that are linked to YouTube or Facebook or some other site online. You may need to visit an online Bible to look at a verse in another version, but again, try not to use an online Bible as your main study tool.
Join the Private Facebook Group - Everyone who is on the 14-day journey will receive encouragement and daily reminders about assignments through the Facebook group. And can I just say... THERE IS POWER IN ACCOUNTABILITY! I don't know how people live their lives without it.
Something about being on the journey with others will push you when you don't feel like pushing through. Deciding to partner with someone to help you on days when it's tough is a blessing. Let the Facebook group be that for you.
In the event that there is a glitch in the blog system or I need to reroute us for the day (the Holy Spirit will have His way), I can make an announcement to the group. If ever He wants to say anything LIVE, the capability is there. This is also a good tool because should you have any questions, you can ask me (or others in the group), directly.
***You will get a personal invite to the group.***
I'm excited about this journey with you.
I will be stretching with you.
I will be making time with you.
I want to hear God's voice more clearly for myself, but more importantly, for the 14-day journey, I want to hear His voice FOR YOU! I want to guide you by His leading. It's my prayer that you will hear Him more clearly than you ever have, and that you won't stop communing with Him after the 14th day. I pray your conversations never cease!
Let's get ready to dive in! I'm SO ready to hear all He has to say!
-Iantha
Amen…Looking forward to this journey.
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