Day 5: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God

How Do We Hear from God?

1. spoken word from preachers and teachers of the Word / church
2. reading and studying God's Word
3. talking to God and quieting ourselves to let Him talk to us (prayer)
4. convictions (the tugging at our hearts, the push and pull in our spirits)
5. fellowship with other believers
6. warning and foresight, spoken directly to our spirits 

After talking for two days about hearing from God through others (preachers and teachers, specifically), I couldn't wait to get to today and dive into what this whole journey is about: hearing directly from God for ourselves.

Hear me and hear me well: There is NO WAY to hear God's voice without hearing His word because God IS His word. (Read John 1:1-2) If what you're hearing in your spirit does not line up with God's word or is not His word directly, you are not hearing God. 

What do I mean?

God would never tell you to enter into a relationship with someone else's husband or wife. He is not pleased with adultery. 

God would never tell you to give someone a piece of your mind regardless of what the circumstances are. His Word tells us that harsh words stir up anger. 

God would never tell you to lie on your taxes to get more money to take care of things that, perhaps, you got yourself into. He would encourage you to trust Him because trickery and dishonesty is the enemy's work; it doesn't reflect Him.

But we have to know God's Word to know what He would and would not have us do. We won't know if what we hear in our spirits is His voice or not if we don't know His Word. We have to study Him, like I said on Day 1, as if He were our significant other. The only way you'll know God's voice and learn of Him is if you spend time getting to know Him. There are no shortcuts; there's no other way. 


His voice becomes familiar to you when His Word is familiar to you.

How Do I Dig Into God's Word?
Let's be honest. It's hard to know where to start. I can remember being new in Christ and just not knowing what to do. This is where church, Bible study and friends in Christ came in. Those were my starting places. I would take the Sunday sermons and Wednesday night Bible study lessons I received and dissect them. Whatever scriptures the preacher/teacher used, I would study those scriptures out and do cross references in my Bible to find other scriptures that related to the ones from my notes. Before I knew it, I would be making connections to major principles in God's Word (His love vs. the world's love, renewing my mind, living a life that speaks of Him vs. only talking about it, prayer, patience and longsuffering, obedience). 

I learned, too, about Jesus' life and how He did nothing apart from God the Father. I learned that I was to follow that example and do nothing apart from the Father. I grew leaps and bounds in my knowledge of who God is because I spent time getting to know Him through His word.

Then, the actual notes from those teachings would make more sense as I was making connections. Soon, I noticed my speech was changing when I would have conversations with others. Because God's Word was being hidden in my heart, that's what was coming out (For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of, Matthew 12:34). And I was loving it! It became less of an "I have to spend time with God" (because, honestly, we make it an item on our checklist), to an "I can't wait to see what God's Word has for me today."

It is my prayer that you will not only want God's word because someone's telling you that you should and because in the back of your mind you know you're a Christian and you're "supposed to" read His word. I pray that as you begin to dig in and study, God will illuminate His word and grab hold of your heart. I pray He will speak mightily and plainly through everything you study throughout the rest of this challenge. I pray He will honor the sacrifice of you being on this 14-day journey because you earnestly desire to hear from Him. 

I pray your study time NEVER be the same from this day forward because you hunger and thirst after Him. His word promises that those who hunger and thirst after Him and His righteousness SHALL BE filled (Matthew 5:6). I pray you go from feeling like you have to read God's word to deeply desiring to read and study His word simply because you want to know Him more. And that time, the time when you're with Him because you simply just want to know Him more, is the sweetest place! There really is nothing more satisfying than hearing God through His word!

Let me give you an example.


Story Time

While in college, I spent my summers serving in leadership at Kids Across America, a Christian sports camp in Golden (Branson), Missouri. GOD CHANGED MY LIFE through the KAA ministry! I am forever grateful for those years because KAA is where I was TAUGHT to study God's word, and where I heard His voice of guidance and instruction for myself for the first time. He spoke directly to me for my own life and for the lives of others, and it happened, every time, while I was in His Word. 

One such time was a day at KAA that started just like any other. I was on a morning mission with my partner (we were the Activities Directors) to prepare for that evening's party. That meant a no-less-than-2-hour meeting, driving all around the camp to secure materials for the games, making schedules, deciding on, and securing prizes for winners and so, so much more. It was our busiest time of day. We would usually talk while we worked, and we did start off talking that day, but it wouldn't be long before I would tune him completely out. He was driving, and I was in the passenger seat. I had my Bible case in my hand because we'd had morning Bible studies with our small groups before our mission. And out of nowhere, I had the strongest tugging in my heart to open my Bible and turn to the book of Haggai (it had to be the Lord because I ain't know nothin' 'bout no Haggai! LOL).

I started reading, and IMMEDIATELY, the Lord began to speak! 

I was reading in the quiet of my heart, and I was hearing like I'd never heard before! I was hearing so much that I had to grab the little sticky notepad and pen that I kept in the back of my bible case and write it down as I was hearing it. The Lord was talking to me about my own life and how to honor Him, but He was also telling me how to use the message in Haggai to teach the purity class at KAA the that I had NO IDEA he would tell my director to add to our daily schedule the following summer. 

It wasn't even in existence as a full class yet! She gave me the responsibility later, in January, to create a curriculum for the class, and it had already been written in June that day when God's spirit led me to Haggai. I was ready because the Lord had made me ready! He knew what was coming, and because I didn't ignore the tugging in my heart, and I dug into His word, He met me right there to give me what was needed. 

I taught over 400 girls in that purity class that summer, and testimonies still pour in 'til this day! It was ALL God!

After that day, I would spend maybe the next 2 weeks in Haggai, reading it over and over and over until I had a clear understanding of everything that was written therein, and every time I was there, the Lord gave me more illustrations and more points to be used in the class. He even gave me other scriptures to study to help me better understand what was happening in that very short book. In the purity class that next summer, we never looked into the book of Haggai; that was just for me. But boy, oh boy, did I have a clear understanding of what it meant to honor the Lord in the house He built (my body). 

Devotionals

Another help for me when I first started walking with Christ was daily devotionals. They are the PERFECT study starters if you don't know where to begin reading and studying in the Bible. I still use devotionals today. There's always at least 1 scripture (I prefer more) for each day's devotional, and from that scripture is an explanation or a story to help the scripture and its meaning come to life. 

I'm a storyteller, so I connect most with stories that paint clear pictures for me to understand God's word. This is why I enjoyed Priscilla Shirer's Awaken SO MUCH! Each devotional has FOUR scriptures and a story to connect to the scriptures she uses. Many times when I go to those scriptures in the Word, I end up reading the entire passage or chapter so I can understand the scriptures in context, and before I know it, I'm having my own Bible study. There is also a reflection section for each devotional that allows readers to "talk back to God" after reading and digging into the devotional. I absolutely LOVE IT! Some days, my time with my devotional was all I needed. The Lord met me right there.

My sister-friend, Nicole Atkinson, wrote a 365-day devotional entitled, Drawing Close to God, and I use this one too. Hers is more of a light bite devotional, but it's rich! What's unique about this devotional is there is a prayer for each day, so for those who may have a hard time knowing what to say to the Lord, you can say what's written, and He'll hear it just the same. This devotional guarantees a daily meeting with the Lord, which means a daily opportunity to hear from Him.

And for the wives on the journey, my sister-friend, Cecelia Simon, wrote a 31-day devotional, entitled, Married to Coach, Submitted to Both, and it is taking the coaches' wives world by storm! I had the honor of editing this book, so I've seen what's there, and the reviews from other women have been astounding! Although the devotional is geared toward coaches' wives, it speaks to the heart of all wives about serving the Lord with their husbands, as a team, no matter what season of the game they're in.

You may not feel comfortable digging into God's Word by yourself just yet, or you may find it difficult to know what to study or where to go (we'll get some practice later in the journey), but there's so much out there to help us dig into God's Word until we're able to dig on our own. It doesn't have to be difficult. 



Light Bites
On days when I'm having a hard time knowing where to go to study, or if my appetite for the Word is not as strong (it happens to all of us, so don't feel bad), I go to the book of Proverbs. I love me some Proverbs! It is full of wisdom and it's not overwhelming. 

On days when your appetite to read and/or study is not as strong, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't "eat". We don't do that to our physical bodies, so we definitely shouldn't do it to our spirits. Just eat some light bites, but don't go without food. God's word is our spiritual food, and if you starve your spirit, it'll be malnourished, and if malnourished long enough, it will die. 

The Assignment

1. Grab your Bible and date today's journal.
2. Read the following passages. After you read the passages, talk back to the Lord in your journal, telling Him what the passages say to you. What do you believe the Lord is saying to you in the passage for your life?
• John 21:1-6
• Exodus 1:15-21
3. Search out some devotionals, and search by category (teacher, single parent, single man, wives, mothers, fathers, etc.) to see what fits your needs. There's SO MUCH out there! If you feel compelled to grab a devotional to help you study God's word, it certainly can't hurt. 
4. Take time to talk to the Lord about what you learned today. Do you have questions for Him about studying His word? Ask Him! (Matthew 7:7-8)
   

I'm praying for you.

-Iantha

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

-2 Timothy 3:16 NIV

Day 4: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God

I sure hope you enjoyed church today!

And Lord knows I hope you've been receiving from Holy Spirit since you've been on the journey. I pray you'll receive even more this coming week. 

So, today, our assignment was to simply go to church.

Here's what was expected of us today:

The Assignment, Part 1

• Go with EXPECTANCY for the Lord to speak to you. 
• Listen to what the pastor/teacher says, and take good notes, but go in with prayer, to hear what the Lord is saying behind the message directly to your heart.
• Some of us take notes already and may have a notebook that we use, but this week, please make an exception and take notes in your 14-Day Journal. You will need your notes from church for Part 2 of today's assignment.

If you have a church home already and you really enjoy your church, GREAT! If you don't have a church that you call home, but you have a church you attend sometimes, maybe go there. If you haven't been to church in a while, this is a great time to go back. God wants to speak to you there. 

Day 3: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God

At this point on the journey, we understand that if the Holy Spirit is living on the inside of us, hearing from God is one of the many benefits of that "hook up" (John 10:27). And what a blessing it is to have that access! But the truth is, just because it's available to us doesn't mean we take advantage of it, and that's why we're on this journey. We're on this journey so we can learn to hear (or hear more clearly) the voice that's always speaking. We want to know how to hear Him whenever He wants to speak DIRECTLY to us. So, today, and over the next few days, we're going to look at ways to "strengthen our ear" so we'll know His voice.

How Do We Hear from God?

1. the teaching of God's word from preachers, ministers, teachers / church
2. reading and studying God's Word
3. talking to God and quieting ourselves to let Him talk to us (prayer)
4. convictions (the tugging at our hearts, the push and pull in our spirits)
5. fellowship with other believers
6. warning and foresight, spoken directly to our spirits 

Today's focus will be the teaching of God's word from preachers, ministers, teachers / church.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm grateful when someone can show me how they did what they did or how they do what they do. When someone can show me how they got from point A to point B and ended up at point C, that sticks with me. I wanna know how you got to where you are if that's somewhere I'm trying to go. I hope you appreciate that too, because in these installments over the next few days, I'm going to be sharing as much as I can about how I went from not even knowing that I could hear from God like I do, to hearing from Him even when I'm not talking to Him. LOL! 

But for real though, all laughs aside, that's what relationship is. 

You initiate conversation sometimes, and the other person initiates sometimes. That's what our communication should look like in any relationship, but especially in our relationship with the Lord.

So, Iantha, if I can have this regular communication with God in our personal relationship where I talk to Him and He talks to me, why do I need to hear from God through others? Why do I have to go to church to hear Him? 

And to answer that plainly, know this: You don't have to hear from God through preachers and teachers and you don't have to go to church, you get to hear from God through preachers and teachers and at church.

God is SO GOOD that He has raised up others who have committed their lives to the study of His word and who He has called for the specific purpose of hearing from Him to speak to His people. God could have left us out here to dig through and try to understand all of His word for ourselves, but He loves us too much for that. He wants us to understand His word without the unnecessary confusion that can come because of the time the Bible was written in. He wants us to understand the customs of that time so words, symbols, practices and even people make sense for today. 

When we understand His word completely, we're better able to apply it to our lives. 

Unfortunately, many have written the Bible off as an ancient book that has nothing to do with today, but because they haven't been taught, and because they don't understand that God's word was written for the sole purpose of guiding us today, they miss out.

I don't want that to be us. 

Know This

When a man or woman of God has been appointed by God to teach His Word...

1. it is a call. We were all created with purpose (Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:13-16). We all have a "heart call" that pulls us and won't let us go. We know, in the depths of us, that THIS is what we're supposed to be doing. There are some who know they are supposed to be nurses. There are some who know they're supposed to be businessmen. Some have a call to help those who have suffered extreme loss. Whatever it is, there's a drawing that we can't shake, and this is what we call purpose. Teachers and preachers of the Word know that they are called. There's a drawing to the study of God's word that they just can't shake. This just happens to be me. 
2. they have an uncanny understanding of God's word. And this is because God called them and created them with the capacity to understand His word in a way that most never will, which is why they need the teacher and/or the preacher to help them understand. For those who are called, it's like the words just jump off of the pages of the Bible and instantly form pictures, illustrations and stories for them to use to teach God's people. Again, I'm a living witness. 
3. they labor before the Lord to hear from Him for people. Preachers and teachers of the Word spend crazy time in God's face and in His word. They can't help it. They talk to Him to know what He wants to say. They study to know how to teach what He wants to say, and it's like their job, except it doesn't feel like it because it's "heart work". It's their call. They don't mind waking early. They don't mind staying up late (it's 11:56 PM right now *yawn*). None of that matters because they know it's their call to be before the Lord before they get before the people. 
4. lives are transformed by their teaching. Now, let's be clear. When they are teaching, the Holy Spirit is teaching through them. God is speaking through them, but because they are the vessel that God uses, their delivery--style, charisma, clarity--has a lasting impact. This is what makes it possible for hundreds of people to hear the same message from a preacher/teacher and every one of them get an individual, applicable takeaway that's specifically for just them. 

Why Church?

Church has gotten a bad rap over time, and it breaks my heart. Yes, there are people who have abused their call, and there are people who have been hurt by those who have abused the call. There have been people, like me, who have been hurt by others in the church, and unfortunately, some never recover from that hurt, but what God did to reset my focus after I was hurt was remind me what the church was for. He reminded me why the church even exists, and that took my focus off of them, it took my focus off of me, and it caused me to look at Him, and Him alone. 

God showed me, in the book of Acts, that the church (a gathering of people, not a building) was first formed to...

1. bring people together so they can be taught the Word of God for their lives.
2. edify (encourage, build up) the people. 
3. foster fellowship/community so believers could learn from, and grow with one another.
4. teach the "gatherers" to go out and teach unbelievers the Word of God.

That's it! That's what church is for. Going to church is a time for us to "fill up" so we can go and "pour out" on others.

If we're going to church just to "hear a word," we've missed it.

If we're going to church because "I have to usher/sing/cook/serve that Sunday", we've missed it.

If we're going to church to hear the praise team and "hear Pastor preach," we've missed it, and we've been at church for the wrong reasons.

Assignment #1 (Do this now, and then continue the rest of the lesson when you're done.)

1. Grab your bible and date today's journal.
2. Read Acts 2:42-47
3. In your journal, make note of (1) how the believers gathered together to learn, (2) how the believers encouraged one another, (3) how the believers fostered fellowship/community and (4) how the believers went out AND the result of them sharing what they learned.

How Do I Hear from God at Church?

I've learned over time, and my pastor says it often, that when the Word is going forth from a teacher or preacher, you hear the overall message, and that's great, but you should be listening behind what's being preached and asking the Holy Spirit how that message applies directly to you. Ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to get out of what was taught and how you are supposed to apply it to your life and share it with others. AND EXPECT HIM TO SHOW YOU!

I got saved my freshman year in college and I still have every one of my sermon notes journals from that year and beyond. EVERY ONE. I would take the messages from Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings and study them out. I would revisit the scriptures from the messages and do cross references in my Bible to get scriptures that related to the ones the pastor/teacher used. 

I would talk to the Lord about it and ask Him to help me understand, and I still do that today. I don't leave church and never look at my notebook again. I don't leave church having just heard a "good word" and do nothing with it. I take what I learned and I take it to God so I'll know what to do with it in my life and for others.

So, one way you can hear from God through speakers and teachers and at church is first, ask the Lord to help you hear what's being said to just you behind the message. Ask Him to speak to your heart, and ask Him this before you listen to a message and/or before you go to church. Go into the message or into the church EXPECTING to hear from God for yourself. 

Then, take detailed notes while you're listening. Make note of scripture references. You can, then, take the message from your pastor/teacher and break it down into a six day study for yourself. You will talk to God about that message and those scriptures every day and it will be an ongoing conversation until you get a new message. (I never thought about it like that until just now. As I'm writing, the Lord is speaking to me to help you see how practical it is to be with Him.)

Your desire to be with Him is what matters most to Him. He will meet you there, even if it seems quiet at first. No time with the Lord is ever wasted. Every moment you give to Him is building on the foundation for the type of communication you'll have in your relationship.

Example #1
I remember in college when I first began studying my Sunday and Wednesday messages out. It was quiet. I didn't hear anything when I would be in the actual time of study, but I began noticing how things I prayed about would be answered outside of that study time. I remember one time I was asking God questions about some of the friends I had, and those questions stemmed from one of the lessons I was taught at a Wednesday night Bible study. Maybe a week or so later, we had a speaker come to our gospel choir rehearsal, and every question I had was answered through that speaker! I was in tears that night. I knew God had heard me, and I knew He'd spoken directly to me through that speaker.

Example #2
Another time, I was in my dorm room cleaning up, and I didn't even know that there was a pastor on the television. It was just background noise, so I wasn't even paying attention. There were some things on my heart (I don't remember exactly), and all I know is the Lord had me to tune in right when that pastor was speaking to the very thing that was on my heart. All of a sudden, I was glued to the television. I remember dropping the broom that was in my hand, sitting down on my bed, and just crying. I began to pray and thank the Lord for hearing me and answering me. I learned to just wait on Him. If I didn't hear anything immediately, I learned through those two experiences that no time was wasted and that He definitely heard me.

So, when you go to church and get the Word, you take it and review it. You talk to the Lord about it. You study it. God had the teacher to prepare that word for YOU! You pray over it and you ask the Lord to speak to your heart.

Assignment #2
Tomorrow is Sunday, and the first part of tomorrow's assignment is to physically attend church. (I'm telling you the assignment now so you can prepare yourself.) Go with expectancy. Go with a heart to have God speak to you. Listen to what the pastor/teacher says, and take good notes, but go in with prayer, asking the Lord to speak through the message directly to your heart.

Some of us take notes already and may have a notebook that we use, but this week, please make an exception and take notes in your 14-Day Journal. You will need your notes from church for your assignment on tomorrow.

If you have a church home already and you really enjoy your church, GREAT! If you don't have a church that you call home, but you have a church you attend sometimes, maybe go there. If you haven't been to church in a while, this is a great time to go back. God wants to speak to you there. 

Finally, please complete this quick church questionnaire: The Church

**Take some time to talk to the Lord about what you've studied here on Day 3 of the journey.**

I'm praying for you.

-Iantha

Day 2: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God

I'm so grateful to the Lord for raising up teachers who make His word as plain as Priscilla Shirer did in the video from yesterday's first installment. Wasn't it a good, clear picture of what it looks like to have the spirit of the living God on the inside of us? And doesn't that example make it just as easy to understand what it looks like when the Holy Spirit is lying dormant on the inside of us?

There's no doubt that all of us have been there at some point or another, where the voice of the Holy Spirit was (is) faint and distant. That's why we're taking this journey so we can either reawaken God's voice in our heart (ears), or so we can hear Him more clearly. We want our "spiritual hook up" to be constantly "flowing with channels".

The results from our personal inventories show that we are all saved and that we know the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of us. This means, even if the relationship isn't strong, we are in relationship with Jesus, and that is the foundation we need on this journey.

Hallelujah! 

That brings me to our questions for today. 

Why aren't we DAILY accessing the benefits of us being in relationship with Jesus and having His Holy Spirit living in us? Could it be that one of us isn't holding up our share of "the work" that's necessary to maintain the intimacy in the relationship?

Think about your relationship with your significant other, past or present. You know everything about them. 

• You know what they like and don't like to eat. 
• You know how they like to eat. 
• You know the music they like. 
• You know what gets on their nerves. 
• You know what to do to get on their nerves (LOL). 
• You know how to make them happy, and you eventually learn how to comfort them when they're hurting. 
• They've shared things with you that no one else knows, and vice versa. 
• You've seen them at their best and their worst, and the worst somehow drew you closer to them. 
• You even finish each other's sentences because, over time, spending as much time as you spend together, sharing as much as you share, and communicating as much as you do, it was bound to happen. You can't spend as much time as you spend with your significant other and not know them. You can't be with someone in their day to day and not learn of them.

As a classroom teacher, I don't have intimate relationships with my students, but because we're together so much, and we're communicating every day, I KNOW them. 

• I know what they're going to do because I've learned their patterns. 
• I know who's going to turn in homework, and I know who isn't. 
• I know who's going to talk when it's not time to talk because they've "shown their true colors" over time. 
• I even know what my substitute's report will be upon my return from an absence because I know my students. 
  

I. 
Know. 
Them. 

And guess what? They know me too. 

• They know how I'm going to greet them in the mornings. 
• They know how to clean up their areas when class is over without me having to say so because they know how I feel about cleanliness. 
• They know what I'm going to say upon my return from an absence when they know the substitute has left me a bad report, and they know how I'm going to act if the substitute sang their praises.

This happens only because we're all active participants in the learning in my classroom. 

And this happens with you and your significant other only because you're both actively participating in the relationship. 

But what if you were in a relationship with that same significant other and they only talked to you when they felt like it? What if you brought up conversations about the state of your relationship and where you want it to go and they never responded? What if you expressed your feelings, telling them how much you care about them and how much you want to be with them, and they didn't even seem to care? 

Oh, I know you wouldn't hang around very long. None of us would because, plain and simple, no one wants to be in a relationship by themselves, working alone on something that it takes two people to build. 


I Said All That To Say...

Unfortunately, this is what a lot of believers' relationships with Jesus look like. This may be what your relationship looks like. He's there with you and He's not going anywhere because of His undying love for you, but He was doing a lot more talking when you first got saved. Then, when you weren't responding and when you weren't initiating conversation, He seemingly grew silent. Every now and then you would go to Him to talk, but it's not always so easy to carry conversations with someone you've been away from for a while. Therefore, He didn't have as much to say when you got there.

He knows you intimately because He created you, but you didn't get into a relationship with Him until you got saved. You didn't know Him before you invited Him into your heart, so you two have to get to know each other in a whole new way now that you're in relationship. 

He can tell you the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30) and endless other details about you because, again, He knit you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139:13-16), but He can't talk the things of life with you (who to marry, what job to take, what to do about my kids' disobedience, this church or that one, move here or move there) unless you're in regular conversation--you talking to and listening to Him, and Him talking to and listening to you. He desires to talk life with you every day so you can know HIS plan and HIS desires for you (Psalm 37:4).


You have to spend time with Him to know Him and hear Him that way. You have a part to play in the relationship; you have to "put in work" too.

What benefits are we missing out on when we don't do our part and "put in work" in our relationship with the Lord? 


The Assignment
Grab your bible and date your journal. Read each of the scriptures/passages below and determine what benefit(s) is being revealed in the scripture. In your journal, for each scripture, you will write a sentence that starts like this: "When I don't put in "the work" in my relationship with the Lord, I miss out on..." Complete each sentence with the benefit(s) that is revealed in the scripture/passage.

1. John 10:27 (AMP version)
2. John 14:26  (AMP version AND NLT)
3. John 15:15 (AMP version)
4. John 16:12-15 (AMP version AND NLT)

Finally, answer these questions in your journal. Be real (raw) and be specific. This is you talking to the Lord. He already knows your heart, but He wants to hear from you. Speak your heart.

1. What is keeping you from spending daily quality time with the Holy Spirit like you would with a significant other?
2. Why are these things keeping you from spending daily quality time with the Holy Spirit like you would with a significant other?
3. List steps/measures you can take to spend daily quiet time with the Holy Spirit like you would with a significant other.

Now, pray (talk to the Lord) about these things. Just simply share your heart.

*****

When you don't spend quality time with the Holy Spirit, you miss the benefit of hearing directly from God on the personal, specific things He wants to share with JUST YOU. 

You may get revelation through the spoken word from a pastor or teacher. And because He loves you, He may even give you warnings in dreams or through others, but those intimate things...the things that are JUST FOR YOU...the plans He has for you and the things He wants you to do to fulfill those plans...those things are reserved for the intimate times. Those things are reserved for your heart-to-heart times, where you sit and talk and share your innermost parts. Don't you want to hear from the Lord for JUST YOU?

Talk to Him. Build that communication. Strengthen your relationship.

Tomorrow, we will look more closely at what it looks like to build relationship with the Holy Spirit and what it looks like, practically, to spend time with Him.

I'm praying for you.

-Iantha