Day 8: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God

Whew! This journey is GOOD!

We are smack dab in the middle of talking about specific ways to hear from God. I want to provide you with as much practicality as I can to show you how to tune your ear to His voice. We're learning that we hear from God through...

1. spoken (taught) 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 

Today's focus will be talking to God and quieting ourselves to let Him talk to us.

This is PRAYER.

In an earlier installment, I shared a couple devotionals that I use (and have used) in my quiet time. When I shared Drawing Close to God: 365 Days of Daily Devotionals & Prayer by my sister-friend, Nicole Atkinson, immediately, God told me to ask her to be our special guest blogger today to talk about prayer. I didn't hesitate! 

My sister prays! 

And I know her. I know her life. I know she sits before the Lord. I know He speaks to her and through her. And I trust her to hear from Him to share with us today.

Help me welcome Nicole!

My, my, my! I could say so much about prayer because I just love it so! Our big brother Jesus tells us “my temple will be called a house of prayer” (Mark 11:17). We are the temple of God. Therefore, we should be a house of prayer, meaning prayer should be a natural part of our daily routine. I often say prayer is the gateway to heaven.  It gives us direct access to God. We have to think about the original intent God had for mankind. When God thought to create the earth and place humans in the earth, He did it in a manner where we would have open access to Him. Just like with any human relationship, without communication there is no relationship.

The very first thing God taught me to do as a young Christian was to PRAY. He literally would tell me to turn off the radio every time I was in the car and He would say, “Open your mouth and speak to me.” Of course, I obeyed, and what a benefit it has been even until this day.

Prayer is a gift from God.

Just think about it like this: God knows every day of our lives before any of them appear. He has predestined us for greatness. How, then, are we supposed to know what is on the heart of God if we don’t commune with Him? I'm so happy you asked. The bible commands that we pray. My pastor says all the time, "God is not going to waste His time in telling us to do something that is not beneficial." (God doesn’t waste time).

There are benefits in prayer, like I stated before. God isolated me and literally taught me how to pray. There is something special about getting quiet before God. You’re going to have to set aside time to just sit and talk with God.

SILENCE is key.

I know, I know... We are all busy, but as the saying goes, “We make time for what we want.” So ask yourself, "Do I want what God has for me, which yields kingdom purpose, or do I want what my flesh wants, which yields vain things?" Prayer will have to become a choice that you make on a daily basis. I believe you want to know how to pray and to pray effectively, hence the journey you are taking to hear from God.

To begin your journey in hearing more clearly from God through prayer is to follow the example Jesus gave in the Bible. 

Did you know that Jesus' disciples asked Him many questions but they only asked Him to teach them one thing, and that was how to PRAY?

I believe they saw the power associated with prayer and wanted to be like Jesus, and so they asked. When Jesus walked the earth He prayed at times for 40 days straight, all night and in seclusion.  (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 6:12; Luke 5:16).

When Jesus would come out of prayer, miracles would take place. He stated, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19). Jesus was so focused on kingdom business, and He knew apart from talking to God on a consistent basis, He could not fulfill His kingdom purpose. This is the call for each of us, to commune with God for our kingdom purpose.

Here’s how Jesus taught His disciples to pray: 

Matthew 6:9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

(v9) Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

·         Always open your prayer with honor and thanksgiving to God as our Father and ruler of the universe. This shows reverence (respect) and it acknowledges Him as Supreme ruler of all things (keeps us humble).

(v10) Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

·        God’s will is perfect for our lives. He tells us to pray daily at all times (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When we ask Him for His will to be done in the earth as it is in heaven, we are saying “God, do what you have already planned for my life this day.” That’s a perfect place to be, as we know His plans for us are for our good. We are dying to ourselves and allowing God to have full control and use us for His glory (our reason for living).

(v11) Give us this day our daily bread.

·         We are asking God to prepare us for the day ahead. Spending time in God’s presence through prayer will allow God to reveal things to us that will equip us for the day. For instance, God knows the challenges we’ll face day to day. So, if on a particular day He knows we are going to get fired from our job, He will have us to study and read about faith. When we receive news of being fired we are anchored in the Lord because we would have spent time with God. Through our communion, He revealed to us that our faith is in Him and the blow of being fired is not devastating. Our faith will sustain us. He loads us daily with benefits (Psalm 68:19.) If we don’t ask, we miss out.  (DON’T MISS OUT!!)

(v12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

·        This keeps us humble before the throne of grace. None of use are perfect in the sense that we will never make a mistake. God is loving, kind, and patient and willing and waiting to forgive us of all of our sins. It is imperative that we come and ask Him for forgiveness and to give us the will power to forgive others.

(v13a) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

·         We know evil is all around us. We need God to keep us from the evil one. He will do it as we seek Him and put on His entire armor daily (Ephesians 6:11-18). The devil looks for opportunities to trick God’s people, and one of the ways he has easy access is in the lives of believers who don’t commune with God. God has delivered us from the snares of the enemy. We have to accept it and talk with God daily to know what lies ahead, and we must use our spiritual weapons to combat the enemy's tactics. One of these weapons is prayer. 

(13b) For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

·         We close out the prayer believing God has all power, and we receive what we ask in prayer.  God created us for His glory and made a covenant with us which includes over 6,000 promises in the bible (not to mention the things He reveals to us during our secret time with Him.) He intends for us to walk out our purpose in life and we do this through believing and receiving His divine Word. Amen by definition means “So be it.”

The Lord’s Prayer, found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, is a guide for praying and hearing from God. Everything we will ever pray can be summed up in the manner in which Jesus teaches us to pray:

1.      Give Honor to God.

2.      Seek His will. (LISTEN TO HIS VOICE)

3.      Ask for provision, supplication, make requests.

4.      Ask for forgiveness/forgive others.

5.      Pray for protection to be kept from evil/ preparation for the day.

6.      Believe God’s will, will be done/ Receive what you have asked for.

Testimony
God has answered EVERY prayer I have ever prayed. This is not because I have some kind of special power. I follow the commands and principles taught in the Bible. God wants to commune with us. Just as in any relationship without communication, the relationship will lack tremendously. We have to spend time with God.  As I was learning to pray and hear from God, I would attend every prayer service there was at my local church. This taught me how much God loved me and wanted to hear from me. The more I prayed, the more God revealed Himself to me, and I found delight in being in His presence.

Some Practical Was to Hear from God in Prayer

1.      Pray the Word in faith.
      God’s Word will never return to Him void (Isaiah 55:10-11). There is a scripture for every situation we will ever encounter in life. We live in the age of Google. If I am dealing with a challenge in finances I will Google scriptures for finances and pray those scriptures. openbibleinfo.com and biblegateway.com are great resources for topic-based scriptural references. Have faith that what you pray for God will provide according to His will.

2.      Listen to the Spirit.

The Spirit sounds like your voice. When you hear that pull on your heart that something is out of balance, it's time to talk to God. It doesn’t matter if it's 2 seconds or 2 hours! Open your mouth and pour your heart out to God. Jeremiah 12:1 tells us that God is righteous when we plead our cause to Him. It doesn’t matter how big or minute the concern may be. God is available to listen and will provide insight.

3.      Study the life of Jesus.

When Jesus prayed, He got results. Countless miracles took place. He was determined and consistent in prayer. He went to God and received God’s plan and then walked it out in the earth. We are no different. There are things God wants to get us to do in this earth and the only way to know what those plans are requires us to talk to God through prayer. Prayer is a lifestyle. Just think about it, you are praying to the God who created all things. What a privilege and honor! There is nothing too hard for Him.

4.      Incline your ear to hear.

Isaiah 55:3 says,  "Incline your ear, come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Isaiah 55 talks about the blessing that is promised for those who seek God.  Incline in Hebrew means to listen, or pay attention. That means as we listen and pay attention to the voice of God, we will be blessed. This requires us to sit before God in silence and listen to what He is pouring out. (There is something so special about silence.)

5. Talk to God like the friend He is.

For me, I talk to God in a personal manner. For instance, if I’m having a bad day I’ll say, “ God I need you right now. This person is getting on my nerves,” or I tell God exactly how I am feeling. No formalities, just open communication. When we cultivate this type of relationship, prayer becomes natural. God is not looking for formality; He is looking for intimacy. We must be open and honest. The great thing about this is God does not condemn us. He listens with care and then responds with the best possible guidance to help us in every one of our cares.

Communicating openly with God (talking to Him and expecting Him to respond) gives you a new perspective. For example one time I was faced with an issue with someone whom I felt disrespected me and I was completely in my feelings and ready to do things that were unholy. I’m not talking about years ago, but recently. Thank God I knew how to pray. Instead of responding in my flesh, I kneeled down and said, “God you see this situation. I am about to react in my flesh. I am hurt and I want to act out of character.” 

Immediately He lead me to a specific scripture in Jeremiah 12:5 NIV "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?  In that moment God was saying, “Nicole you are tripping.” Hahahaha!! I immediately felt His peace. This scripture was telling me that if the insignificant things in life overwhelm me, how would I be able to handle the real issues of life? I was focused on something minute when there is more to life than worrying. We have power!! Jesus died so we can have victory over our emotions. Giving our cares to God in prayer helps us deal with life’s challenges with a God perspective.

The Assignment

1. For 5 days, set aside 7 minutes of uninterrupted time to spend in silence listening for the voice of God. You can maybe use the first or last 7 minutes of the time you set aside each day for this 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God. Literally set your stopwatch for seven minutes and sit in complete silence. Listen for the voice of God to tell you what to do. This will help you learn how to listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He’ll show you what to do next.
2. After 5 days, increase your time adding in time for prayer and watch God move.
3. Forget not the personal concern that you have before the Lord. Talk to Him about it. Pray His word back to Him about it.

This intentional time set aside to hear from God will be so beneficial that it will become natural for you to spend more time with God in prayer, where you listen to His prompting. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear anything at first. Just wait. God is perfect and supreme. I know for me, if I don’t hear from God right away, He’ll show Himself through nature or through other forms of revelations throughout the day. God is near and He desires to speak to each of us DAILY.

Lastly, this is how important prayer is to God. Before we even form our lips to pray God has an answer. Isaiah 65:24 Even before they finish praying to me, I will answer their prayers. WOW!!! How awesome is that? Now image all of the things God has stored up for His children who are too busy to pray or who make excuses. God wants to bless us and it comes through relationship. We cannot have intimacy with God without prayer. Prayer requires that we listen and obey His commands. God has you on His mind. Seek Him daily. I promise you will not be disappointed.

I'm praying for you too.

-Nicole

Day 7: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God

It's Day 7. We're at the halfway mark! Today, I want you to simply focus on the concern of your heart that you identified in yesterday's installment. 

What have you put before the Lord? What have you committed to KEEPING before Him for the remainder of this 14-day journey? Let's spend time there today so you can start hearing from Him on the matter.

Talking God's Word to Him

Yesterday, you found at least 4 scriptures that speak to the concern of your heart. I want you to practice the SOAP Method and/or The 7 Arrows of Bible Study with those scriptures. These tools will help you dig deeper into what you're reading which makes for more in depth conversation with God and His word. You'll have structure in your study.

SOAP Method

One of my dear friends uses the SOAP Method every day as her morning devotion. She shares some of them on Facebook to encourage her friends and family. She says the SOAP Method changed the way she sees God's word and hears His voice. 

Hallelujah!

The 7 Arrows of Bible Study

I'm praying that one of these methods helps you to hear more clearly from Him.

-Iantha

Day 6: A 14-Day Journey to Hearing from God (2023)

A Couple Things...

• The video may sound like it's beginning abruptly, but it starts right where it should. I promise. I chopped some of the talking off from the beginning.

• You'll hear me saying "Day 3". Don't let that throw you off. This video is for today--Day 6.

The Assignment

1. As discussed in the video, think about something(s) that concerns you and rests on your heart...something that you know ONLY GOD can touch. (direction about a job, what to do about a relationship, concerns about your purpose, hurt that's rooted deep in your heart, etc.)

2. Google scriptures about that thing(s). (Type in "Scriptures about __________________)

3. In your journal, write down (in full) AT LEAST 4 scriptures that speak to your concern. BONUS: Take it a step further and write these scriptures on index cards (or whatever you have) that you keep with you throughout the day and refer to when you're able. OR write them on cards and put them in key places in your home, like mirrors.

4. As demonstrated in the video, begin praying those scriptures back to God. Replace "you" and other pronouns with YOUR NAME when you pray. Make it personal. This is how you talk to Him about what concerns your heart. Remind Him what His word says because He watches over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).

5. PRAY THESE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY OF THE JOURNEY in your quiet time with Him. Keep them before Him. Be persistent. They will become fluid on your lips, and before you know it, they'll be written on your heart and your conversation with him about this thing(s) will become natural.

6. EXPECT TO HEAR FROM HIM. You've already gotten His first thing to say about it through His word. Listen for the rest as we progress through the journey.

7. Finally, keep James 4:8 and Matthew 7:7-11 in mind. As you move your heart closer to Him, He will come closer to you. As you ask Him about those concerns, seek Him out for answers and direction, and knock at "His door" for answers, He like any good father, will provide and open that door for you. EXPECT IT!

I'm praying for you.

Iantha

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