"LISTEN INTENTLY FOR GOD'S VOICE"

Good Evening to All!

I was looking through my Devotional Books tonight, and I came upon one which I happened to catch the first few sentences of the Introduction paragraph. What it says rings so true.

It says, "Learning to hear God's voice seems to come so easily for some people while others struggle to hear a single word. There was a time when Samuel struggled to recognize the Lord's voice also. The first time God spoke to him, Samuel thought it was Eli calling him. Many of us hear the voice of the Lord but don't recognize it as His.

That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. (5) And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. (6) And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
(7) Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.(8) And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.

(1 Samuel 3:4-8).

I think I struggle with it at times because I have had people come up to me and say "I have a word for you from the Lord". While I know that it is a spiritual gift to be able to do that, I am very careful who I believe. I have heard of instances where people just used that to "gain importance" or to say what "they had on their mind. Unless I know the person very well, or they are a reputable pastor or evangelist, I let it go in one ear and out the other.

Anyway, we do need to listen to what is being spoken to our spirit.

I know this is true for me. I can't count the times when I have even gone as far as to pray and ask God for guidance, but when He spoke to my spirit, I kept debating with myself whether it was God speaking or my own reasoning. I have probably missed out on a lot of blessings because of that, not to mention that it also shows a lack of faith on my part that He would actually speak to "me".

Learning to recognize the Lord's voice comes with practice. If we slow down and take time to listen, while also listening as others share godly wisdom with us, (as Samuel heeded Eli's advice), we will grow in our ability to hear and to recognize God's voice. The important thing to remember is that God wants to communicate with us. From Genesis to Revelation, we see Him talking with His people. He wants us all to tune in. It's a vital part of the way we grow in our relationship with Him and move into our destiny.

As the time for His return draws closer and closer, it is a time to get serious about our relationship with Him. We cannot get to know Him if we don't read His Word or listen to His still small voice.

A relationship is impossible unless we do that. Have you ever tried to have an intimate relationship with someone you knew nothing about? That is essentially what you are doing if you don't study His Word and talk to Him on a regular basis.

We can say we know Him all day long, but if we don't have His Word in our hearts, it will do us no good. God knows our hearts.

I know this is short, (hopefully short but sweet), but I'm so sleepy I can hardly hold my eyes open.

Good Night to All and May God Bless!