The Way I See It, A Pastor’s Perspective
Southaven,MS
Have you ever wished you could hear the voice of God? Do you ever wish that He would speak directly to you? That He would give you precise instructions on which job to take? Which Church to attend? Who to marry?
We all had have those daydreams….ones where the Lord gives us clear instruction on the right paths to take.
The truth is, He is always speaking to us. It’s just that sometimes, if not oftentimes, we don’t ever hear Him.
There are the broader ways in which the Lord speaks of course; through His Word, or through Godly counsel such as through a Pastor. He may use a devotional to get through to us. He may even use the wisdom of a child to bring us to enlightenment. But there are those times when we can really hear HIM! The intimate and loving voice of the Father giving us direct instruction!! Sound impossible?
Well, you might be surprised to learn that first and foremost, you must train yourself to hear that voice.
Right now, as you read this, there are thousands of radio waves, cell phone signals, TV Station signals etc, flowing all around you. But in order to receive those transmissions, you must have the correct receiver set at the exact frequency to pick them up. It’s not that different with the voice of the Lord. You must tune out all outside interference, and listen deep within your spirit. After all, that’s where He resides; in your spirit. That spirit within you is your “God receiver”. It’s not in your ears. And it’s not in your mind. The mind is where YOU dwell. (And that’s also the playground of your enemy Satan).
No, the Father dwells in your spirit and that is where He will speak. It’s that still small voice that Elijah heard in 1 Kings chapter 19. He’s just above a whisper.
You’ve heard the expression “I just felt impressed to do this or that”. Or “my gut was telling me this or that”. The truth is that’s usually the Lord. Your first instinct is usually the Holy Spirit speaking to you. It’s after we’ve had time to rethink it and analyze it to death, that we end up talking ourselves out of whatever our first instinct was!
You should know that the voice of God is more an impression than an audible voice. It’s something you just know deep down inside that you are impressed to do.
He might use His audible voice if all else fails, but we’d probably die right there on the spot if we heard it!!
Tune everything out…turn off the TV and the radio blaring away….get away by yourself, away from outside interference….then listen deep within yourself….and most important of all, be willing to wait.
“Be still and know” says one of my favorite verses. Be still and hear Him!!! You just might be surprised at what He’s been saying all along!
Michael Upchurch
Chaplain, Team RFC
Racers For Christ
