Do You Hear What I Hear?

"But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." - Micah 7:7

"The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer."

- Psalm 6:9

God hears me. God hears you. He listens. As our Father, he wants to hear from us! He loves to hear straight from our hearts, whether good or bad. But so many times we tend to think, "well God already knows, no use in telling him." Ok.... picture this....
You're a parent. Your child's teacher, during a conference, tells you all about your child's creativity on a project. If your child wanted to tell you about it later, would you say, "Oh honey, I already know all about it. Let's talk about something else." I certainly hope not... I know I would want to hear my child tell me EVERYTHING, regardless of my prior knowledge.
Same with us and God. And, on our end, it is so refreshing, comforting, and often provides a feeling of reflief to go to the Lord with whatever it is and just talk -- knowing He is listening!

"I call upon you, for you will answer me O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words."

- Psalm 17:6

But what about the other way around....? Do you have friendships or relationships with people who you talk to and never listen to? Probably not. A relationship is two-way. It takes investment from both parties. In a relationship with God, we tend to do more talking than listening... and then we get mad when we don't "hear" an answer. Well, how are you waiting for God to respond? There are many ways in which God speaks to us...
Circumstance: God will use an open or closed door/opportunity to answer us or show us His will.
Still Small Voice: God will impress upon us by the power of the Holy Spirit to move us towards His will.
Peace: God will give us peace in a situation if it is His will.
People: God will use other believers to speak wisdom into a situation.
But the only ABSOLUTE way in which God speaks to us in an undeniable way is through His Word.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12



So, my encouragement to you (and reminder to myself!) is to first, talk with God... have a conversation... do some talking, then some listening. And the listening may require spending time listening to a Pastor give a sermon, or resting in a quiet place.... or reading the Bible! Let God speak to your heart. I am always so thankful when I choose to listen for Him; He never fails me.

Light or Dark?

Light. What is light? Well, the Bible says that light is....

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12
"...God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." - 1 John 1:5

Darkness? The opposite.

We all have a choice; to walk on in the light or in the dark. Seems like it makes more sense to walk in the light.... since you'd be able to see and all. But sadly, so many choose darkness. Maybe for the mystery and suspense it holds? But emptiness is all that awaits those who choose darkness. It's dark for a reason. Ugly, painful, unsatisfying sin would look too horrific in the light.... darkness covers it up.

Maybe you're thinking, "Well, I chose light once, but I'm giving darkness a try now. I may to return to light eventually, but darkness looked SO appealing....even just for a little bit!" And if you are, please read the rest of this very carefully. The Bible warns in 1 John 1:6-7... "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." And in 2 Corinthians 6:14, "...what fellowship has light with darkness?"
Still wondering if this is you, choosing darkness over light? Well, since there cannot be fellowship with light and darkness, a good indicator would be your relationships. Has your group of friends changed? Are the people you are spending your time with choosing light or are they also choosing darkness (and condoning your choice of darkness)? Do you find yourself trying to cover up your choice to those who you used to walk in the light with, convincing them you're still trying to choose light? And have you begun to see the consequences of walking in darkness; no clear direction, feelings of uneasiness and maybe regret, unexpected and unpleasant surprises? Yes? Then you're for sure deep in darkness.

But I have good news!

The light of the world NEVER gives up hope and He awaits your return. Choose light! Walking in the light brings true fellowship with others and is the way to the abundant life that Jesus came to give us all. It's worth it. You'll see...even if you find out the hard way.

"Choose this day who you will serve." -Joshua 24:15 and I pray you choose to serve the light of the world, Jesus.