Devotions from Gary Thomas’s book, “The Beautiful Fight”
“When man listens, God speaks…. We are not out to tell God. We re out to let God tell us…the lesson the world most needs is the art of listening to God.” Frank Buchman.
Sometimes we don’t want to hear from God because we are afraid He will tell us to do something we may not want to do. Augustine said, “The man who serves you best is the one who is less intent on hearing from you what he wills to hear than on shaping his will according to what he hears from you.”
We need to hear God through the Word but we also need to hear the ongoing anointing of the Spirit who speaks to our hearts.
If we learn to listen- to really listen, to truly hear- we will receive spiritual wealth and understanding beyond imagination.. As we listen, the transformation process will take hold in our lives and God will increase our understanding. If we fail to listen we become spiritually deaf. Even careless listening will stop up our spiritual understanding.
It’s one thing to avoid listening to gossip, lies, etc but it is another thing to have our ears attuned to what is pure, holy, right, just etc.
What do you think God wants to say to you today? Do you think He wants to have input into your life?
Tuning in to Him usually begins with an act of the will.
“Tests for accurately hearing the Lord include scripture, the church’s witness, a holy life, and an increasing familiarity with God’s voice.”
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