I'll start off with complete honesty: It's one of the most frustrating things in the world, as a Christian, to want to hear God, but not exactly be able to. I can tell you that firsthand, because I've battled with this for more than a little while.
You ask yourself (and sometimes, others) so many questions: Is God speaking and I'm just not listening? Does God speak to everybody? Does God really want to speak to me?
Let me clear something up really quickly: Yes, He absolutely does. The truth is, a lot of the time, it's just not in the grand, Heaven-opening-up-and-voice-booming-from-Above kind of way we're often expecting. Many times, God's voice is subtle and as a result, very easy to miss.
For a while, I've battled with feeling like God absolutely left me to fend for myself, despite promising to guide me and show me the way to go. I've felt abandoned; like there was something wrong with me because I didn't hear God clearly; like I was somehow one of the Unchosen Ones; like I had failed. And chances are that at one point or another, you've felt like that too.
If you're still at that point, let me again reassure you that you are special to God, and really, He takes no pleasure in withholding Himself from you. Secondly (thirdly, fourthly and fifthly, actually):
1) Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit for many reasons - so He could teach us, counsel us and direct us, amongst many other things. But the Holy Spirit knows where He's wanted and where He isn't. The more responsive you are to the things - no matter how tiny or great - Holy Spirit says, the more He will speak. It's a process, but you need to obey first.
2) God is the Word. So, if you want to know what He thinks or says about something, that's a great place to start. Most of us want a more intimate, one-on-one interaction (which is awesome), but start with knowing His Word, and He says if you "come near to Him, He will come near to you." (James 4:8) [God doesn't break His promises, btw.]
3) Watch out for God in the ordinary. We tend to expect a little bit more drama and grandiose-ness, but a lot of the time, you'll all of a sudden get a great idea 'from nowhere', or a solution to a nagging problem will come to you, or you'll suddenly remember someone you haven't spoken to in months - it's usually God in the moments. The more you trust that voice, and follow it, the clearer - and more frequent - it will become.
And don't forget to pray - a lot. Keep asking God to speak to you more, help you to recognise His voice when He does, and keep believing that He'll reveal more of Himself to you. He definitely wants to.
Kunmi x
You ask yourself (and sometimes, others) so many questions: Is God speaking and I'm just not listening? Does God speak to everybody? Does God really want to speak to me?
Let me clear something up really quickly: Yes, He absolutely does. The truth is, a lot of the time, it's just not in the grand, Heaven-opening-up-and-voice-booming-from-Above kind of way we're often expecting. Many times, God's voice is subtle and as a result, very easy to miss.
For a while, I've battled with feeling like God absolutely left me to fend for myself, despite promising to guide me and show me the way to go. I've felt abandoned; like there was something wrong with me because I didn't hear God clearly; like I was somehow one of the Unchosen Ones; like I had failed. And chances are that at one point or another, you've felt like that too.
If you're still at that point, let me again reassure you that you are special to God, and really, He takes no pleasure in withholding Himself from you. Secondly (thirdly, fourthly and fifthly, actually):
1) Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit for many reasons - so He could teach us, counsel us and direct us, amongst many other things. But the Holy Spirit knows where He's wanted and where He isn't. The more responsive you are to the things - no matter how tiny or great - Holy Spirit says, the more He will speak. It's a process, but you need to obey first.
2) God is the Word. So, if you want to know what He thinks or says about something, that's a great place to start. Most of us want a more intimate, one-on-one interaction (which is awesome), but start with knowing His Word, and He says if you "come near to Him, He will come near to you." (James 4:8) [God doesn't break His promises, btw.]
3) Watch out for God in the ordinary. We tend to expect a little bit more drama and grandiose-ness, but a lot of the time, you'll all of a sudden get a great idea 'from nowhere', or a solution to a nagging problem will come to you, or you'll suddenly remember someone you haven't spoken to in months - it's usually God in the moments. The more you trust that voice, and follow it, the clearer - and more frequent - it will become.
And don't forget to pray - a lot. Keep asking God to speak to you more, help you to recognise His voice when He does, and keep believing that He'll reveal more of Himself to you. He definitely wants to.
Kunmi x
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