If you are like me, you may be wondering how to respond to the call of God. You may already know that you are anointed for a task in this generation. You may already know that God is speaking to you through that still small voice that whispers, “pray,” “turn,” “don’t take that,” “don’t touch that.” You are sure that God is prompting your heart to a new level. If that’s how you feel, then you are in the right place.
Today, as I sat in the taxi, I distinctively heard the holy spirit tell me to check the tea cup in my bag. I pulled the bag, looked and everything seemed fine. Now that I’ve gone through my first class, and ready to take my books out to go do some work in the library, I realize that my books, and the other contents in my bag are messed up with tea.
As I type this article, I feel a bit disappointed, because my mind keeps wondering “what is the purpose of having such a wonderful friend such as the Holy Spirit to give me warnings, yet I still fall in the traps?” It then occurred to me, that I was hearing (the faculty of perceiving sounds) the Holy Spirit, but I wasn’t listening (giving attention to the sound and respond through actions.
So, why am I telling you this? Because in responding to the call of God, we must first learn to not just hear, but to listen.
—–Check out these examples—–
Mary hears her children in the other room laughing. – She perceived the sound of laughter and made a conclusion.
Mary listened to the noise coming from the children’s room. She then realizes that though two voices were laughter, there was another voice with tears. – She focused on the sound and drew conclusion.
Hearing from God
I would be mistaking if I dared to talk about hearing from God, and not mention that we hear God through his words. Maybe, some of you are at the stage where you cannot relate with hearing that inner soft voice that so many people speak about. I want you know that you can still hear from God through his words.
So what does the word of God say?
- We have a friend in the Holy Spirit
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26 – NIV).
- Christ’s death paid for our sins.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21 – NIV).
- Through Christ you have liberty.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom(2 Corinthians 3:17 – NIV).
My friend, you are loved by God and he has made provisions to meet you at whichever level you are at. Before you start this journey of answering the call of God, you need to hold on to that truth and promise yourself to never let it go. I encourage you to hold on to that truth, because there will be days that your situation and your feelings will tell you otherwise, and the only way to get out, is to hold on to the truth despite the odds that are against you.
Before you continue,
- stop and pray
- Re-read the scriptures
- and most importantly, reflect.
Hey. It’s ok. You may need to stop here today. Just make sure you follow the three steps above. They may seem very simple, but isn’t it always the simple things that make the big difference?
Until next time, stay encouraged and be blessed. Up next, we’ll discuss listening to God.
Desan Watson 