IN THE QUIET, His voice may be heard

“And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord;

but the Lord was not in the wind~

and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake~

and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire~

and after the fire - a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19.11-12, King James Version

I love how the Lord came to Elijah in the above passage--in the still, small voice or a gentle whisper, as the NIV says.

I got to talking with a waitress today who is so interested in feeling God’s presence in her life, in discerning the
voice of God; I have heard from others who have not had teaching
on this . . . so let's step a little closer and consider, ‘Is there
anything we can do to ready ourselves to hear from God?’ Yes, I believe
there is.

¨Seek first His kingdom. Matthew 6.33 Now of course it is not our main goal to hear the voice of God, but rather to engage in a loving relationship with God. **interesting to note that before God
spoke in the still, small voice to Elijah in the passage above, Elijah
said, "I am zealous for the Lord God Almighty." hmmm. . . am I zealous
(really eager) for God? Are you?

¨If you haven't already, clear the air with God; in other words, confess your sins--make sure there is nothing that stands between you and God that might obstruct your ability to hear from him.

¨Be a person in the Word. The primary address at which the words of God may be found is the Bible. More of God's speaking to me has come in conjunction with study and teaching of the Bible than with anything else. The Bible
expresses the mind of God since
God himself speaks to us through its pages. 1

¨Be attentive; listen - be aware, be desirous

¨Make 'listening' part of your prayer time – If you order your prayer, you might pray thus: Adoration; Confession; Listening; Asking; Thanking

So, you feel that God has spoken to you, in some fashion, how do you know it is God's voice, and not your own, or someone else’s? Well,
ask yourself, ‘Is the message consistent with sound biblical teaching?
Is the voice gently leading, or is it commanding and harsh?

>God's voice gently guides and encourages, giving hope--Psalm 18.35 >God leads; Satan drives--John 10.4 >God convicts; Satan condemns and
brings guilt--Psalm 8.12 >God woos; Satan tugs hard

When God speaks, He does not use fear to motivate. If fear overcomes you, it is the enemy, not God - (2 Timothy 1.7) When you are trying to
ascertain what God is saying to you, look at circumstances, the Bible,
and inner impulses of the Spirit. Similarly, when someone
else tells you that ‘God told them’ such and such, you must also be
discerning! For some, they easily bandy about, ‘the Lord
told me’ or ‘the Lord gave me a dream,’ and it appears to carry some
authority—or, does it? Please, Friends, be discerning. Does
it line up with God’s Word? Is it consistent with his
character?

Frederick Meyer, a contemporary of Dwight Moody’s, suggested—Be still each day for a short time, sitting before God in
meditation, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth of
Christ’s indwelling. Ask God to be pleased to make
known to you what is the riches of the glory of this mystery [of
faith]. Colossians
1.27

So, make time for quiet. Don't miss his gentle overtures. Shhh. . . listen.

Christine