distractions during prayer.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on October 12, 2015 at 10:51am

I haven't mastered listening but for me listening to God is the same as listening to a person. It's important to hear the words someone is saying but just as important to understand the message which the person is conveying. That means paying attention. Distractions hinder listening, too. One way to really listen to a person is to silently repeat to yourself what they say as they say it. Then, if I ask a question or make a comment that summarizes what the person said, it shows not only that I listened but how I understood them, too, and then the person can correct me if I misunderstood or misheard.

I hope you will watch the Chloe video. I believe you'll like it. In it, Walt, the husband talks about God speaking to him. I remember talking to God as a child and praying. I remember walking on the hill behind the house, singing and praying some but mostly I was crying and asking God to help me. I don't remember ever hearing God or sensing within that God was saying something to me or having a vision the way Walt in the video describes his childhood experience.

As an adult, God speaks to me through scripture passages and through sermons and articles and devotionals and so forth. I don't know if it bothers God when we tune Him out or don't take the time to pay attention and really listen, really actively listen. I know it bothers me when I'm talking to someone and I know they aren't really hearing me. It bothers me to share something that's very sensitive and important, only to have the person I told to "forget" that I even shared it. I know it's difficult to remember everything someone tells you, but I've even stopped in mid-sentence when talking simply because I could see the person was too distracted to even care what I was saying, let alone expect them to remember it. I've felt other things were more important to them than I, or they are trying to do too much at once.

Multitasking is actually a myth. We're just switching our attention from task to task very quickly. You might think you're focusing on several things simultaneously, but that's not true, and we can divide our attention only so much before we get in trouble and lose track of something -- a pot on the stove boils over while you were answering the phone and moving clothing from the washer to the dryer and then the Fed Ex guy is ringing the doorbell, the dogs begin barking, and the person on the phone is saying, Did you hear what I just said?

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Permalink Reply by Nicki Morero on October 8, 2015 at 6:53pm

Very true. I will try everything that us well within reason of the Kingdom of God, until I find what is suitable for me.

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Permalink Reply by Nicki Morero on October 10, 2015 at 8:57pm

No need to apologise, there are all kinds of people from different time zones on this site. Like me, I am from South Africa.
Thank you so much for your help, God bless you.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on October 11, 2015 at 7:05pm

In my opinion there is only one way to clear out the clutter and that is keep at it. Think of a glass of clear water, add some sand and stir. You end up with a murky mixture that is clouded like our minds can be. The best way to clear the murkiness up is to let the glass sit completely still and over time the sand will settle to the bottom and the water will return to a clear liquid, unless you stir the water and then the process of settling has to go through the full cycle again. Our minds are like that, we need to calm them and stay them on the Lord giving time for the residue of the world to settle, but often we find that we either do not give enough time or we get interrupted stirring the debris up again.

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Permalink Reply by Nicki Morero on October 11, 2015 at 11:03pm

I really just want/need to seek God and so far it has been an uphill battle, and it is not getting any easier, but I am not giving up until I come to that place of stillness you speak of. Thank you LT, God bless you.

You guys have really helped me.

Glory be to God Almighty.

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Permalink Reply by Tammy on October 12, 2015 at 3:50pm

If it was easy, the world would be doing it

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Permalink Reply by Nicki Morero on October 13, 2015 at 11:37am

:) true.

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