How to Pray Article Series: How Can I Listen To What God Is Saying To Me? (Part 2)
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010
by Babes Tan-Magkalas
http://www.stjosephsite.com
This article is part two of How Can I Listen To What God Is Saying To Me?' This part discusses a few steps that we can do in order to hear what God is communicating to us.
One way to be able to listen to what God is saying to us is to simply become more alert, more aware, more conscious, and more reflective in reading the clues as God unfolds His will in the daily happenings in our lives. Usually, at the end of the day, I reflect on what happened during the day and ask myself what God is trying to tell me. Sometimes, I get some insights, sometimes I don't.
I apply this advice of Eli in my life so when I need some guidance or even when I just want to be more receptive to God's promptings, I would go through my day repeating quietly, "Speak Lord for your servant is listening." The actual hearing' may not come at the end of the day but it's the preparation of my heart to hear that makes the difference.
I also find that having a journal helps me to hear what God is trying to tell me. I know that journaling may not be for everyone and I myself don't really write on my journal daily. But I do strive to write a page or two every so often about my insights on what has happened in my life that week, what I think God's message was. When I look back later to what I have written, sometimes I would notice a theme or a certain pattern and this gives me direction as to how my life should go.
If you want to really be in tune with God and hear His voice, you must study or reflect on His Word. Because when you do, you will learn more about His mind.
Then the Holy Spirit makes that Word applicable to you at the times when you need God's guidance and wisdom.
As St. Paul said: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness." So we read, and we listen to what God tells us in His written Word. And then we try to let what we read or what we heard stay with us and hence we grow gradually in His wisdom.
How do you know that the message is from God? Well, it must be weighed and measured against His Word. God's voice will never contradict His word and this is one reason why studying the scripture is so important. We cannot really depend on our feelings. A message coming from God and from some other source can both make us feel warm inside. Moreover, our hearts can be deviously intelligent in helping us justify and rationalize what we want.
Will it take long before you can hear' Him? I don't know. God comes at his initiative, not our conjuring, so you have to open yourself up continuously to what he may want to say. You just don't try to listen to him when you're not sure about something and therefore need some guidance. Listening is part of an ongoing and loving relationship with God, the source of all wisdom
Listening requires discipline and I must admit, it is a discipline that at times, I lack. In the hustles and bustles of life, I don't always listen to him attentively or sometimes I don't listen to him at all. But times when I do, what I hear becomes food for my hungry soul.
Go check out my free 13 video series on the answers to your biggest questions about prayers . For details on how to make your prayers more powerful and effective, visit www.how-to-pray-effectively.com .
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