Where we have been..

     Hello Ladies!! We have just come out of chapters 3 & 4 so we now "Realize the way He Speaks". This is what we have established so far on the way He speaks to us. Our listening is where it all starts girls. And wow..that is sometimes difficult for me. I am in a very busy season in my life and due to the blessed opportunities that are coming my way, I often get 'lost' in those wonderful opportunities and find that I don't spend that time listening to Him as I should...with me anybody?? So, we know now, that in order to hear from the Lord, we must "listen" and that it where it all starts! I am the Mama of 6 lil bears and find myself using a passive approach to the sounds around me. My house has no volume control right now and I usually have what my Mama calls selective hearing. You know what I'm talking about.. that certain cry or tone in those lil voices. :-)...but this is where we have to turn off the passive selective hearing and turn on the intentional and aggressive listening. Priscilla just makes this so easy, she invites us into her personal study and prayer time and tells us how she gets into that deep and one on one time with the Lord. She does so by Worship. I love how she says that worship "rolls out the red carpet for God's presence to invade a space", don't we want that? I just want God to invade my space!! Prayerful listening, this is where we listen after we have emptied ourselves of all requests and petitions. But then, WE LISTEN and LISTEN some more!! Waiting expectantly for what He is saying to us at that moment. Giving us direction in our lives. Meditation, now don't misunderstand, this is not the meditation of sitting on a rug with our fingers touching, humming to the vibrations of our jaw teeth...I'm talking about taking God's Holy Word and pondering on it. Really running those words over and over in our minds and hearts. Seeing what He is saying to us through those words. Meditating on a passage is simply asking yourself: What does this verse reveal to me about Him? What spiritual principle does it teach? Am I living in a way contrary to its truth? How does it relate to my present circumstances? How should I respond to what I'm contemplating? All good questions right?
     Now that we know how to get to that place of spending satisfying time with Him, let's talk about the Holy Spirit. We have learned that the Holy Spirit is to us what the control tower is to a pilot flying a plane. We cannot always see what is coming up ahead but He does, our control tower does, leading us in the direction that steer us in His direction. We find that as human beings we are composed of three parts: Body, soul and spirit.I love how that A.W. Tozer said,
"I believe that God has related these somehow: the voice of conviction in the conscience and the Holy Spirit, the point of contact, witnessing within man's being. It is always perilous to resist the conscience within.
There are 5 M's to correctly hearing God and I plan to close with that for now in fear of writing a post too long to read:
1. Look for the "M"essage of the Spirit: Pay close attention!
2. Search for the "M"odel of Scripture for guidance: 1st-stay in God's Word, 2nd-consider if what you are sensing contradicts the whole counsel or character of God as revealed in the Bible. 3rd-keep your eyes open for that Word in Scripture that grips your heart or leaps off the page speaking directly to you through your circumstances.
3. Live in the "M"ode of prayer: Take what your hearing and direct it back to God. Don't waste time and energy worrying about a specific issue. Take it directly to Him.
4. Submit to the "M"inistry of Eli: Read Samuel 3 . Because young Samuel was unable to discern whom was calling out to him, he relied on the counsel of a mature believer, Eli, and he helped Samuel to realize that was God speaking.
5. Expect the "M"ercy of confirmation: Look for God's use of circumstances, Scripture and other believers to confirm His direction in your life.

Well, girlies..it doesn't get any clearer than that! We now have a solid direction to go in. We can now with guidance, be able to begin to hear and discern the voice of God. This has already blessed me beyond measure to lead you girls through the teachings of Priscilla Shirer. Can't wait till next time! Prayers and blessings!!

In Him,
Shana