Pump up the volume

Hearing from God is not as hard as it sounds but it’s harder than it looks.

What the?

It’s easy because He’s always speaking. It’s hard because we have to be quiet.

Why do we have such trouble with this? I mean, people have been telling us to be quiet and listen since kindergarten, right?

I believe part of our problem is that we are warring with our true selves… our earthly minds are fighting against our spirits. The mind says look it up in a book, read up on it, ask our friends. The spirit says, get quiet, look to His Word and listen to The Father.

So many times, I already know the answer in my heart, but my head gives me a hundred reasons to question it. Other times, I feel totally buried under confusion and frustration and I want to throw the whole situation away rather than trying to find out the answer.

What is the solution?

Matthew 7:7-8 says, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Have we asked God for the answer we need? Do we try every possible route before it dawns on us to ask God? The Answer Giver is waiting for us to make our request. He is waiting on us, not the other way around.

God, help me to ask You first. I know You have the answers I need. Help me quiet down my mind and pump up the volume on Your Spirit within me. I know that’s the only way to flourish in this crazy life.

I don’t know all the answers, but I know the Answer Giver, and that’s the best place to start.

Secrets

I’m getting my hair done today. The gray roots just keep coming back, no matter how many times I color them. Every 4th Friday, I’m in the chair, doin’ time. I’ve had many a stylist in awe of how fast my hair grows. It’s a never-ending story. I’m Falcor.

I don’t know who I’m fooling, really. I tell people all the time about my gray hair, and yet I’m obsessive about hiding it. Hmm. I’m sure there’s a larger issue at work here.

What do you tell everyone about but still try to hide?

We probably tell more than we want to, it’s evident in our faces, our demeanor, our smile, our laughter. They all give it away. We tell on ourselves. And even if we don’t tell you what we did, we tell you we did something by not telling you anything.

My son just drank from the tea pitcher behind my back. I didn’t see him do it, I had no idea he did it, I didn’t even really care that he did it, but he told on himself. He knew it was something he wasn’t supposed to do, so he told on himself. I just smiled. He is definitely my son, neither of us can keep secrets.

If you have a seriously deep, dark secret, please don’t tell me. If I get backed into a corner, I’ll sing like a canary. I can’t take the pressure. That’s something I love about God. He can take the pressure. He knows our secrets and He loves us anyway. He’s not fooled by any of our games, you know. We can sit in church all we want, but if there’s evil in our heart, He knows it. We may fool ourselves, but He is not fooled.

When we are struggling with fear, or anger, or depression, He knows it. He’s the ultimate best friend and confidante. He will never tell, but His sweet Holy Spirit will gently nudge us in the right direction, and if we are seeking help, we will find it. The Bible says Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).

So many times, we just don’t ask. We don’t believe He’ll actually help us, or we don’t feel worthy of His help. The devil wants to make us feel like we are the worst person and God would never help us, but it’s a lie. The devil’s motto is divide and conquer. If he can make us think we’re alone, he’s half-way there. Don’t let him. We all have issues, and none of us is hopeless. God hasn’t met His first unsolvable case yet. You are not the unlovable, you are not the unforgivable, you are not the one that doesn’t deserve God’s love and mercy. You are God’s precious child, and He’s never going to let you go.