12/01/2021
Good Morning family.
This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Trusting that the first day of Prayer and Fasting was fruitful and that you had the courage to release the disappointments and frustrations of 2020! And you are looking forward to prosperous 2021.
Day 2:
Tune in: Speak Lord, your servant is listening
Scripture: John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Today’s devotional is an exercise designed to help you grow in your ability to hear God’s voice. The illustration of a mobile phone will be used. Unlike earthly cellular companies that promise us limitless coverage and perfect reception but rarely deliver it, God has the ability to transmit the heavenly signal to us no matter where we are on the planet. Take your mobile phone out and turn it off. No matter how great your phone is, you cannot receive or make calls until the power is on. It is no different with humans.
Unless your power is “on,” regular communication with God is almost impossible. Spiritually speaking, our power is turned on through our times of intimacy with the Lord and connecting during these times. Signal problems—Within the cellular world, signal strength can be affected by proximity to a cell tower, obstructions such as buildings or trees, destructive interference from other communication towers, or the condition of the cell phone.
First of all, just as cellular reception is affected by proximity to cell towers, so your ability to hear God clearly is directly related to your proximity the Lord and fellowship with other believers (the church).
Remember, hearing God is not a skill; it is relationship. Therefore, the more quality time you spend with God, the better you will hear.The word "quality" here is important – we have to limit the attractions and distractions of our media-driven world.
Once we have discipline,
we will be free to focus on God through the Word, worship, and waiting on the Lord.
Our proximity to God’s people is also vital. Without discipleship, mentoring, fellowship, equipping, and accountability provided through a healthy church, we would not have the foundations necessary to
develop an authentic, sustainable relationship with God.
Even as the internal condition and quality of a cell phone can determine call quality, so the condition of our souls is vital to the whole process of hearing God. These are some of the factors that influence our ability to hear God: stress, fatigue, physical sickness, exhaustion, distraction, or busyness. You cannot forget that your spiritual life is deeply impacted by how you are doing physically, emotionally, and intellectually.
If none of these factors is involved, it could just be destructive interference. Just as cellular communications can be affected by other electronic signals, so the enemy—the prince of the power of the air—does everything in his power to impair our ability to hear God’s voice.
• Simply quiet your soul and take a deep breath. Spend two or three minutes simply waiting. You may feel the Lord’s presence before you hear the voice of the Lord.
• If you are feeling God’s presence simply say, “What do you want to say to me, Lord?”
• write down what you are hearing.
Have a blessed day
Pastor Steve.