I love that church has started back up. I've been listening online since March, but there's something about being there is person. This last Sunday, I hung on every word that Pastor Jack said and felt so much peace afterwards. Especially in the light of today's chaos. It truly was a breath of fresh air. That's what happens when God speaks to you, whether through your Pastor, through a song, or through the countless other ways. You feel like you can breath. You feel peace and a sense of hope. You feel happiness and love. I can't wait until next Sunday!
Today, I was reading in Proverbs and came across a verse I would like to share with you.
“Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” - Proverbs 19:20
I thank God for putting wise people in my life that I've learned from over the years. But mostly I appreciate God's Word always bringing me back down to earth when my mind overthinks. And boy does it overthink!
I want to encourage today, especially if you are feeling down. I ask you to dig deep into your Bible. The wise person is always learning. The best leaders are continuously seeking growth.
We spend so much of our time trying to justify who we already are. And sometimes our stubbornness gets in the way of who we might become.
It's been my experience that sometimes when God is leading me a direction, I get instant warfare the minute I take that first step to follow where He is leading.
Then I begin to second guess my thought process. Over the years, I've learned to recognize this warfare and rebuke Satan when he does this. I not only rebuke it from myself, but away from my whole family. Satan is out to rob, steal and destroy you of any peace or happiness and he attacks your mind. Don't let Satan or his slimy minions do this. He is not allowed in your mind and has no place there. If this is happening to you, stand your ground. Not only for yourself, but for your whole family. I will talk more about standing your ground during warfare in my next post.
You may be asking yourself "How do we learn this and how do we grow?"
We do so by reading God's Word. We do so by listening to others. We do so by opening our hearts and minds to the ideas, stories, and experiences of those around us. The Bible talks a lot about the power of listening.
It takes true humility to hear others for what they are worth. It takes curiosity and a real sense of value in the person across from you. We are made for community and we grow through hearing what our community has to say, then discerning what to absorb and what to deflect.
Listening to others is the precursor to listening to God. There is a convicting passage in 1 John that challenges, “if they cannot love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, how can they love God, whom they have not seen?”
Listening to others is one gateway to hearing God’s voice. It takes an added measure of humility, curiosity, and value to internalize what God is saying and let it transform our attitudes and behavior.