How do I detect God’s unseen hand on my shoulder and his inaudible voice in my ear? Give God your waking thoughts. Before you face the day, face the Father. Psalm 5:3 says, “Every morning, I tell you what I need, and I wait for your answer.” Give God your waiting thoughts. Spend time with him in silence. Give God your whispering thoughts. During your lifetime, you could spend six months at stoplights and eight months opening junk mail. Give these moments to God. Simple phrases such as “Thank you, Father,” can turn a commute into a pilgrimage. Give God … Listen Now
In the Bible, 2 Corinthians 6:1 says that we are “God’s fellow workers.” Rather than report to God, we work with God. We are always in the presence of God. There is never a non-sacred moment! Is it possible to live—minute by minute—in the presence of God? Jesus enjoyed unbroken communion with God, and God wants that same abiding intimacy with you and me. He wants to be as close to us as a branch is to a vine. You know it’s impossible to tell where one starts and the other ends. What good news! We are NEVER away from God! And … Listen Now
I believe we can learn to listen to God if we are equipped with the right tools. The first tool is a regular time and place. Select a slot on your schedule and a corner of your world, and claim it for God. Take enough time to say what you want and for God to say what he wants. The second tool is an open Bible. Pray first, asking God to help you understand it. Study the Bible a little at a time. Read until a verse “hits” you. Then meditate on it and write it down. The third tool is a … Listen Now
Some of us have tried to have a daily quiet time with God and have not been successful. And all of us are busy. So we let others tell us what God is saying. Isn’t that why we pay preachers? Isn’t that why we read Christian books? If that is your approach, your spiritual experiences are second-hand. Do you do that with other parts of your life—vacation, romance, eating? I don’t think so. There are certain things no one can do for you. When God asks for your attention, he doesn’t want you to send a substitute. He invites you to vacation … Listen Now
“Let he who has ears to hear, use them.” Eight times in the Gospels and eight times in the Book of Revelation we are reminded that it’s not enough just to have ears—it’s necessary to use them. Jesus spent regular time with God, praying and listening. Luke 5:16 tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” If Jesus, the Son of God and the sinless Savior of humankind, thought it worthwhile to clear his calendar to pray, wouldn’t we be wise to do the same? Jesus also spent regular time in God’s Word. Three times in the wilderness … Listen Now
People longed for the compassionate touch of Jesus. And each one who came was touched. And each one touched was changed. But none was touched or changed more than the unnamed leper described in the first four verses of Matthew 8. He bowed before Jesus and said, “Lord, you can heal me if you will. And Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, ‘I will. Be healed! And immediately the man was healed from his disease.’” In New Testament times, leprosy was the most dreaded disease. In Scripture, the leper is symbolic of the ultimate outcast. A person … Listen Now
Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.” Because Jesus has forgiven us, we can forgive others. Because he lives in us, you and I can do the same. Oh, I could never do that, you object. The hurt is so deep. Just seeing the person makes me cringe. Perhaps that’s the problem: you’re seeing too much of the wrong person. Try shifting your glance away from the one who hurt you and setting your eyes on the one who has saved you. Please understand. Relationships don’t thrive because … Listen Now
Few situations stir panic like being trapped in a relationship. Some opt to flee– to get out of the relationship. Others fight, and tension becomes a way of life. A few, however, discover another treatment– forgiveness. In Jesus’ day the task of washing feet was reserved for the lowest of the servants. But, in the Chapter 13 of John’s gospel, the one with the basin and towel is the king of the universe. What a passionate moment when Jesus silently washes the feet of all the disciples… even Judas. Jesus knows that, by morning, these men will bury their heads in … Listen Now
Jesus’ is pure; we are greedy. He is peaceful; we are hassled. He is spiritual; we are earthbound. The distance between our hearts and his seems so immense. How could we ever hope to have the heart of Jesus? Ready for a surprise? You already do. If you have given your life to Jesus, Jesus has given himself to you. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16, “Strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ.” God has ambitious plans for us. The same one who saved your soul longs … Listen Now
The heart of Jesus was pure. Peter traveled with Jesus for three and a half years, and he described him as a “lamb, unblemished and spotless.” The heart of Jesus was peaceful. The disciples shouted for fear in the storm, but Jesus slept through it. Peter drew his sword to fight the soldiers, but Jesus lifted his hand to heal. The heart of Jesus was purposeful. He aimed at one goal—to save humanity from its sin. “The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” His heart was spiritual. He took his instructions from God. It was … Listen Now
