I’ve been a Christian for most of my life, but I’m just now learning to consistently discern the voice of Jesus. If you are anything like me, you know what I mean.
I tend to forge ahead with what I want to do and if it doesn’t contradict the Word of God, I think it’s okay. And while that may not be the best theology, it does hold some truth. We shouldn’t be doing things that go against what God has said in His Word.
But what about those things that aren’t in Scripture? What do we do about that?
Lately I’ve been reading through Walking with God by John Eldredge and pondering it very slowly. I mean, maybe one or two pages a day. I know I’ve mentioned this book before but I’m mentioning it again because it is so good. It has made me truly think about how I decide on things I should do.
I’m learning to discern the voice of Jesus.
In the book, Eldredge says we can learn to hear God talking to us as we walk daily with Him. We can ask God questions and listen to His responses. For instance, if we are contemplating doing something on a particular day, we can say, “Lord, should I do this thing or not?”
And then we wait. We wait for a check in our spirit. We wait to see if God gives us peace about the situation. Sometimes we feel something immediately. Sometimes we may need to ask the question again. Sometimes we feel nothing one way or the other. (This could mean we could do either thing and it would be fine.)
I’ve been trying this out a little bit lately as I learn to hear God more clearly.
One day I really wanted to go to Nashville. I needed to run a few errands there and frankly, I just wanted to get out of my house and go somewhere fun. So I prayed, “God, should I go to Nashville today or stay home? Should I go to Nashville? Or stay home?”
As I listened, I felt a check in my spirit. My heart began to beat a little more rapidly, almost like a nervous feeling, and I knew I shouldn’t be going to Nashville on that particular day.
Now, to be clear, I don’t really know why God didn’t want me to go to Nashville on that particular day. Maybe there was an accident on the interstate at the time I would’ve been driving. Or maybe He just wanted me to stay home and play with Jillienne. Or maybe He wanted me to go another day when all the kids were with me. (Which is what I ended up doing, by the way, and it was a super fun day for all of us!)
Discerning His voice isn’t always easy but I’m learning to ask Him about the little decisions I need to make each day. I don’t do this all the time, but when I do, I usually hear an answer about what I should or shouldn’t do. And it’s super cool to hear Him “talk” to me in this way!
How do you hear from Jesus? Is it easy for you to discern His voice or do you just trudge along, doing the next right thing without asking Him about it? No judgments – I’m genuinely asking about your walk with Jesus.
Feel free to drop a line or a private message and let me know your thoughts!