Tag Archives: walking with god

Charles Stanley – Life Principle 13: Listening to God — Walking With God

May 24, 2015 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

One of the most important lessons we can learn is how to listen to God. In our complex and hectic lives, nothing is more urgent, nothing more necessary, and nothing more rewarding than hearing what God has to say to us.

Life Principle 13 – Listening to God is essential to walking with God.

Psalm 81:8

If we fail to learn how to listen to the Lord, we will make some very unwise and costly mistakes.

A true conversation, of course, involves both talking and listening. Most of us do better with the talking part.

At one point, I became so occupied doing the Lord’s work, I had very little time for anything else. I preached six times a week, taped two television programs, and was the senior pastor of a large church. We also were developing an international broadcast ministry. I spent a great deal of time talking to God, but one day I realized I was not spending as much time listening to what He was saying to me. I knew something had to change. If we fail to learn how to listen to the Lord, we will make some very unwise and costly mistakes.

You may ask, “Does the Lord really speak to us today?” The Bible assures us that He does. The book of Hebrews opens this way: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb. 1:1, 2). Our God is not silent. Our heavenly Father is alive and active. He speaks to us individually and in a way that we can hear Him, receive His message, and obey Him. He is infinite, fully capable of communicating with each of us, right where we are—in the midst of our circumstances—in a very personal way.

Our heavenly Father is alive and active. He speaks to us individually and in a way that we can hear Him, receive His message, and obey Him.

This may be one of the most important concepts you will grasp in learning how to listen to God. When the Lord speaks, He is speaking to you. The Word of God contains His truth; therefore, take it personally. Allow His Holy Spirit to open your heart so you will have a deeper understanding of Scripture. When you do, you can begin to claim His promises for your life. You also will gain a deeper understanding of His provision, care, and love.

God is serious about His relationship with you. He speaks for your benefit, and it is important for you to listen to Him and respond in obedience. Sometimes He will challenge you to change your thinking or to release certain unhealthy feelings and opinions. Sometimes He will command you to change aspects of your behavior. Yet with every instruction He gives, you can be certain it is for your good. He desires to encourage and mature you so that you might live with greater joy and strength. He also wants to transform you into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ—helping you to become the very best you can be.

Learning to listen to God through the reading of His Word is the most important thing you can do because there is no other way to enjoy the amazingly wonderful abundant life He offers. Therefore, pay close attention to what He has to say, and He will certainly “tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jer. 33:3).

Charles Stanley – Walking With God

January 19, 2015 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

Read | Genesis 6

Once we receive Jesus as Savior, His Spirit indwells us permanently. Yet there is a difference between having salvation and actually walking with the Lord. Being saved involves the forgiveness of sin and the blessing of eternal security, whereas walking with God is a privilege that we live out day by day.

To understand this idea more fully, let’s consider the example of Noah. Genesis 6:9 identifies him as a man who followed the Lord in a God-pleasing way. In other words, he lived by faith. Surely Noah did not understand God’s direction to build an ark. After all, there had never even been any rain, let alone a cataclysmic deluge. Until the flood, mist would rise from the ground to nourish vegetation. But because the Almighty spoke, Noah believed and obeyed.

For us, walking by faith need not mean something as monumental as building an ark to save wildlife from destruction. Instead, it’s likely to involve something more commonplace, such as living with godly priorities, spending time in the Word, or holding to God’s values in a world that belittles them. In fact, it is frequently when there is no crisis or quandary to motivate us that our true character is revealed. When we are faithful with the simple, mundane things, our heavenly Father will entrust us with more.

Believing God and acting accordingly is an important aspect of following Him. Do you have such trust that you obey even when His directions are difficult or confusing? Ask Him to increase your faith, and renew your commitment to follow wherever He leads.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Pray and Obey

January 12, 2015 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

You have given me the capacity to hear and obey. —Psalm 40:6

For many years, I wanted God to speak to me, but I wanted to pick and choose what things to obey. I wanted to do what He said easy and I thought it was a good idea, but if I didn’t like heard, I acted like it wasn’t from God!

Some of what God says to you will be very exciting. Other things He says may not be so thrilling, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work out for your good if you will simply obey. For example, if God tells you that you need to apologize because you were rude to someone, it won’t work for you to respond, “Well, that person was rude to me too!” If you talk back to Him with excuses, you may have prayed and even heard God’s voice, but you didn’t obey.

Looking back at more than three decades of walking with God and being in ministry, I have to say that the simplest explanation for the success we have enjoyed is that we have learned to pray, hear from God, and then do what He tells us to do. Over the years, as I have sought God and pressed forward in what I feel He has told me to do, I can say that what I have done more than anything else is simply to pray and obey. Doing so has not always been popular, but it has worked.

If you want God’s plan for your life, I can give you the recipe in its most basic form: pray and obey. God has given you the capacity to do both, and if you do it continually, you will be moving right along in His will for your life.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Set Priorities

July 5, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. —Psalm 139:16

Be determined to enjoy the abundant life that Jesus Christ desires for you to have. The devil will always try to set you up to get upset. The busy activities of today’s society can make life seem like a blur. Most people have a lot of stress, continuous pressure, and really too much to do.

Set priorities. Start your day with God. Be determined to follow His lead all day, and you will enjoy every day of your life—not just on weekends, vacations, or sunny days when the weather’s perfect. Walking with God will give you pleasure and relaxation even when things aren’t going your way.

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Joyce Meyer – Do Good Works

May 26, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

We are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us. —Ephesians 2:10

Years ago, when I first started walking more intimately with God, I used to wait for some special confirmation from Him for everything I wanted to do—until I learned that His Spirit abides in me to do good works. In the early years of walking with God, it was in my heart to give ten dollars to a woman in need.

I carried that desire in my heart for three weeks until I finally prayed, “God, is it really You telling me to give this person the money? I’ll do it if it’s really You!” Ten dollars was a lot of money back then and I did not want to part with it unless I had clear direction from God.

He spoke to me so clearly and responded, “Joyce, even if it isn’t really Me, I won’t get mad at you if you bless somebody!”

One of the fruits of the fact that God’s Spirit lives within us is goodness (see Galatians 5:22–23). Therefore, we have desires to be good to people. God told Abraham that He was going to bless him so he could be a blessing to others (see Genesis 12:2). Imagine how awesome it would be to reach the point where we simply live to make others happy as a service to God.

The world is full of people with needs. There is always someone, somewhere, who needs a word of encouragement. Someone needs a babysitter, help with transportation, or financial help. I find that when I spend time with God I feel a strong desire to help somebody and I have learned that desire is God speaking to me. God is good and when we spend time with Him we want to do good things for others.

Ask God each day to show you whom you can bless and remember that where love is, God abides (see 1 John 4:12).

God’s word for you today: Take advantage of every opportunity you have to do something good.

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