Christ said that His sheep knows His voice. He speaks to us through His word and indwelling Spirit. What a gift! But, do we spend the time listening to and discerning what He has to say?
A number of years ago, I assisted our pastor, at the time, with administering a challenge to our church body based on the book Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People. It’s written by Michael Frost who uses the acronym BELLS to illustrate five habits that we can employ to put into practice what we believe as Christians. Those habits are as follows.
Practice generosity by Blessing others with a gift or act of kindness. Practice hospitality by Eating together. Spend time Listening to the Spirit. Spend time reading about and Learning Christ. And, finally, record and reflect on your day to see how you were Sent by God into the lives of others. Some of these habits stayed with me, including Listen which is what I’m writing about here.
I used to practice this habit regularly by waking early around 5:00 AM, the quietest part of my day, without prompting or use of an alarm, and I would grab a notebook and do a morning brain dump.
I would write out any dreams that stayed with me. In looking back on my journal, I saw that some of these dreams were prophetic – in that they came to pass. Some revealed subconscious thoughts or emotions that needed to be addressed.
Most days I woke with a song in my head so I made note of that as well. It’s usually a song of encouragement that I needed that day. Or, it’s a song that I needed to pass on to a friend who came to mind. These days though, they’re usually songs related to messages I have to share that day.
Finally, I would write anything else on my mind. These are things that needed to be done, looked into, or checked upon. As an introvert, who is often in her thoughts a lot, this is so very necessary even today. It helps to clear my thoughts and prevent my mind from becoming cluttered which would lead to confusion or forgetfulness, feeling overwhelmed and, ultimately, having a negative mindset.
When my mind was finally clear, I would just sit in quiet and wait to hear from God, writing anything that came to mind. I have received some surprising instructions but I followed through on them and they worked out for the best.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27
I think it’s important to add here, as a disclaimer of sorts, that it’s vital to read and understand God’s word – what He’s already spoken – to become attuned to what He would say. God will never contradict His written word or go against His nature. We need to practice this habit to grown in discernment.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
I stopped doing all of this for a time and can’t remember why now. I think I chose to use an app instead of a physical notebook. But, as it wasn’t as visible as an actual notebook, I didn’t see it and so it didn’t exist, and I didn’t have that visual reminder to continue the habit. This led to not listening clearly, or hearing fully, from God. Thankfully, He led me back into this practice in recent months. It’s one of the reminders I had during my recent rest that I mentioned in a previous post here: The time is short.
Also, as He would have it, the Illustrated Faith devotional for August is on the topic of being still and I’m really looking forward to reading what the author, Taleah, @chasonolives on Instagram, has to say on the topic. In the meantime, I created these journaling pages (below) using a coordinating Be Still & Know printable by @kristina.proffitt which is just darling and hope-giving as usual. I’ll use them to record any insights received from listening over the coming days.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him
Psalm 37:5-7
The command to be still and wait quietly is an invitation to rest in God. So, be still, listen, and know! Our Lord is God and He is faithful. I’m so thankful that He rules over my heart to instill peace; to quiet the noise, provide instruction and the strength to walk in it.
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:5-8
