Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions (47 page)

G
od has taught me that when we are
unwilling
to hear in one area, it may render us
unable
to hear in other areas. Sometimes we choose to turn a deaf ear to what we know the Lord is clearly saying to us. We only hear what we want to hear; it’s called “selective hearing.”

A woman once shared with me that she asked God to give her direction concerning what He wanted her to do. He clearly put in her heart that He wanted her to forgive her sister for an offense that had happened between them months earlier.

Because this woman wasn’t willing to do so, she pulled away from her prayer time. When she did seek the Lord again for something, He responded,
“Forgive your sister first.”

Over a period of
two years
, every time she asked the Lord for guidance about something new, He gently reminded her,
“I want you to forgive your sister.”
Finally, she realized that she would never grow spiritually if she didn’t do the thing God had told her to do.

She got on her knees and prayed,
“Lord, give me the power to forgive my sister.”
Instantly she understood many things from her sibling’s perspective she hadn’t considered before, and within a short time their relationship was healed and made stronger than it had ever been before.

If we really want to hear from God, we can’t approach Him with selective hearing, hoping to narrow the topics down to only what we want to hear. People want God’s direction when they have issues
they
want solved. But, don’t just go to God and talk to Him when you want or need something; spend time with Him just listening. He will open up many issues if you will be still before Him and simply listen.

I
sat down at my computer today and was ready to begin working when I sensed that the Lord wanted me to
“take a few minutes and just wait on Him.”
I waited very briefly, then started to make a phone call.

The Lord gently prompted me not to make a phone call, but to wait on Him as He had directed me to. Our flesh is so full of energy it is difficult for us to just be still, but it is very important to learn to be promptly obedient to God, even when He is asking us to be still.

You might ask,
“Joyce, how do you know for sure God was leading you—that your mind was not just making it up?”
The answer is that I had peace about what I was receiving. It felt right inside me. My spirit confirmed it as being truly from the Lord. We know things about God by the Spirit, not necessarily by the head. In my mind I wanted to get to work, but in my spirit I knew I was to wait. Are you following your own mind most of the time, or discerning what God is leading you spiritually to do?

Satan will try to deceive us and lead us in the wrong direction, but if we know God’s character, we will recognize any voice or leading that is not from God. When I sensed I was not to make the phone call, I didn’t feel guilt or condemnation because that is not God’s nature. I sensed a gentle reminder from God that I was not following His instructions. He is not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but He is gentle and loving.

There are many facets of God’s character, and each one of them seems to be more wonderful than the next. He is faithful, true, loving, kind, long-suffering, just, and honest—among many other wonderful attributes. Know God, know His character, and you will not be led astray, for God’s Word says that His sheep know His voice, and they will not follow the voice of a stranger.

T
his Scripture isn’t saying that we don’t need anybody to teach us the Word. Otherwise, God wouldn’t appoint some to teach in the body of Christ. But it does say that if we are in Christ, we have an anointing that abides inside of us to guide and direct our lives. We might occasionally ask somebody for their wisdom, but we need not go constantly to other people to ask them about decisions we need to make for our lives.

Sometimes we give more consideration to what people tell us than to what God has said to us. If we pray diligently, get direction from God, but then start asking everybody else what they think, we are honoring people’s opinions above the Word of God. This attitude will
prevent us from developing a relationship in which we are consistently led by the Holy Spirit.

We need to have an attitude that says,
“God, no matter what anybody else is telling me, no matter what I think myself, no matter what my own plan is, if I clearly hear You say something to me, and I know it’s You, I am going to honor You and what You say above anything else.”

When people ask me for advice I am willing to help them, but I also want them to have confidence that they can be led by God’s Spirit themselves. If we are ever going to develop an ability to hear from God and be led by His Spirit, we have to start making our own decisions and trust the wisdom God has deposited in our hearts.

H
uman love depends on feelings. We love people because they have been good to us, they helped us, or they loved us first. They make us feel good about ourselves, or they make our lives easier, so we say we love them. Or we love them because we want them to love us. But that type of love is based on what they are doing, and if they stop doing it we will probably stop loving them.

That kind of love comes and goes; it is hot and then cold. That is the kind of love we experience in the world. Many marriages and other personal relationships are based on that kind of love. We love ice cream because it tastes good, and we love people because they give us nice Christmas gifts.

God’s love is totally different—it is not based on anything except God Himself. And when we receive Christ as our Savior, the love of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 5:5). As God’s partners on the earth, He expects us to be His representatives. And He equips us with the love that we need to do the job He asks us to do. When human love ends, which it often does, God’s love is in us and available to finish what needs to be done.

The God-kind of love cannot be grasped with the mind; it is a matter of the heart. Human love always comes to an end, but thankfully the love of God does not. God promises us that His love never fails!

G
od speaks to us in many ways, including through an audible voice. Hearing the audible voice of God is rare for most people and nonexistent for many. I have heard the audible voice of God three or four times in my life.

Two of those times were at night when I was awakened by His voice simply calling my name. All I heard was,
“Joyce,”
but I knew it was God calling me. He did not say what He wanted, but I knew instinctively it had something to do with a ministry call on my life, although clarity did not come in that area for several more years.

I heard the audible voice of God the day I was filled with the Holy Spirit in February 1976. That morning I cried out to God about how
awful my life was, telling Him something was missing in my relationship with Him. I felt I was at the end of my rope, so to speak. His voice seemed to fill my entire car, and He simply said,
“Joyce, I have been teaching you patience.”
Since that was my first time to hear anything of that magnitude, it both thrilled and shocked me.

I instinctively knew what He meant. Several months prior to that time I had asked God to teach me patience, not realizing the lesson would include a lengthy period of feeling my life was on hold. The frustration of that feeling peaked that morning in February when I cried out to God in desperation, asking Him to do something and give me whatever it was I was missing.

When I heard God’s voice, I was suddenly filled with faith that He was going to do something wonderful in my life. That event was the beginning of a new level in my relationship with God. I think it is safe to say that every new level in God is preceded by Him speaking to us in some way. He may not speak audibly; it may be through revelation in His Word or a divine circumstance that only God could arrange. His voice may be simply a whisper in your soul, but I urge you to believe that God does speak to His people still today.

T
rials “try” us, and tests “test” us. Most of the time, the purpose of them is to show us who we really are, to reveal character in us.

We can think all kinds of good thoughts about ourselves, but until we are put to the test, we don’t know whether those things have become realities in us or not. We may consider ourselves generous, honest, or deeply committed to a particular truth or ideal, but the depth of these dynamics only reveals itself when we’re under pressure. When we go through trials, we learn whether or not we really have the character and commitment we think we have.

I believe it’s very important for us to really know ourselves; tests are good for us because they affirm strengths and reveal weaknesses. Don’t be afraid to face your weaknesses. God’s strength is available to you specifically for them.

I must say that before my trials worked steadfastness and patience into my life, they brought out many other negative qualities, mind-sets, and attitudes I didn’t know I had. One reason God allows us to go through tests and trials is so the hidden things in our hearts can be exposed. Until they are exposed, we cannot do anything about them. But once we see them, we can begin to face them and ask God to help us.

God does not allow us to go through difficult times because He likes to see us suffer; He uses them for us to recognize our need for Him. Everything you go through ultimately does work out for your good because it makes you stronger and builds your endurance; it develops godly character; it helps you to know yourself and to be able to deal with things at an honest level with God and take care of those things so you can reach spiritual maturity.

G
od delights in our obedience. Naturally, it doesn’t do God any good to instruct us if we aren’t going to listen and obey.

I was moved by a story from a pastor of a very large church who spoke at a pastors’ conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hundreds of pastors came from all over the nation to hear this man tell what he did to build his church. He told them simply,
“I pray, and I obey. I pray, and I obey.”

One of the ministers who attended this meeting expressed to me his disappointment in the pastor’s message. He said,
“I spent all that money and went all that distance to hear this world-renowned leader tell me how his ministry grew to the point it is. For three hours, in various ways, he said the same thing, ‘I pray; I obey. I pray; I obey. I pray; I obey. I pray; I obey.’ I kept thinking, Surely there’s something else.”