S4 E15: God Is Speaking - Are You Listening?
Hi everyone! In the last podcast I talked about how we have to be proactive in guarding our hearts and minds. There is so much noise in the world at this time and it is affecting our souls… which in turn effects our bodies.
I grew up hearing the instruction in scripture to “take thoughts captive” instructing us to take captive anything that didn’t line up with the word of God. And by taking the thought captive we were refusing to let it stay in our minds and affecting the way we lived.
It wasn’t until the last 10/15 years that listening to the teaching of a neuroscientist I heard her explain that there is actually a place in our frontal lobe where we have a choice to accept a thought into our mind. Is that not crazy?!? Well, it’s not crazy because we were formed by the hand of God but that was so amazing to learn. This Dr went on to explain that as she studied the brain it was amazing to see how accurately in lined up with this scripture about taking thoughts captive!
As someone that is not lacking for thoughts haha this was so empowering to learn.
God is so good and he has designed us to flourish and grow if we will trust and follow his truth and guidance.
Which brings me to a thought I brought up in the last episode that I want to continue on…
I shared how I believe that God is using this time of uncertainty to perfect our faith…
The body of Christ has been given an opportunity to live out our faith in a way that is new to most believers in this time. It’s actually not new and is how the church grew from the start and has continued to grow.
The plan was never for God to reside in a physical temple but all along the spirit of God was meant to reside inside you and me. This does not take away from the joy and gift of gathering together, But the gathering at a building has nothing to do with the spirit of God indwelling us. What a gift that we have access at any moment of the day or night!
I want to share a verse from 1 Corinthians and then talk about it because it has something that is key for us to understand
The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics.
Ok let’s just stop after that first sentence ...are you living life from an unspiritual state or from God’s spirit within you?
You might be like why are you even asking that Susan? I love God and Why would I even be listening to this if I didn’t believe in God and Jesus?!?
I’m asking because we can say we believe but we also are entertaining the beliefs of those that don’t believe….and I think we can see from this verse that doesn’t really mix.
Spirit can be know only by spirit…
What does that even mean?!?
Keep reading…
I want to ask you something..Do you believe God can speak to you?
Or do you keep waiting and looking for someone else to give you answers for your life?
We can say we are believers and we trust God but then our actions show differently when we have no peace and are asking everyone else’s opinion.
I believe God uses us to encourage each other absolutely do! Scripture tells us that we are to encourage and provoke each other to good works.
But what I’m talking about it you understanding that as a believer...your spirit being alive in Christ Jesus gives YOU access to everything that the spirit of God is doing.
I think we question that sometimes because we are not stopping and taking the time...spirit to spirit to learn and hear and be led.
God cares about everything that is feeling so heavy to you right now. And his desire is for you to not carry it alone. I know this can sound so spiritually simple...so simple that we discount and don’t do it.
It’s in the getting still...the stopping...the silencing ALL the voices and opinions and within our spirit hearing what the spirit of God is speaking.
And I guarantee in those quiet moments you will hear
I’ve got you. Give me those things you are carrying that are weighing you down . Lean on me...rest in me… I’ve got you!
I know you’ve experienced this so you know I’m telling the truth.
I know you’ve also experience , like me picking all those things back up and then feeling like the whole spirit to spirit thing doesn’t work…
It works friend...it works…
We’ve got to stay connected to our life source…
I want to share a couple of other verses with you...
2 Corinthians 4:4
The Passion Translation
4 for their minds have been blinded by the god of this age, leaving them in unbelief. Their blindness keeps them from seeing the dayspring light of the wonderful news of the glory of Jesus Christ, who is the divine image of God.
1 Peter 1:13
The Passion Translation
A Call to Holiness
13 So then, prepare your hearts and minds for action! Stay alert and fix your hope firmly on the marvelous grace that is coming to you. For when Jesus Christ is unveiled a greater measure of grace will be released to you.
I want to pray over us today and ask God to show himself strong in our lives…
Father I pray over every person listening to my voice right now and I pray that they would sense you power and you presence in this very moment.
Your spirit is no contained by time or space. You are closer and nearer to us that we can comprehend. Thank you for reminding us that you are near.
Forgive us for allowing our hearts and mind to get cluttered with stuff...all of us it’s not bad it’s just taking up too much space that needs to be filled by you.
We need you. We need the peace and comfort and guidance of your holy spirit every moment of everyday.
Awaken a passion for your presence in us. We need you.
In Jesus name we ask these things, amen.
