Listening for God's Voice

Opinions. If we’re not careful we can let the voices of others boggle our minds until that slight opinion we had before we went out and asked the entire world gets lost in the vast wilderness of what everyone else thinks. I’m guilty of this. I’ve always thought of myself as laid back positively and wishy-washy negatively. When it comes down to it, I just don’t want to do the wrong thing. If I don’t do anything then I can’t do the wrong thing right?

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I’ve sought lots of opinions when it comes to the dating world. Besides family and friends, I’ve consulted the professionals and somewhere between I Kissed Hand Holding Goodbye and Awesome Girl in Waiting I noticed I wasn’t merely treading water anymore. I was floundering in the sea of voices. That’s when I realized something. My family doesn’t have the answer. My friends don’t have the answer, and as great as all those dating gurus are, they don’t have all the answers either.

The hardest thing to come to terms with is that the One that does have the answers is sometimes the hardest to for me to hear. I so badly want the physical, the audible voices or the words spelled out in black type.

Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

It is hard for me to trust. Sometimes it’s easier for me to lean on the understanding of others. So my challenge for myself is to trust. I’ll still continue to consult others. The Bible says it’s wise to do so.

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Proverbs 19:20

What it’s important for me to remember is that no one is me. God’s plans are unique for my life and for yours.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs 19:21

God uses others to help us along our crooked paths but sometimes I think He wants us to stop asking others and ask Him.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

Do you feel like you’ve knocked until your hand’s worn raw? Maybe you gave up the knocking and are using the power of your rear end to do that door in. Well, there might not be anything wrong with your all powerful tuckus. It might just be the wrong door.

If you’ve been slamming against the wrong doors or asking everyone under the 108 degree Phoenix sun which door to go through, I’m with you. This is what I know. I want the purpose of the Lord to stand. He knows what’s best. He knows what plans are going to fulfill His purpose in my life. I don’t know. Respected authors don’t know, and my third cousin twice removed sure doesn’t know.

Ask wise counselors if you feel like that’s what you’re supposed to do, but if you’ve asked and searched and sought and the possible choices have turned from a 24 count box of crayons to the 72 count box maybe it’s time to stop.

God knows what your crooked road is and He’ll lead you down it. Just ask Him.

Are you Listening to God's Voice? Interview with Bill Hybels