A long thought

**Personal thoughts to follow. These don't reflect any specific church, ministry or set dogmatic convictions- so don't be dumb if you repeat these to anyone as anything more than someone's processing of his own faith on his own journey.**


As I sit here knowing i need to go to bed cause 6:30am will come way too quickly for me. I must share something that has been been repeating in my cranial cavity that i had spent several hours thinking through.


There is a difference between Listening TO the voice of God & Listening FOR the voice of God.


So often i hear people say that "God told them to..." and in the same conversation they discuss a very personal opinion or feeling and you realize it wasn't God who told them anything, but the statement was really an excuse to do something they wanted to do.
I have an issue when people use God as an excuse to do something they really want to do.


Now as i have been following the teachings and life of Jesus for 11 years now i have come to see that we can listen TO & FOR God's voice.  

We have the ability to listen to God speak.  Through prayer, God's Spirit, other people God may use, scripture and however else God may us He does and can speak to us.  There have been 4 significant times in my life where i knew exactly what God wanted me to do, unequivically. 6 moments in 15 years, that isn't the best batting average- If you take it in days that is 4 days out of 5,475 or 0.00073.  So how is this relationship with Christ living, vibrant, passionate, world changing, mystical, deep & you get where i am going....

The way i see it is the fact that 'when' God spoke i knew it loud & clear.  These moments were not what parking spot to take or what food place to eat at, there were significant moments where i was willing for God to step in & totally direct and re-direct where my life was going.  The moments were not all life altering, but very confirming of who God is.

I also have the ability to listen FOR God's voice every day of this journey.