Deuteronomy 6
4The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5Â You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Dt. 6:4-9, NKJV)
Step 2 in 7 Simple Steps to Hearing God’s Voice is – Make the Time
God wants you to hear this today:
He loves you more than you know, and He wants to spend time with you. He wants you to put Him first in your life and listen to His voice daily.
The first commandment God gave us in Deuteronomy 5:7 is, “You shall have no other gods before Me.â€
Anything that keeps you from spending time with Him is another god. Anything you put more value on than your relationship with Jesus Christ is another god.
Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.â€
God wants to be in first place in our lives. Don’t be like me and wait until you are in dire straits to deepen your relationship with Jesus. Pursue Him now—seek Him with all your heart; and you will find Him.
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.†God patiently waits for us to spend time with Him.
When I wanted to put God first in my life, I had to make the time for Him. Can you relate? I worked full time, raised a family, I chauffeured my children to sports and other activities, and participated in Bible studies and church ministries. I did all the right things and I followed Jesus, but still my heart suffered a hollow sense. Discontent and dissatisfaction bred my search for more. This could not be all God planned for me. I soon realized I hadn’t left any time to be alone with God and just listen to Him.
My Christian mentor, who had been listening to God speak, encouraged me to find a quiet place where I could talk to God, and then be still and listen for His voice.
First, I had to expect and believe that God would speak to me. Next, I had to make the time. So I put God first by getting up at least one-half hour earlier than my normal time every day before I went to work.
The time quickly grew into forty minutes, then sixty minutes and longer, because as I heard from God, I loved being with Him. I used this time just to “be in relationship†with Jesus Christ, talking to Him, and then, listening.
At first, when I quietly sat with the Lord, it did not go completely well. I didn’t know how to hear His voice. I got so bored in the silence that I fell asleep. So I had to figure out how to keep myself awake.
Even if you are not a morning person, meet with God for at least a few minutes at the beginning of each day to ask for His direction, and listen to what He says. You may hear something important before you start your day. Then actively listen and be aware of God’s voice at unexpected times throughout the day. The Holy Spirit speaks to us all day long; however, we get distracted and forget to listen.
If you don’t hear from God right away, don’t quit! He doesn’t stop talking to you just because you don’t hear Him the first time. Remember the story of Samuel (1 Samuel 3)? God called Samuel three times before Eli, the priest, realized it was God calling. He continues to pursue you until you hear Him. He pursued me for nearly two decades before He finally got my attention. When He did, my life quickly transformed from boring to amazing!
Satan will do everything in His power to make us so busy we don’t have time to develop our relationship with Jesus Christ. Be intentional about making time for God—not because you should, but because your life will be so much more fulfilling and peaceful when you are in tune with Him.
I invite you and encourage you to put God first in your life. Make time to meet with Him alone and build a relationship with Him by listening to His voice. You may need to let something go. If you are not currently in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, I encourage you to set aside some of the things you are doing and make time for Him. God will take whatever time you give Him. He just wants to spend time with you and show you how much He loves you.
What are you waiting for? Carve out a small chunk of time today when you can be alone with God and begin the practice of listening to His voice. You’ll be really glad you did. If you don’t hear and recognize God’s voice right away, don’t quit! God will honor your time and efforts and enable you to hear His still, small voice within. Truly, it’s time well spent!
Book One in Hearing God’s Voice Series
