Let’s Dance: Leading My Thoughts – Thursday
2 Corinthians 10:5
...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)
Someone recently asked me, “How can we hear from God?” It’s a good question, especially in light of the week’s topic, “The Battle For The Mind.” Allow me to share a few things that have helped me hear from God.
The first would be silence. We end up running faster when we lose our way. Silence encourages us to sit still, not run. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know I am God.” Silence and stillness are like emotional twins, each bringing great value to a healthy mind. You’ll recall that Elijah didn’t hear God in the storm or the earthquake; he heard God in a whisper. (1 Kings 19:12). We have to be really quiet to hear a whisper.
A teacher asked a student to sum up the life of Socrates in four lines. One student wrote, 1) He lived long ago. 2) He was very intelligent. 3) He gave long speeches. 4) His friends poisoned him! There’s a great truth in there somewhere.
Someone asked me why, even though they spend 30 minutes daily talking to God, they don’t seem to hear from Him. I said, “Maybe you should try listening more and talking less. We don’t like to be still because we can’t do anything when we’re still. Stillness defines itself.
A second thing that helps me hear from God is laying down all expectations. It’s His will, not mine. That’s basically what we’re saying when we end a prayer: “In Jesus’s name, Amen.”
Third, I tend to hear God best when I decide to tackle each day in His strength, not mine. After all, Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Last I checked, “nothing” means “nothing.” It’s a great verse…when we live it.
Fourth, don’t try so hard. “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” said Jesus. Yet we keep adding rocks to the backpack. Financial concerns, people-pleasing, self-condemnation, debilitating fear, and fretfulness, to name a few.
Thursday’s Reflection
Brother Lawrence had a better idea: the practice of the presence of God. He wrote a little booklet about it. Here’s a link; you can thank me later!
I’ve learned that we get better at things we practice; have you? Give Him space. Invite Him in. Promise to obey Him in advance. One of the best things God ever did for me was bring me to a place in my life where I have nothing else but Him. You know what I learned? He is more than enough. Why dink around with religion when we have Jesus?
