Busy is the Enemy of Be Still...
Have you ever thought,
"Only if I knew what God wanted me to do specifically..."
"It would be nice if God can send me a sticky note..."
"I'll even take a carrier pigeon message from God..."
"God please make it obvious!"
"Don't let me miss it!"
I've had these thoughts so many times it's ridiculous.
As an entreprenuer,
There was a big gap between FAITH,
And the PRACTICAL world of business and real decisions.
I wanted to do God's will,
But didn't even know if it was POSSIBLE,
To hear God's voice for my business.
So let's start with this...
YES, You are DESIGNED to hear God's voice.
YES, You can be a "normal" Christian and hear hear God's voice.
YES, it's a part of ALL of us.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
YES, You are supposed to GROW in faith by hearing God's voice.
YES, HEARING God's voice should be normal.
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
YES, You may just lack the KNOWLEDGE on how to do it.
YES, it is a process to LEARN to HEAR God's voice.
YES, you can get better at HEARING God with practice and training.
"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."
Having said that, I want to talk about ONE thing that is the biggest HURDLE to hearing God's voice.
ONE thing that as become such a natural part of our life,
That we would never suspect it as crippling barrier to hearing God's voice.
You see...
Hearing God's voice is SUCH a powerful thing,
It's such a weapon and armor,
That the enemy is doing ALL he can,
To prevent us from tapping into it.
Ok so here's what's going on.
Spiritual Warfare Enemy Tactic 101: Keep 'em BUSY.
The enemy is using BUSY-ness,
To turn our eyes from God,
To DISTRACT us,
To keep us far ENOUGH from Him,
To NOT hear Him,
To not BE STILL.
Why is BEING STILL so important?
Because BEING STILL is a KEY to hearing God's voice.
"Be STILL, and know that I am God."
"Be STILL before the Lord and wait patiently for him"
"the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a STILL SMALL voice."
Unlike what we often pray for,
Which is a big honking voice or sign from God,
MOST of what God says is a STILL small voice.
And it's OUR job to learn how to hear it.
Even JESUS frequently took time away,
To be STILL and seek God ALONE,
Away from the crowd,
Away from the disciples,
Away from the BUSY-ness and noise.
So if Jesus needed it,
We need it even more.
Jesus showed us the model,
We just need to follow it.
So if BEING STILL is a KEY factor in hearing God.
A conversation with Satan and his demons might go something like this...
[Imagine Satan and his demons gathered in frustration...]
DEMON: Boss, the humans are kicking our butts. They keep SEEKING God and He tells them stuff and we can't trick 'em like we used to.
SATAN: Hmm... we've got to cut off the communication between them somehow.
DEMON: How are we going to do that, boss?
SATAN: Hmmm... We have to keep them from seeking God. We gotta distract them. Keep them BUSY.
DEMON: How do we do that, boss?
SATAN: Pull out all the tricks boys! Those rascally humans tend to seek God more when they're struggling, so let them prosper! Let them have it all... Let them THINK they're winning. Let them THINK they can do it on their own.
DEMON: Ohh, that's good, boss! Real gooood.
SATAN: Yeah... Have them going after the money, careers, fame, entertainment, social media. While you're at it throw in vanity, food, lust, pride, fear, stress... all of it. This is game time! We need to triple, no, quadruple the BUSY-ness from before.
DEMON: Yeah, yeaahh, boss! They won't know what hit 'em! Good thinkin' boss!
SATAN: Turn up the heat. We don't have much time left. We'll get you, you stinkin' humans. God, You think You're so smart? Just watch... these humans will get so BUSY they'll never BE STILL ever again!! Bwahahahaa!!
[End of conversation]
So it's safe to say...
It's no coincidence that we've become trained for INSTANT gratification.
It's no coincidence that the we're OVER-stimulated with social media.
It's no coincidence that we're getting more IMPATIENT each day.
It's no coincidence that we say...
"I'm so busy!"
"There's not enough hours in a day."
"I can't sit still."
Because a KEY ingredient in HEARING God's voice is,
Being STILL,
Being QUIET,
Being SILENT,
To WAIT PATIENTLY.
That's why Satan is attacking us with BUSY.
BUSY is the enemy of BE STILL.
All this to keep us from hearing God's voice.
Because...
When you DO hear God's voice,
When you DO seek Him daily for details and timing,
When you DO follow His specific instructions,
You can be POWERFULLY used by God in whole new ways,
You can move the kingdom forward on a whole other scale,
And all of heaven's angels will rejoice,
And God will have a HUGE smile on His face.
That's why Satan is throwing EVERYTHING he's got at you,
To keep you from HEARING God's voice.
To keep you BUSY,
To keep you from BEING STILL.
Let's kick some BUTT and start winning in a whole new way,
By HEARING God's voice,
Each of us,
Everyday,
In victory.
"Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me to BE STILL,
Help me to BE QUIET,
Help me to WAIT.
Help me to HEAR Your voice,
Your precious, precious voice,
Please let me HEAR it clearly.
I'll pay the price,
Whatever it is,
To HEAR You clearly.
Show me the way,
Help me follow.
So speak Lord,
Your servant is listening.
I EARNESTLY seek You,
I INVITE you into my heart,
Into every depth and corner,
Reveal to me what You want me to do,
How you want me to be.
Transform my heart,
Transform my life,
To be extraordinary with YOU.
Come Holy Spirit, come!
I want You and only You,
Be my EVERYTHING,
In Jesus name, Amen."
Cheers to seeing through the BUSY-ness,
And making time to BE STILL with God.
I declare that you will learn to hear God's voice successfully in Jesus name!
Have an awesome day.
