Can You Hear God?
Breaking Barriers to Listen to Him
God is really dealing with me. For the past six months I’ve been reading scripture during my morning devotion, praying hasty prayers for family, friends, my career, and our country, but nothing beyond that. Perhaps it’s because if I open myself to hear God, I wouldn’t like what He’d say.
Even though I’d been asking the Lord to send me dreams and visions like He used to, it hasn’t happened. For months, I wondered why. Each day I offer myself over to God so He could work through me, and — nothing. No direction, no dreams, not a hint of revelation or whisper of guidance. But, in the back of my mind, I kind of knew why.
Listening to preaching, learning about Christianity, applying the knowledge and teaching others about it, is not the same as building a personal relationship with God. I wrote about this in the blog “How to Launch a New and Joy-Filled Life for Yourself”. I desire to be used by God for His grand purposes, but am I truly opening myself up to it? Time reading the bible is good, but prayer is equally important. How can God speak to me if I’m not giving Him the time of day?
Not only did I not give God the time, I had a nagging feeling that my drinking was inhibiting my spiritual growth. It wasn’t out of control, but after binging on food and drink during the pandemic lock-down, I thought I should rein it in. This meant only three drinks, because after that I got sassy, my language turned into a sailors’, I became judgmental and gossipy, and crude jokes spilled from my lips. After three, I’d lose all inhibition to stay on my diet, and I didn’t like how I felt the next morning. Guilt and shame crept in about my behavior, and I knew I wasn’t setting a good example for the kids. So, I committed to myself and to God that I would have no more than three drinks in a sitting.
But once I drank three, I was acting okay, so why not four? Yep, all self-discipline went out the window. The next morning, I felt guilt and shame because guess what? I acted the same. I wasn’t sticking to the commitment. So, my next move was a few drinks for celebrations only — birthdays, weddings, our anniversary, that type of thing. Honestly, I stuck to this for months, but it still didn’t feel right — the Holy Spirit was still nudging me. No more hangovers or crude behavior, but I still couldn’t lose weight, and I still hadn’t heard from God yet, and I was desperate for that.
For health reasons (at least this is what I told myself), I would go into a 30-day fast to eliminate bread (worst carb for me), potatoes (chips are a vice) and alcohol (terrible insulin spikes for a pre-diabetic). I always give up three things to represent my sacrifice for the Trinity, and these were standard items I’d given up in the past for reasons mentioned above. I desperately needed to drop pounds before going on a re-scheduled trip to the Florida Keys, and I was feeling disconnected from God even though our family read devotions daily and attended church weekly by live-stream. Fasting is the quickest way to jump-start weight-loss and connect with God.
If you noticed it should be the other way around because I put the selfish weight-loss goal first, your spiritual discernment is impeccable — I wrote it backwards because my thinking before starting the fast was backward. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33 ESV), which is something I should always keep at the forefront of my mind.
*** Here’s a caveat — if you are struggling to stay away from alcohol daily and/or it’s something you turn to as an escape and you binge drink, you might explore getting help so you can stop. Seek God’s wisdom as you do, as He is the only one who can give you the strength and perseverance to break away from the stronghold of any addiction. As a side note, I’m able to go without drinking for long periods of time, and I use it lawfully when I chose to drink, so this idea of going completely sober comes out of a desire to seek God with a clear mind. If I could not perform or attend daily activities because of alcohol, pursuing professional help would be the only answer. ***
Now it’s 30-days before my trip, and I’m starting the fast. This was it! I would give up three things and lose the weight I wanted, and every time I craved a forbidden item, I would pray. However, once the fast started, I knew it wasn’t about my health. The first full day into it, I had an urgency to seek God.
Opening the Bible, I began reading Daniel 1 NLV. He was so faithful to the Lord even though he and his friends were taken captive when Jerusalem fell into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and it appeared God had abandoned them.
This could be a lesson for me. Where is my faith? After years of following God and watching him work through struggles in my life, why wasn’t I advancing in spiritual maturity? An overwhelming need to pray came over me, and I got out my notebook to write since I usually go back and review them. Hate to admit it, but I had to dust the cover off.
Well, I heard from God, and the message wasn’t a surprise, I’ve had a suspicion for months. To enter the next phase of what God has for me, I need to STOP drinking. Completely. If I am to represent the kingdom of God, I cannot be indulging in drunkenness. This was the last vice from my past I am to give up if I want to step into the future God has for me. It took me a while to come to terms with it, but God was being patient with me, allowing me to take the path so I would finally accept it. Like a father to a young child, He gently whispered, “are you ready now?” The touch of the Holy Spirit had me in tears, God was speaking to me, because I finally let him.
The tears are from gladness. Not hearing from God the past few months was devastating, and if I cling to drinking the way I have, and chose not to be obedient to God, I’d be giving up a chance to see what God has for me, and I can’t do that. I won’t do that. God’s purpose for my life is much bigger than any drunken night. I can have fun without it, and I know this to be true because I’ve been on fasts during times where I would normally drink and party and I felt great going without it. Looking back, those were tests, and God was preparing me for this leap.
It happened exactly how it needed to get me to this point. Of course, this is my faith journey, and giving up drinking is the path I need to take for Him. I want to be obedient and please God, so this is something I must do. Here am I, Lord, send me! (Isaiah 6:8 NKJV). Perhaps after giving it up for so long, the Lord will allow it in my life for celebratory purposes once again — after all, it’s not a sin if you are responsible (Genesis 27:28 NKJV, Deuteronomy 7:13 NLT, Proverbs 3:9–10 NLT, Ecclesiastes 9:7 NLT, Isaiah 62:8–9 NLT, Psalm 104:14–15 NIV, Isaiah 55:1 NLV, Joel 2:18–19 NLV). But drunkenness is a sin because it leads to nothing but wickedness.
Just when I think I know the Lord, he reminds me that His ways are higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8–9 NLV). This is not a rebuke from the Lord, but a promotion. God wants His children to advance in their purpose, and I know he receives me as a daughter because he cares enough to guide me in this way (Hebrews 12:5–8 NIV).
In listening to many prophets of the Lord, I believe we are experiencing an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Revival is already spreading like wildfire, and I want to be a part of this miracle. I choose to prepare my heart and renew my spirit in the way God deems fit (Jeremiah 18:4–6 NLT). My obedience will allow me to become a new vessel for the Lord to work through as I will present myself as a pure and spotless messenger (Ephesians 5:27 NLT) to bring glory to His name.
God is always speaking, so perhaps the reason we can’t hear Him is because we aren’t listening. He wants to create something new in you for this season too, but you need to be ready. He cannot pour out what He wants to give unless you are willing to accept it. Seek God through prayer to find out how you can prepare yourself for this season. God is coming with power; He’s planned this harvest for a long time, and it will be well worth it if you make yourself ready to take part in this extraordinary move!
Have you listened to God today? Is the Holy Spirit tapping you on the shoulder about something? God deals with us all differently and knows how each of us will respond according to our personalities. One size does not fit all. God always wants to talk to you. Allow him a moment to reach you, ask Him during prayer what He wants you to know, what He wants to tell you. I journal the prayer, but meditation or music might work for you. Just get alone with God and give Him the opportunity to communicate with you. He put you here in this time and place for a reason. Give Him an opportunity to let you know why.
Here’s to you advancing in your spiritual journey of faith! I’d raise a glass to “Cheers!” to that, but I’m sure you’ll understand if I just bless you and pray for you instead.
“For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” Hebrews 12:10–11 NLT
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