Jesus Speaks

I remember the first time I realized God actually speaks to us.  I
was scrubbing the floor and praying.  (I was practicing the “pray
without ceasing” thing.)  I didn’t hear a audible voice with my ears,
but I did distinctly hear something in my core.  “Call Beth.”

It shocked me so much I stopped.  I remember linearly processing
through it (programmer’s if-then-else logic).  Did someone say
something?  No.  Did I say that?  No.  Did I really hear “Call Beth”? 
I’m not sure.  IF no one else said it, and I didn’t say it, and I’m not
even sure I heard it, THEN I will keep on scrubbing and see if it
happens again.

Did I trick my mind into saying that again?  No.  Am I sure?  Yes. 
IF no one said that, and I didn’t say that, and I’m sure I heard it,
THEN I wonder if God is telling me something?  BINGO.  God is that really you?  “Yes.  Call Beth.” (Beth was someone from my church I had just met.  A person I had spoken to about 4 minutes one day.)

Up to this point, I thought that prayer was a one-way conversation
with God.  You said your prayers and had the faith they were heard.  The
thought of God directing me outside of the Bible was foreign to me.  Or
if God did speak, it was in a big booming voice with a proper British
accent and that only happened once in a lifetime.

It’s either God, ELSE it’s Satan messing with me, ELSE it’s me going
bonkers.  Surely God wouldn’t waste his once in a lifetime opportunity
to speak to me about Beth.  Why I thought Satan would speak to me like
this about Beth and God wouldn’t escapes me right now.  Okay, so I’m not
sure how I logically got to the next point, but I did (don’t judge me!)

I must be subconsciously talking to myself.   Scrub.  Pray.  Scrub.  “Call Beth NOW.”

ooooo…  That was the shiver down the spine kind of voice.  It was
enough that I remember pulling off the gloves and standing up.  Once
again running through all the linear logic I had access to in my brain. 
But, this time I couldn’t escape the real possibility that it was
indeed God speaking to me.

I probably tossed it.  (Can we say, “may the smiting begin“?)

Then I checked my coat pocket.  Yep.  It was there and her number was
on the front.  Not just her business number but her home phone.

How convenient.

Okay.  I’ll call her later.  And I went back to scrubbing – I think I stopped praying at this point.

“Call her now.” Then I did what any good Christ-follower would
do.  I threw down my sponge, tore off my gloves and threw them down
too, and said, FINE!  (I’m just being transparent.  Don’t judge me!)

Again, I have to thank God for not incinerating me with one twitch of His eyebrow.

She probably won’t even answer anyway, I said as I dialed.  Ring.  “Hello?”  She answered after the first ring.

“Hi, this is Teri.  We met at church?”

“Hi!”

“Yeah, it’s the weirdest thing, but I just really felt like I was supposed to call you.  I know – crazy!”

Awkward silence…

“I…I just prayed and ask God for someone to talk to – a friend… 
Just as got done praying that – you called…  I can’t believe it!”

Awestruck silence…

After we got over the initial shock and realization that the Holy
Spirit is alive and kicking and there was no logical way to explain away
the event that just took place – we had an incredible conversation.  I
ministered to her and she ministered to me.

I hung up and asked God to forgive me.  I got on my knees and asked for
forgiveness again.  Then I asked for God to speak to me as often as He
wanted.  I asked Him to teach me how to hear Him and to know the
difference between Him, me, and the evil one who does try to plant
thoughts in your head.  I asked Him to grow my faith and courage to
respond whenever He spoke.

Since then, I’ve had many, many more stories of that still, small
voice which speaks to me.  In most of these stories, I can say that I
responded.  Maybe not until after an if-then-else discussion with
myself, but ultimately in most of these stories I obeyed.  I also have
some stories where I didn’t obey.  When I if-then-else’d my way out of
obedience and into the easy way out.

Jesus does speak.  And often if we listen.

How?

• Ask Jesus to speak to you.  Ask Him to help you learn how to listen and hear.
• Listen.  Don’t just drone on in your prayers without offering Jesus a way to get a word in.
• Pray for protection around your spiritual ears.
• Listen some more.
• Practice.
• Obey.
• Don’t give up.

Jesus will speak to you.  Watch out though.  It just might rock your whole world…

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”  John 10:27