Quick context question: Are you/have you considered attending a life in the spirit seminiar?
When we first begin listening for God to speak to us through his spirit on a regular basis, it gets kind of confusing. We sit there, our brains in silence, and every stray little thought that wanders by we jump on, “Was that it? Was that you God?” And being we have busy minds, this gets very, very confusing and distracting.
Luckily, God doesn’t usually speak to us with funny voices in our heads. He speaks to us in the language of love and compassion.
What works best for me is to find time to be alone in God’s presence. Invite the Holy Spirit to talk to you in the time he chooses, and ask him to not only allow you to hear his voice, but to heed his voice. Then, instead of monitoring your every thought and attempting to discern its source, just lay joyfully in the silent presence of the lord.
Should the Holy Spirit want to speak to me in this situation, I find my mind wanders to a very specific topic and stays there. Or I think of a very specific person for a length of time, with a feeling of love or compassion.
Basically what I’m trying to say is don’t wait for a magic thought to suddenly appear in your mind. Just be with God and love God. And as you grow to be with him as a friend, you’ll learn to understand what he’s trying to say at any given moment, just like you can with a close friend. Not by words, but by feelings. It takes time. I’m only beginning to learn.
Josh
