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As a writer, I am often asked how I know what to write. Is it hard to think of content? How do I know if it's what God wants me to write?
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I also spend time discipling/mentoring younger women in the faith and one of the most common questions I receive is how to know when God is speaking to them. They are learning to discern the voice of God.
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One of the ways I have witnessed God's Spirit leading me is through repetition. As I have recently read through the Old Testament, I can say that a couple of major themes in the story of God's people, the Israelites, were repetition and remembrance. God told them to live with the written words of Scripture on repeat in their homes, as "they went", and before they laid down their heads for sleep. He also warned them not to forget their history of God's rescue and faithful love.
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Now, the Israelites experienced the Lord's presence in supernatural ways that we have not. God used a burning bush, the wind, a pillar of fire and clouds, and the Temple to reveal Himself to His people. Even Hagar, Abraham's concubine, had a conversation with the living God. Through these stories, we see that God has always desired to be with His people. He promises to be found by all who sincerely seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13). And yet, we see throughout Israel's history that they still forsook, forgot, and failed to rehearse the truths of their lived experience. Instead of being led straight to victory, their forgetfulness caused bitter spirits and 40 years of desert wandering.
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I am not as good at remembering or memorizing things at 50 than I was at 15. I often worry about my mental state after walking from one end of the house to another on a mission that I can't recall once I get there. :) (And no, my house is not that big. lol) I need written lists, alarms on my phone, a desk calendar, and sticky notes in strategic places to keep my life in order. Can anyone else relate?
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Repetition and remembrance are even more important when it comes to our relationship with Christ. Rehearsing the faithfulness of God grows our ability to trust and walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit produces fruits of righteous living that please God. When we abide in His truth and grace, we grow our discernment --- learning to distinguish His voice from all the other noise in the world.
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Jesus came, taking on physical form, to live among us and create a way to forever seal our ability to enter into the holy place of God. And when He returned to the Father, after enduring the wrath we deserved, He promised to never leave nor forsake us. Jesus keeps this promise through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all who call on the name of Jesus to save.
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Though we don't hear God's voice audibly or see Him in human form in our day, Jesus left us with the Spirit, The Comforter, to walk with us and lead us in the good works of God. Here are some Scriptures to read through:
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“‘If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.’” John 14:15-18
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“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:12
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“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27
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If we are faithful to read Scripture and talk to God, He will leads us. The Spirit will teach and equip us. He will bring to our remembrance everything we need to do the will of God. When we are speechless, He will gift the right words. When we are weak and unsure of what/how to pray, the Spirit will intercede on our behalf.
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What a grace of God to send His Spirit to us. Because of this, we can be confident that our thoughts and actions will please the Lord as we remain in Him.
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As I was preparing to write to you all, I kept having recurring thoughts on this topic. It also came up in a conversation with a friend. Being in the Word allows the Spirit to stir up our remembrance of truth. Thinking on truth will never steer us wrong. There were a couple of other things swirling in my mind which would have been truth-filled too, but as I began to type, these thoughts began to form. I knew I was to switch gears and let Him lead.
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I am His and He is mine. I know God's voice after learning from and walking with Him for so long. He is good to teach me truth and stir my mind to remembrance. I don't have to worry that I will make a wrong choice when I humbly seek His help. And even when I forget to walk in truth, His Spirit can correct and turn me back around. He is always faithful.
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How have you learned to discern the voice of God in your life?
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Your encourager and sister in Christ,
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If you want to read more on this topic, here are two great resources by Priscilla Shirer and Lysa Terkeurst.
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If you have read my book and have been encouraged in any way by it, would you leave a review for me on Amazon? It doesn't need to be more than a couple of sentences about what the book specifically did for you. Saying it's a "great" book doesn't help another reader decide if they should order it or not. So, a sentence about how it helped you think of grace in new ways, etc. is best!
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OR, you can respond to this email with a couple of sentences that I could include in a social media post. This will help it reach others who may benefit from it!
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If you missed it, here is the link to the free resource, Embracing Grace, that compliments the contents of my newest book, Grace: Reflections of a Heart Set on God!
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I hope this little study of the doctrine of grace is an encouragement to you as you spend time thinking more deeply on the infinite kindness of God toward us.
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Thanks for reading. See you soon!
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