Listen to God (2) 20 May 2009

'Fear not, for I am with you...' Isaiah 41:10 To be successful in anything God calls you to do, you must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit within you and learn to recognize when He speaks to you through the Scriptures. When the pressure is on and you're tempted to move too quickly you'll hear His voice saying: '...You shall not go out with haste...for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard' (Isaiah 52:12 NKJV). God's got you covered; front and back. How good is that? When you're about to make a wrong turn or a bad decision He will remind you, 'In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps' (Proverbs 16:9 NIV). When you don't have the ways and means to get the job done His voice will whisper: 'The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail' (Isaiah 58:11 NKJV). You have an unfailing supply. When you run out of answers and don't know what to do He will reassure you: 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you' (Psalm 32:8 NIV). When the load becomes too heavy to carry you'll hear His voice saying, 'Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall' (Psalms 55:22 NIV). Hearing God's voice may mean you have to sacrifice lesser things and tune out other voices, but you must do it. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more important than learning to recognize God's voice when He speaks to you.