Guidance

Ps 48:14

4 For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. NIV

Why is it when someone speaks to God we say, "They're praying," but when they claim that God speaks to them we say "They're flaky?" Has God suddenly stopped speaking to his children? Would you stop speaking to yours?

John Calvin described God's guidance as "the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit." Saint Ignatius called it "movements of the soul - thoughts, feelings, or desires...given to us by God." These may come as a conviction of sin, an assurance of God's love, or the call to do a certain thing. But they're "a must" for the Spirit-guided life.

To hear from God you must be receptive. And sometimes - desperate! During a rough time in Jacob's life God appeared to him in a dream, saying, "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go" (Ge 28:15). When Jacob awoke the next morning he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it" (Ge 28:16). "Not aware," do those words describe you?

As you read these words your thoughts are being guided by a writer. Don't you think God can do the same, or better? Actually, God can guide your thoughts without the aid of intervening sounds or images.

Look at what happened to Samuel when he was a boy. God spoke to him one night in the temple, but he didn't know it was God speaking. He needed the help of Eli the priest to learn to recognize the voice of God. But when he did, his life changed dramatically - and yours will too!

I thought this one was really good when I read it so I thought I would copyright it and send it out to all of you this week! Be blessed

Courtesy of "The Word for you Today"