God is speaking! Are you Listening?

"If you are alive and born again God is speaking to you! 

The question is are you taking time to listen?"

Gloria Copeland

So many Christians get discouraged because they feel that God doesn't speak to them and probably even more are in a worse state because they don't even care that they never hear God. There are even Christians who make the claim that God doesn't speak today. That is one of the worst deceptions that Satan can make you believe. 

Without consistently hearing God speak to us, we will never experience the true life that was meant to be in our relationship with God!

It is through actively hearing God that we find our true ministry, our full calling, and the vision that God has placed on our life. Even beyond that, when we begin actively listening to God we will find out how many opportunities to bless other people we have been missing out on.

Dan Baumann, a popular speaker in YWAM and the writer of Imprisoned in Iran, told a story of a time that he went shopping. He went to a large shopping mall with one item in mind that he needed to buy but he didn't know where to find it. So as he walks into the mall he prays, "God lead me to where I can find this item". God lead him turn by turn to the right store and then to the right aisle to where he found the exact item that he needed at a cheaper price than he expected! 

While he tells this story we are all amazed. Most of us are thinking about how close of a connection to God he must have to hear God's voice in such a mundane situation. But he finishes it up with this simple statement:

It is abnormal for us to hear God in our everyday life because it is abnormal for us to listen to God in our every day life.

It is that simple! Think about that story, how many of us have ever even thought to ask God where to find something in a store? We might seek out information, or spend time trying various different stores until we find the right one, but we never even think to ask God.

This is especially true when it comes to daily opportunities to minister. 

When was the last time you opened up your spirit to hear whether God wanted you to minister to someone as you're walking down the street? 

When was the last time you stopped for a moment and asked if God wanted you to do something different than you were planning?

On Monday I went to down town Portland to take a test. As I was leaving I realized that I got done early and still had more than thirty minutes on my parking pass so I asked God if He wanted me to do anything while I was there. God led me to walk and pray so I did. I just randomly started walking the streets where I was and prayed. 

I prayed for revival in Portland, I prayed for God to lead me on how I could reach the people in the city, I prayed that a strip club I walked past would shut down and that God would reach the dancers and the customers, and I prayed that God would bring a Paul-like encounter to the head of the Church of Scientology in Portland.

Basically I sought the Kingdom of God through prayer.

Then as I came around full circle and found myself back at my car I asked God if there was anything more He would like me to do. I felt that gentle nudging in my spirit to keep walking past my car so I did. I walked about a block past my car and found myself at a max stop. As I was walking I was praying if God wanted me to talk to anyone but I didn't feel that direction, instead I was led to a certain spot where I looked down on the ground. On the ground was a Key Bank debit card. I picked it up and asked God what I should do with it and God reminded me that I had walked by a Key Bank when I was praying so I took it back there and the teller I gave it to knew exactly who it belonged to just by seeing the name!

This is just a small example of what God can use you to do when you let Him lead you. I have also had times where I listened to God and God led me to people who were ready to hear the Gospel and gave their lives to Him right there on the street! 

It's time we start listening to God daily and letting Him use us on a regular basis!