Hey all!
Apologies! Just finalising two more days of the devotion before it's up! IT WILL DEFINITELY BE UP TOMORROW!
But in the meantime, Here is today's devotion! Please do it and come back again tomorrow to download the Devotion Booklet Part 2!
Peace!!!
xoxo,
hernshung
Scripture Passage:
James 1:1-11, 1 Samuel 3:1-21
Our heavenly Father has given us the Holy Spirit to be our Counsellor, yet, many of us put our faith in human counsellors rather than in the divine Counsellor.
I remember a time in the Church when counselling was regarded by many as an unnecessary ministry. If you have a problem, it was said at that time, never look to others for help; instead, get down on your knees and talk to God about it – the Holy Spirit will show you what to do. That, of course, was an extreme position. Very often, it does help to talk through the problem with a Christian counsellor. However, the Church today seems to be going in the opposite extreme by suggesting that when anyone has a problem the first thing they should do is to discuss it with a Christian counsellor.
No, the first thing we should do whenever we have a problem that cannot be solved using our own resources is to turn to the divine Counsellor and invite Him to help us. If light does not come, then seek the help of a wise and godly friend. But seeking help from others should not be our first recourse. That kind of counselling might be needed less if we depended on the Holy Spirit more.
If our divine Counsellor is ready and willing to guide us, how do we recognise His voice when He speaks to us? That is the issue with which we must come to grips today.
‘My sheep know My voice’, Jesus told His disciples (John 10:3-5). When I go to the telephone and hear my mother’s voice, I know immediately who is speaking. I know it is not my sister or my secretary, for I have heard that voice thousands of times over the course of my life. ‘Ah’, you say, ‘but a voice in your ear is a lot easier to discern than a voice in your soul.’ Granted, but there is a way to tune in to the voice of the Spirit and learn to hear His accent in your soul.
Here’s how it is done.
Train your spiritual ear to listen. When the king complained to Joan of Arc that he never heard the voice of God, she replied, ‘You must listen, then you will hear.’ There are two main reasons why people fail to hear the Spirit’s voice: their Spiritual ears are untrained or they are unwilling. Many of us don’t want to listen to the voice of God because we are afraid that if God reveals His will to us, it will be disagreeable. ‘Your will be done’ becomes ‘Your will be borne’.
When you communicate with God, give as much time to listening as you do to talking. At first you will not be able to distinguish the voice of the subconscious from the voice of the Spirit, but in time the differentiation will be possible. Sometimes, of course, the Spirit booms so loudly in the soul that His voice is unmistakable. But that is more the exception than the rule. Usually He speaks quietly, and to a soul that sits quietly before Him.
Today's Prayer
O God, forgive me when my first thought when I am in need of help is not of You. If I have dropped out of the habit of opening my heart to You before I open it to anyone else, help me recover that habit. Teach me to be more God-dependent and less self-reliant. Teach me to train my spiritual ear to listen, and to talk less and listen more to You. Amen.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment