Are you Listening? • The Expressions of His Grace

Listening or being able to hear God is directly connected to your expectation to hear. Christians often throw prayers up to the heavens hoping God will hear and respond.

James 1:5-7 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

James tells us if we don’t ask in faith, we shouldn’t expect to receive. This would be for all of God’s promises in His Word; wisdom, direction, prosperity, healing, etc.

Jesus says if we believe and do not doubt when we pray, we will receive (see Mark 11:22-24). So let me ask you; do you really expect to hear? Are you simply crying out helplessly for an answer or are you asking God and knowing He will respond? I’ve been guilty of the former too many times. I realize now that was because I didn’t really expect to hear anything. I was just hoping. I didn’t know Him, therefore I didn’t trust that He would give me an answer. God is who He is, but how real is God to you? That is a loaded question, because many people just don’t believe you can truly know God for yourself-personally. But let me look at it from just one angle with you.

Your relationship with God must be intimate to the point that you truly expect for Him to respond. You’re listening, anticipating it and sensitive enough to His speaking to recognize it when He does. Sometimes it will be a direct word given to you in your spirit. It might be through someone else. It could be a scripture. There is no limit to how or when God will answer you. But are you expecting it and therefore listening?

I recently asked the Lord to direct me about something I was doing because I wasn’t sure it was having an impact and therefore whether He meant for me to continue. I asked. I also prayed in the Spirit. Nothing special happened. The next morning, I received an email thanking me for what I was doing and telling me how much of an impact it had on them. It was very unusual for me to get an email like this and after I read it, of course, I felt good about what I was doing. I thanked the Lord for the impact it was having on this person, and honestly, the validation I received; but I almost missed hearing God at the same time. About an hour later, a light bulb went on and I realized it was the Lord answering my prayer!

He isn’t always going to ‘toot your horn’ but even if He does, we have to be careful to ‘hear’ what He is saying. Not add to it, but also not to dismiss it by not recognizing that He is speaking. Then we must trust that Word, by faith, obey it, and walk in light of whatever He has said.

John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

So how do you cultivate a relationship with God so that you are sensitive enough to hear Him? It begins with the desire to. Do you believe Jesus’s words? Are you confident that He wants to speak to you? And if so, do you truly want to hear Him to the point that you’re willing to spend considerable quality and quantity time with Him so that you can? I have found that my sensitivity to His voice depends on it! If you want the revelation of what God wants to share with you, then you must be willing to listen. This is the Apostle Paul’s prayer for believers in Ephesus.

Ephesians 1:17-20“..asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and revelation, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”

Expectation: The key to receiving

https://theexpressionsofhisgrace.com/expectation-the-key-to-receiving/

Revelation of God’s Word

https://theexpressionsofhisgrace.com/revelation-of-gods-word/