The small group of men I deal with on a weekly basis have had many conversations lately about the dangers of the “prosperity gospel”. I’ve also been getting involved with Reclaim Ministries (ministry seeking to restore the hearts of men). And I’ve been trying to dig more into the life of a Muslim-turned-Christian, Nabeel Qureshi. All of these together have caused me to really start thinking deeply about “why don’t I hear from God?”
It's easy in American culture to rely on yourself in many ways. I may need help re-doing some plumbing, running electric, or putting on a new roof, but for the most part I can at least afford to pay an expert to do those things on my own. Even from a faith perspective, it’s easy to silo church events to fit them into our schedule, fake a deep relationship with God, and put up a “tomato cage” around our actually dead heart. To read of Christ’s miracles, hear of the power of God living in His followers, and be told contemporary stories from around the globe of physical healings, visions and dreams, all seems foreign and unreachable. So when you talk to someone who “heard from the Lord”, you can become immediately skeptical as your internal knee jerks.
But to dismiss the supernatural is foolish. Starting from the premise (or “truth” if you ask me) that the Bible is 100% accurate, then the supernatural isn’t a foreign concept, but it actually happens. So while hearing from God seems like a thing of myth and magic, it’s a thing. But if it’s real, why don’t I hear from Him?
I was lying awake last night, so I began to pray. As I prayed, a little understanding came over me. As I’ve walked through some deep, spiritual conversations with men lately, I’ve come to know my own heart a little more clearly. And as I’ve understood my own heart, I’ve realized how bent I am toward negativity, anger, annoyance, skepticism, self-righteousness, and the like. If it weren’t for my elementary knowledge of Biblical scripture, I would like people much less than I do with it. My mind is not geared toward love (other than to my wife and children – that comes naturally), but rather hate. So as I lay there praying, I theorized that the good thoughts I have could only come from God. If the bad thoughts I have come from me – that is, my sinful nature – and the good thoughts come only from God, then is it possible that the supernatural is actually more elementary than I’ve thought? (James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”)
If I could write down all of the times I’ve ignored that thing I should have done or should have said, but instead followed my own way, I could have filled volumes by now – possibly enough to line the shelves of my own library! I’ve decided I need to start being more intentional with my thoughts than I have been. If I can be actually conscious of my thoughts, take note if they are good or bad, and direct my actions based on that, I would think I’m actually listening to God speak through my heart. (2 Corinthians 10:5 – “We demolish arguments and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”; Galatians 5:17 – “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”)
When I feel I should say something nice, I should say it.
When I feel I should pray for someone, I should stop and do it.
When I feel I should give to someone / something out of my abundance, I should give it.
The list goes on.
(James 4:17 – “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”)
I think it’s that simple. Be filled with Christ’s righteousness, goodness, and holiness, and you will hear from Him. And the good you hear, act upon that, and you’re living out the supernatural. But being filled with Christ’s attributes takes prayer, time in the Bible, and fellowship with the saints. With those “tools”, and only those, is one able to determine if you’re hearing from God or yourself (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 – “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.”; 1 John 4:1 – “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”)
I think of a story a guy relayed to a group of men last night, about a guy named John Kavanaugh who sought out time with Mother Teresa:
“When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at ‘the house of the dying’ in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, ‘And what can I do for you?’ Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him.
‘What do you want me to pray for?’ she asked. He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States: ‘Pray that I have clarity.’
She said firmly, ‘No, I will not do that.’ When he asked her why, she said, ‘Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.’ When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, ‘I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.’”
Listen. Test. Trust. Don’t question… act.
Okay - I’m listening, Lord……
