God's voice sounds like....

What does God's voice sound like? Is it a booming from the heaven's striking any and all who are in range? Does it sound like an echoing James Earl Jones? For each person, God's voice is different and unique. Beauty in the music; a baby smiling; standing firm against opposition; peace and tranquility. You will hear and see God's movement in a totally different way than the person sitting next to you will. Because of our unique backgrounds, passions, and gifts, His voice is our full portion. It's all we need!

"And he said, The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will, and see that Just One, and should hear the voice of his mouth."
- Acts 22:14

Some may say, we don't hear His voice- because we have the Bible. Don't forget His sheep hear their Master's voice! (John 10:16).

The following is an expert of an article about different ways we hear God's voice:

A still small voice. Elijah was on the run in 1 Kings 19 from evil Queen Jezebel who ordered his death, after a mighty miracle in which he challenged the prophets of Baal to call upon their God while Elijah called upon his. As a result, God consumed Elijah's altar with fire, and Jezebel's unanswered prophets were all put to death. Despite God's marvelous works, His mightiest prophet was frightened and had retreated into a cave.

1 Kings 19:11-13 says, "And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was [so], when Elijah heard [it], that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, [there came] a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?"

A voice in your ear. Isaiah 30:21 says, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Conviction by the Holy Spirit. John 16:8 says that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. In the same fashion, let's say you were about to say something really nasty to someone. You suddenly either feel a "pulling back" by the Holy Spirit to not say that nasty thing, or you sense the Lord tap you on the skull and say, "Son, that's not nice. Don't say that." The word "to convict" is also translated as "to reprove." We must be humble and accept God's reproof of our actions!

Being led by the Spirit. Romas 8:14 says, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." When you are in a constant state of loving intimacy with Jesus, and you not only allow Him to lead your life, but you are accutely sensitive to the Holy Spirit as how He desires to lead you, that places you in right relationship with the Lord, such that you are God's little son or daughter! The Holy Spirit may either allow you to sense His urging you in a particular direction, or may even speak to you audibly.

When reading the word, a scripture jumps out at you. In your Quiet Times before the Lord, have you ever found that - as you're reading from your Bible - a particular verse suddenly jumps out at you? There's an excitement, as you say, "Yes! That verse fits exactly my situation! That's my verse!" The Holy Spirit has a way of illuminating upon the Word and opening our eyes to understand its meaning much deeper than what we would understand as a result of an dry, academic theological head-knowledge study that has no application nor pertinence in your life or anyone else's nor has the power to tell a flea to go away? The more you take those scriptures the Lord reveals to you and hide it in your heart, the more God finds you trustworthy to give you more revelation!

What ways does God get your attention? It's that still small voice that is a tug on the heart! I see it in beautiful colors, His unfailing love and grace, and in the growth of those around me. His hand is always sweeping through the nations- just watch for the trees to move and you'll catch a glimpse into His kingdom!

Can you hear Him? Can you? Are you listening?

Source: Unknown. (Unknown). Hearing God's voice. Retrieved February 18, 2010 from http://www.tamil-bible.com/god_vce.html.

For All Those 20 Somethings!!

I realized a few years ago that this term called "Quarter-Life Crisis" is entirely real. I was flipping through some research and found the below piece (author unknown). It pretty much declares a lot of those underlying feelings and issues that a lot of twenty-somethings' begin to identify with. I personally was hit with this term and it's baggage when I turned twenty one. So many students are graduating early, wising up younger, and searching for a solid faith. This term will continue to develop and become as big as the "Mid-Life Crisis" (without the red sports car craving). I'd love to hear your feedback!


The Quarter-Life Crisis
by unknown

"It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out."

Source

(Unknown). Quarter-Life Crisis. Retrieved Online February 7, 2010 from http://www.cds.caltech.edu/~shane/text/quarterlifecrisis.html

For more reading on this topic, check out this article: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bernardoh.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/st-quarter-life-crisis.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bernardoh.wordpress.com/2007/05/02/a-singaporean-take-on-quarter-life-crisis/&usg=__arHlNVAPcT8MAtd0A19WfNUPCOk=&h=642&w=1200&sz=274&hl=en&start=10&sig2=W0eJbYtOThqouZhRo8c_Hw&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=eQ5bDfZrc2OmCM:&tbnh=80&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dquarter%2Blife%2Bcrisis%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1C1GGLS_enUS355US355%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=0nZvS_HxJcOXtgfG-9SMBg

Psalm 34:18-19

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Strong Foundation

"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." Matthew 7:25

STAND OUT!!!

DID YOU KNOW:

The Zebra's Symbolism is Individuality. The zebra's distinctive stripes serves as a protective camouflage against predators, who are often unable to pick an individual out from the herd. For herd members, the stripe patterns, unique to each zebra, have the opposite effect of helping to identify individual zebras. This power animal thus helps us to both maintain our individuality in group settings and helps us to be supportive members of our communities. A third spiritual meaning for the stripes has to do with the integration of opposites, thus enabling us to see a deeper truth.

7 Steps to Daily Change

Step #1: Daily in God’s Word

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” –Romans 12:2

• Our Daily Bread, www.RBC.org
• Put Scripture on 3x5 Cards
• One Year Bible, www.OneYearBible.com

“The Bible was never meant to fill us with head knowledge but to change our lives.” –D.L. Moody

Step #2: Daily Give Thanks and Praise

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

• #1 most popular question: “What is God’s will for my life?” That’s up for YOUR discovery!
• Write 3 things you are grateful for today

Step #3: Daily Pray Without Ceasing

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” –Philippians 4:6

• What do your requests to God reveal about your priorities, goals, desire, and heart?
• Do you have a prayer partner?
• Continually pray Scripture.

Step #4: Daily Confess My Sins and Forgive Others

“Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.” –Psalm 51:1

“Forgiveness is giving up my right to hurt you back.” –Dr. Archibald Hart

Step #5: Daily Surrender My All

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life- your sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around in life- and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.”–Romans 12:1

• Book Resource: Surrender the Heart God Controls, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• What is God asking you to surrender today?

Step #6: Daily Listen For God’s Voice

“Be still and know that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10

“People in a hurry never have time for recovery. Their minds have little time to meditate and pray so that problems can be put in perspective. In short, people in our age are showing signs of physiological disintegration because we are living at a pace that is too fast for our bodies.” –Dr. Archibald Hart

• Take 5 Minutes to be still with God and Journal your reflections.
• What is God saying to you today?

Step #7: Daily Believe God and SOAR

“Great and mighty things He has for me; things my eyes cannot see.” –Jeremiah 33:3

• Write out your top 3 Spiritual Gifts

“Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.”

–Leo Tolstoy

• Keep a Spiritual Journal.
• You can become your greatest source of encouragement!
• Key to remember: Who God is, What He has done, and What He is able to do!
• Book Resource- The Life You’ve Always Wanted, by John Ortberg

We are made for divine moments!!

“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” –Ephesians 3:16-18

*Source: Professional Life Purpose Coaching Worksheets. AACC.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." -Helen Keller