What a great day it's been. My school had the day off today, so while my kids & hubby left bright & early this morning, I had no where to go but right here! Of course, I'm a mommy, so my relaxing day off included doing all the dishes, laundry, some minor grocery shopping & returning a movie we rented (Underdog--cute family movie!). I emptied the trash cans & swept the kitchen and vacuumed the living room. Oh, and I also did all 5 days of my Bible study for this week and went to Savannah's school and had lunch with her. (So much for a calm, relaxing day off, huh? Oh well...such is the life.)
Anyway, in doing my Bible study today, I found a few parts that I especially liked & wanted to share. You may remember from last week, the study I'm doing is Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer.
1.) Isaiah 43:18-19 says "Forget about what's happened. Don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand new. It's bursting out, don't you see it?"
2.) In one part, she discussed the difference between following your conscience & listening to the Spirit. She said "The problem with following your conscience is that every person's conscience is formed and developed based on their personal environment and specific life circumstances. Each person's conscience has been shaped by the tradition and truth or lies to which it has been exposed. ...........our conscience can be shaped in a way that is not pleasing to the Lord. This can hinder our ability to clearly hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us."
(a follow up to #2) 3.) As you surrender your life and obey His written word, He begins to reprogram your conscience. Your Spirit-led conscience starts to discern between sin & righteousness and instructs you accordingly.
4.) What hinders me from hearing is that I am taken up with other things. It is not that I will not hear God, but I am devoted in the right place. I am devoted to things, to service, to convictions, and God may say what He likes, but I do not hear Him. The child attitude is always, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." ---Oswald Chambers
5.) Paul didn't say (in Romans) to experience victory in a sin area by fighting really hard. He just said to present, yield, or surrender your body. Through Jesus you have already been given victory as a gift. (1 Cor. 15:57) You experience it by presenting your body to God as an instrument for Him to use.
6.) If we want to hear God's voice clearly, we need to immerse ourselves in the Word of God. As we hear Him speak through His Word, He works in us to radically change us (2 Thess 2:13). When you take in God's Word, massive renovation takes place on the inside.
7.) Desiring and doing His will is not my responsibility to discover; it's His responsibility to reveal.
(in follow up to #7) 8.) No longer do I frantically search for God's will; I frantically search for God. I trust that it is His responsibility to show me what He wants me to do and how to do it by speaking through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. As I seek Him, stay in His Word and continue to keep an intimate relationship with Him by confessing my sin, He transforms my mind & emotions to align with His plans.
NOTE: These were all quotes directly from the book, so I can't take credit for any of this. It's just the stuff I underlined or highlighted as I read this week's lessons.
Hope you enjoyed it!
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