#hear god

[followerofchrist9]

Take time to get alone with nature and talk to God...or wherever we are. We get so busy it's hard to hear him...

[gospelboy]

THIS IS HOW I LEARNED TO HEAR GOD'S VOICE MORE CLEARLY | L'amour in Christ

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To be called by God...

In the beginning of the book of Numbers, God gives Moses, by name, twelve individuals to be heads of the ancestral tribes of the Israelites. It is interesting to think about what this moment and these individuals were like at that time in the history of Israel. Were they already influential in the community and well-respected? Were they young and inexperienced, but on the track to leadership? Or…

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New Post has been published on https://andybondurant.com/2023/05/02/walking-with-god-in-the-tent-of-meeting-a-journey-of-overcoming-obstacles/

Walking with God in the Tent of Meeting: A Journey of Overcoming Obstacles

The story of the exodus of God’s people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land is full of ups and downs, mountains and valleys. In fact, it’s no different any great epic. Every time the hero seems through a tunnel of darkness and on to brighter days, disaster strikes. Their hope came from an unusual place…the Tent of Meeting.

I think of The Hobbit, and Sam and Frodo trudging to the other side of the Dead Marshes with the reluctant help of Gollum. Just when it seems they have snuck unnoticed into Mordor through the pass of Cirith Ungol, Frodo is taken by the huge, nasty spider Shelob. Sam saves Frodo from sure death, but they still struggle up the mountain to destroy the ring. Each time it appears Frodo is in the clear to destroy the ring, a new obstacle appears.

We hate to admit it, but we are no different than the people of Israel. As the hero in our own stories, we come up against obstacles — the ones we’ve created and the ones created by others. In their story, Israel demands Aaron design an idol in the form of a golden calf. They waste no time worshipping it in pagan revelry. You may not have danced around an idol, but have you chosen someone or something above God?

Exodus 33 is the chapter immediately following this story of Israel stumbling on their road to the Promised Land. It is the reckoning. It’s the hero overcoming the obstacle in front of them. The key symbol in this chapter is a tent.

The Tent of Meeting

The Tent of Meeting was the place God would come and reside on earth. It was where God would speak his commands. This was vital to Israel making it over the next obstacle and into the Promised Land. 

If you do much research on the “Tent of Meeting” you’ll find most passages reference the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was the ‘permanent’ tent God outlined for the Israelites to build in much of the book of Exodus. This tent was the precursor to the Temple built by Solomon. 

The Tent of Meeting in Exodus 33 was not the Tabernacle. This tent seemed to be the stopgap as the Tabernacle was being constructed. It’s set up outside the camp because, for the moment, God removed himself from the people of Israel because of their transgression. 

Image by Cindy Chen on UnSplash

It appears the Tent of Meeting was unique compared to the Tabernacle (and later the Temple) in one major area — access. When the Tabernacle was completed, entrance into it was limited to the priests who were consecrated by God to enter. Anyone without the proper access to the Tabernacle was struck dead.

God is available.

Here is how Exodus 33 introduces us to this initial Tent of Meeting:

“It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.”

Exodus 33:7

Notice the second sentence (emphasis mine). The Tent of Meeting was available to EVERYONE to make a request of God.

The Tent of Meeting was available to anyone and everyone, but it was only Moses and Joshua who enter. In fact, we see the people are afraid to enter, so they would watch Moses enter into the tent from a distance. They would wait at the doors of their own tents to see what would come of the meeting with God.

The people waited.

Why did they wait at the doorways of their tents? They waited to hear what God said to Moses. This is what it says: 

“Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.”

Exodus 33:11

Moses would return to the camp and inform the people of what God had said. He would tell them if they were to move on. Moses would communicate if God told him to construct something. He would share with the people if there was a new command from God. It seems anyone could have gone in to receive from God, but it was only Moses and Joshua who were bold enough to enter.

Joshua lingered.

Which brings me to one final note about this special tent of meeting in Exodus 33; Joshua boldly walking into the Tent of Meeting with Moses. Joshua was Moses’ younger assistant. He would eventually take the baton from Moses to lead the people into the Promised Land, but at this point he is just Moses’ errand boy. he doesn’t come out with Moses.

Exodus 33 and you

So what does this all have to do with you? Exodus 33 is important in understanding how we overcome the obstacles put in front of us as we live our our own stories. You’re the hero, and this chapter helps you with ways to win. Here are three notes:

1. God is available to you.

Moses was the one who heard from God and communicated to the people. It doesn’t appear that it was the preferred method of God, but the people of Israel weren’t willing to risk coming face to face with a holy God.

Because of Jesus, we have direct access to God. We have peace with God. Because of this, 1 Peter tells us that we are now a part of a ‘royal priesthood’. In the Tabernacle and the Temple, it was only the priests who could enter the holy places, and it was only the appointed priest who had been prepared and cleansed.

If you follow Jesus, you are prepared and cleansed!

You don’t need to wait on anyone else. You don’t need your pastor, mentor, teacher or friend to connect to God. He is available to you.

2. Approach God and your position like Joshua.

Joshua was a in a great place. His responsibilities were to Moses first, not directly to the people. This afforded him a great opportunity. He could learn from a great leader, and he had the freedom to stay with God. 

Joshua didn’t waste this time. He used it to develop the faith God could use when it was his time to lead. He saw how Moses approached God, and then he practiced it on his own.

Most of us aren’t THE leader. We are in some form of assistant role. It’s humbling to be at the whim of another person, but their is freedom in this place too. Joshua used this to his advantage. Are you using your position and freedom to develop into the person God will use to lead when the time comes?

3. Someone is waiting for you to share God’s Word.

When God showed up in the Tent of Meeting, it wasn’t just for Moses. It wasn’t just to grow and develop Joshua. It was for the people of Israel. They were eagerly waiting to hear what God had for them.

There are people who need to hear God’s Word from you. You may know some of them – members of your family, church, neighborhood. Faces could be flashing in front of your eyes right now. But there are others you don’t even know about. Moses knew a handful of the millions of people in his community. God’s Word was for each of them.

There are people you don’t know who need God’s Word. Are you being faithful to share it?

Enter into the Promised Land

You are on a journey to the Promised Land. Hebrews 11 speaks of Abraham dreaming of a ‘heavenly’ place…something beyond the actual land promised by God. It is the place we are moving toward. Jesus called this the Kingdom of God.

There are two aspects to this Kingdom – the now and the future. Jesus established this Kingdom during his lifetime. We know it as the Church. But there is also a heavenly, yet-to-come aspect of the Kingdom of God. We strive to see both. The current Kingdom of God to thrive and grow. The future Kingdom of God is our ultimate destination.

The struggles and obstacles you face now are worth overcoming! You overcome by ‘entering’ into your own Tent of Meeting. God is available to you, so will you sit with Him? This will give you the strength to overcome. Will you share what you are given to others who are waiting? It will bring about the Kingdom of God. 

[ealmushin]

Labial Impression

He Said -

"your voice can talk someone down"

(to choose life)

She Said -

"you sound official, like an artist"

(YOU)

Should I listen to them or listen to myself

(Again)

[andybondurant]

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New Post has been published on https://andybondurant.com/2023/03/21/habit-hint-3-treat-yoself/

Habit Hint #3: Treat Yo’Self

Hearing God is a habit. We like to think of it as some sort of esoteric, spiritual exercise. Hearing God is not a random, happenstance occurrence. We put ourselves in specific places in specific ways to hear God. These ways will vary for each of us, but it is a habit none the less.

The last two weeks, I’ve introduced you to two different habit hints to help you create a regular way to hear God daily.

The first is to determine the Who before the Do. You need to know who it is you desire to become. When you have that picture in mind, then you know what it is you need to do, and why it is you want to continue to do it.

Second, you want to start small – let your habit begin as a seed. In practical terms, I call this the 2 Minute Commit. Develop your habit of hearing God through small commitments of reading scripture, meditating and praying two minute at a time.

So today, I want to introduce you to the third and final habit hint – Treat Yo’Self.

Parks and Rec

One of my family’s favorite television shows is Parks and Rec starring Chris Pratt and Amy Poehler among others. The show is a political satire about a small town parks and rec department. Two of the characters, Tom and Donna, are both a little diva-ish who like the better things in life. In one episode, Tom and Donna determine one day out of each year is their Treat Yo’Self day. 

Image by Jenna Day on UnSplash

If you don’t already have a picture in your mind of what that mean, let me fill you in. On that day, they visit the spa for massages, manicures and pedicures. They head to the mall to buy the things they want – no matter the cost. The eat at the finest restaurants, sparing no expense. 

They treat themselves – no matter what the cost may be – for that day. 

Treat Yo’Self

I’m not suggesting you cut loose one day a year, however, I am encouraging you to use this concept to help you develop habits in your life. The idea is to find rewards that will reinforce and encourage the habits you want to develop in your life. Let me give you two quick examples:

Habit Hint: Elliptical Energy

When I began working out a few years ago, I tried to walk/run on the treadmill or elliptical to music. I would pick out the most uptempo music that I could find and run along with it. It helped to give me energy and boost my mood as I ran, but honestly, it wasn’t something I would look forward to preparing for my workout.

At some point, I noticed other people toting along their iPads with them as they worked out. I noticed they were watching movies and television shows as they ran, and it hit me — this is the encouragement I’ve been looking for. Now, I pull out my phone, click on the Netflix app, and pull-up a sitcom. Over the past few years, I’ve worked through Seinfeld, The Office, Parks and Rec, parts of Cheers, Frazier and now the Simpson’s. 

It has become a reward for me to look forward to as I work out on the elliptical or treadmill machines. 

Habit Hint: Media Blitz

That is my workout routine. What about my habit to hear God? 

5-6 mornings a week, I wake up between 6 and 6:30 to practice my habit of hearing God. My day begins something like this:

alarm goes off.

Get up and take care of the dog (feed, bathroom, etc)

Make coffee.

Begin reading scripture

In that 10-15 minutes I’m taking care of my dog and waiting for coffee, I really want to check out the latest news on my phone. I want to check the ESPN app for what’s happening in the sports world. I want to check Google News for the latest on the world stage. Sometimes I want to scroll through my Instagram to see what I’ve missed from my friends. 

I save that for a reward for fulfilling the habit of putting myself in a place to hear God. I read, pray, meditate, journal. After 30-45 minutes of this practice, I allow myself the reward of checking out the media apps on my phone.

First Things First.

I put the most important habits first in my life. Then I give myself space to indulge in the less important habits.

One important note: When you choose a reward for fulfilling the habit you want in your life, make sure it doesn’t undermine the habit you want to build. 

In other words, don’t make your reward for working out an ice cream sundae each day. Or don’t reward yourself with several hours of media — this will teach you to listen to the media but not God.

What can you reward yourself with for putting the most important habits first in your life? 

[andybondurant]

New Post has been published on Andy Bondurant

New Post has been published on https://andybondurant.com/2023/03/14/habit-hint-2-the-2-minute-commit/

Habit Hint #2: The 2 Minute Commit

Walking with God is a habit. Hearing God is a regular, daily exercise through reading Scripture, praying and meditating on what we read and hear in those times. Notice the fifth and seventh words in the preceding sentence, “regular” and “exercise.” If you want to successfully hear God you must make it a regular practice (or habit) in your life.

Last week, I introduced the first of three hints to develop habits (regular exercise or practice) in your life. Last week, I shared knowing “The Who before the Do.” Everything you do flows out of who you are, so you must define who you want to be in order to create the practices that will lead you there. 

Begin here: Who do you want to be? Every habit tip, trick, or tool flows from first clearly defining who you want to be. If you haven’t read that article, stop, and go read it.

Next week, I’ll share with you “Treat Yo’Self” – a system of rewards to encourage the development of habits you want to see in your life.

This week, I want to give you what might be the most powerful “action” tip to developing habits. First, define who you want to be, but then you need to know the action steps needed to be that person. This hint will help you the most.

It’s the 2 Minute Commit. 

The Gym Guy

I didn’t used to be a “gym guy.” Do you know who I mean? Gym guy or gal is someone who doesn’t feel like their day is complete without a trip to the gym. He may not talk about it, but he obviously goes to the gym and makes it a part of his daily routine. She doesn’t make it a large part of conversation, but she drops hints that she’s on her way to the gym, or just came from the gym.

They don’t just go to the gym, but they also eat healthier than the average person. The gym guy take his physical body serious. They gym gal isn’t afraid to wear more form fitting clothes. They don’t shy away from physical activity. 

Image by Meghan Holmes on Unsplash

Over the last 5-6 years, I’ve been come gym guy. Most weeks see me visit my gym 4-5 times a week for about an hour a day. During that visit, I jump on the elliptical or treadmill for 30 minutes and then rotate through the weight machines for around 20 minutes.

I didn’t used to be gym guy, but I am today.

Gym attendance

As a gym guy, I’ve become aware of the cycle of gym attendance. A few times each year, (usually January and May), I notice a large influx of men and women hitting the gym. It’s been a great study of human nature and habit formation. 

Most of these new gym members will walk in, hop on the treadmill and huff and puff for 15-30 minutes, and then randomly roll through the weight stations for another 30 minutes. Here’s the pattern I see: for several days, maybe even a couple of weeks, these new members won’t miss a day, but something will catch up with them, and they miss a few days. Then the shame hits, so they return for a day or two. And then they’re gone…until next year.

The desire to be in shape for their vacation or just general health is gone. It was replaced by the pain they encountered getting out of bed, standing up from the couch, picking up their child. In just a week or two, they are back to the same old routine of life.

There has to be a better way, right?

The 2 Minute Commit

In James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, he tells the story of man who was more than 100 pounds overweight. Fed up, he created a picture in his head of the person he wanted to be — gym guy. So this man created a new habit…2 minutes at a time. This is what his schedule would look like:

The man would walk out of his house and jump in his car. He would drive to the gym, get out of his car, and walk into the gym. Once in the gym, he would step onto a treadmill, push the button and start walking. To this point, his routine was no different than the people who I see come and go from my gym. It’s what came next that set him apart.

The man would walk on the treadmill for two minutes…and get off.

That’s it. Two minutes and then he would walk off the treadmill to the door of the gym. He would walk out of the gym, get into his car and drive home. That was his workout for the day. But his procedure was in place because the next day he did the same. The day after he did it again, and he did it again the day after that. In a few weeks, two minutes at a time, the man had created a new habit in his life. Two minutes a day, he became a person who was a gym guy.

From 2 to 3 to 5 to 10 to 30 to 100!

Here’s the true genius behind the 2 Minute Commit. It creates a habit, but the action doesn’t actually end after only two minutes. 

I’ve noticed in my own routine that if I talk myself into starting, I’ll most likely go beyond my own goal of a few minutes. It is true for both my physical life and my spiritual life.

It was true for the guy who committed to walking the treadmill two minutes at a time. After a while, two minutes turned into three minutes and then five minutes. Five minutes turned into 10 and 15 minutes. Before long, the man was walking 20 to 30 minutes, and adding other workout routines to his habit. 

Most important, his 2 minute habit which turned into full workouts day-in and day-out ended in losing over 100 pounds. 

Power in Starting Small.

Starting small is not a new idea. Jesus shared this thought when talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. He consistently used the imagery of a farmer planting seeds (the most commonly referred to found in Matthew 13). But Jesus dove the deepest into the power of small using this parable:

“Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.”‬‬

Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭30‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT

Jesus was talking about the Kingdom of God, but it is a principle that extends to your life. Habits, both good and bad, start small. Bad habits usually start off unintentional. Before you know it, that seed of a bad habit has become a full blown tree dominating your life. 

But it is also true of the good habits you desire. When you plant, water and care for the small seeds of a good habit day after day, it become positive, fruit bearing tree. Not only that, but it will provide for the world around you.

Habits that Matter Most

Several years ago, I started the habit of journaling. I didn’t know about the 2 Minute Commit principle, so I blindly stumbled into its benefits. Over the years, I had tried journaling without success, so I made it as easy as possible. I committed to journal several times a week about life goals for just a few, brief minutes. 

I didn’t go too deep. It wasn’t too long. Over time, journaling about my goals turned into recording things God showed me as I read scripture. And it wasn’t just a brief few minutes. It has become 30-45 minutes most every day. 

I’ve come to enjoy and even desire a daily physical workout, but I can live without them. I can’t live without connecting with Jesus on a daily basis. A few years ago, an off day meant not reading or connecting with God at all. Now, an off day is reading scripture without journaling and meditation. Today, almost every day of my life has a minimal connection with God. 

I need Jesus daily.

It is a habit that matters most in my life. It grows me internally like the mustard tree Jesus talked about in Mark 4. My habit of reading, journaling, meditating, praying is creating within me true life — both within me and for those I encounter on a daily basis.

I don’t grow without a habit. Habit doesn’t happen without a 2 Minute Commit. The 2 Minute Commit doesn’t happen without knowing who I want to be — a person known by God.

That is me. Ask yourself:

Who do you want to be?

What habit do you need to create in your life to allow you to be that person?

How can you scale that habit to make it as easy as possible?

What is your 2 Minute Commit?