Waiting on God

Another difficult lesson to learn in the Christian life, but vital for service and growth.

Not many believers  understand or see this quality in their lives. It involves patience, dedication, leading and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Many Scriptures refer to this subject, testifying as to its importance, Is.30:18.

What does it mean? To let God act and deal with me in His own time and way. Is.55:8-9.

What does it involve? To understand His will and the way He leads us in His Word. 

Obedience is a must.

What examples are there to follow? There are many, some are:

1. Abraham:Gen.12:1-4, 15:1-4, 17:1. We have God's promises to Abraham, and the long wait for them to be fulfilled. We see the obedience and the mistakes, faith in God. The end result- Blessing.

2. Jacob. His scheeming and failure end in being a fugitive. He learned the hard way, but received the blessing in the end, Gen.46:1-5.

3. Jesus of Nazareth. His life was marked by obedience and a long wait to embark on His earthly ministry.Ps.40:1-2, (the prophetic utterance).

What are the practical implications? The chastening and corrective process to bring maturity in the life.

It may take many years before God can use us.

How do I get the guidance I need from the Holy Spirit? Learn to listen to His voice and wait. 1 Sam.3:8-11. Beware also, that the Lord will test you for faithfulness, 1 Kings,13:14:24.

The Final Word, Ps.40:1-3.

Listening to God (Ps.46:10)

One of the hardest lessons to learn in the Christian life and walk with God.  A life or a mind too busy with itself or talking incessantly cannot listen to God. 'He that has an ear.....'Rev.3:22.

How do we listen to God?  

Firstly, we need to recognize God's voice 1 Sam.3:1-10. 

Secondly, God cannot speak to someone who does not listen to Him. We need to recognize that only a living being can comminicate, one that has intelligence.

Why does God need to speak to us? For various reasons, but mainly to fellowship with us and to make His will for our lives known to us.

Apart from a direct communication, God speaks to us through various other means i.e. through His Word, in visions and dreams, through a word of prophecy, through other people, and sometimes when we are obstinate, through some unlikely means (stones, donkey, etc.).

For God to speak to us personally, we need to develop spiritual hearing. This is not an automatic process, but involves proctice and will, (Rom.10:17).

Sometimes our heart will deceive us and we will make mistakes. Don't be discouraged, Repent and trust God to speak to you again. If in the end there is an absence of His voice, search your heart to see if there is an obstacle of sin or some other problem. 'If I regard iniquity in my heart.....' Ps.66:18.

Will the Lord ever get tired of speaking to me and stop forever? The answer is NO. Only when I refuse to listen and persist in disobedience. When I change course God will hear and speak to me again.

An example of someone in the Bible who accused God of not  listening to him and God's answer, Hab.1, 2:1-3.

Our time with God.How much of our time belongs to God?1 Cor.6:19-20.

A true believer wants to spend time alone with God. It stems from a loving relationship. Matt. 6:6.

The time with God is when we commune with Him and share His cecrets, when we receive our Daily Bread and get answers to prayer. Without it there is no growth in the Faith and no close  relationship.

We need to develop a quiet time, it does not come automatically.

How do we best use this time? There is no command in the Word, only to pray: Ps.55:17.

Best Guide: Read the Word, meditate on it, wait on God, Pray. It is not a time for shopping lists, but a time for worship.

Note some people of God: Paul the Apostle, after converssion, went to Arabia. He was taught by God. Gal.1:15-17. 

Moses on Mt. Sinai spent much time wiith God. When he came down his face shone. Ex.34:29-30.

Epaphras was commended as a prayer warrior, Col.4:12.

How much time should I spend with God? As much as possible, but regulate it to suit your day.

Pray without ceasing: Without long interruptions, not when we feel like it.

Discipline yourself and your mind. What are the causes for lack of concentration?  Beware of

Satan's methods. 

I do not really have time. We do have time for lots of other things. What is our priority?

Pro 10:27. 'The fear of the Lord prolongs days' . A sure way of having free time. Freed from the cares, when we give time for prayer.

Conscience

What is it? The actual word means, with knowledge or with truth. It is the voice in us that tells us what is true or false.

 Conscience is not something we acquire. It is an integral part of man's human nature or a link between God and the human soul.

Conscience on its own cannot show us what is right or wrong. It must have a standard by which to judge. In Scripture conscience is never debated, it is asserted. Its nature and authority are never explained. In the Old Testament it is not mentioned at all, whereas in the New Testament often, Heb 9:13-14.

This tells us that the human conscience needs cleansing from the pollution of sin, a work done by Christ's sacrificial death.

This makes it possible for man to have fellowship with God and for guilt to operate upon      conscience, whenever sin is commited.

For that communion to be enjoyed there are conditions for conscience which must be maintained.

1. A pure conscience  1 Tim.3:9, 2 Tim.1:3.

2. A good conscience 1 Tim.15:19.

3. A conscience void of offence  toward God and man Acts 24:16.

There are also three conditions of conscience in Scripture we need to avoid:

a. A defiled conscience Titus 1:15.

b. An evil conscience Heb.10:22.

c. A seared conscience 1 Tim. 4:2.

Make sure that your conscience remains always in the state described sbove (1.2.3.).