#fruitofgod

Reading Genesis 12. In this chapter the Lord tells Abram to leave his country and Abram does.

One of the things that I want to discuss is 'God speaks'.

We read many stories in the bible where God spoke directly to people and they heard him. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, that means, He must still speak to man today.

Many times I have asked God so that I may hear his voice. I have not been privileged to hear the voice of God but I have experienced a knowing that I was in the presence of God. There is a strong sensation that comes upon me that is inexplainable. That sensation often leads to me doing something, most times praying intensely. I have not felt this sensation and gotten clear instructions along with it. I simply react to it as I am led by the Spirit. Sometimes I don't know why I react the way I react or for what reason I am reacting the way I react. Sometimes I see the reason after the fact. I pray to hear the voice of God though. I yearn for that. I feel I will make less mistakes if I did.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to know exactly what God wants you to do?

That's what came to mind today when I read this story in Genesis 12 about Abram. I also for a minute reflected on Noah and Moses. They received clear specific instructions from God.

It has crossed my mind in the past, that after the fall of man (after Adam and Eve sin (Genesis Chapter 3), man must not have been far from the presence of God. It's evident because God actually made Adam and Eve's first clothing to cover their nakedness. He was still present with them. They had less of his fullness since sin had entered into them but there was still a relationship. They still heard his voice, but could not see him as before. Over the years as man sinned more and more, I imagine, that is how they got further and further away from His presence. When so far from his presence, how can we hear him?

When I read the stories in the bible from Genesis to Revelations, we read about certain men and women who had strong relationships with God. He spoke with and to them. They walked with Him and they obeyed him when He spoke.

It makes me understand a few things that has to be important to hearing God.

1. God must be present in our life

2. We must walk with him or understand that He is near and We must choose to walk with him daily, even if we don't see him.

What does walking with him daily even mean?

To me, it's first understanding that he is near. Believing that He is near. As we believe, we must seek him. We can't seek him with our natural eyes or mind though, we must get help to find him. We can start by having conversations with him daily. "Lord I don't see you but I know you are near. Help me to find you." That could be one way to begin the conversation. We must have ask for conversations with God daily until he leads us to how He wants us to pray and how He wants us find him. "Lord can you show me....?" "Lord can you help me....?" "Lord is this true I would like to know...? " We must never give up in seeking for God. Continue to do so daily.

We must not only converse with him but do what his Written Word instructs us to do .

Even if we don't hear his audible voice at the moment, He has instructions in the bible for guidance on how to be obedient to Him. We must obey those guidelines which are set for all man (male and female).

3. When we do hear from God, and receive clear instruction about our own personal life, we must continue to obey! By then if we had been disciplined in finding and seeking him even when we did not hear him, we would have developed a discipline of obedience!

Sin has taken us far, far away from the presence of God. We must do whatever is necessary to return to the presence of God. He is too important to us to not be in His presence. He is our Heavenly Father. And like the prodigal son, He will rejoice and prepare for us more than we can image, when we return. It must be our choice to return!

Our early brothers and sisters, like Adam, Noah, Abram, and Moses, had an opportunity to be closer to the presence of God because they were not as far removed from God as we are today. It was easier to hear the voice of God then - in my opinion.

But due to more and more sin entering into man (in this world), we are now further and further removed from God making it that much more challenging to come into his presence. We are often distracted by sinful natures and cares of this world. Even Jesus said, the way that lead to Life is narrow and not many will find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

We often do not choose to sit and pray and converse with God daily. There is always something else that comes up which takes priority over that. In my life, for example, when busy season begins, it is like that for me. Your life is different than mine, more than likely. My sitting still with God and walking or talking with him looks different every day. Many days I don't. That is my confession and it's something to seriously repent for because God says that we should love Him with all of our heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) When something comes to distract me away from God, and it does daily, if I loved God with all my heart I would not leave God to entertain that distraction or that thought at all. That's how very strong TRUE LOVE can be. So if I want to hear the voice of God, the unctions from the Spirit to read the bible, pray, talk with God, ask God for help and guidance must be what I obey (period) Over anything else...seeking God must be first in my life daily.

What are some things you easily choose to do before you speak with God? or before you read the Word of God?

We must work daily to come into the presence of God. It's the daily sacrifice we must make. (Romans 12: 1-2 - Paul says we must present our bodies a living sacrifice) I believe that we can hear the voice of God if we commit to a life of daily sacrifice.

We must seek God and we will find Him. He is the same, Yesterday, Today and Forever. We must believe that He can speak today and can speak to each of us. We must seek Him to Hear him. His sheep knows His voice He said.

Are you his sheep? Do you love Him with all of your heart?

I know that is an area that I must work on daily, now that this knowledge and information is being made known by the Holy Spirit. He reveals to redeem is what I have heard from some people.

I pray that He redeems me and anyone reading this who believe they do not love the Lord God with their whole heart based on the evidence of their fruit (ie. Do you choose God daily or do you choose distractions? Are you devoted to speaking with God daily,... How do you know that you love Him with your whole heart? What evidence do you bear, when you are tested, that you Love God?) Let each of us examine ourselves. (2 Cor 13:5)

Side note: I think I just got a new revelation about FRUIT. Let the Spirit of God continue to reveal. Amen.

References: