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Hearing God’s voice in the morning.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A Personal Testimony<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n
I want to share a recent experience that highlighted how to hear God’s voice and act upon it. <\/span><\/span><\/strong>One morning last month, during my Bible reading, the Lord made it clear that \u201cHe didn’t want me to walk away from difficult situations anymore but to face challenges head on.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
This heavenly guidance was dropped into my spirit while I was reading the book of Numbers, in the Old Testament. I truly valued this corrective guidance, as I recognized the specific challenge in my life. I tend to leave conversations, difficult situations, or hard tasks whenever they become tough. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Here are some Bible verses that support this concept of confronting challenges directly:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n\nJoshua 1:9 (KJV) <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n\nPhilippians 4:13 (KJV)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong> “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n\nProverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong> “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.\u00a0In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n\n2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong> “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
A particularly bad habit of mine is to storm off when I disagree with my husband<\/span><\/span><\/strong> or avoid someone at work, church, or in the community to evade tension. Likewise, I often procrastinate on tasks that I find unappealing instead of facing them directly. <\/span><\/span>Don’t I sound human?!<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
On that particular morning, my husband and I were discussing an issue <\/span><\/span><\/strong>we encountered with some glasses we had purchased from a local optometrist’s office. Neither of our progressive lenses was functioning correctly. As individuals in our fifties, we both require corrective lenses, which is quite common. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Our issue was that the magnification for reading was positioned too low on our lenses. <\/span><\/span><\/strong>Consequently, when we wore the new glasses, both Aaron and I had to tilt our heads back excessively to read anything through the lower portion. <\/span><\/span>Do you agree? Does this sound right to you?<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
We were debating what to do about this issue. <\/span><\/span><\/strong>As many people who wear glasses know, it’s impossible to return frames once you\u2019ve purchased them. I proposed that I take my glasses back when I picked up my contacts and request a fix with our lenses since we were still within the 30-day period. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I followed through and approached the optical counter at the optometrist’s office,<\/span><\/span><\/strong> explaining the reason for my visit. To my surprise, the optician reacted by saying, \u201cHow dare you come into our office and imply I don’t know how to do my job?\u201d I was taken aback.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
After a brief discussion, she checked my lenses on a machine<\/span><\/span><\/strong> and returned to assert that they were perfectly fine. I explained that they were not usable and that we couldn\u2019t read anything with them. Despite my calm demeanor, she became offended and declared she was done with the conversation, sitting down abruptly. I felt increasingly embarrassed as the office was crowded with people, including another optician and customers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Recalling what the Lord had imparted to me that morning about \u201cnot walking away,\u201d I remained at the counter.<\/span><\/span><\/strong> A few minutes passed, and the woman that was helping me stood up, stating, \u201cThat\u2019s it. I\u2019m calling my manager.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Mind you, I hadn’t even said a word!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
She stepped outside while pacing, presumably discussing the situation on the phone.<\/span><\/span><\/strong> When she returned, she announced, \u201cWe are going to issue you a full refund.\u201d I promptly replied, \u201cGreat! Please put that in writing!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
As I exited the office, I hoped never to return, but I was amazed at how the Lord intervened. <\/span><\/span><\/strong>All I did was stand my ground and not walk away, just as He had guided me earlier that morning.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Hearing God speak through His written Word.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Biblical Reflection<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n
I am reminded of Exodus 14:14, a well-known verse<\/span><\/span><\/strong> where Moses reassures the Israelites, trapped between the Red Sea and the advancing Egyptian army. It serves as a powerful reminder to trust in God’s strength and let Him handle our battles.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I include<\/span><\/strong> <\/span>three different translations<\/span><\/strong> of this verse below, as each version offers a unique description.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n\n(NIV):\u00a0\u201cThe LORD will fight for you; <\/span><\/span>you need only to be still.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n\n(ESV):\u00a0\u201cThe LORD will fight for you, <\/span><\/span>and you have only to be silent.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n\n(KJV):\u00a0\u201cThe LORD shall fight for you, <\/span><\/span>and ye shall hold your peace.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n