Thursday, July 9, 2015

Taste Test


“Risikili” – Part 6 – Taste Test          

We continue with RiSiKiLi−
                       You know− Read it, study it, know it, live it.

Is that you Lord? Say what? Hum, is that spicy taco talking to me?
Do you ever hear something in your head and wonder if God is talking to you?

I can tell you a good way to know—to be able to discern the voice of God. In my last couple of posts we addressed being able to trust God’s Word. Now let’s look at hearing God’s voice with the help of His Word—the Bible. 

In the natural, when we eat food our hunger is satisfied. Our digestive system kicks in and that food provides nourishment to our bodies so life is sustained, our cells are nourished, and we have energy for the physical and mental things we do day to day. Each time this occurs, we’re then hungry again in a few hours and need more food.  
 

When we read and study our Bibles we ingest the Word of God. With the help of the Holy Spirit residing in us, our mind, soul, and spirit processes it. It then becomes nourishment to our mind, soul and spirit and sustains life and health in the core of our being. That is in the essence of who we are in our innermost parts. It’s our spirit being, that part of us that communes with God, that defines the real you or me. That’s the part of us that lives forever.  

And that’s part of us that wars with our flesh (physical being) over what we will give ourselves to, in any given moment. Do you ever detect a battle going on between your flesh and spirit?

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 24:4

That battle might be to see or not to see a movie, to participate or not in a certain conversation, to eat a large piece of cake vs. a small one, to make that remark to my spouse or not, or to ask that hurting person if I can pray for him or not 
This internal battle can involve much more serious matters like wrong sexual behavior, abortion, drug use, cheating, to study God’s Word this morning or sleep another hour. The list could go on into eternity. What’s your battle at the moment? What will it be an hour, a day, a month, five years from now?

In this battle, which part of you or me will be stronger? Which part has been strengthened most by things we’ve chosen to do, see, and think up to that point of decision making? Have we been feeding our flesh more or our spirit more?  

Which one is stronger? Which one has been winning these skirmishes in the past and is likely to win them in our future? 

Photo by thehambyhome
Just as our physical bodies need nourishment daily, our spirit needs nourishment every day in order to be the strong part and win the daily altercations. The winner determines our future. 
 
I am not talking about that devotional scripture in the little book we keep in the bathroom, or on the bedside table, or the one that comes across the computer screen each day.

Certainly these are helpful, but I am talking about devotion not devotional!  —And about revelation not just inspiration. Are we willing to set aside significant time in our daily routine to spend alone with God and His Word? For most people—whether they want to admit it or not—the best time is early morning. 

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You Psalm 63:1a

Photo by Connie Wohlford
So, you want to hear from God? Give His Word a chance to prove Itself. Be devoted to God and time with Him, getting to know Him intimately. We recognize best the voices of those we know best. Taste and see. 
 
Comments welcome.  


© Connie Wohlford 
Scripture passages from: https://www.biblegateway.com/
 

8 comments:

  1. Yes! "Devotion, not devotional." I find the more I study, the more easily I hear His voice.

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    1. Yes, Lyneta-- Devotion! You've probably also experienced hearing people complain they've never heard God speak to them, yet they almost never read, much less study, their Bibles. Bible reading and study is key to hearing His voice in my opinion.

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  2. Yes! My bible study is the top way that God speaks to me. I love the line, Devotion, not Devotional! it is so true.

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    1. Thanks for affirming. One of my great passions is to encourage others to get into the WORD!

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  3. Mmm. I like that distinction between devotional and devotion. Good thoughts!

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    1. Yes, there can be a big difference between the two. Thanks Leigh.

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  4. I like how you talk about hearing different "voices" when we make our decisions each day. We can listen to the voice of God and of Scripture or to the voice of the flesh. I agree that we will recognize the voices we know best, so the best thing we can do is to saturate our minds in God's Word. Then His voice will be what we recognize and, hopefully, want to follow. Not the negative voices of fear, doubt, or selfishness. Not the voice of the flesh.

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