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Have you ever heard the phrase: “Just listen to God!”

Uhhh I’m sorry, what?? What do you mean? He’s not calling me up on the phone saying: “Girl, stop scrolling social media and Go. To. Bed”.

Sometimes we might even stop ourselves before even thinking about where to start. We’ve sinned and “failed again” so we feel unworthy.

HONEY. I’m gonna stop you right there!

Time. Out.

Say it with me: We are God’s children! He chose to breathe life into us!

I actually was listening to a pastor this past weekend that spoke on this. He said (majorly paraphrasing): “You don’t really need your parents when you’re doing just fine. But when you are at your lowest low, even if it’s because of a bad decision you made, that’s when you need them!”

Jeremiah 1:5 God says: “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I knew you….”

Here, God is talking to Jeremiah. In Genesis 2:7 it talks about how He also breathed life into Adam… You are no different! You were CHOSEN! You are not an accident. You were chosen to be here at a specific time, and place, and for a specific reason!

God is our Father! He loves us. He wants us to be with Him, always. He will always welcome us back with wide open arms.

The truth is, everyone has the ability to hear God. So how do we do that? Well…

1.) Praying and waiting

A lot of times we are rushed. We might say a quick prayer and be on our way. Then we ask why we aren’t hearing God. Well, pray – worship – pray.. Do. Not. Rush. It.

Notice I threw “worship” in there. Worshiping God brings us into His presence.

” Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakeable, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping Him with holy fear and awe.” Hebrews 12:28

One of the best books that I have ever read is called: 2 chairs by Bob Beaudine. He talks about setting up two chairs every morning: one for you, one for God. Grab your coffee and get to chatting!

Think about it like this: Imagine having a friend that you haven’t seen in MONTHS! Now talk to God the way you would talk to your friend. The ups, the downs, the achievements and “failures”. I love doing this! It teaches us to sloooow doooown!

Side note: You can call your failures your “discoveries” like we did when we messed up someone’s hair in beauty school… “Hey teacher! I just “discovered” that I cut her hair crooked… Please HELP!”

Now I’m sure you’re asking, but how do we hear him, Brittany??

Well… many ways actually. People hear Him differently. Some have dreams when they’re sleeping. It could be visions. Sometimes it’s a “thought” that came into your head.. It can be a feeling.

I just recently had a “vision” for the first time. Typically I get a little “thought” that pops up in my head. Or when I’m trying to avoid doing something God is telling me to do (sometimes it’s hard, okay! We listen and we don’t judge).

I practice avoidance through scrolling on social media. And you know what I’ll see over and over again? The same exact topic with the same exact outcome that God is telling me.. Until I can’t ignore it anymore.

But how do I know if it’s from God, or if it’s my own thoughts? This brings me to number 2:

2.) Open your Bible DAILY

This is why it is so so SO important to open your bible and be in God’s Word! If the thought, feeling, vision, etc. align with God’s Word, then it’s Him. IF it contradicts what His Word says.. Honey, that is NOT from Him.

Ex. You’re telling a friend:

“I just saw a new job opportunity as a waitress that makes great money! It has great tips and allows me to go to school during the day! I saw the same post twice so I think maybe that’s from God!”

Friend: “Oh really?? Awesome! Where is it at?”

You: “Well… A… Strip club.”

MY FRIEND!!! That is 100% NOT from God!

3.) Friendships

The next thing we need to look at is who we are surrounded by. Our friends are SO IMPORTANT. Evil people will corrupt a wise person faster than a wise person can change an evil person. (Pastor Josh Howerton.)

1 Corinthians 15:33 Don’t be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits.”

Proverbs 13:20 Be friends with those who are wise, and you will become wise. Choose fools to be your friends, and you will have trouble.

Watch who you go to for advice.

Either the person will lead you towards God’s Word, or away from it.

An example of that would be if you’re trying to practice abstinence until marriage. Maybe the friend that is not practicing abstinence isn’t the one to go to for advice on that.

Catch my drift?

What’s the problem with going down the path of sin and living by the way of the world and not God’s way?

When we realize what we have done then we pull away from God because of our shame. (He doesn’t go anywhere).

But we don’t feel worthy of God anymore so we hide ourselves away from Him (like Adam and Eve) and then guess what… We can’t hear Him when we leave Him.

Let’s also make sure we check ourselves on who we are going to for advice. Uhhh Brittany, didn’t you JUST say that?

No, no… What I mean is… Are we continuously just going to our friends, or are we going to God first?

I’ll be the first to admit I STRUGGLE with this! I am a big time need reassurance seeker. I used to be BAD bad about this.

Especially if someone offended me. Holy. Moly. Watch out… I thought to myself that I was the only one that would defend myself, and wanted to make sure that other people agreed with me.

Side note: Psalm 62:5-7 says: I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter.

Why did I want people to agree with me? Because someone agreeing with you, honestly, feels good… But you know what happens when you’re seeking other people’s reassurance and not God’s.. You end up defending yourself by putting the said offenders down.. You tell alll the details which is:

*Cough, Cough* ….Gossip….

And then there it is… a downward spiral. Before you even know it, Satan is over here saying: Gotcha!

When I tell you I chased after other people’s reassurance, I mean… I RAN after them. Not God. And it was awful.

I didn’t open my bible for months. I completely ignored God.

One situation was at work – I couldn’t be an effective leader, I couldn’t even lead myself! I came home everyday from work miserable.

That led to me not being fully present at home. I couldn’t sleep; even my marriage had a strain on it because I was getting depressed, tired, snappy, and had no grace for others, including my husband.

Now, usually one of my good friends that kept me accountable was right beside me at work, but she left for a new job.

Here’s what one of our typical conversations looked like:

Me: Ugh, I’m so annoyed! Blah blah blah!

C: have you prayed?

Me: Ummm no, I guess not. But it’s not that important to bring to God

C: It clearly is if you’re sitting here angry about it

Me: Oh

C: If you’re not going to God, but you’re sitting here talking to me about it… Have you talked to anyone else about it?

Me: Yes…

C: Oh, so are we just gossiping then?

Me: Oh…. Oh, you’re right

C: Go pray

See how important it is to have the right type of friends around!

Guess what, she directed me to God for an answer and brought me back to Praying. Waiting. And opening my bible.

When she left… I went to people that were not in God’s Word and contributed to a faster more violent downward spiral. It took a lot to pull out of it.

And you know why? Because I started to feel shame. I didn’t want to go to God because I didn’t feel like I deserved Him.

You know what? That’s EXACTLY what He wanted.

I’m so glad I was able to get out of my mess with the help of God, and a friend that listened to a whisper from God herself and helped me get back on track.

How do you get close to God again after you mess up? Pray for forgiveness! Sometimes speaking words are hard. Which leads me to:

4.) Journal.

That’s where everything comes out and doesn’t stop until I’ve said it all.. And you know what? That’s when I hear God most of the time.. When I put pen to paper and just say everything on my mind.

Friend’s… All this to say in a little recap.. Pray. Worship. Wait. Get friends who love God and love you. And journal. These are just a few ways to get in the presence of God and to hear from Him.

Give Him a chance. God’s Got You.