I don't know about you but I have always had trouble listening to God, my mind always wonders away to something else and I am always having to drag it back. when I was a young wife and mother trying to listen to God, I had all these other voices calling to me, even if husband was at work and children in school, those voices I heard when they were home were always present.
I would go away discouraged because I couldn't hear the voice of God.
I do remember once when I was 20 years of age; I was trying to quit smoking, so I got on my knees every night while waiting for my husband to come home from work, my children in bed. I would call to the Lord to help me quit smoking but I would go buy another pack of cigaretts. I would take one out and put the others under the water fasuet. In 30 minutes I would want another on, this went on for months. Finally, one night I got back on my knees and ask the Lord to help me stop smoking. Guess what! This time, the Lord did speak to me and this is what he said;" you fool, you ask me to help you and you wont help yourself. That is all he said but in my spirit I knew just what he meant, never buy another pack of cigaretts and don't put one in your mouth. I didn't and have not smoked for almost 52 years now.
Now, back to my thoughts; I worked at a hospital in Miami Florida as a nursing assistant. We had very few contour sheets, (fitted sheets) when the sheets would come in for the mornings work, we would all run for the fitted sheets, I would get mine and put them on a bed in one room and use them as far as they would go. Well, I said I would use them, the problem was that, some one kept taking mine. I found out who she was and got an attitude. I didn't know what to do about it because for sure the head nurse wasn't going to do anything about it, soooooooooooo! I took matters into my own hands. By this time I had gotten into having a quiet time with the Lord before going to work but I was not listening. I would have that time and then forget what God said to do because I didn't listen. Now!! I thought its time to listen because I don't know what to do about this. I went to my chair in the den and then I read psalms 62:1 then I remember reading Psalms 139: 23-24 Search me O God , verse 24 says, And see if there be any wicked way in me. I then started praying, it was ok to pray but I went on and on and it was a one way conversation, then something stopped me, making me realize, if only I talked and didn't listen to God then it wouldn't get me any where. I quit talking and started listening. I remember as I sat there quiet and trying to keep my mind from running to the lady who took my sheets, I started breathing deep the words of God, what he had said to me. This is when he spoke to me, I remember eating the words, swolling deeply, I wanted to take in everything he said. I really listened. He said to me, "when you get to work this morning, get your sheets and give them to the lady? What!!!? I sat there and remembered that he was telling me options I had, to do what he had instructed me to do or do what I had been doing and keep the wicked thoughts, The Spirit just filled me up with such anxiciety that I couldn't wait to get to work and do the right thing. I listened to God and gave her my sheets so she wouldn't have to steal them. I kept her from sinning. Praise God, he works through us and into other peoples' lives. That lady was so grateful and gave me great praise but she didn't know I had gotten my instruction from God and I listened.
I know this is long and probably difficulty to read but read anyway and know that God has the same message for you. Listening to God and obeying him is an awesome things.
