Hearing God. Part 2: Listen

Well I’ve been rather transformed this week and it’s only the second week of six in this Hearing God course. 

In John 10:27 Jesus says his sheep know his voice and they follow him. I feel like I haven’t heard God this clearly since I was a teenager I certainly haven’t been this intentional to listening in a while so maybe it’s not about hearing maybe it's been about listening. 

To be clear I’m familiar with the voice of Jesus that wasn’t the voice that surprised me this week. 

As I said in part 1 I’ve been reading and now have finished a book by Steven Furtick called Crash The Chatterbox, (So good btw) well on Wednesday I heard a voice that I’m all to familiar with but didn’t really realize was there.

I’d been reading about how the difference between the Chatterbox and the Holy Spirit is condemnation verses correction. 

Well this was certainly not a corrective voice. 

I’ve been hearing this particular voice for years say things like “Well that was stupid” and “What kind of person does that?” Also things like “You call yourself a follower of Jesus, I can’t believe you just did that.” And a personal favorite name to call myself “IDIOT.”

Well for perhaps the first time ever I realized that voice had a name and I had a way to overcome it. 

The Chatterbox only has one function, to tear me down. Naming it took it out of the shadows pulled it into the light and for the first time I was able to tell my now named critic, The Chatterbox, where to shove it’s criticism.

It was liberating and it was transformational it was also a declaration of war. 

The first draft of this blog was being written on Friday night and all I’m hearing from that chattering box is “Almost no one is reading your blog so why are you wasting your time writing it? 

Well my answer for that was “Shut Up!” 

But the doubt remained. 

When I brought the very real doubt of why write a blog that no one may read the Holy Spirit reminded me who I am and what I’m about. 

Im reminded that I’m a writer, that’s why I’m writing it. 

I’m reminded that I’m to be a blessing so if 15 or 1500 people read the blog the ones who do are blessed from the effort and the message and that’s a good enough reason to write it. 

The thing I’m learning about in this Hearing God course and from the book Crash the Chatterbox is that there isn’t just a single voice out there talking to me, there are many, but the voice that I make the most room for will have the most influence over my thoughts and therefore in my life. 

The chatterbox can’t be destroyed but it can be overwhelmed. 

Through prayer and praise, (mostly listening to music) these last few days I’ve been crowding out the other voices it’s been an amazing three days but not easy ones. 

I’m looking forward to what God is going to show me this coming week. 

I’m Jason and this is life as I see it.