"Balancing Your Life" Class Lesson #4

“James and the Demo Cell Phone…Listening for His Father’s Voice”

Although I never saw the movie I do remember a title of a movie from years ago called “James and the Giant Peach.” Sounds like a silly movie but the title obviously stuck in my mind and so with that memory the title for this story quickly came to mind . Let me explain. Last Wednesday night when leaving church I was standing outside of the children’s wing talking with friends and watching some of their children play. The funniest site was watching the intensity of the youngest Treadwell child. James Treadwell is only 18 months old and he was running back and forth in the grass with his head up looking straight ahead while the entire time keeping a cell phone held tightly up to his right ear with his right hand. It looked like the arm and phone were super glued up there. He was intently listening not saying a word as he went about his 18-month old business. Since his mom and two brothers were right there I suppose that James was listening for the voice of his Daddy. I mean this went on for the entire time we were out there. We were trying to decide who was going to eat and where while all the time James was running around obviously very attached to his new piece of technology. I was startled when I first saw him because I feared he had taken his mom’s phone. Kelly informed me that at Costco a few days before the salesman had given all three of her boys demo cell phones. Thomas and Samuel liked theirs as well but with James the demo cell phone had literally stuck. I realized at that moment as I talked to Kelly that another “story” was being written. Oh I want to be like young James Treadwell listening intently all the time for the voice of my Father. Not just during my priority time first thing in the morning but all throughout the day and night. Constant communication with the Father is crucial because it’s how we get to know Him more and the only way to know his perfect direction and will for our life. Without His direction we are destined for one problem after another; or we’ll settle for the good versus the best. His ways are so much higher than ours. Could hearing God’s voice be as simple as holding a cell phone up to your ear all day long like baby James? Listening for God’s voice is as simple as A, B, C- A) Ask Him to speak- “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know(Jeremiah 3:33) B) Be still and listen. You must stop what you are doing and thinking and focus on hearing God. God’s voice is still and quiet and gets crowded out by a hurried body or mind. C) Come unto Him. Learning to listen for His voice will be one of the most valuable lessons you will ever learn in life. Invest much time and discipline in learning to listen. A wonderful book on the subject is Dr. Charles Stanley’s “How to Listen to God.” He points out 5 ways He can speak to you and greatly simplified they are as follows: 1) The Word- this is His primary way to speak to you. Meditating on the Word is one of the best ways you can hear His voice for divine guidance. “Meditate on it day and night so that you will be careful to do everything in it.” (Joshua 1:8) 2) The Holy Spirit (Promptings…speaks to your Spirit) –alive in you, the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth if you will choose to obey. 3) Prayer -this is your relationship to Jesus-your lifeline to the Father. We all need to practice more time listening in prayer than speaking. Remember that hurry is the death of prayer. 4) Praise- God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3); it silences the enemy therefore allowing you to hear the Father’s voice and 5) People and circumstances -we need to camp out on this one for a minute. Please be careful with category #5. You better know the Word, have a powerful prayer life, and be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit or you could be easily deceived. The voice of God will never include anything contrary to principles of scripture. Remember that the Holy Spirit is your #1 counselor not any person. A much used scheme of Satan is to masquerade as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy your ability to hear and obey God’s counsel. Be very careful who you choose to listen to. Having warned you about this, please don’t be so paranoid that you fail to take seriously when God does speak to you through His servants who bring you confirmation or a prophetic word from the heart of God. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8), and He will speak words of wisdom and knowledge through clean vessels as His Spirit leads.
Hearing God’s voice is as simple as A.B.C. Simply ask Him to speak, be still, and come unto Him continually just like baby James with the cell phone stuck to his ear. Your heavenly Father is madly in love with you. He created you for the primary purpose of relationship with Him. He is always whispering in His still small voice words of love, encouragement, healing, and deliverance. Shut out the world, keep your ears open to His voice and promptly obey when He speaks. Then and only then will you fall in love with Jesus, come to the end of every other longing, and fulfill your destiny. He is speaking….are you ready to listen? You’re in for the time of your life.
Ann Allen Salter
June 2008