By Gina Caswell Kelly
Several years ago, our church was doing a Sunday night study of Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby. I had missed the first couple of weeks being out of town, or something. I was telling someone that I just kind of hated to come in late on it and try to catch up.This person said, “You go all the time. Just don’t go to this one. It will be okay!” Sadly, I hate to say that what she said, I allowed to make sense in my mind. And even more sadly, I hate to say that missing just that study turned into a habit of about two years of not going to Sunday night church. Not even thinking about it! When I finally decided to start attending again, I was telling a friend about something that happened on Sunday night. She said, “Wait! You were at Sunday night church??”
My justifying of missing out on the Experiencing God study grew into someone being shocked that I was at church on Sunday night. I was horrified! How on earth did I let someone’s innocent suggestion that I just miss that study grow into me not going at all, and not going at all into a feeling of shock to someone else that I was there? It all started with listening to the wrong voice.
We have to learn to listen for the voice of God. That was not God’s voice telling me to just skip that study. That was not God’s voice offering me a sort of logic that it would be okay if I missed. Now, understand, it was okay that I missed in that I did not lose my salvation. We can’t lose our salvation. But it was not okay that I was disobedient to what I knew God wanted me to do.
So many times, we let the voices in the world be an influence in our lives. They tend to say what we want them to say! We need to always be sure we are listening only to God’s voice as we travel our pathways. But, to be able to recognize His voice, we have to spend time with Him. We have to stay in His Word and have a quiet time where we do listen for Him to guide us.
As you go about your day, be listening for God’s guidance in your life. It will make a difference!
