(Part Three of a Three Part series entitled STOP AND GO, by Fuller)
Listen
and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
Isaiah
28:23 (NIV)
Remember the classic children’s game: Mother, May I?
“Mother” is the leader and calls out a command to a specific player: “Tara, take two steps forward.”
If Tara steps forward without saying, “Mother, May I?” poor Tara is penalized. If, however, she remembers to say the magic words, then Mother will reply with, “Yes, you may,” and Tara is able to take two steps forward. Baby steps . . . ballerina steps. . . possibly GIANT steps, which get Tara closer to the goal of being able to reach out and TOUCH “Mother” and to win the game!
If Tara steps forward without saying, “Mother, May I?” poor Tara is penalized. If, however, she remembers to say the magic words, then Mother will reply with, “Yes, you may,” and Tara is able to take two steps forward. Baby steps . . . ballerina steps. . . possibly GIANT steps, which get Tara closer to the goal of being able to reach out and TOUCH “Mother” and to win the game!
You know where I’m going with this one. The conclusion of the game significantly hinges upon whether
or not the participant is attentive to
ask for permission to move.
I’m discovering that walking the Jesus Girl walk is much the same
way. If I try to move without
first saying, “Father, may I?” I misstep and reap painful - aching - consequences.
What are the lessons from Mother, May I?, really Father, May I?:
· Pay attention to whether or not Father is speaking to you;
· If you think He
has said to move, it’s crucial to ask for permission;
· If He says to move
– OBEY!
So HOW do we train our ears to hear both the STOP and the GO?
First : KNOW THE
VOICE
OF THE FATHER.
There is no substitute or short cut: reading the Bible is the only way to learn the pattern of
God’s speech. Simply spend time in His
Words. (Remember all the “Go’s” of the first part of this series?) Get to
know His cadence: God speaks with
calm, quiet authority and gives simple, clear commands.
Second: KNOW THE HEART
OF THE FATHER.
Remember prank phone calls?
If someone pretended to be your grandmother but said anything contrary to your
grandmother’s personality, you immediately called "Fake!" The same is true for knowing God’s voice - - if you know His heart toward you, you will not be deceived by commands or urges from
the enemy. God ALWAYS
speaks with a voice of love. Even caution and correction are never wrapped in
condemnation, belittlement, or a temptation toward self-destruction. NEVER.
Finally: KNOW HOW YOUR HEART FEELS WHEN IT HEARS THE FATHER’S VOICE.
Again: no short cut. Only by experience - by feeling the successes and by receiving grace for the failures - will you learn to tune your heart more and more clearly to hear the voice of Jesus.
A heart of peace is usually the best barometer, for Jesus says:
Again: no short cut. Only by experience - by feeling the successes and by receiving grace for the failures - will you learn to tune your heart more and more clearly to hear the voice of Jesus.
A heart of peace is usually the best barometer, for Jesus says:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
John 14:27
(NIV)
and
My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John
10:27 (NIV)
Learning to
recognize – and OBEY – the voice of the Father is far from child’s play.
BUT, it is the most important role
play we will ever learn. One day we will realize:
the game is winding down and we have drawn near enough to touch Him.
What
an ending that will be!
Copyright 2013, K. Fuller Harvey/Knowing God Ministries. All rights reserved.
Such wisdom reflected here! Amen! This game is a terrific way to remember how vital it is that we seek God first before taking our steps ... Although we may misstep, if we genuinely seek him with all of our hearts, we won't sin against him. We must listen carefully to our spiritual guts and then have the faith (courage) to either stop, go or maybe just wait!!!
ReplyDeleteLove love love your posts Fuller!!! Thank you!!
Thank you, Amanda! What beautiful and IMPORTANT thoughts you added! I am just now seeing this, so I apologize for the delay, but God's timing is PERFECT because I needed to read them TODAY! -Fuller
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