How to Abide in Loveنموونە

Abiding Time

Here at Rapt, we love talking to fascinating people who are doing incredible things for God—and that description certainly fits Kat Vazquez. As an award-winning journalist, author, TV host, producer, and speaker, Kat’s top goal is to help people break free from the bondage of their past and step into a “fully alive” kind of life with Jesus. Today, she’s honest about her favorite ways to find rest and renewal and the amazing things she’s seen God do when his people simply listen for his voice.

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“Abiding time.” This is what I call the first part of my day when I grab my coffee, my Bible, and my journal and enter into a quiet conversation involving a lot of listening.

I ask Jesus the hard questions, things weighing on my heart like “How do you see this situation?” But my favorite question is “How do you see me?”

Every day he highlights something new, a Scripture, a song lyric, a picture, a conversation — it’s always affirming. This running dialogue of me asking and listening continues all day, from “What should I do about this?” to “Speak your truth to my heart on this.”

This awareness of a real God speaking all around me all the time has helped fine tune my ear to hear him more clearly and pay attention to the creative ways he speaks.

Most recently, I have picked up my paintbrush again. Years ago, I would paint on commission, but this time, I felt like the Lord wanted me to worship him with it. It’s been the most exciting and fulfilling process — as an artist partnering with the Artist. I put on instrumental worship music, dedicate the canvas to him, and ask him to speak to me.

Sometimes he’ll speak — almost audibly. One day he said, “See differently. See me differently.” And as the minutes progressed, what started as brash slashes of color on one side of the paper flowed into bright pops of color on the other. You could almost see where I was receiving a level of healing!

Other times, I see images or colors combined in stages and almost always in layers. After all, aren’t we all very layered? The rough edges, unfinished seams — all of it he calls his masterpiece.

—Kat Vazquez, TV Host, as told to Rapt Interviews