Living in the SpiritUzorak

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As a young pastor, I asked an older pastor who had a reputation for hearing from God what that meant and how I could learn to hear God’s voice. He pointed me to 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted [or tested] beyond what you can bear [to endure]. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (NIV). Then he told me, “The next time you are tempted, do this: stop and listen. There will be a still, small voice inside showing you the way to escape. Listen to that voice.” That was simple and straightforward.

Not long after that conversation, I had a chance to practice this pastor’s advice. I got into an argument with a friend at church. He was upset with me and blamed me for something I did not think was my fault. I was getting angry. I could feel my face getting hot and my neck getting stiff. I was about to defend myself with anger when I remembered the pastor’s words, “The next time you are tempted, stop and listen.”

Suddenly a surprising thought entered my mind. It was a Bible reference. The thought in my head was, “Proverbs 15:1.” When I say the thought was surprising, I’m not kidding. It caught me off guard and distracted me from my argument. I didn’t know what it said. So, I stopped paying attention to my friend and started sorting through the file cabinet in my brain to see if I could remember the verse. Then I remembered. It says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” My internal reaction was something like, “Darn it. There is no getting out of this.”

God did not want me to use anger to handle this argument. Instead, He wanted me to give a gentle answer. I took a deep breath and did my best to obey. I said something like, “So, it seems like you are facing a really big problem, and you think it is all my fault.”

At this, my friend took a step back as if he had been punched in the gut. He paused and said, “I guess you are right. I’m just really angry, and I’m taking it all out on you. I’m sorry.”

A gentle answer had turned away his wrath. I must admit that I was actually a little disappointed. I was really looking forward to defending myself. But as I calmed down, I realized that God had just taken me through a practical exercise in hearing His voice.

The pattern I learned from 1 Corinthians 10:13 led me back to Joshua. Just as Joshua had to learn to seek the Lord, listen to Him, obey Him, and watch what He did, so that is what I need to learn to do in order to walk in the Spirit. Here is the pattern:

• Seek (Stop)

• Listen

• Obey

• Watch

God wants us to stop and seek Him. He wants us to have a relationship with Him so we can know Him well enough to trust Him so that we can live wisely and receive His blessing.