Liberty

¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— ¹³ unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:12-17

This passage astounds me. Lately, I have been learning more about hearing from God. One of the things I am learning is boldness. Sometimes I question: is this God or is this me? I over-analyze or, as John Paul Jackson put it, I "outsmart" myself. It is good and honoring to make sure that I am not misattributing the voice of the Lord. Yet, as I learned a couple of months ago, with important decisions I can tend to live in fear of "doing the wrong thing." One of the strengths God has placed in me is a determination to "do the right thing", even if it is to my own cost. However, when I am not 100% sure what the right thing is, I am not so good at relaxing and being patient.

If God is a good Father, then He will not let me go down the wrong road when I am earnestly seeking His guidance. The incredible thing is that we have direct access to God! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty! The Spirit of the Lord is in my heart. I have liberty to access all the fullness of God, the abundant life that Jesus came to give. God is transforming me into the image of His Son. The lesson I have been slow to learn over the past few months is this: when He is silent, I will be patient and continue to pursue Him instead of being fixated on my questions and/or living in fear of doing the wrong thing. As I have shifted into pursuing God instead of only God's will, He has given me more insights and more guidance.

The second lesson I have learned over the past two and half weeks is to take the germ of what God is telling me and plant it. Again, God is good. If it's from Him, He will water it and increase my faith. If it's not from Him, He will correct my wrong thinking as I continue to pursue Him. Again, I need to be bold to make a start with what He gives me instead of sitting in doubt: is this from you? What if I'm wrong? We have to start somewhere! In the Bible, faith is referred to as a "gift" and as existing in different "measures." Instead of agonizing over my unbelief or uncertainty, I should ask God to increase my gift of faith. Also, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." (Hebrews 11:1) At times, God gives us hope for things but does not tell us it will happen. Faith is knowing that it will happen. It's expectation. I'm convinced that oftentimes God wants to turn our hope into faith, but we're too timid. He can and will help us with this if we let Him!

Occasionally people have asked me how I hear from God. How do you know when God is speaking? As you have probably surmised from this post, I'm not always sure! However, usually it is because I recognize His voice. When I have not been listening to Him for awhile, I am not as sure. It's more "fuzzy." However, in seasons of faithfulness, I just "know." Oftentimes this is because I have a thought or an impulse that is not from me. I know it's not from me, I know it's not from Satan, so that leaves God. It's okay to question, "Oh, is that You?" He usually confirms it. I've learned to obey even when I'm not 100% sure, and when I get in a pattern of obeying, I start feeling nervous in my stomach if I do not obey. It's the same feeling I get when I think I'm making a bad decision.

For example, Friday night at the church service, I felt I should pray for an individual. I had no desire to do so! As I waited without moving, that nervousness increased. As soon as I stood up to approach, it dissipated. If God is telling you to do something, He always comes through for you. He gave me a prayer for this individual that fit specific teaching he had been hearing and circumstances he had been enduring. Today, I felt I should check my work email. On a Saturday? Why? Turns out last night after 5pm, the payroll people sent an email saying our last timesheet had to be signed by 10am Monday morning in order for us to get paid. I have the day off Monday and would have missed the email, so an ordeal was thus saved. Meaningful conversations with people, being in the right place at the right time, even getting good deals--these things happen to me on a regular basis. If I can do it, so can you! It does take practice and boldness, and a willingness to do things you do not want to do.

There is a great liberty in letting God control your life. Do I give to this homeless person or not? Do I buy this dress or not? Do I take this job or not? Do I pursue this friendship or not? Or, what do you have for me today? How should I spend my free time? Who should I call? Where should I go to dinner? Living an abundant life is much more interesting and creative than what we can come up with ourselves. God will speak to us in creative ways as well. He has certainly done so for me.