LETTING GO OF THE OLD

[Albert Finch]

John 10:27 - "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

Isaiah 50:4 - "He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned."

Hebrews 5:11 - "Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your (spiritual) hearing and sluggish (even slothful in achieving spiritual insight)."

This is a time not only to hear God's voice more clearly but also for us to activate the things God is speaking to us.

HEARING GOD -- KNOWING HIS VOICE

God is speaking all the time but most people are not aware of it, or they have not been trained to recognize the variety of ways God speaks. This could be through dreams and visions, prophetic words, music and the arts, the Bible, or the still, small whispers we often get from the Holy Spirit.

JOURNALING

Habakkuk 2:1-2: "I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me...Then the Lord answered me and said, 'Record the vision...'"

Journal what God is speaking to you right now. The reason is that God often speaks over a period of time and through various circumstances and events in our lives and we need to "learn to discern" God's voice from the clamor of things coming at us all the time.

One distinctive feature of knowing God's voice is peace. Do you have peace in what you are hearing? You will recognize God's love and nature when you have peace in your spirit with what God is saying.

HINDRANCES TO HEARING GOD

• Our own theology. -- This can even stop us from hearing what God wants to say to us, especially if we believe God only speaks in a certain way. If God is calling you to something new, sometimes what you believe can get in the way. God wants to help us where we don't yet trust Him to do things we have never seen before. He delights to show us His ways.

• Assuming. -- Presumption or assuming that you already know what is being said can be a hindrance too.

• Busyness. -- If you're trying to find something new, busyness is another thing that will keep you from hearing God.
What do you need to say "no" to so you can eliminate the hindrances to hearing God?

CALLED TO SOMETHING NEW?

When God calls us to do something new, we often have to forget the former ways that we did things. We must basically wage war with the old mindsets that keep us from "coming up" into this divine advancement. This is usually difficult for us to do. But it is our old ways of thinking or old ways of doing things that is the very reason we need to hear God for something new. God changes the seasons in our lives and what worked in a previous season might not work now.

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

If you have noticed lately that things seem different, or you're not quite finding God "how" or "where" you have in the past, do not despair; do not be discouraged. He is simply answering your prayers. He is moving. He is inviting you to come along with Him.

QUESTION TO ASK MYSELF?
What are some of the former ways I've been doing things?

As we advance and mature in our ability to hear God, our previous ways of doing things might not work as effectively as they once did.

AFFIRMATIONS:

1. The Word says I can hear God's Voice and I believe it

2. I do hear the voice of God!

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
https://afministry.ning.com/