This is something I personally have struggled with, and it is not because I have had a problem hearing the Lord, my problem was I did not want to do what was said. Because it always seemed to be the harder thing to do. But I have learned through doing this and not obeying the first time around things were actually worse for me than doing what I thought was the harder thing up front. I am not saying that I do not still struggle with this because I do but I have learned from this and as a result have been hearing from the Lord more.

Within the past few months I have also done a bible study by Priscilla Shirer called 'Discerning The voice of God' and it gave me a lot of insight when it came to hearing the lord. She also has a book by the same title that I want to get and read. I would recommend it to anyone who wants insight on hearing the Lord because it helped me a lot.

The Lord is so good. I married a man who has taught
me so much about hearing and recognizing the Lord's voice.
I know what you mean when you talk about doing what He said.
LOL...I have found that I don't have to understand why I need to
do or not do something....but usually when I have disobeyed (and
even when I have obeyed), I have found out why......

In the Faithful Servants group, we discussed reading the Word of God to learn to recognize His voice. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would teach us and bring to remembrance everything that He said. Sometimes, though, we don't hear anything, but instead, we have an instant understanding or revelation.

The Lord will also show you reference points. You will look back in the past and see what/how the Lord was speaking to you. One of the first moves of faith I had was leaving a job at a mission organization for India. (We collected funds from the US and sent them to India to support indigenous missionaries). I had already had a "gut feeling" that I would at some point in my life be living far away from my family. When I began working there, I thought I had it all figured out: I would end up as a missionary in India finding lost people groups in the jungle. I thought, "Whoa, God's plan for my life is right before me. I better be prepared." (to be continued)

WITH God, all things are possible. Praise the Lord, Diversecityusa.

Part II of Mission Organization Story. I was already going to college to be a psychologist. I figured that if I was going to be a missionary ministering to people who had a lot of issues with family loss, suicide, etc., then I better be educated. I was a little disappointed, though, because I was going to a private Christian college, but it was not a seminary. Excluding the required religion classes, the word of God was not taught or considered (unless brought up in discussion). I also started researching spiritual gifts, and tried figuring out what gifts I had so that I could improve them. My boss at the mission organization had told me to get a passport because I would be traveling to India soon. I did all of this, thinking that I was preparing myself. Months later (in July of that year), the Lord told me that it was time to leave the mission organization. I wasn't really sure if it was the Lord or not.....I thought, "Why would He tell me to leave the place that was going to fulfill my destiny? My dream was just barely out of my reach, and now the Lord is telling me to leave?"

I couldn't get this out of my mind. For months, I prayed, and struggled with what I thought the Lord could be telling me. Every time that I was supposed to go to India, something always happened, and I had to stay at the office. I was also beginning to have a conflict with my boss because he thought I was 'too religious'....I know that sounds strange from a church organization, but there are those 'churches' out there that really perceive the church more like the world system. (I was even struggling with this myself in the way I thought I needed to be prepared for this mission work, but I'll go into that later). I felt like I was carrying a huge weight; which I know now was a lack of peace. I had been journaling this whole time on what I thought the Lord was telling me, and writing down the Scriptures that were standing out to me during my quiet time. I had also listened to several sermons on the way to and from work about moving on faith...and it seemed like the people speaking were speaking directly to me. I wasn't one to leave a job without having another one lined up. I HAD put several applications out there, but I didn't receive ONE call back. I felt like the Lord was telling me that if I would leave, he would provide the job.

my relationship with God is pretty one-sided at the moment - I've been neglecting it.I really need some prayer about this.Do u guys mind praying?

I will pray. I will also update my story, hopefully sometime this weekend. The last two weeks for me have been extremely busy.

put a new blog post if u can too urs r awesome

I've always done really well at my jobs, but my boss decided to cut my hours back to one day a week, and utilize the volunteers. It was impossible to live off of that salary. I continued to work there, thinking that a small salary was better than no salary at all; but the job seem to be more than I could bear. Finally one day, I quit. When I did, I had peace--something I hadn't felt in a long time.

I was still pretty emotional about leaving. My dream had died. I was really upset with the Lord about it, too. The weekend I quit, I climbed onto my roof (I lived in the country--no neighbors), and talked with the Lord. I cried, asking the Lord over and over again, "Why?" I was so mad that He took my dream away. The Lord told me, "You've lost your first Love". I really don't remember the exact point when He told me this--if it was on the roof that day, or in my quiet time, but when I heard it, my heart broke. He was right. He showed me that my dream, gifts, and my calling became more important than Him, and that I was putting those things before Him.

I was still pretty emotional about leaving. My dream had died. I was really upset with the Lord about it, too. The weekend I quit, I climbed onto my roof (I lived in the country--no neighbors), and talked with the Lord. I cried, asking the Lord over and over again, "Why?" I was so mad that He took my dream away. The Lord told me, "You've lost your first Love". I really don't remember the exact point when He told me this: if it was on the roof that day, or in my quiet time, but when I heard it, my heart broke. He was right. He showed me that my dream, gifts, and my calling became more important than Him, and that I was putting those things before Him.

There is light at the end of the tunnel; He set an open door before me. Revelation 3:7-8 What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.

to be continued...

God is so GOOD!!
I don't understand how people can live w/out knowing Him. I mean, example, someone hears that this other person has cancer, all they can really say is "Man, that's too bad" but they can't *even make a mental note* 'Ok, be sure to pray for this person and their family' SOMETHING LIKE THAT, y'know?
Life is sad and POINTLESS if you have no incredible, all-powerful God who is watching over you, and LOVES YOU!!

When you read the book of Nehemiah, you find that he also prayed while in a conversation.

After the Lord had told me I lost my first love, I wanted to do anything to get it back. I knew that I had hurt Him; the sad thing is that I didn't even realize what had been happening. I repented, and sought after Him. I also needed a job. After the bad experience in the church organization, I wasn't sure if I wanted to work in another church. I amazingly received a call back from one of the applications that I had put in previously. It was for an accounts payable position at a mega-church. Accounts payable can be pretty redundant and boring, but the salary wasn't bad. I had met the pastor, and the guy who headed up the administrative staff, and then the woman who would be my direct supervisor. I seemed to know as much about accounting as she did, and I wondered if that would be intimidating for her. I received a call back for a second interview. Out of the 500 applications, they had narrowed it down to 2 people. I figured I had the job; except for one other instance, anywhere I had ever interviewed, I had gotten the job. So...I guess you could say that I had confidence in MYSELF. When I received the call back, I was informed that I did NOT get the job.

Just want to break here in the middle of the story. These are some hard lessons that I have learned from my life. Through all of this, the Lord has taught me to trust, depend, and rely on Him. I surely didn't start out that way, as you can see, and I'm still on my journey.

When the administrator of the church called me back, he said that he had picked me, but the woman who would have been my direct supervisor picked the other applicant. I told him that if it was God's will, then I would have been working there, but apparently it wasn't. (That must have been something the Lord told me at the time and I just repeated it--LOL). I had received the phone call while driving down the road, and I pulled over and started crying. Aside from this, I was also going through a hard time in my life. I was separated from the man I married when I was young--my high school sweetheart.

***I don't know why this keeps striking through, but it is supposed to be there to be read***