Devotion 9 in the series Have You Seen a Miracle?

How to Follow God’s Voice and Be the Miracle! – Part 2

Inside: 4 steps to take so you can be the miracle. Would you like to learn how to hear God’s voice and follow through on God’s nudges? You could be the miracle God has planned for someone else!

4 steps to take to follow God's voice and be the miracle

Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock

“There was that voice again, telling me for the umpteenth time this week to give $20 to an old friend named Floyd. Trouble was, I hadn’t seen Floyd or his wife, Bonnie, in some time,” Delores Liesner, author of Be the Miracle recounts (p. 67).

She didn’t know their address, where they went to the gym, or what church they went to.

So Delores prayed, “Lord, I will obey. I’ll put the money in my wallet for Floyd, but I’ll need you to help me find him.”

Days later, Delores and her husband attended a pre-funeral visitation for a friend who had died in a traffic accident. “The event was extremely well-attended, and we were in line for quite some time, wending our way via serpentine lines woven through the porch, halls, back, and sides of the large parlor. Finally on my way out I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard a familiar voice saying, ‘Hello, old friend.’ Bonnie, Floyd’s wife, had found me, and Floyd was coming up behind her.”

Delores explained that God had been pestering her for days to give Floyd $20.

“The look Floyd and his wife exchanged told us there was more to the story. They soon shared a ripple-effect of unfortunate circumstances, including a second funeral out of town the following day and an empty gas tank. Bonnie told me how just that day, rather than pray for all their present needs, they simply asked God to supply what they needed for the next day. Their need for that day was funds for gas so they could attend that funeral and honor their other friend’s memory.”

How faithful of God that as Bonnie and her husband were praying, God had already been nudging Delores to be an answer to their prayer!

What if Delores had seen the task of getting $20 to Floyd as impossible and had not put the $20 in an envelope in her wallet?

You can be the miracle, too!

If you missed last week’s moving devotion on listening to God’s nudges, be sure to read it here.

4 Steps to Take So You Can Be the Miracle

1. Spend Quiet Time with God

To hear God’s voice, we must be in touch with Him, and the biggest key to that is finding a block of time in a quiet place. If you’ve not done this in a while, try starting with just five or ten minutes. Keep a notebook nearby to record what you hear God telling you. Then, throughout your day, stay in tune with God, keeping your heart open to sense nudges from Him.

If you find life too busy and have trouble fitting in time with God, see the series of devotions on Hearing God’s Voice for ideas, and subscribe to get the free PDF with pocket cards for each strategy on How to Hear God’s Voice in a Busy World:

  • Play music (see 2 Kings 3:15)
  • Count your blessings (see Colossians 3:15-17)
  • Get up early (see Mark 1:35)
  • Notice nudges (see Acts 7:30-32)

2. Open Your Heart to Being Used by God

Honestly, this might be the most important step: You have to want to be used by God, and you have to open your heart to following through, even when what God asks you to do feels strange or embarrassing. My faith has been so blessed by doing the weirdest things because of God’s leading. You just never know how God is going to use what He has asked you to do.

So . . . examine your heart. Are you open to doing what God asks you to do? If not, ask God to break down barriers, remove your doubt, and make you courageous.

fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 ESV)

3. Practice Being Prepared

“If you don’t sense a specific direction, then practice being prepared. Pray about putting a Bible verse or a few dollars or a small gift–or all of these–in an envelope. Ask God to direct you to the needy recipient. Be patient, but be aware of those around you. Don’t forget to journal your delivery adventure when you’re finished, as the reminder will make the next time even easier!” (Be the Miracle, p. 69)

These are such practical tips! Put some money in an envelope, prepare a bag of toiletries for a person who is homeless, or wrap a small gift that you can carry with you. Now wait for God’s voice and direction. Gah! This could be exciting!

4. Expect God to Use You

You have spent time with the Lord, you’ve opened your heart to being used, and you have practiced being prepared. Now wait with expectation. Don’t force it, making the journey about yourself and not God. Patiently wait to hear His leading and guidance. You’ll know when the nudge is really from Him.

It took many days for Delores to learn how she was supposed to get the twenty dollars to Floyd. In the same way, it might take days or weeks before God shows you who you are to gift or how you are to serve. When God finally tells you what to do, you will know it, and when you follow through, you will be blessed by all that God has prepared!

Do you hear God’s voice and follow it? Which step will you work on this week?

Be sure to continue the devotion below, with the passage about Isaiah’s call and the Digging Deeper questions.

I will be giving away a free copy of Be the Miracle! Enter the drawing this week on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DiggingDeeperwithGod/Look for the post for the giveaway, which will be open until August 6. The drawing will be on Monday, August 7, 2017. What an awesome opportunity!

Cover of the book Be the MiracleYou can order Delores’s book, Be the Miracle, here: ORDER HERE. In this book, Delores recounts 31 stories in which Delores followed God’s voice and participated in miracles of God’s design. Each story ends with a life-changing lesson, verse, and challenge that you can apply to your own life.

Check out Delores’s website at https://deloresliesner.com.

 

 

Digging into God’s Word: Be the Miracle

God gave Isaiah a vision of heaven, and it was during or after seeing that vision that God called Isaiah to speak His word to the people. We must make time and space for God to speak with us. When we hear God calling us, may we be like Isaiah and enthusiastically respond, “Here I am! Send me.”

Isaiah 6:1-8 (ESV)

Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah’s Commission from the Lord

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Digging Deeper: Be the Miracle

Enjoy this quiet time, just you and God. Reflect on or journal about the following questions, listening for what God has to say to you.

1. Take time to be quiet before the Lord. Talk with Him to help settle your heart. Then listen for what He has to say to you. Write down thoughts and ideas that come to your mind. Try not to evaluate or judge them; just write and see what transpires.

2. What ideas from today’s devotion seem possible for you, or have other ideas come to mind? Write them down and ask God to impress upon you which one to try this week.

3. Read the rest of Isaiah 6, that is, verses 9-13. Notice that God didn’t ask Isaiah to do an easy thing. In fact, the assignment was quite challenging. Isaiah may have felt fear at delivering such a sobering message to the people of Israel. How does the fact that the assignment was not easy encourage you in following God’s nudges?

4. Worship with these songs as you reflect on how to listen to God so that you can be the miracle. Choose one or all of the songs to listen to, or come back to these songs throughout the week.

I See the Lord (Maranatha) (If you know of an updated version of this song, please write me and let me know!)

Mighty to Save (Hillsong)

Miracles (Jesus Culture, featuring Chris Quilala)

Frontiers (Lead Me to the End of Myself; Vertical Church Band)

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If you are enjoying these devotions, please help more people find them. Sharing these devotions on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter is a safe way to communicate Jesus’ love with other people. Thank you!

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Find Past Series

You can find Past Devotions from other series on the website under the Devotions menu or at www.diggingdeeperwithgod.com/past-devotions/.

Three of the most popular series have been Lead Me to the RockHope Springs Eternal, and All In: A Study of Elisha.

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Comments

  1. Lizzy says:

    This is an incredible story and I’ll definitely be sharing on my facebook page. So blessed by your blog today, I’m going to sign up to read your printable. My best post is called ‘Hearing From God is Not Just About a Voice’ such a hot topic.

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