Prayerful Reflection on One's Experience

A fifth attitude necessary for discernment of God’s will is prayerful reflection upon one's experience:   In order to discern the will of God for us we need to bring our experiences to the Lord.  We need to lay bare our souls before Him: what are we thinking, what are we feeling, what are we desiring; in short, what is going on inside of our heads, so to speak. What works for me is to describe what is going on for me by writing it out. I begin with “Lord,……………………….”  And then continue writing about what is going on in me. After I have described my experience, I then ask the Lord to give me feedback. I switch hands and, without thinking, just start writing and see what comes up from the depth of my being where God dwells.

We need to sit in silence before the Lord each day, possibly 20 minutes of quiet time with the Lord.  If doing this is difficult for you, begin with 5 minutes a day and then increase it to 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes.  It is very important to put ourselves at Jesus’ feet as learners. We need to come to the Lord and listen to God speak in the depth of our hearts. When thoughts distract us, gently and non-judgmentally, come back to the quiet.  To focus our minds, we might use a phrase or a word from Scripture to return our minds to the quiet.  Treat thoughts as passing clouds. Just let them pass through as clouds pass by the windows of our houses.

Listening to God's Voice

How do you know God's will for you?  God speaks to you in your heart, in the depths of your being.  The Holy Spirit lives within your true self, directing you from that place within where you and God are one.

How do you become aware of the whispering, soft voice of the Spirit of God? By learning/teaching yourself to be alone, to   be in a place of solitude and quiet; by practicing being still in the presence of God (God is everywhere).  God's voice can best be heard in the solitude of nature, of churches, of any place where we tune out distracting noises or, when distracted, returning to the stillness by using a mantra such as : "Be still and know that I am God," or simply the word "God" or "stillness," or "love" or "peace" or whatever word brings you back to a quiet, listening stance.  God is always speaking to your heart/soul, sending you messages that will lead to your peace, your happiness, your wholeness and holiness.  Are you tuned in? To what voices are you listening: only your own? only that of others? only your ego's (the ego wants its will be be done, wants to go its own way, not the way God wants)?  What is your desire?