Finding Next

Preface

 “We would all like to know what the future holds for us, but we may not realize that how our future turns out is partially dependent on us. God does have a plan for each of us to have a good future, but we must learn to cooperate with His plan rather than doing things to thwart it.” (Meyer, 2013)

                                                                                                                   Joyce Meyer God Is Not Mad at You

              I started writing this book in response to my observations of two young men. Both young men were Christians. Both men were men of prayer. Yet both men were in turmoil over which road to take regarding the next step in their careers.

              As I watched them I felt like I had some things to say that could help. I knew the answer was clarity from God. I knew that the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth and only speaks to us what He has heard from the Father. However, I found that it was difficult to communicate those truths to people who were not practiced in hearing the voice of God.

              I struggled with trying to help them to know that what they heard was God’s voice and teaching them how to trust in what they heard with the same certainty that a fireman on a tall ladder trusts that the ladder will always hold his weight.

              As much as I grappled with it I found that there is only way that they can come to this understanding. It’s the same way I came to it. They have to “practice the presence of God”, (Lawrence, 1693) they have to spend time in the presence of God as Mary did at Jesus’ feet in Luke 10:38-42 (KJV).

              We become familiar with God’s voice by spending intimate time with Him, talking to Him, listening to Him. We take what we heard and we step out on it and when we misstep, we learn how to discern what He sounds like when He speaks. We learn how we can confuse His voice with our own or the voice of the adversary.

              It is impossible to be directed by God if you cannot hear His voice. It is my sincere hope that everyone who reads this book will be better able to discern God’s voice. Further that all who read this book will be better able to grasp how God speaks, leads, guides, directs us in the seasons of our lives.

              I highly recommend the book “A Guide for Listening and Inner-Healing Prayer” by Rusty Rustenbach. (Rustenbach, 2011) Leanne Payne has a fantastic book on this same subject entitled ‘Listening Prayer: Learning to Hear God's Voice and Keep a Prayer Journal.’ (Payne, 1999) Finally, I must recommend “Good Morning Holy Spirit” by Benny Hinn. (Hinn, 1990) This book revolutionized my thoughts about the Holy Spirit and His role in my life.