The Listening Side of PrayerSample

Day 5: Trial & Error

Like many other things in life, listening to God is a discipline. It takes practice. 

Sometimes you are going to be so sure you thought God said something and He didn’t. Sometimes it’s just our flesh. We’re going to make mistakes along the way. It’s a trial and error process because we just aren’t as close to God as we should be.

The good news is we can and should improve. God is so gracious to us He does not beat us up for messing up. He simply guides us back along the right path. But we can’t let our fear of making mistakes stop us from trying. 

In your relationship with God you will have to step out in faith when you’re not 100% sure you heard from Him. Sometimes the only way you’ll know otherwise is to try. So develop that part of your relationship with Him. Try things you believe He’s placed on your heart to do. Ask God for confirmation.

Gideon was a man in the Bible who saw himself as very weak. He was the least in his family, and his family was the least in the tribe of Manasseh. Yet, the Angel of the Lord called him a “mighty warrior” and told him he would save Israel from their enemy, the Midianites. Gideon asked Him for a sign to prove the message was from God because Gideon just couldn’t believe it. So the Angel caused fire to come out of a rock and consume the entire sacrificial meal Gideon had prepared. That wasn’t enough for Gideon because later on, he asked for more signs. God answered them and Gideon finally moved out on what the Lord had told him.

Like Gideon, sometimes we’re skittish. That’s ok, as long as we ultimately move out in faith. Like Dr. Tony Evans says, faith is not measured by your feelings; it’s measured by your feet.