I think for so long I acted as if Jesus was only involved in the hard times, when I open my Bible, when I go to church, if He gets brought up in conversation, and when I play some worship music etc. I lived such a boxy lifestyle with Jesus. My everyday life was void of my awareness that Jesus was present. It was living with forgetfulness that I had a very involved Creator in my everyday, mundane life.
It honestly wasn't till last year did I think I finally fully understood this or maybe actually showed signs of change. I mean I always knew Jesus was around, but I wasn't aware of it. I wasn't living like I knew Him even when I did the dishes. Even now, I'm not saying I'm perfect at it because I still struggle with ruminating thoughts especially in mundane tasks. Yet, I'm learning that doing life with Jesus is being aware of His presence in ALL moments. He is there even when we can't feel it. "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me" (John 20:29, NLT). We believe in an unseen God, but He is in all things. Nothing is void of God's presence. It's just us who are living like He isn't there.
I've wrestled with how to be in tune with God's Spirit while doing very detailed oriented tasks. "I'm so focused, how could I also be aware of the Holy Spirit?" The way I've put words to answer this is to keep an open ear to God's presence. To stop what you're doing and remember God is there or have yourself available to be listening. If it's something with a lot of concentration, have peaceful worship music playing. That way your subconscious is even taking in the worship lyrics. You're creating a welcoming atmosphere to be available to God and to be ready to hear from His voice. It's like keeping a tab open in your mind to being ready for God to speak.
Maybe you're thinking, "How do I even hear from God in general?"
It's not some specific formula because He speaks to us differently, but I usually hear a word or phrase by hearing my own voice speaking in my conscience. I know it's not me speaking because it's random, it's out of the blue, and it's this knowing deep within that I didn't speak that word/phrase. Sometimes I do get confused..was that me? So I ask God to confirm was it Your voice, God? Hearing from God takes discernment and it takes practice.
I call it like working a muscle. It's an everyday practice that I've been learning more intentionally for about a year. It might take the rest of my life to have a better awareness of His voice.
I'm not always great at listening to God. I can be too distracted or zoned in my head. I can be tuning out my thoughts to avoid what I'm feeling. The list goes on, but I've learned when I get quiet...that's when I hear most from God. I silence the noise in my head and listen. I'll also add that I've heard God in my rambling words with the noise going really loud in my head. So He isn't subject to just silence. I could literally be getting ready or ranting when the Spirt stops me with a question. I feel seen in that moment and probably a little bit convicted too. I'm still working on this, but this is my invitation to you, start becoming available to hear from God.
We can go throughout our whole day completely unaware of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (three in one!). We can loose sight on our eternal perspective and more. If you don't know how to make a decision, invite Jesus into it. If you're bored, invite Jesus into it. If you're grieving, invite Jesus into it. If you're in the middle of a hard conversation, invite Jesus into it. If you're cleaning your house, invite Jesus into it. If you're angry because you can't sleep, invite Jesus into it. If you're driving to meet a friend, invite Jesus into it. We can make a million decisions a day without ever considering what Jesus has to say or even just being aware of His presence in that moment.
Let's be real, when was the last time we even asked Jesus what to do next with the small and large decisions? When did we last stop to pause and acknowledge that He is in the room. He isn't miles away up in some heaven fantasy we have in our brains, He is here in the room. Train your mind to be aware of His presence. Think of an image of Jesus in your mind if that helps or set the tone of the room with worship music. We have the everyday choice to invite Jesus into our everyday lives.
I want this kind of life. Most of this is a big step of faith especially when I hear a phrase or word, and wonder, "Does this even make sense to say to that person?" I try to say it and most of the time, I am glad I proceeded with a step of faith. I got out of the boat and walked on the water. I didn't hide in the boat that time.
So invite Jesus into your day because He cares. I bet if we did this everyday we would be less anxious, angry, irritated, stressed, doubtful, negative kind of people. I think it would change everything and I want this for us. We're called to share the Light we carry, so maybe this is the start.
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