Jackie's Journey "Can You Hear His Voice?""

There is a little boy in the Old Testament that teaches my heart every time I read his story.  His entire life was lived in the truth of understanding that God is Sovereign and his ultimate authority.  He was a servant in the temple and he became a mighty prophet.  His mother was a woman of virtue and demonstrated her loyalty to God by keeping her promise to bring her son to the temple at a very young age and leaving him there!.  It was one dark night while living in the temple that this little child heard the voice of God calling him.  I SAM. 3: 4-10  This boys name was Samuel and Samuel listened when God spoke.

For those of us who call ourselves moms and grandmas there is a flawless message that screams for our attention in this timeless record.  We, like Samuel, need to listen and hear what God is saying to us.  Our busy lives with its multitude ofdistraction finds us sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the immediate. We desperately need to heed the voice of God when He speaks to us. 

It is imperative to tune in:

Ø  Dependently – Apart from the Spirit teaching us we cannot hear His voice. I Cor. 2:12

Ø  Submissively – trusting that whatever He brings into our life is going to be received with gratefulness…no resistance to His will.  If we have no unconfessed sin and no unresolved relationships we are in right relationship with God.

Ø  Expectantly – anticipating His speaking to us…not doubting His ability to talk to us. Heb.11: 6

Ø  Silently- He whispers…we need to be quiet.  Psalm 62: 5   It is vital that we are inaudible and let Him do the talking. Psa. 46: 10   Instead of reading a list of requests…we should be pausing and listening to that still small voice.

Ø  Gratefully – listening carefully and understanding that trials plus acceptance with gratefulness grow us up! I Cor. 4: 7

Ø   Sincerely – eagerly listening to His voice and doing what is right with transparent motives. I Peter 1: 22

Ø  Reverently – Respectfully, even in awe, accepting that God is using the people and events in our life to produce His character in us…regardless of our circumstances.

Ø  Boldly –  God communicates what is essential.  We need to confidently listen and accept what we need to hear.  Matt. 7: 11

Ø  Attentively– showing God His worth and how much we appreciate His words to us by giving Him our undivided attention as He speaks to us. Heb. 2:1

Ø  Joyfully – elatedly listening with the enthusiasm of our spirit as our soul is in harmony with His will. Psa. 16:11

Ø  Patiently – accepting a difficult situation from God without giving Him a deadline to remove it.  Rom. 5: 3-4

This morning I received a phone call from one of the dearest persons I know on the face of this earth asking for prayer for her husband who is in the hospital and has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Her heart was heavy but her spirit was accepting with gratefulness God’s Sovereignty.  I had started this blog yesterday and did not realize how valuable it would be to me; personally, as I drop to my knees and begin to listen for His voice and pray…

Are You Listening?

Can you hear His voice??

“He who has ears to hear let him hear…” Matt. 11: 15

“He who belongs to God hears what God says.  The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God”.  John 8:47

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "We Moms Are Called A Lot Of Things, But..!"

Holy is in popularity only 10% of words.  Holy is one of the least used terms or adjectives to describe a woman.  We are called a lot of things but rarely does anyone describe us as holy.  Why is that?    New Testament letters are often addressed to holy brothers and sisters.  Could it be that the word “holy” is not understood and is an attribute only reserved for God?  Are we not called to be a “holy” people; set apart by God; dedicated to His global purpose; divinely commissioned and empowered by His grace and devoted to all that is righteous?

 “To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse.”  Col. 1:2.3   Who is the holy brother?  Not everyone is a “holy” brother or sister.  Elisabeth Elliott said,  “We are women, and my plea is… Let me be a woman, holy through and through, asking for nothing but what God wants to give me, receiving with both hands and with all my heart whatever that is.”  The “holy” issue is even addressed in our wedding vows…we are “joined together in the bonds of holy matrimony”

Holiness is a command and a calling.  Leslie Ludy wrote to all of us moms and grandmas regarding this important decision and I quote:

“God does not want:

·      a girl who trifles with Christianity. 

·      A girl who prays tepid, lukewarm prayers

·      A girl who is self-adorning with the latest fashion and trends

·      A girl who dishonors and belittles her parents or husband

·      A girl whose Bible is an accessory to her wardrobe

·      A girl whose tongue is a deceptive weapon of pride and selfishness

God does want:

·      A woman who is radically given to Christ

·      A woman who lives in defiance of the powers of Hell

·      A woman adorned with the inner jewelry of Christ given holiness

·      A woman who honors the authorities God has placed in her life and serves them with charity and gladness

·      A woman who hungers and thirsts to know the Lord and who diligently feasts on His Word

·      A woman whose words drip with the honey of the name of Jesus.

 I Thess. 4:7 “God did not call us to be impure, but to live a HOLY life.”

“Ironically, those most holy are the least likely to see themselves that way”.  Mark Buchana   “The greatest test of our holiness is whether it produces humility in us.  The holiest will be the humblest”. Andrew Murray   Our greatest enemy is pride and selfishness…the wicked antithesis of holiness.  Alas, our understanding of “holy” takes form. We are called a lot of things because we guard our pride and selfishness instead of surrendering them to experience His holiness!   

The exchange is life changing!

“Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture.  It is the habit of agreeing in God’s judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He loves and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word.”  J.C. Ryle      

“One of the consequences of pride and selfishness is that it makes the sinner pity himself instead of causing him to turn to God.  One of the first signs of new life is that the individual takes sides with God against himself!” Donald Gray Barnhouse

 On which side are you?

               Want to be holy? Want your kids to see what it looks like?

Walk a surrendered life with Him, aware of His presence with no unconfessed sin

and nothing between you and another person.

The key to holiness is knowing your need

and keeping short accounts with God. 

Make God’s heart happy…take a stand against yourself and choose holiness.

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.