How Often is God Talking To Us?

The Holiday season is typically a time where "prayer" increases around dinner tables and family gatherings.  This practice inadvertently teaches our children that communication with God is intermittent...

But what if God never stops communicating with us?  What if God is talking to us ALL THE TIME, but we can't hear because the voice of God is being drowned out by the voice of the enemy?  What if the only reason we cannot hear God's voice is simply because we choose not to?

I submit that God is ALWAYS pursuing us.  God is ALWAYS finding ways to love.  God is ALWAYS talking to us, but we simply drown out his voice with the noise of the world, our flesh and the devil and his minions.

Here's what this might look like in your house:

Men, you come home after a long day of work and your flesh starts kicking: "You've worked hard.  You should be able to come home to a clean and quiet house where your kids obey and your wife respects the fact that you earned some bread for the table."  But when you come in the house reality awaits.  Kids are screaming, the house is a mess and your wife gives you the "finally-you're-home-now-do-something" look.  She doesn't ask you how your day was, but starts expressing how her day was.  The voice of the enemy is screaming in your ear, "GEEEZ.  You work all day and this is the thanks you get!?"  All the while the voice of God is drowned out.  The voice of God was whispering, "hey son, you 'work hard' to please me, not to gain the praise and respect of your wife and kids.  Nobody needs to thank you for your hard work because you shouldn't be working for the praises of your family anyways. You should be working to please me, son.  You're frustrated because your living for validation and appreciation.  Those are your gods and now you're frustrated because those two things alone make horrible gods.  They will always fail you. So, choose to love your family today with my words, with my tone of voice, with my loving arms. You just submit to me and I'll do it through you.  I'm crazy about your wife.  I'm crazy about your kids.  I want to love them, but I need to love your wife through you.  I can love your kids through you, I just need you to hear my voice and submit."

What if we men drowned out the voice of the enemy with truth, which belongs to God?

Hebrews 3 is just as relevant today as it was when the Children of Israel were wandering through the desert!

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

8 

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,    on the day of testing in the wilderness,

9 

where your fathers put me to the test    and saw my works for forty years.

10 

Therefore I was provoked with that generation,and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;    they have not known my ways.’

11 

As I swore in my wrath,    ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

God is speaking to us all the time.  If we hear the Gospel (read the context of Hebrews 3) and mix those promises with faith, we overcome any trial and temptation.  This is the faith-rest life of tranquility and peace in the midst of adversity.  We ONLY become frustrated, bitter and angry when we choose to drown out the voice of God with the voice of the enemy.