Reversal #3 — From Our Best Ideas to Discerning God's Voice

So the word listen or hearing from God is over fif- is found over 1,500 times in Scripture.

Uh, but the problem is it's easier to work for God than actually listen to Him.

And, uh, that's why this, the most important question you could be asking all the time is, "What's God saying? How's God coming to me? How is He leading me right now?" My first 17 years as a, as a Jesus follower and, uh, my early years as a pastor, my first seven, eight years, six, seven years as a ch- of a, as a pastor, uh, I spent my time leading for Jesus, but I wasn't actually listening to Him.

I, I wasn't really trained in that.

Uh, my prayer life was mostly intercession.

The understanding was, of course, we're obeying Scripture.

We've got the great commission, build God's church, and I wanna steward my gifts, was the understanding.

I've got gifts, and I wanna maximize the use of these gifts and multiply five talents to 10 talents, et cetera, uh, and advance God's kingdom.

And so I would seize opportunities.

That's what I was taught.

Look for open doors.

Where is, you know, where is a place I could maximize, uh, the use of gifts, talent, resources, people, uh, to advance God's kingdom and do it.

Uh, and I, I, I got a fr- a, a friend, uh, recently said to me [coughs] as he was retiring, a lot from his formal job, "I wanna maximize the use of my life experience for God." And, uh, I said to him, "That's not really the first question, how to maximize and steward, uh, just steward your gifts.

The issue is, what's God saying to you?" That's the best use of your gifts and talents, is how is God speaking to you in His direction? Because what we think is strategic may not be at all what God thinks is strategic.

And, uh, in fact, I was ...

I, I'm with pastors often, and I, I talk to them about, you know, h- how ...

Talk to me about your prayer life and how much of your prayer life is actually listening.

And for the most part, it, it's speaking, it's talking, it's intercession.

And, uh, one pastor said it to me recently, this, this t- uh, just recently said to me, "Nope, my, my prayer time is intercession.

I, I ...

People give me prayer requests.

I, I read Scripture, and then I, I'm praying for them one by one by one." I said, "What about listening? What about being still before the Lord and listening to what He's saying to you?" And he said, "It's really ...

I, I'm not good at that.

It's not really, uh, it's not something I, I learned.

And so, uh, uh, I, I don't ...