A Christian’s Voice From Raymore – September 30, 2009

Listening to God’s Voice

I have been thinking a great deal lately about the voice of God and how he speaks to Christians in our day. Sometimes I yearn for the type of guidance that he provided to many of his great leaders of the past. I have studied the lives of great men like Moses (Exodus 3) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1) who were hesitant to heed the clear call of God. There was Joshua who did not seem to bat an eye when called to take up the challenge of leadership with God’s tremendous encouragement (Joshua 1). And then there were men like Gideon (Judges 6:36-40) who were not quite sure and asked God for a series of signs that he was indeed calling them for a specific mission. I am a believer! I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God! I believe that my faith has increased in the past 4-5 years and has increased my desire for ministry and outreach. This increased faith and recent circumstances in my professional life, have brought me to a decision point where I am earnestly seeking and listening for God’s voice. I am passionately pursuing his will for my life and I have reached a decision point. I have just finished reading Lloyd Reeb’s book Success to Significance and definitely am a proponent of the “halftime” philosophy. Through suggestions offered by Mr. Reeb, I hope to find my place to serve. The key questions I must answer are: 1) Will I serve in the marketplace, in the church, in the community or internationally? 2) What are my gifts and talents and how will I carve out a ministry assignment that matches who I am and what God is calling me to do? 3) What model for serving best fits (how much time will I work on it and will my ministry be paid or unpaid)? Knowing that God does not speak to me directly and orally as he did with Moses, Jeremiah, Joshua and Gideon, I look for his providence in the happenings of my life. I spend time with him early in the morning and throughout the day to seek his guidance in the decisions I make. I listen for his voice, speaking through wise counsel offered by godly men and women. I look for guidance from spiritual mentors and leaders. If you would like to leave your comments, feel free to do so. If you would prefer to respond to me privately, e-mail at randy.sexton@achristiansvoice.com. May God bless you in your walk with Him, as you seek to listen to His voice and to find his direction for your life! –Randy Sexton