And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!â€
And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.
1 Sam. 3:10 NLT
Principles of receiving God’s guidance in our lives:
First, God’s voice often sounds, whether spoken outwardly to the physical ear or inwardly to the human soul, like a human voice.
Second, God’s voice is hindered by unrepentant sin, unsurrendered goals, and self-centered ambitions.
Third, God’s voice can be corrective, or even a word of rebuke, but it will be seasoned with encouragement that is full of enabling grace.
Fourth, God’s voice speaks in silence and repose. Spend little or no time in God’s presence and you will not receive guidance from the Holy Spirit.
Fifth, God’s voice is precious to those whose hearts burn for more of Christ. They maintain yielded and surrendered hearts opening their lives to more and more of God’s presence.
Sixth, God’s voice is gracious, he will speak to us over and over again until we understand his direction.
Seventh, God’s voice is more concerned with developing our character than getting us to the next place in life.
Last, God’s voice always leads to a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus and never contradicts Holy Scripture.
The servant’s open ear is a reason for the Lord’s open lips.
I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to GOD, which I may call an actual presence of GOD; or, to speak better, an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with GOD, which often causes in me joys and raptures inwardly, and sometimes also outwardly, so great that I am forced to use means to moderate them, and prevent their appearance to others.
Brother Lawrence, Practicing the Presence of God