You need to be able to recognize God’s voice so that you don’t confuse it with the enemy’s voice. When you don’t know God’s voice, the possibility for deception is there. You might think that what you hear in your heart, mind, or from other people is from God, when it’s not. Being able to hear and recognize His voice and distinguish between His voice and Satan’s is imperative.
God’s voice has distinct characteristics based on His nature. God is a God of love, order, clarity, encouragement – these are all characteristics of God portrayed in His voice. So, while Satan condemns, God convicts. The enemy discourages, God encourages – the enemy confuses, God clarifies. When you understand the character of God and the Word of God, you’ll recognize His voice. His voice is gentle, beautiful, confirming and brings about peace in your spirit. God doesn’t bring anxiety and fear.
Some people think that hearing God’s voice means hearing the audible voice of God. There are plenty of people waiting to hear God’s voice, assuming that it will thunder from heaven (and it can) – but because it hasn’t, they assume that God has never spoken to them. But God speaks in more than one way.
God can speak to us through other people.
He often speaks to us through His word.
He speaks to us in a still, small voice – sometimes it’s just a whisper in the heart.
God can even speak through music. I once asked God a question when I was a little kid and He immediately answered me through a song that was playing on the radio. I was so surprised and delighted I never forgot that moment. God speaks to us in numerous ways, so listen for His Voice.
God loves you where you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay there. He doesn’t want you to stand still, stuck in time – He wants you to be better, know better, and choose better. God wants us to become more and more like Him. Below are just three things we need to do if we want to look more like Christ, and less like ourselves.
Pray – Christians without prayer are like fish without water. Prayer isn’t an option on the Christian journey – it’s a necessity. Prayer brings us closer to God and His Will for our lives.
Trust – This sounds so simple, and yet it’s so hard, and it’s so necessary. Peace comes when we remove trust in others, ourselves, and the things around us, and trust in Him. God has asked us repeatedly throughout scripture to trust Him.
CHOOSE to be faithful, Godly, and filled with love – Life is full of choices. We can choose blessings or cursings, and God wants us to choose blessings! Make the right choice, daily.
People usually make a snap judgment about you based on the clothes that you wear. Have you ever wondered what your clothing says about you?
Quite a few scientific studies have researched how clothing influences our perception. In one study, researchers asked 300 people to look at a man in a made-to-measure suit and then in a less expensive suit. Of course, people judged the man in the bespoke suit more favorably. Our impressions of others doesn’t stop with men in fancy suits. Even teachers make assumptions about a child’s academic ability based on their clothing.
Clothes don’t just shape what other people think about us; they even shape what we think about ourselves. A team of scientists discovered that when people dress to impress, they enhance their cognitive abilities. Dressing in fancy clothing makes a person think differently. It makes a person feel powerful, which changes their mental processes.
Romans 13:14 doesn’t tell us to dress up in formalwear, but it does tell us to wear Christ.
We talk a lot about walking with Christ, communing with Christ, loving Christ, following Christ, but we rarely discuss “Putting ON Christ.” What does it mean to wear Christ?
The Greek word used for ‘put on’ or ‘wear’ is the word endyō, which means to sink into something, and put it on as one wears clothes. According to Strong’s definition, this word can be literal or figurative. Gill’s exposition explains that we are to put on Christ as a person puts on clothes in the morning. The righteousness of Christ is compared to a garment, which covers our sins and imperfections.
Putting on Christ means placing our faith and hope in Him, trusting Him, submitting to Him, staying under His covering and living in His Presence. Choosing to think like Christ as we go about the day clothes us in His Grace. Choosing to meditate on Christ and His sacrifice clothes us in His Mercy as we go about our day.
We are to be completely clothed with Christ. He is to cover every inch of who we are. Any part that’s uncovered is exposed. The exposed parts are susceptible to the outside influences of the world. How do we stay completely covered? In the figurative sense, it is a submission of every area of our lives to Him. It means submitting habits, work, relationships, speech, thoughts, burdens, fears, and desires. When every area of our life is submitted to Him, we are clothed with His love, and we are wearing Christ.
When an armed robber burst through the door of a Christian store in Texas, the store owner didn’t submit to the threat. Instead, she told the robber to get out of her store “in the Name of Jesus.” The thief left the store immediately. The store owner was the epitome of a spiritually strong Christian. Below are ten traits of spiritually strong people.
1/ One characteristic evident in people who are spiritually strong is that they walk by faith, not by sight. They aren’t focused on circumstances; they’re only focused on God. They don’t worry about what’s going to happen because they fully trust God to take care of them. People who are spiritually weak, walk by sight. They focus on what they can make happen, instead of what God can make happen.
2/ Spiritually strong people carry the peace of God in their hearts. Spiritually strong people are not anxious. Anxiety has no agency over a spiritually strong person. The only force that has agency over a spiritually strong person is the Holy Spirit.
3/ The spiritually strong spend time with God. Moses was on the mountain with God for so long that the Israelites wondered what had become of him. Throughout Scripture we see men and women of God who dedicated themselves to prayer, worship and fasting for extended periods. David praised God seven times a day, and Daniel prayed at least three times a day – both were spiritually strong.
4/ Spiritually strong people have compassion for others. To be spiritually strong you have to have the Holy Spirit residing in you. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, and God loves people – John 3:16. The spiritually strong love others and they are kind, gentle, generous and patient.
5/ Spiritually strong people run TO God when they sin. In Psalm 51, David acknowledges his sins and pours out his heart before the Lord. David begs God to have mercy on him. Spiritually weak people run AWAY from God when they sin. But the spiritually strong run TO Him. The spiritually strong approach the throne of grace, believing fully in God’s mercy and love.
6/ Spiritually strong people are humble. Moses was very meek. Abraham and Joseph are also men of humility. Many of God’s servants throughout the Bible were humble.
7/ Spiritually strong people provoke others to jealousy. They are so close to God that others yearn for what they have spiritually. They cause others to want the fullness of the Holy Spirit operating in their lives. Yeshua provoked the Pharisees to jealousy. In the book of Acts, Stephen provoked the Sanhedrin to jealousy. Acts 6:15 states that the religious authorities saw that Stephen’s face was like the face of an angel. They became so jealous and enraged with Stephen that they killed him.
8/ Spiritually strong people are disciplined. Daniel decided that he was not going to partake in the King’s delicacies. Daniel was a disciplined man. (Daniel 1:8) Daniel didn’t allow the culture to dictate what was on his plate; he submitted to God in discipline and spiritual strength.
9/ Spiritually strong people are not afraid to take risks. We see this clearly in the book of Esther. Esther was afraid to approach the king, but she was willing to take the risk. Esther knew she needed spiritual strength. So Esther declared a three-day fast for herself and her servants. During the fast she increased her spiritual strength and took a risk that could’ve cost her life. She approached the king with the help of God.
10/ Spiritually strong people obey God rather than man. The spiritually strong don’t care what other people think of them. They are only concerned about whether or not they’ve pleased God. The disciples and apostles are great examples of spiritually strong people who obeyed God rather than man. The apostles preached Christ despite the opposition. They continued to be obedient to God despite the threats, imprisonments, and even death. Spiritually strong people are not afraid to die for the sake of the Gospel.
James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
We often hear the phrase “victory over the devil” in Christian circles, but few realize that James 4:7 provides a strategy for complete victory. The strategy is simple. First, one is to submit to God. Submission is obedience. It is obeying the voice of God and being submissive to whatever it is that He wants for your life. Submission is shunning sin, and embracing righteousness. Submission is allowing God to plan your direction and future.
After Christians have fully submitted to God’s sovereignty, they are to resist Satan. The word resist in James 4:7 means to withstand, strive against or oppose in some manner. The word resist is from the Greek word anthístēmi, which means to “take a complete stand against” or a “contrary position” and “refusing to be moved.”
In other words, Christians are taking a defense stand against satan as if readying to engage in war. No one goes to war without proper armor. Ephesians 6:13-18 explains what the armor is and also teaches us that the weapon used in spiritual warfare is a Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Using scripture is another means of gaining victory over satan.
When we take a strong spiritual stand, with God on our side, satan flees. In the Greek, the word for ‘flee’ is the word pheugō, and whenever this word is used in scripture it’s often used to describe someone fleeing for their lives, terrified that they’ll perish if they don’t escape. The technical definition is to seek safety by flight and to escape out of danger. These words help us understand just how dangerous Christians become when they stand against the devil.
When Christians are prepared for spiritual battle, satan knows he cannot have victory, and so he runs for his life, rather than experience defeat.
One of the most important things I’ve learned in my 30’s is the importance of routine. As a certified bohemian, I’ve always rejected routines and rituals. For years, I thought that routines were for ‘boring’ people who had lost their sense of spontaneity and wonder. Now, I relish routines and rituals. Below are three daily rituals that bring me immense peace.
My Morning Routine
My morning routine is quite simplistic – I wake up before my son gets up so that I can work on client projects, write, think, have a cup of tea, eat breakfast, but the most vital part of this routine is prayer. I pray every morning because If I don’t, my day doesn’t feel right. I don’t just pray in the mornings – I read scripture aloud – I think and meditate on Scripture, and I’m a better person because of it. Once my son awakes, I’m ready to face the day with peace in heart and mind. I still haven’t perfected my night time routine, but at least I know how to start my day and anchor it so that it’s a peaceful and productive one.
Spending Time in Worship
One evening, I felt odd, like something was off, or missing. It suddenly dawned on me that the feeling of unease was the absence of God’s presence. Now, don’t get me wrong – I understand that God is omnipresent – I understand that He is always there – but there is a difference in God’s omniscience and God’s glory resting in your heart and home. When God is present, there is a peace that permeates the soul. I didn’t feel the peace in my soul. As I lay in bed that night, I wondered why God felt so far, when I heard the Holy Spirit say one word… “Worship!” That morning the first thing that I did as soon as I got up was worship. I danced and sang around my living room. The moment I began to worship I could immediately feel the presence of God. When the Psalmist said that God inhabits the praise of His people, this stanza wasn’t just figurative, but literal. Worship changes the atmosphere of a home and heart. Worship brings a Philippians 4:7 peace into a place.
Making Time for My Family
Writing, teaching, and coaching is my ‘second’ ministry. My family is my first ministry. Before we go into the world to help and love others, we must first help and love our family. Hugging my son and smooching my husband bring me peace. We were created to love each other – love, time and affection with others bring too many physical and mental benefits to count. However, there is also a spiritual benefit to loving those who God has placed under the same roof as you – the benefit of immense peace.
Not many people like change. Change is hard. But change is good. Change is inevitable. It is through change that we grow, and learn, and evolve. So we need change, and the best way to cultivate change in our lives is to break out of our comfort zone… at least, every once a while.
For many, the simple thought of breaking out of the comfort zone might provoke feelings of unease.
Asking someone to step outside of their comfort zone is essentially asking them to (voluntarily) place themselves somewhere they’ll feel insecure and vulnerable. Most of us have been wired to fear vulnerability and any other situation that makes us feel exposed.
The comfort zone is the place a person feels in control. When a person is outside of their comfort zone, they lose a sense of control over their lives, and this is particularly hard for people who suffer from perfectionism or just general insecurity.
However, people don’t operate at their best when they are within a comfort zone. The comfort zone breeds complacency, which breeds familiarity and begets mediocrity. People are at their best when they are ‘just’ outside of their comfort zones.
Throughout Scripture there’s a consistent theme – men and women of God who are pushed outside of their comfort zones.
Spiritually and psychologically very subtle things occur when a person is pushed out of their comfort zones. When a person is pushed out of their comfort zone, they quickly realize that they can’t rely on themselves. Being in unfamiliar territory is a reminder that we need God. It’s a reminder that we cannot trust in ourselves. It’s easy to forget these things when everything is stable. But then we are pushed outside of our comfort zones we are reminded that we need a higher power to help us.
Being pushed out of a comfort zone helps us grow. It stretches who we are and broadens our perspective of the world.
Being thrown completely out of your comfort zone quickly dismantles pride. The “need to be in control” and pride are linked… but pride quickly diminishes and is replaced by humility when a person no longer feels in control.
Below are two things you can do to break out of your comfort zone.
First, start to pray radical prayers. Instead of asking for the things that you normally ask for, start praying and asking for more. Pray big prayers. Big prayers require big faith – so stretch your faith by beginning to pray big prayers.
Second, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and lead you into new things. Perhaps there are areas of your life where you feel at ease, but you are yearning for more. Ask God to open the doors so that you can experience more – and when the doors open step through them fearlessly – in faith.
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Romans 12:11 is as simplistic as it sounds. Christians aren’t to be slothful or lazy in their zealousness. They are to be fervent in their spirit as they serve God. Sounds simple enough on the surface, but let’s dig deeper into the Greek!
In the Greek, the word used for zeal is the word spoude, which means earnestness and diligence. This word is used in reference to promoting an earnestness in promoting or striving after anything. In other words, Christians are not to be lazy in promoting and striving after God. Christians are to be active participants in a world that is growing darker by the day.
The second half of the sentence admonishes Christians to be fervent in spirit and serve the Lord. In the Greek, the word for fervent is Zeo, which translates as boiling with heat or to be hot. This phrase in Romans 12:11 is reminiscent of what we see in the book of Revelation when God tells the church of Laodicea that they are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. The church in Laodicea lacked the fervency in spirit spoken of in Romans 12:11.
Clarke’s Commentary and Barnes’ Notes eloquently state what is meant by Romans 12:11. Clark states that fervency in spirit is only doing at all times what is to the glory of God, and doing everything as unto Him with a fully engaged heart. He also writes that Christians should aim to please Him, living their lives with simplicity and purity.
Barnes says something slightly different. Barnes believes that this scripture reveals a few things: Barnes first explains that the scripture teaches the value of time. Romans 12:11 begins with the command to not be lazy. Indolence hasn’t just taken over the Western world but has also crept into the church. Many Christians are just as lazy as people who don’t know God – lazy in both their secular and spiritual affairs. Of course, God commands the opposite – telling us to work hard in every area of our lives. Barnes also explains that the scripture is a reminder of the numerous and important things that are to be done.
Our lives on the earth are filled with purpose. We are to live with a zeal for God and the things of God! And we are to be fervent in spirit. So, let’s increase our zeal and fervency. Consider the points below as you fulfill the mandate of Romans 12:11:
1. Pray, worship, fast, and read scripture. Those who lack zeal and fervency or those who feel far from God. Redevelop a deep relationship with the Creator through prayer, worship, fasting and the reading of Scripture.
2. Use your natural and spiritual talents. God has given every Christian both natural and spiritual gifts. No one is without a talent. Use the talents that God has given you to bless others.
3. Be consistent. Water doesn’t boil immediately, and zeal doesn’t always occur overnight, but awakens in the believer and grows as they draw near to Christ. Increase your spiritual temperature over time by staying consistent in using your gifts and talents and deepening your relationship with God.
BOHO + THEO 