God Speaks...

This one you must maintain an open mind for...if your not ready then put off reading this message for another day. The purpose of this particular entry is to provide you with more questions than answers. It is my humble belief that you must begin to question where you are before you can move or change. Willful change occurs as a result of curiousity.

At now 28, I have come to the conclusion that one of the greatest challenges in my spiritual walk is my faith. The second comes from a song that we used to sing at my Christian elementary school that had a line in it that went like this..."and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they will know we are Christians by our love." I worry every time I say a smart comment maybe slip up and curse every now and then about the face that the world sees. I know that if I profess to be a strong woman of God, all eyes are on me to truly be that. If I slip up, I have at times felt like I was an angel falling from grace and SOMETIMES there were people in my life that truly wanted that to happen... but I digress.

Before I get to the meat of this discussion, I want you to understand that I am not part of the bible toting far right. Not that I have a problem with the bible toting part but the closer I get in my Christian relationship the more I realize that I cannot judge. I will discuss my position on various issues from time to time on this blog, but the focus of today's message is truly faith.
What inspired this particular topic was my latest obsession which is the Left Behind Series by LaHaye and Jenkins. Currently on book four and it quenches the part of me that is all English teacher who enjoys a good read and a fictional interpretation of my favorite book in the Bible, Revelations.

Before I get started I have a few questions for you:

1. Do you believe that God still speaks to people? If your answer is yes, how does he do that?
2. Has he ever spoke to you? How did you know it was him?

Hollywood has many different interpretations of the deity known as God. And while some bear a closer resemblence to God, I urge you to find out for yourself. I accept hollywood as a means to spark someone's curiousity, but I often worry when people truly believe that the God described in movies is all there is. Nevertheless, let's take a quick look at some of the stories in the Bible where God clearly speaks and how it is done.

Genesis 3:8-19 This is the section of Genesis where the fall of man is described. I wish I had a better grasp for inserting links into what I am trying to accomplish, but I guess I have been sheltered thanks to AOL. What occurs in this particular passage is that Adam and Eve have eaten from the tree of life and have had their eyes open. God walks through the garden and is actually calling to them, asking them Where are you? Can you imagine God walking up to you and speaking to you? They are hiding because they now know that they are naked. God questions Adam and he immediately blames Eve, while Eve blames the serpent for her insurrection. Each of them is cursed into the existence that we call life today. Childbirth pains and having to work for a living being the most significant. In that brief moment things changed.

Later in Genesis we see several stories of God speaking. To Noah, who is called to create an Ark that will house himself, his immediate family and their spouses, as well as, 2 of EVERY kind of animal during the great flood. Abram in Gen. 12:2-3 I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Later God renames Abram, Abraham which means exalted father. It is through the line of Abraham that Jesus comes. He comes through dreams, face to face meetings, and visions. He also sends people to speak to his intended recipient to get his point across. He continues to do this throughout the Bible.

In the new testament Jesus comes and speaks and when he departs from the earth we are left with the Holy Spirit who I believe to this day continues to speak.

This is where faith comes in. Have you ever heard that small voice that told you do something and once you did you were better off as a result? The difficulty is two fold, hearing the small voice maybe difficult if you aren't listening and the other is following the directions when they come even if it may not be comfortable. I can recall countless times in my life when I have had heard that voice and ignored it. Thinking to myself, I may have just misunderstood the message. As I type, I sit convicted knowing that I have an aunt that I was told to make amends with over a week ago and I have not yet done so.

For me, God has spoken at times as a result of prayer. But more often than not he has whispered to me when I wasn't looking for his guidance. That is the eerie part. Growing up in an extremely spiritual household very little for lack of better phrase, weirds me out. But nevertheless, I have been guilty of questioning myself which is normal but also I have been guilty questioning God. Are you sure about that?

Right now, I am trusting in God to make all of my footsteps firm. When he shows you a way out do it the first time. You may not have a second chance. I have learned above all else he wants what is best for me and if for some reason what I have begun to salivate over (a new car, clothes, homes, jobs, that fine brotha that said hello at the airport) is not for me I will learn to accept it and trust that he can work it out.