Transformed

Richard Foster said

"I know the Lord is speaking to me when I carefully consider the spirit, the quality, and the content of the voice I am hearing. The spirit of the voice of God is a spirit of gentleness. It is the Spirit of Jesus. When He speaks, He will not crush the needy or snuff out hope. The quality of His voice is one that draws and encourages rather than one that pushes and condemns. The content of His voice will be consistent with what He has already revealed in Scripture. That is why we must know Scripture. He will never contradict Himself."

As I have been studying "Discerning the Voice of God" by Priscilla Shirer I was stopped by this quote she uses in the book. How do I really know God is speaking to me? In the past, has it always sounded gentle? But wait, the "spirit of gentleness" is not always gentle sounding is it? After all Psalm 29 talks of God's voice being powerful and majestic. It says His voice thunders over the mighty waters, breaks the cedars, shakes the desert and twist the oaks. Truthfully, while I can say the Lord is more gentle with me than I deserve, there have been times when I felt "twisted" under His voice. When my "spirit" (i.e. pride) was broken like the cedars.

But there have been many times too, that I felt His gentle presence and heard His sweet encouragment. Even now, I smile as I think of the intimacy of those moments. Those moments that have the power to transform.

TJ