Jesus wants to speak with you: Three things to do

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Matthew Laker

I was in a season of trying to figure out my next steps. There was much reflection and desire to hear from God. I started to ask questions like, how do I hear from Jesus? How does Jesus speak to us? Just because I am a pastor does not mean I have this all figured out. The second push behind some of this questioning was a real awareness in my scripture reading of God wanting to guide and speak to his people.

I even picked up some resources to read and looked through some old notes and studies I had done. The thing is, even for the average person in the Bible, God speaking was not a large and massive event. Those are the rare moments. Even in the Old Testament stories we often refer to are very different experiences than what Jesus speaks about for us who are now under the new covenant.

Remember, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we can now enter the throne room of God. Jesus shared he would send his spirit to guide us to truth.

In John 10:27 Jesus shares:

” My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus intends to speak to his followers.

Don’t just rush by that. Jesus, the creator of the universe and our redeemer, wants to speak to us. To be a follower of Jesus means in some way Jesus speaks to us. To some, this will seem like foolishness. For the follower of Jesus, this is to be the norm.

The big question is, what does this look like? How does this happen? What does it sound like? These are all good questions.

However, today I want to ask this question. As a follower of Jesus are you making time to hear from Jesus?

Even Jesus pulled away to spend time with God the father. There is an example there for us. In learning to hear from Jesus, we have to make time.

Three things to do.

1) Schedule it – Start by scheduling 15-30 min a day to worship and pray and be still before the throne of God.

2) Journal what you may be thinking Jesus is saying to you. Then take that to a trusted friend so you and your friend can test it.

3) Follow Jesus. Hearing God comes alongside obeying God. Obeying God leads to being able to enter, experience, and engage the life you were created for.

What questions do you have? What has been your experience?

An exercise for hearing God this Spring.

Posted on May 6, 2016May 3, 2016 by Matthew Laker

I was hiking with my family in a local marsh area and it was early spring. Things were still brown and there was a spring wind in the air keeping it cool.

As we started the trip I pulled my family together and instructed them that as we walk this trail, “I want you to look for things that remind you about Jesus.” Then we would talk about what we saw at supper when we got home.

As we walked we often paused to just take in the images, smells, and sounds. We would often pause and watch the birds come close and eat out of our hand. We saw the beginning of new growth and heard the sound of many frogs.

All of our lives are busy and often we pray and ask Jesus to be with us and guide us. This is a good prayer. However, I am becoming more aware that Jesus is already with us. We have just become deaf to his voice.

In this moment with my family I had three objectives. One was to just enjoy nature and spend some time together. Two was to help my kids begin to look for reminders of Jesus in the everyday. Three, to listen to what the Holy Spirit may have to say to me on the journey and as I listened to my kids share later. It was not an overly spiritual event, we just went for a walk and enjoyed it.

Later we drove home and prepared supper and at supper, I asked the question, so, “what did you see that reminded you of Jesus?”

A simple exercise for hearing God.

Go for a walk
Be open for reminders of Jesus. Some may want to pray inviting Jesus to speak and to give you the ability to see clearly. In the moment above, my family just went for a walk.
Enjoy nature, the sounds, the smells, and the images.
Quick reflection – two questions to ask

What did you see that reminded you of Jesus?
Why did do you need to be reminded about that?

This spring as you go about life, Jesus is with you. To enter, engage, and experience the life you were created for, take steps to listen to Jesus in the every day of life.

My experience has been often that he is not calling us to something new, but reminding us who he is and who we are.

What is your favourite place to go for a walk? How do you best hear God in your life?

One Tip For Creating Space To Hear From God

Posted on May 15, 2015May 14, 2015 by Matthew Laker

One tip for creating space to hear from God.

The week after writing about the post,“If we do not build an altar to meet with God, he cannot honour us with his fire,” I was struck by the reality that so many of us struggle with, the rhythm of creating space. If Jesus is the source of water in my life, then why do I not drink from that pool?

I cannot remember where I read this comment:The disciplines we have during the good moments will help us during the valleys of life. Forget for a moment what that would look like. What if you just pulled out your schedule, and for the next six weeks, one time a week, you scheduled 30 minutes to build the altar?

In my journey challenges have come from a number of areas. For example, responsibility from work, from family, the need for sleep, bad habits and or bad rhythms already established in my life. And, then there are the excuses we come up with.

In my life when I have not scheduled the time, I have failed to be restored. It has hurt my journey in life. When I do schedule the time, not only do I become grounded in Jesus, I am better husband, father, friend, pastor and person. It is as if God has designed our life in such a way to leak, and this forces us to come to him to be filled. In turn this reminds us of our need for God.

What if over the next six weeks you heard from God? What if you gained a greater or deeper understanding of who God is and what he has done? This is why we schedule our time, to draw from an eternal well and hear from Jesus.

I am just not a calendar person you may say. Maybe, but you seem to find a way to eat food every day.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water” (John 4:13-15).

Pull out the calendar and plan time to meet with Jesus. Try it just for six weeks and let me know what happens?

Any suggestion on how to use that time? If you are looking for help send me an email: matthew@matthewlaker.com

Go ahead over the next six weeks, plan 30 min. each week to build space to hear from God.