I’m on day fourteen of my ninety days reading Exploring The Prophetic by Shawn Bolz. The topic is: Develop an Ear to Hear God.

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;“

Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and atonement for our sins has brought us into relationship with God and we no longer need to rely on prophets to share with us what God is saying. If we only get our revelation from others, it becomes a religious thing. It’s alright to listen to the prophets, getting things from God second-hand, but we need to seek God ourselves to see what he is saying to us personally. As Shawn Bolz says, Just hearing from others becomes religion. “Religion brings death; it is principles without relationship. So when a revelation comes, talk to God about it!” This side of the cross, it’s all about relationship.

This is Shawn’s question today: “What does it mean to you to be a priesthood, or chosen? In your relationship with God, how do you see these principles play out in your daily life?”

How do we hear God’s voice? Often, it is by reading the Bible and letting Holy Spirit enlighten your reading. When we quiet ourselves to concentrate on the Lord, the river of life within us begins flowing thoughts through our mind. As Dr.Mike Virkler taught us in Four Keys to Hearing God’s Voice, the voice of God sounds most like your own thoughts; only inspired. It sounds like your voice in your head, but more like heavenly language without negative thoughts or judgements. It’s like your idea, only better than you could ever come up with!

In order to hear God’s voice better, see how the Bible, flowing thoughts, and what trusted, godly people are saying line up. Maybe you keep seeing the same number everywhere you look, or hearing the same word or phrase pop up repeatedly. It’s like when I drive my red Volkswagen Jetta, I notice two or three others in my area and several other VW’s drive past me. It’s nothing to see a half-dozen black Dodge Ram Crew Cab trucks like my husband drives on a trip into the city.

If you’re looking for Godly encouragement, recommend you watch Elijah Streams on YouTube; especially the days Steve Shultz interviews Kat Kerr or Robin Bullock. They are keeping my heart joyful and my mind away from what the enemy is doing in the government and in the news media. Seems like a day can’t go by without the latest hype about Covid-19 popping up, no matter who you listen to. Praise God, my brother’s nursing home reported this is the first week with no fresh cases of the virus in the Residents or the staff!

This week I am also reading Emma and the Reasons (Women of Promise book 1) by Natasha Metzler. I read The Marrieds and their Reasons, the prequel novella to this book over a year ago. Her second book in the series (not counting the prequel), Love, Paris (Women of Promise book 2) is being released February 16, 2021. Natasha is a Lewis County, New York resident who follows hard after God and shares her joys and pains through her writings. This synopsis of Emma and the Reasons comes from her page on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=natasha+metzler&ref=nb_sb_noss

There are three things you should know about Emma Cohen.

1. She’s single and has been for a very long time.
2. There are reasons why she’s chosen to live quietly in her hometown without pursuing marriage in any way.
3. She has two roommates who are also single with reasons of their own.

Which, of course, is why their married friends gave them the nickname “the Reasons”.

But something is changing, and men are coming out of the woodwork, and all three of the Reasons are starting to question if their reasons really are enough to withstand the onslaught–and when in the world did their “married friends” turn into their “matchmaking friends”?

I am enjoying the real-life interactions in this book. Emma is a social worker, the three roommates have a group of young girls that meet each week to learn about the Lord and how to be women of promise, often have neighbor children visit, babysit for the Marrieds, and frequently have foster children in emergency situations stay in their guest room. How will their lives change with these men coming into their lives? Above all else, these young adults seek to honor God with their lives and to discern what it means to stay in His will and live as women of promise.

I will end here for this week. Be encouraged in the Lord, my friends! God’s justice and mercy shall prevail!