Are you really listening?

Welcome, come on in & join me in a delightful cuppa & chat.

Today, I thought we would focus upon the skill & action of listening on a far deeper level.

But first let’s grab our cuppa’s & get comfy. I’m having a mug of herbal tea called Three ginger tea & a protein Almond snack.

Unbelievably, we’ve had a heat wave here on the East Coast of Australia in Autumn! So we’ll sit inside where it’s much more pleasant.

How’s your week been my friend? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

And how has my week been you ask?

Well I’ve had one of those weeks, you know the ones where things don’t go quite to plan.

The other morning I sat at my desk poised to write this week’s post, I stared at the screen & nothing came to mind! Absolutely nothing! Zilch, zero, nada!

This is not a norm for me, as I love writing it gives me great joy to type away on my keyboard about life, love & laughter while sharing a cuppa with you here each week.

So I was absolutely stumped!

When words escape us…

You see I have a fairly set routine of being here in this space most mornings during the week, it helps me to have an enjoyable activity & focus, while managing Fibromyalgia.

Leaving afternoons & weekends to rest & enjoy time with hubby, loved ones or various interests.

But that morning when nothing came to mind, I just sat for a while staring out the window watching the sunlight & shadows dancing upon our neighbours wall.

The Hibiscus branches & flowers were swaying to & fro in the hot breeze like watching a Waltz, when suddenly a thought came to mind.

Give my eldest daughter a call…now phone calls are always challenging for me as previously shared in Listening.

But I went & got my mobile phone, which lives on the kitchen window sill, where we get the strongest signal, & phoned her. It rang & rang then went to her message bank. Hmmm!

A few minutes later she returned my call,

“Oh, Mum thank you so much for calling I was looking everywhere trying to find my mobile phone & couldn’t find it!

I was just praying that God would prompt someone to call so I could hear where it was as I need to leave for an appointment.

It had slipped down from where I had left it & I wouldn’t have found it without hearing where it was…thank you for listening to the Holy Spirit’s prompt.”

Ahhh, that’s why that thought had suddenly come to mind.

Then I received a text message from her a little while later with the following suggestion;

‘Mum you could write about listening to the Holy Spirit’s prompts, when it comes to mind to call someone, call them!’

So here we are!

Listening & acting!

Let’s have a look at what scripture has to say about the Holy Spirit’s work in our daily lives;

‘Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.’ 

Gal 5: 25 NLT

‘In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness.

We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should,

but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf

with sighs and groanings too deep for words.’

Rom 8:26 AMP

We can see from the above scriptures that the Holy Spirit has an integral role in our daily life.

For Jesus Himself said while here on Earth;

“‘These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name,

 He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.’” 

John 14:25-26.

However, we also have a part to play, we need to be willing to listen to Him as we go about our daily lives;

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion…

see to it, brothers & sisters, that none of you have an unrighteous heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.’”

Hebrews 3:7-12

The prompt we get may not necessarily be to make a phone call, it may be to drop in & have a cuppa with someone.

It may be to send a word of encouragement in a card through the post or text message via mobile phone, just to let them know you’re thinking of them & love them.

It may be walking up to your husband or rebellious teenage child giving them a reassuring hug.

Listening isn’t a passive thing, listening is an active choice, we need to be willing to listen for those prompts of the Holy Spirit & act upon them.

And you just may find yourself being an answer to another’s prayer!

Until next time,

Jennifer 

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

Or 

In Prayer

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