Being a First Class Noticer

One of my resource books during this 4-week retreat with God, is Mark Batterson’s “Draw the Circle”. I’m a fan of this author who also wrote two other books I love, “The Circle Maker” and “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day”. For me to say these books have changed my life says a lot because, quite frankly, I don’t call myself an avid reader. For me to recommend books of any kind is a big deal, because it means I read it from cover to cover, unlike so many books I tackle and get only a few chapters through and it goes to my library, unfinished.

Yesterday’s reading in “The Circle Maker” really nailed it for me. I like to think of myself as someone who lives in the moments, is a big noticer of little nudges and signs from heaven quite easily, but Mark Batterson put words to it for me. The chapter, yesterday, was “First-Class Noticer” – someone who is watchful; who keeps watch – those who see things others don’t see. Mark says “When we pray, we become noticers. Prayer is the difference between seeing with our physical eyes and seeing with our spiritual eyes. Prayer turns us into “First Class Noticers”. It helps us see what God wants us to notice. The more we pray, the more we notice and the less we pray, the less we notice.”

As I read that, I remembered, specifically, that I NOTICED. Here’s one of the latest cases in point. I was tucked away here in the guest house last week, had been seeking God, praying, reading and all of a sudden there is that noisy, head-bumping cardinal again. This time, somewhat perturbed at him for interrupting my quiet time, I stood at the foot of the stairs and said, “Okay, God and Ron (cardinals often mean a loved one in heaven is reaching out to us – I like to believe that), what are you trying to tell me today?” Immediately, I sensed I needed to go upstairs where there is a sitting area, game table area, plus a desk and credenza. I walked around the room, just in the mindset of being a noticer, and I stopped in front of the credenza when my eyes fell on something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Obviously, it had been a gift to my father-in-law from my husband because this is the inscription on a Trinidad/Tobago $1 bill that had been framed: “DAD, Your prayers are being answered. This represents another missions trip that you have been a part of this year. Because of who you are and what you’ve instilled in me and how you raised and trained me, your ministry continues on. Together we will accomplish much more for God. Happy Father’s Day. Your Son, Ron ‘95

I noticed. Ron and Dad had been on yet another missions trip together. I took it in. I meditated on “What does this mean?” And what seemed like another one of the answers to my prayers for this 4-week “seek and find” time, I took in those words my husband spoke to his Dad: “Because of who you are and what you’ve instilled in me and how you raised and trained me, your ministry continues on. Together we will accomplish much more for God.” Just because Dad and Ron are no longer here on this side of heaven, doesn’t mean their ministry ended. Their footprints, their legacy, their heartbeats for missions and ministry carries on and they both wanted me to remember that during this season. I threw kisses to both of them and I, too, assured them “Indeed your ministry is carrying on, through our children, our grandchildren….. and even ME! Thanks for the reminder!”

As soon as I finished typing this message last night….to post today…..up popped a FB post from my daughter on my timeline about my granddaughter heading to Guatemala on a missions trip in June. How’s that for “my cup is full and overflowing” with God’s affirmations and promptings? Yes, Lord, I noticed!

Would you like to join me in being a First Class Noticer? I assure you, it sure makes the journey so much sweeter and so much on purpose to keep our spiritual eyes wide open. We’ll see God everywhere we look. We’ll see the image of God in others. We’ll see His fingerprints on His creation. We’ll see God-ordained divine encounters and surprises all around us all the time. I know I did today!

Are We Listening WELL to God?

Photo 242 of Photo Inspirations -- Are We Listening WELL to God?
Emmett from the Lego Movie  said, "I think I got it, but just in case, tell me the whole thing again.  I wasn't listening."

During her talk at the Sisters Event, Amy Groeschel said, “Have you ever read a text message and realized that it was sent four hours ago, and by then it was too late to respond?  God is sending us messages all the time, but we’re not listening well.  We’re distracted or preoccupied or just maybe, we don’t even want to listen.  You know how our children have selective hearing?  You can call them and call them, and they don’t respond, but if you say “Ice Cream”, they’ll come running.  Just like kids, we, too, have selective hearing.  We listen to what we love.  God is communicating with us all the time.  He wants us, like we want our kids, to LISTEN WELL!”

Ever been texting, and someone was trying to talk to you at the same time?  We say, "I'm listening....go ahead!"  But in reality, we're not listening WELL.

So how do we listen well?  We listen well by guarding our hearts.  It's so easy to be sidetracked from the things that matter most, especially when we're so busy.  We're running here and there, taking care of business and trying to figure out how to do this or that.  When, all the while, God is speaking to us, but our hearts are being controlled by stress and anxiety. We must guard our hearts so that when He speaks....we're tuned into His frequency and can hear Him loud and clear.

He also wants us to guard our minds.  Amy said, "Our kids know all the words to every Taylor Swift song, but do they know God's Word?"  The enemy wants to deceive us and the best way to know his lies are to know and be grounded in God's Word. It's like learning a foreign language.  We must immerse ourselves in it in order to learn it.  The same is true for knowing God's Word -- every key to victory and success is found there.  Why wouldn't we immerse ourselves in the Word?  When we do, we'll be listening WELL.

Isn't it time we pay attention to His nudges, His promptings and His voice?  He holds the answers to everything we need to live a victorious life, so why would we allow anything to come between our ears AND His voice?  Isn't it time for us to start LISTENING WELL?

Feeling Some Nudges? Having Some "Aha" Moments?

So you've been feeling some nudges, hearing some still small voices, having some "aha" moments? I'd like to suggest that God is trying to get through to you! If you are tight in your relationship with God -- you go to Him in prayer and study of His Word, you embrace His love and care for you, you KNOW Him -- then, it's definitely Him, and I highly encourage you to respond to His nudges.

And, when I talk about "nudges", I'm talking about the Holy Spirit Who Jesus promised would come when He went away. "However, I'm telling you the truth. It's for your advantage that I'm going away, because if I don't go away, the Helper/Counselor won't come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." John 16:7.

I talk a lot about "being on assignment" -- and it's so simple to know what that assignment is when we realize He who knows everything about everything lives big in us. We don't have to jump through hoops or any other actions to merit His favor or love. He is our Father so we should just live "tuned in" to His nudges and still small voice and the "knowing" that He is leading and guiding us. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

So, let's start following Him -- His little nudges. He has so much wonder and awesome experiences awaiting us -- let's start pursuing them. We could take the "safe" route and the easy way by living a mundane life, or we can follow God’s impulses that lead to the "above and beyond" in our lives. Let's tune into the nudges that God is giving us -- those nudges to live, pursue, hunt, give, climb, dig, jump, walk, run, research, and focus on the assignment -- the nudges -- and the "aha" moments will surely follow close behind!