By Karen Bragg

Every one of us at the moment is looking for direction and a way forward in these unprecedented circumstances.  On the upside, it has meant that we have been able to spend much more time in that quiet place with the Lord.  Martin and I have been seeking direction for many aspects of our life this year, as the Lord had given us a word, it would be a “year of change”.

At the moment we need to access the voice of God and I want to hear what he has to say, and be led by his spirit.  I believe that humbleness puts us into a great position to hear from God, and he has shown us 3 things over the last few weeks which I’d like to share with you.

1. Isaiah 30 v 21 ‘your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way you should go whether to the right or to the left.”’ His children can define his voice.  When the Lord speaks to us it is always in line with his word and when we are his children we know it is him speaking.  Revelation 4 v 1 “Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven and the same voice I had heard before, spoke to me like a trumpet blast. It said come up here.”  I recognised that I needed to put myself in the right position beside the Lord, and come away from other things, and await in the presence of God, so that I could more readily hear his voice.

2. Nehemiah 8:10. ‘The joy of the Lord is our strength’. I have found that happiness is created, not found, and our attitude determines our altitude. Whatever causes us sorrow, distress in our lives and upset:  those distractions can take us away from hearing from the Lord. Paul goes into many details in the New Testament about not remembering the past and going forward and remembering not the former things. (Philippians 3:13) Keep our eyes on the future which we can change. So I decided to elevate joy in my life, and as I increased my worship time, and found the Lord spoke in those times of joy and gratitude.

3. Free ourselves from stress worries and disappointments.  Take off that spirit of heaviness which he talks about in the Scriptures. (Isaiah 61:3) Anxiety has never provided any solutions for any problems.  The Lord is available to us and we can tap into his resources. But the Lord says he remembers our sins no more, do not dwell on the unrepairable past. The righteousness of one man Jesus who died for our sins and rose again for our justification. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our sins against us! Therefore, no judgment will fall on you today because it fell on Jesus 2,000 years ago at Calvary.  So don’t be judgment-focused and look back at the sins you have committed. God is not against you. He is for you and on your side.

He remembers that He has already judged and punished your sins in the body of His Son. So because He is faithful to His Son and to what His Son has done, He will never judge or punish you. Any trouble that you might have today, is not from Him. But He will show you a way of escape because He is on your side. He loves you and has your best interests at heart.

So to summarise, the Lord has wanted us to draw close and we will hear his voice as clear as a trumpet. We will have those lightbulb moments that people talk about where things are very clear.  And do not dwell on the things of the past good or bad as going forward the Lord has much for us to do.

The Lord is not out to get you. He is out to bless you, and He wants you blessed more than you can ever ask or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20) Amen!