EP #025 - Prayer: Being Still To Hear From God
Destiny Thomas, the Prayerpist ™ , and I discuss how being still and taking the time to listen to what God is telling us, makes it so much easier to hear Him. When you pray you allow God the space to move in your life, but so often we don’t take the time to slow down and listen. Destiny and I discuss how slowing down gives you the time to hear Him and mostly eliminates the feeling of abandonment we feel when we can’t hear Him.
Be Intentional In Prayer To Hear Him
There is a difference between using prayer to vent to God versus having a conversation with Him. Destiny reveals that she and her husband went through a very trying period of time during which they were having difficulty getting pregnant. Instead of praying about the experience, Destiny was venting to God about the ordeal. He revealed to her the difference, and she was only able to hear Him when she slowed down and took the time to listen.
We also discuss the comparisonitis that happens when we stop truly praying and only see the blessings in everyone else’s lives. We have to step away from comparisonitis by being intentional in how we speak to God and the things we bring to Him. We constantly say that God gave us a purpose and a plan, but instead of seeing the steps that he provides for us, we constantly go back to Him wondering why we aren’t finding success in our purpose.
Are You Scared To Hear What God Has To Say?
Many times it seems as if we fail to seek God intentionally because we are scared to hear what He has to say to us. God wants to have a personal connection with us so that he can speak to our hearts.
He will also require that we grow and develop before He considers providing us with our wants. Destiny and I talk about we as humans do not like being used, and neither does God. We cannot expect Him to give us all of our desires without first realizing that He is working on our character and in our lives. If necessary, face your fears of what God has to say to you, so that He can work in your life.
To The Woman Who Is New In Christ...
Make a concerted effort to slow down and converse with Christ. Destiny shares her 7-step process to slow down and pray and feel God moving in your life.
1: Create the Atmosphere - This removes the enemy, play praise and worship music
2: Ask - Ask God to allow you to only hear what he has for you at THAT moment
3: Go in with Gratitude - Begin the conversation with your heart out not your hand
4: Prayer with Vulnerability - Go to God with honesty and give him your fears
5: Dig Deep - God wants to dig deep and work on the roots, not the surface
6: Be Intentional - However you pray, take the time to slow down and hear what He has for you
7: Confirmation - Take the time and seek God’s confirmation that He was the one providing the guidance
The most important piece of prayer is to be genuine and honest with God. Go to Him with faith and tell Him exactly what is wrong in your life. Just because He is God and knows everything, does not mean that we have the right to keep our lives from Him. We have free will, so unless we give Him permission to enter our lives, He won't.
How Do You Push Through The Challenges In Life And Focus On God?
Destiny dives deeper into her experience with infertility and how she made her way back to God. She talks about the process she went through to figure out that God had a plan for her and her life. He showed her that she was broken and not ready to have a child at the time that she wanted to have a child. Her infertility issues were solved at the right time. He does not bless mess!
She turned to the book of Samuel in the Bible and found solace in the story of Hannah who also dealt with infertility. She was then able to let go and allow God to move in her life. She also mourned the loss of the close, personal relationship she had with God. She’s walked with God since she was young and feeling that separation was one of the worst times in her life.
Once she stopped, slowed down, and sat still, God showed her that she was venting to him, not leaning on him. This entire experience has allowed Destiny to help others dig deeper into their relationship with God and realize His purpose for their lives. We know God doesn’t leave us, we walk away from Him, but we can always find our way back to Him.
Final Thoughts:
Keep in mind that God works in His time, not ours. When you converse with God and take him your fears and your hopes, He will work, but not necessarily when we think He will. God knows what we are going through and He wants us to go back to Him. Be intentional, be still, and spend time in the presence of God.
John 15 - If we abide in him and my words abide in you, ask and it will be done.
Connect with Destiny:
My name is Destiny Thomas. I’m an Author, Podcaster, Prayer and Discernment Coach and Motivational Speaker. I am known as The Prayerpist ™, and I specialize in conducting One on One and group prayer sessions very similar to therapy/life coach sessions. The thing that sets my sessions apart is they are Holy Spirit led allowing us to get to the root quicker than your average session and leave with the tools needed to discern God's voice for yourself. Every session is ended with journal prayer and a prophetic message from the Lord. In my group sessions or Purpose-Filled Prayer sessions, I am helping people tap into their true praying power. To ensure we aren’t living out the lives that we think we should, but the ones in alignment with God’s plan and purpose for our lives. So many times people shy away from praying for healing and breakthrough for themselves and others because they believe that prayer is assigned only to pastors and other church officials. This program strives to break that thought pattern and open people up to what prayer really is and how it can be used effectively.
Instagram @Realizing_Destiny
Website - www.realizingdestiny.com
Podcast - Realizing Destiny Podcast