When God speaks to you, His words are designed to hit home, right to your core. And if you drop everything to listen to Him, sitting bolt upright and taking notice when you feel God whispering to you, He’ll lean in and speak more. He loves it when you show Him you’re bothered about His business. The first way He’ll speak is through the Bible. Through the Bible He’ll tell you what He’s like, and how that should change you. The second way He’ll speak is directly to you. Because He also wants to give you specific, personal plans and designs for your life. His promises are supposed to get under your skin. Because they tell you about who you are. Who God sees you becoming.
Maybe you’ve heard Him speak like that before. Maybe you’ve had some promises from Him on the backburner for a while – or you’ve forgotten about them, let them fade away. Whenever God speaks, He wants His words to settle in your mind. Sure, He knows how easy it is to forget things – but that’s why, in Habakkuk, He also told His people to write down everything He told them, so that whoever read it could run with it. Writing helps. It nails down what we hear. And it gives us something to fall back on, when we can’t summon the strength to think up encouragement for ourselves. It helps us look beyond our problems to the God who has a bigger view on our lives. When we do that, we start fighting for God’s promises (check 1 Timothy 1:18-19) – and even live in their reality.
What now?
Don’t have a journal? Get one, and begin to write down all the promises you hear God give you.