Hope in the Dark by Craig Groeschel

Author:Craig Groeschel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2018-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

MAYBE YOU’RE THINKING, “COME ON, CRAIG! I GET WHAT YOU’RE saying, but I’m just not much of a writer. It’s a great idea, but do you really expect me to get on my laptop—or even crazier, take out paper and pen—and write down what I think God is saying to me?”

Yes.

Absolutely.

You got it.

If you’re serious about making it to the other side of this valley you’re in, then you will want to talk to God, listen to what he says, and record what you believe he’s showing you. Make your conversation with him tangible. The very act of putting words on the page or screen produces a testimony, seals a memory, and helps hold you accountable. Record his message to you.

Maybe you think God is telling you to trust him. Or to believe he has something different, maybe even something better. Or perhaps you sense he’s leading you to do something about the problem yourself. Maybe you believe he’s using this trial to change something inside you. To teach you patience. To teach you to trust. To build your faith. His delay is not his denial. As with the persistent widow in Luke 18, he wants you to keep believing and continue asking.

Write it down.

Another benefit of writing down what you think God is telling you is that you’ll grow in discernment. Sometimes you really did just eat too much pizza the night before. Without going into all the details about how you can learn to listen when God is speaking to you, let me just remind you of three things. You can apply these simple suggestions to what you write down to help you discern whether they really are from God.

First, remember that God speaks to each of us in different ways. Rarely is it some audible voice booming out of the sky; usually it’s a gentle whisper that wells up inside you, the voice of his Holy Spirit inside your heart. God can also speak through people. He might use your pastor, one of your parents, or a close friend to share his wisdom with you. God can also use circumstances to guide you, to slow you, or to redirect you toward his plan. And of course, God speaks through his Word, convicting, guiding, and comforting you. But you have to stop and listen. Tune out the distractions. Turn off your phone. Get alone in a quiet spot. And listen. Again, listening to God requires making time and space so you can hear him. And when you do hear from him, write it down. In fact, God might be showing you something right now, even as you’re reading this book. Write it down in the margins, or take out a notebook and jot down what he’s saying to you.

Second, God usually provides confirmation. Years ago, God gave me a vision for using technology to preach to more people in different locations. I was pretty sure this idea came from God, but when half of my church team had the same idea at the same time, that really confirmed it, for all of us.

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