| Have you ever wanted to have a conversation with | | | | it may be that you’re expecting to hear something |
| God? Not just talk to him but actually dialogue with him | | | | in particular, and God wants to talk about something |
| and hear his response to your questions? Below are | | | | else. He might speak to you about something you |
| some hands-on, practical steps that will help you do | | | | have never thought of before. |
| that. | | | | Be open to anything he might say. It may take some |
| In John 10:4, Jesus said that his sheep know his voice. | | | | time for you to learn to tell the difference between his |
| He didn’t mean that in a figurative sense. If you are | | | | voice and your own thoughts, but again, Jesus said |
| a follower of Jesus, you have already recognized his | | | | that his sheep know his voice. He also said that if you |
| voice at least once, and every person needs to | | | | ask for something good, he won’t give you |
| practice listening to him in order to identify his voice at | | | | something evil in return (Matthew 7:10-11). In other |
| deeper and more personal levels. | | | | words, if you have a desire to speak with him, he will |
| Step One | | | | respond in kind. |
| Sit down with a notebook and a pen, ask God to | | | | Step Three |
| speak to you, and then write down everything that | | | | Realize that God can speak through anything: |
| comes to mind — what you sense he might be telling | | | | something that stands out to you as you’re reading |
| you, even if it seems strange at the time. When you | | | | the newspaper or while writing your blog, talking with |
| read over it later, you’ll be able to tell what was | | | | your daughter, sitting at your desk. |
| God and what wasn’t (just as John 10:4 says), and | | | | God is more interested in you than you are in him. (This |
| you’ll be amazed at everything that was. | | | | is repeated several times throughout Scripture — for |
| Step Two | | | | example, John 3:16 and 1 John 4:19). Simply put, |
| Be willing to hear things you weren’t expecting. If | | | | because that’s true, you should expect to hear |
| you do Step One and don’t hear or sense anything, | | | | from him. |