I began sensing that God was speaking to me about the excess in my closet (and jewelfy and make-up drawer) and leading me toward simplicity in my spending habits. As I fasted and prayed and sought God’s will for my life I had a friend who lives in another state reach out to me and tell me that she was praying for me and believed that God was leading me into a season of simplicity. So then I fasted with this idea of simplicity in spending in mind. But as I was praying and thinking about simplicity, my youth group began a fasting campaign. I would use all of my income on these things and not bat a proverbial eye if I could. I am the kind of person who loves clothes and shoes and make-up and hair accessories. I discerned God leading me toward simplicity and away from excess. It wasn’t long before something began to stir in my heart. I knew that there were areas of my life where I wasn’t listening to God so I began to pray about this question. I began to ask this question at the beginning of 2021. In what area of your life are you selectively listening to God?Īs we seek to discern God’s will and God’s way for our lives, it would serve us to take inventory of our life by asking and answering this question. Selective listening is how there can be glaring inconsistencies in our life and we are unable to see them. Selective listening leads to an un-transformed life. God can have reign in my work life but not my politics. For example, I will give you control over my family but not my friend group. Selective listening happens when we say to God, I will listen to you but only in specific and isolated areas of my life. Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”Įli and his sons represent today what we might call selective listening. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family-from beginning to end. This was what God said about them to Samuel.Īnd the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.
Eli’s sons were going through the religious motions but their religion wasn’t making an impact in their lives. They used their position of power to exploit others for personal gain. In addition to this abhorrent behavior, they would also sleep with the women who served in the temple. They were known for showing up in worship dressed in their “temple best,” and while receiving the offering they would steal the best part of the offering for themselves. In contrast to the young Samuel, Eli’s sons are not listening.
He is “all In.” He is ready to move, to listen and obey This willingness to listen is set in contrast to Eli’s sons in this story. Even before he knows it is God, he responds swiftly and with a willingness to obey. The first thing we have to answer as we seek to discern Gods will in our lives is, “Am I really listening?” Samuel is the model of a good listener in the story. I asked the question, “When is the last time you had a great epiphany?” For many of us, epiphanies are the defining moments of our lives and the moments that we continually look for. In my last post, I looked at the story of Samuel’s call as a resource for us, contemporary Christians, who are seeking to discern God’s will in our lives. How do you hear Gods voice? How do you know if God is leading you? How do you discern what God might be leading you to do?
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