Listening to God's Voice and Learning to Obey: What God Taught Me in the Little and Big Things of Life
I was faced with a choice: Was I more concerned about what others thought of me, or what God thought of me? After the silent retreat, we returned to the training room and were given the opportunity to share our experience. One by one, other onboarders shared their experiences, and each time the opportunity was given, I hesitated to raise my hand.
I felt prompted to share what God had put on my heart, but I was nervous. A flood of doubt washed over me as my mind filled with what if questions.
What if I misunderstood God?
What if what I share isn’t really for anyone?
What if they don’t like what I share?
The flood stopped when I heard, “Last call for you to share.” My hand shot up like a bullet, and my heart was about to pop out of my chest. I took the microphone in my hand, took a deep breath, and turned to face the room.
As I stood to share, all eyes were on me. Why did I choose to sit at the front? Another deep breath, and I began sharing what God put on my heart. When I finished, everyone applauded.
We were dismissed for a fifteen-minute break, and some of my fellow onboarders came up to thank me for sharing. This showed me that I could trust the nudges in my heart as God guiding me to speak or do something for others.
I knew that if I didn't share, I would be disobedient. Being disobedient to God is the last thing I want, but admittedly I am still a work in progress.
Listening to God’s voice is essential if we are followers of Jesus Christ.
What God is Teaching Me about Putting on His Armor: The Importance of Being Armored in the Truth
It is important to know God's word so we can tell when we are being lied to. The serpent tricked Eve by twisting what God said to her in the Garden of Eden: “He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say…?” (Genesis 3:1, ESV) He did not flat-out lie to her; that would have been obvious, and she would have known she was disobeying God.
The serpent made Eve question what God said to her. He tried the same tactic on Jesus when He was in the desert just before He started His ministry. This time, Satan, or the father of lies, did not disguise himself as a serpent.
I do not presume to know what form Satan took, or if he even took on a form. He may have simply tried to mess with Jesus’s mind by whispering these temptations in Jesus’s ear. Satan tempted Jesus by appealing to His human needs like food, water, and power.
Satan began the temptations by stating, “If you are the Son of God,” and then he quoted scripture. Jesus fought back by saying, “It is written.” Satan continues to tempt Jesus with scripture, and Jesus continued to answer him with scripture. (Luke 4:6-12, ESV)
Jesus did not fall for this trick because He knew the words of God. If the devil was bold enough to tempt the Son of God what makes us think he will not tempt us? We cannot expect to follow Jesus, and fight temptations if we do not know what the Bible says.
In our culture we experience the temptation of overindulging in food and drinking too much coffee, energy drinks, and alcohol. We are less likely to face the kind of power-related temptation Satan claimed to have.
The temptation that we are most likely to face is our own thoughts. Did you know that 80 percent of our thoughts are negative? Of those thoughts 95 percent are repeated.
If we don't know what the Bible says, we will become prey and be devoured by the wolves of this world. The lies we are told by this world are one thing, but it is another to believe the lies that are bouncing around in our heads.
It has been said that our mind is the devil's playing field. This is why we have to armor up daily and combat those negative thoughts with scripture. By putting on the helmet of salvation we protect our minds.
We have to know who we are in Christ. We are chosen. We are enough. We are dearly loved. We are victorious.
What God Is Teaching Me about Listening to God's Voice: Learning to Hear His Still Small Voice
In 2025 my word for the year was Shema, which means listen, hear, obey. 2025 was a batten down the hatches type of year. It came with joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, anticipation and anger, calm and chaos, and peace that passed all understanding.
God was in all of it. The ups and the downs. The laughter and the heartache.
I spent most of January and February learning to hear God’s still small voice. As I acknowledged His nudges, I began to obey, and this deepened my trust in God's promises. I learned to lean into God's word more than I ever have.
When we learn to listen to God, we will recognize Him in the everyday parts of our lives. How do we know it is Him speaking to us? By reading our Bibles and getting to know His word. Sometimes He will use music to talk to me and other times He will use people.
God will speak to each of us in ways that we understand. For some people He will speak to them through art or nature. We tend to put Him in a box and then wonder why we aren’t hearing from Him.
We want a heart of gratitude. We want to be sure that our ears are open to hear His still small voice and that we have eyes to see what the Lord is trying to show us. When we expect to hear from Him, we will, whether that be reading His word, enjoying nature, or being still.
What God Is Teaching Me about Obedience: It Is More about Surrender Than Sacrifice
Learning to listen to what God was telling me was one thing. Learning to obey what I heard was another.
This year my word is Surrender. Surrender means to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand. When God gave me my word I was scared.
Scared because surrender means I have to completely let go of the control I want to have and trust God. Scared because I knew I was about to become very uncomfortable. Scared because I wasn’t quite ready to surrender, but I knew if I wanted to move forward not surrendering was no longer an option.
Here is my list of what I decided to surrender daily:
· My marriage
· My children
· Every decision that I make
· My writing
· Any speaking opportunities I may have
· Sunflowers of Hope and Kim Hardy Ministries
· The Come to Me Retreat
I have committed to surrender my life to God and there is no turning back.
We are three quarters of the way through the year and let me tell you my God is faithful. We can rely on Him through every trial. When we wondered if we would have enough money to pay for something, money showed up. When I questioned if I was doing the right thing by not getting a job and focusing on ministry, He would open a new door for the ministry.
He was there when our daughter graduated from high school and we took her off to college. He was there when I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. He was there in the little moments when a butterfly flew by me.
He was there when I cried myself to sleep.
Have you ever cried yourself to sleep?
Surrendering daily has not been easy. I have certainly struggled with it. I have not surrendered everything on my list daily. I have, however, surrendered the best I could each day.
Almost every morning I wake up, I thank the Lord for waking me up. I tell Him to get in my head before anyone else. I say out loud, “This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it. I give this day to you, Lord. Guide me and help me accept Your timing in all things for the day.”
My entire life has been full of struggles, but this year, even in the struggles, I have looked to God, and it has made all the difference. I am closer to God, my husband, my kids, and my friends. Living life with purpose and for a purpose has changed my life.
Final Encouragement
God never failed me or my family. He saw us through the darkest of times and was there with us in the happiest of times. He was there through it all. My mind was blown away in 2025 when God started showing me how much He loves me, and it continues to be blown away daily by God’s love, mercy, and grace.
God wants to do the same for you. When we learn to hear God’s voice, recognize when He is nudging us, and surrender our lives daily to His will we will change. When we acknowledge God in the little and big things our attitudes will change.
The more we feel loved by God, the more we love ourselves. The more we love ourselves, the more we can love others.
Check Our Hearts: Questions for Reflection
1) How does God talk to you?
2) When was the last time you acknowledged God's goodness?
3) What is one thing you are willing to surrender to God today?
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