Don’t you love it when a friend is gracious enough to share something with you that really changes your life? I do! Several years ago, my friend, Patty, shared something with me that really helped to enhance my journey to live my life with a continual awareness of and conversation with the Presence of God.

I’ve known from childhood that God is always with me and that I can talk to Him all the time and that I can ask Him for help for the biggest and smallest concerns of my heart. However, I get busy, and though I know He’s there, I want more. I desire to live in His Presence, not beside it. I desire to have a constant conversation going with my Abba, never compartmentalizing my intimate relationship with Him apart from my daily activities. I want to retain in my conscious mind that the Presence of God is always with me and tangible and not allow God to get relegated, even for a short time, to my subconscious.

So, as I said, this friend of mine shared something with me that has stuck with me and helped me. It’s what she refers to as, “ATL: Ask The Lord.”

Now we all know that we should seek the counsel of the Lord when making any major decision, but oftentimes we consign seeking the Lord’s wisdom to areas of major concern only. When I began to seek the Lord for even the smallest questions of what to do, I was not prepared for the wondrous revelations that awaited me.

I want to retain in my conscious mind that the Presence of God is always with me and tangible and not allow God to get relegated, even for a short time, to my subconscious. Come learn the deliciously simple way my Friend’s advice helps me and can help you too in your endeavor to pray without ceasing. #ChristianBlog #HearingGod

I have found that the Holy Spirit has wisdom to offer me on every minor detail of my life. No question is too small, no curious question of how things work is too beneath Him to answer. I know many people who will say, “The Lord doesn't really care if you get the red car or the blue car! He's not interested in the tiny inconsequential details!” While it is quite true that it doesn’t matter at all to the Kingdom of God what color your car is, did you know that the Holy Spirit can tell you what you’ll be happy with in the long run?

Please understand that I’m not saying that you should consult God and then sit around and wait for the answer at every intersection of life. A moving ship is easier to steer and often He has already deposited the desire for certain things in your heart and that’s how you will know what He wants you to do. When answers are self-evident, God does not want us to sit around and wait for some heavenly light show to point the way He’s already planted in your spirit.

And this isn’t suggested as some type of duty, a new thing to add to your endless “Things I Could Do Better” list. It is quite simply a relationship building tool. If you were building a relationship with a new friend, you’d probably engage them in conversations and ask their opinions, too.

So why should I ask the Lord questions as mundane as, “What should I do next on my to-do list?” or “What should I compliment this cashier about?”

The first reason is because I desire to live my life with wisdom and when I ask the One Who has all wisdom, lo and behold, I live wiser. I begin to see how He sees, and I grow. I see what is important to Him and my heart changes. I also no longer need to stress out thinking I should have done things differently; I can rest in the knowledge that I have done as I was told, and things will work out.

Intimacy will bring wisdom for every step of your journey with God, from the smallest task you need to accomplish to the very purpose for your life. When we develop this relationship, the Holy Spirit has an avenue through which to communicate with us about the things that matter most to us—and to Him.

I also grow in my ability to discern the voice of the Lord. Hearing from the Lord is not without the occasional trial and error. As with learning any new skill, you must keep trying it to learn it.

The first time you threw a ball, you had no idea how to do it. It was something you had to do over and over again, teaching your brain and your muscles the skill of knowing the amount of force necessary, the timing of releasing the ball, the way to move your arm, the way to focus on your target, and a million other tiny details that are now second nature. And why are they second nature now? Because you did it over and over again, often making mistakes and correcting them. Learning to hear from the Lord is no different. It is the trying and making mistakes and figuring out what it is like to get it right that constitute learning.

So… ATL! Ask the Lord! God responds to the humble heart that knows it knows nothing without Him. So, go ahead and practice. Little things or big things: ATL! Over and over, becoming increasingly familiar with that still, small voice: ATL!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

Make sure you check out the FREE RESOURCE titled, “5 Reasons God May Be Silent” by clicking HERE!

And for more on intimacy with God, read the blog titled, “God’s Presence, Our Oxygen” by clicking HERE.

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