Listening to God's Nudges

What do you believe and why? Here's the place to discuss anything relating to church and God.
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Jason
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Listening to God's Nudges

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There's some awesome things happening around here that I want to share. First a couple months ago my church began our reachout ministries. We had a brain storming session of ways to get out in the community. That session was interesting because one of the ideas that was brought up was the same idea that I had been talking about earlier that same day. Two people with thee same idea that hadn't talked to each other; a cookout for those in our town's trailer court. And we viewed that as a nudge from God, and acted on it. We did it, and several residents of that trailer court began coming to our church.

Fast Forward to an unrelated event. -- I helped deliver an entertainment center to a local person that bought it. The question came up if she had a screwdriver, and she said no, so I used the one I brought. After that I was at Walmart for various things and got the idea to get a hammer and screwdriver for this lady. I tried to shake it off, but the idea kept coming back. So I went ahead and got them. Last night I was having second thoughts, and I saw this In my facebook feed.

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That knocked the air out of me. But it encouraged me to go ahead with this nudge from God. I may not know this lady, but I'm certain this is what God wants me to do. The point? God nudges us to do things that may be out of our comfort zone, but listening to him is the best thing we can do.
(I'll probably edit and add to this because I'm running short on time...)
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Samantha14
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Location: Neverland, usually hanging out with Peter Pan.

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This is officially one of my favorite topics in church, why hasn't it gotten any replies yet? *sighs*

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to short answer until I have more time to give my full thoughts on this, but...

This. This is something I've been dealing with my entire life, and it's something I will continue dealing with. Most of you know me well enough to know that I have a lot to say. I am an opinionated person, I have strong beliefs, and I know what I believe, even though there was a long time of complication and hardships. I learned from those situations, and the storms made me stronger. I had to learn that my inconvenient experiences, could be someone's spiritual intervention. Sometimes it's your own, somewhere down the road, or sometimes it's someone else's. In either case, the experience or the outcome is what God uses to help us, to help others, and what can be used for His glory.

Now, on that slightly off-road note, I'll make a detour back to my point. God's nudges. God calls us to do one mission, albeit in different forms, and with different gifts. He's going to make us step outside our comfort zones, and into His faith zone. It's going to be uncomfortable. It's going to make us feel unsure, maybe even a little scared, humanly. It's going to make people look at us, and notice, and force us away from the back wall.

I learned that. You may know I have a lot to say. But you may not know, that in real life? I am totally quiet. I'm very shy, and a wall flower. Or, at least I used to be. So when God started calling me to do out reaches, and to ministry, I didn't know what to think. I was like, God. You know me. You made me. Why on earth would you call me to this, you know I can't do something so...noticeable!

But...that's just it. God knows me, and He knows what I am capable of, because He knows what He's given me, and what He has equipped, and is equipping me with, daily. God knew I would be totally uncomfortable speaking in front of my entire youth group, but that's why He gave me the words to say, the comfort of His presence, and the strength and courage to do so. He nudged me in the spirit, and when I obeyed His calling, He was able to touch lives and plant seeds of faith, through me. Plus, He used that experience, and that outcome, to show me how much more capable that I really was. And now I've spoken twice, and am preaching this Wednesday.

He knew I would be scared to go to stay by the week hotels and feed the homeless, the addicts, and the criminals, Thursday. He knew I would be uncomfortable in a vulnerable position, knowing anything could happen at any moment. But He gave me peace, and strength to knock on those doors, and give food bags away to them. And He allowed me to see their faces, to help give people hope that they are not at their end, and that there is always hope. He let me see how changed they were through that experience, and used that experience to change me, too.

It isn't always going to be easy, and no one ever said that Christianity would be easy. We're meant to pick up and bear our Crosses in Christ, but we do that willingly, knowing that there is already victory in Jesus. The world is going to notice you, and that's okay. Of course they're going to notice the people that are standing, walking, running, flying upward, in a world that's falling and crawling so far down. And, truly, if you are willing to listen to God's nudges and step out in faith, even if it's not the easiest, or coolest, or even most sane thing to do, people are going to notice that difference, that light that you have. And, God willing, they'll want to know more. They'll want to know what makes you different than the darkness they've known all their lives. And you'll get to be that spark, that lights a hope in their lives, and they will be able to spark someone else's, and another, and another, and the chain reaction will result in an on going fire for God, all because you were willing to take action and listen, and obey God.

We have that power. So use it, before you lose it, and don't abuse it. Got it memorized?

...also yes this is short answer for me. Have you guys met me? xD
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sing
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Wow. Just wow.
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Of course, all boys have cooties, so I avoid like them like the plague. -Helios


Music is life, that's why our hearts have beats
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Jason
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Samantha14 wrote: He knew I would be scared to go to stay by the week hotels and feed the homeless, the addicts, and the criminals, Thursday. He knew I would be uncomfortable in a vulnerable position, knowing anything could happen at any moment. But He gave me peace, and strength to knock on those doors, and give food bags away to them. And He allowed me to see their faces, to help give people hope that they are not at their end, and that there is always hope. He let me see how changed they were through that experience, and used that experience to change me, too.

Not sure why I quote just this section.. But well said! I strongly believe that God nudges us to do his work and he blesses those that do. In my case, there was a part of me that wasn't even sure why I felt so strongly about doing it, knowing that I would never see the result of my action. But maybe I needed to learn a couple things from it. 1.) Credit doesn't always need to be given for an action, 2.) Even though money is tight, how can I help others with it?

In your case, God's nudges helped change you and I think those changes will play into how God uses you in the future. Also I've found that after I do something and look back at it and wonder "How in the world did I do that?" , God was in those moments and helped me to say what was said or do what was done.
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