God Spoke. I Listened.

It was a beautiful summer's day. I was out walking my dogs. I remember it distinctly. I had been praying for some time and seeking the Lord's direction for a ministry that I was leading at that time. The sun shone through the leaves of the tall green trees. The dogs were happily walking along beside me on my favorite walking trail, and I'd just crossed the local park.

As I headed up a small hill, suddenly He spoke! I heard His voice as clearly as if a friend were speaking to me on the telephone. He said these simple words, "Tell them that I love them and teach them to hear My voice." Immediately, I had an inner sense that this was the answer I'd been seeking. The words were repeated three times, and I was sure that God had spoken to me, in response to my prayers, in His still, small voice.

How did I know? Because His Word (found in the Bible) says in John 10:27 (NET), "My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." When you spend a lot of time with someone, you get to know what they sound like.

"How do I do that, Lord?" I prayed in response. He began to unfold His plan over the next several days and weeks ahead. As I studied the Book of Acts (found in the New Testament of the Bible), I noticed that it was like a simple training manual, showing Christians about the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The first believers prayed, listened and waited for His guidance, through the Holy Spirit. We can do the same. I began to write, slowly but surely. Later rewrites, revisions, and a professional editor would be added to the mix. Along the way, I was able to teach the study to a group of women at my church and later at a small Bible College.

Over the next couple of years, the Holy Spirit-inspired idea turned into what has now become my first book, God Speaks: The Guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts and Today, which I've recently released. I hope that this very practical Bible study will help modern Christian believers to learn from the experiences of some of the first believers how God communicates with people.

In addition to a Bible study on the Book of Acts, I have included many wonderful testimonies from other modern-day believers who've heard from God too. I believe these testimonies will serve as an encouragement that prayer is a two-way conversation. We pray, God listens. We listen, we wait, God answers.

How about you? He is most definitely speaking. Are you listening?