During a ministerial internship, I overhead a conversation where the recipient after listening for quite a while asked the speaker, “could you bring it local?” Bringing it local meant, “can you breakdown what you said to a level I can understand?
As believers we tend to speak in a lot of christianese that lose others who are not familiar with our jargon. Often, we tend to be so deep… but God on the other side communicates in a way He knows we will understand. God keeps it local!
At times God’s instructions are very simple. They can be a word or two, such as go here, look there, turn left, don’t move, pray now, move the car, call your husband, check on the kids, watch! Stay here, sit! No! quiet, Wait, don’t send that email! study Bahamas!
Do not mistake these as just your thoughts or imaginations; God could be talking to you. He tends to give you move instructions once you obey the initial directive. So, cultivate acting on the first instruction. He will show you more as you obey. Of course, there are times that He will speak metaphorically through dreams and encounters, but often God speaks through simple instructions. He brings it local!
Flexibility with God and the Holy Spirit involves responding to God’s instructions immediately on command. Meditate on John 10:27-My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
This week reflect on the moments your brushed off as just your imaginations. Ask God to forgive you if you misjudged His voice. Move forward with listening to Him. God may speak to you though an inner voice, an inner knowing, a thought, your instinct or even an audible voice.