If you have read any of my previous posts, I am sure you have gotten the gist that I like to try and jump ahead of myself and God’s plans. So recently I have tried to focus all my attention on simply listening.

All I can say is it’s amazing what happens when you give Him time to talk. This past sunday at church the pastor challenged us to actively seek out those times when the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do something. In other words pay attention and try to take notice of when He is talking.

As the week started I was really excited about this, it was funny to me though because a lot of the things I was picking up didn’t quite seem to make sense at first. I didn’t understand all of it, but wow I knew he was trying to say something. The week went on and it all started to come together and make a little more sense.

I am a very visual person and quite analytical. God is obviously aware of this and I think he used this to His advantage. It’s funny because I talk about words a lot and their power and impact and writing is one of my passions, but this week he broke all that down and spoke through letters.

Yes I said letters. No, I am not crazy, I truly believe God focused on letters to get my attention. Actually, you can think I’m crazy if you want, and this could all be a figment of my imagination, but either way I am going to write about it, whether it was a simple coincidence or not.

As we all know, the first letter of the alphabet is A. A is the letter that I felt myself continually being pushed toward this week, for multiple reasons.

One reason being because A is the first letter of the alphabet. This reminded me once again of Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

I know this is probably because my schedule is the same almost everyday and I’m listening to the radio at the same time as their pre-recorded loop comes on, but the song “First” by Lauren Daigle was on almost every time the radio was on. I didn’t just love the song at first, but listening to the words this week brought forth the great reminder that…

Before I bring my need, I will bring my heart
Before I lift my cares, I will lift my arms
I wanna know You, I wanna find You
In every season, In every moment
Before I bring my need, I will bring my heart
And seek You First

Once again, Matthew 6:33. If nothing else I have learned of God’s persistent consistency.

The next A that became apparent to me was Atmosphere. In this season of my life the atmosphere changes a lot. My hometown and college are like two different worlds, but even here at college I have the classroom atmosphere, the atmosphere of living with 96 girls, the college campus atmosphere and all of the other atmospheres I walk through in between whether that be meetings with organizations, church, bible studies, literally the possibilities in a week are endless.

With all of the changing surroundings there is a great opportunity for me to change and conform to whatever atmosphere I’m in. As this has become more apparent to me over the last week, this quote came at me, “Wherever you are, be all there.”

I love this quote because yes, it is saying be fully present wherever you are and always be intentional with your surroundings, but I think looking deeper it can mean even more. I think it can also be interpreted as wherever you are be all there fully, meaning don’t leave parts of yourself out because of your surroundings and wherever you are be all there, leaving no room for the fake face you sometimes present others with to try and fit the mold of what you think they’re looking for.

Right about this time the encouragement to do this came through scripture. John 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Wherever we are, we should be all there, and not be afraid to be wholly who we are and who HE created us to be, because without a doubt He will be there too. There should be no fear in going somewhere and being fully intentional and transparent when you know the Creator of the universe will be with you as well.

This brings me to my next A, Approval. Our society has taught us to seek the approval of others and look to our peers to define success and happiness and a multitude of other things that should never be measured by comparing ourselves to each other. Being back at college has launched me back into the world of holding myself to other people’s standards, whether that be academically, socially, or any other way. I have caught myself caring how many likes I got on an instagram post or how my schedule stacks up to the person next to me, as if anyone should ever care how many people hit a stupid button on a screen saying whether they approve of your picture or if being busier than the person next to me makes me any better or more important in any way.

I have been so apparently convicted of these things the past week and they aren’t easy to overcome in a world so centered around the approval of others, but God calls us to something far different than the comparison or approval of others.

“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” –2 Corinthians 10:12

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” –Galatians 1:10

To be a servant of Christ is to be His hands and feet, which brings me to my next A. Acts, yes the book of Acts. Acts is all about the founding of the Christian church and the spread of it’s message. I’m sure you are a little confused at this point, but I have recently had the opportunity to join alongside a group of people who are going to do exactly what God has called them and move to Denver, Colorado to start a church there.

No, I am not dropping out of college to move to Denver, but because of the relationships I have very recently made, I get to join in praying for these people, their task, the church and that the message they are taking to Denver will be one so solely rooted in Christ that it has no option rather than to make an incredible impact and change lives.

My God can do amazing things and getting to watch people allow Him to work through them and be so willing to go where He leads has been an inspiration to me and even doing things as small as being able to pray for them and with them shows me that no matter your situation or place, there is always a way to impact the work God is doing. Being on the frontline isn’t always necessary.

Speaking of prayer, it’s kind of a funny thing don’t you think? Lately I have found myself knowing the condition of my heart, but not really knowing what to pray for. I think partially because God is teaching me to listen more than I speak, but also I have learned that the Holy Spirit prompts us to pray for specific people or places if we listen enough.

There have been a multitude of people that came to mind when thinking about what to pray for, but lately there has also been a place, bringing me to my next A, Australia. I don’t know why, but I believe this is a small piece of a puzzle God has given me. I dare not try to jump ahead and try to guess why Australia has been laid on my heart recently, but I do know to be praying for Australia and the hearts of all the people that inhabit it.

God is pretty cool, because that prompting could only be to teach me how to listen and pray for things or something much bigger that I don’t understand yet, either way learning to hear God speak is a pretty cool feeling.

That location leads pretty well into the second A location laid on my heart this week. At the cross. That may sound silly and like I was only looking for another A, so I worded it that way, but I didn’t. At the cross (love ran red) is a song sung by Chris Tomlin, a good one at that, but it was not only a very recurring song at falls creek this year, it has since become very radio popular as well.

I think the meaning of this song is really wonderful, it’s all about what the cross means and how that place is where hope is found and mercy reigns. There are a lot of great lyrics, but overall I think it is just an incredible reminder of my salvation and how much dying on that cross truly meant. The chorus says…

At the cross, At the cross I surrender my life
I’m in awe of You, I’m in awe of You
Where Your love ran red and my sin washed white
I owe all to You, I owe all to You Jesus

This leads into one of my last A’s. Awe & amazement. How can we stand in anything less than absolute amazement and awe in the presence of the Creator of the universe. I am continually reminded of this, but just the other morning I stopped for a second to look around and I couldn’t help but wonder how some people miss it. There is so much beauty in everything. Every being and every creation has so much to offer that usually gets overlooked.

If every human came to the realization that they were made so fearfully and wonderfully how different would the world be? To just stop and think about how perfectly orchestrated every last second and piece of this world is sewn together is beyond my understanding. Friends, nothing in this world is a mistake.

I can hardly handle my life, much less all of the beings on the planet. Tell me it doesn’t blow your mind that while we have trouble managing our small lives the God of creation is able to flawlessly and with ease manage every aspect of literally everything?

“and said: “LORD, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.” –2 Chronicles 20:6

The last A is actually two words. After All. I tend to get really caught up in a lot of things, but at the end of the day God is always there to remind me that after all He is constant. After all He’s got it. After all my life is in His hands. After all He is in complete control. After everything else of this world fades He is still the Ruler and Creator of the universe.

I think it was pretty cool for God to throw this one out there too, as I learn to seek God first in all things and see that my priorities should always align with Him being first, it’s pretty comforting that at the end of the day, after all, He is still the same God that I started things with.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” –Hebrews 13:8

I can’t describe to you the peace and comfort that verse brings. In a world ever-changing and always turning it’s nice to have a constant to fix our eyes on. He is able to keep us oriented and stable if only we will let Him. The trick to it all is that He isn’t changing or going anywhere. He is steadfast.

After all that you may think I’m crazy, you may think I read wayy too much into things, you may even start to wonder if I’m pulling this out of the sky. I would simply say to you that God speaks to different people in very different ways and if the first letter of the alphabet is what it took to get my attention, I am happy to share with others that God took things back to the basics to teach me a few fundamental lessons.

The moral of the whole story, I believe no matter what letter sticks out to someone, is that God is the beginning and the end, He is and is of all things. There is nothing in this world worth having that does not contain traces of His fingerprints. He can be found in all places if we only stop to notice.

I challenge you over the next week or two to stop and really listen. Write it down or mentally take note of every time you feel God speaking or the Holy spirit prompting. As a follower of Christ I can promise you won’t be disappointed.

I would also like to point out I have heard God speak much more frequently and clearly when I am immersing myself in His Word often. God doesn’t speak in loud yells and shouts, but in whispers. We just have to be willing to seek out the noise and listen intently.

If you are not a follower of Christ and feel as though you haven’t ever heard God speak I would love to tell you that He is simply waiting on your reply. God said all that was necessary when he uttered the words “it is finished” on the cross. He certainly wasn’t excluding you from the population of the world when He paid the debt for sin of ALL people. Friend, a relationship with Christ and communication with Him comes from simply believing with all your heart that He is Lord and surrendering to the amazing love He wishes to show you. God loved you from before you were even a thought in your parents’ minds, that won’t change and neither will the invitation.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” –John 3:16-17