Spiritual Fitness & Living With Chronic Pain

Since my last few blogs have addressed the interrelationship between healing and God, I’ve had some questions brought to my attention about how one might actually hear the voice of God when dealing with pain. To answer this question fully and to give justice to its integrity, I would have to author an entire book, and perhaps more, about this subject matter. Nonetheless, this is a blog, not a book. So not to abuse this format, I’ll offer nuggets of truth to tickle your interests. Consider what I write as personal testimony about how God has spoken into my soul throughout the years. This does not mean that He will speak into your life exactly the same way, but I do take comfort knowing this. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5, NASB). Let’s get started…

Before you can actually hear from God, you must have faith. I’m not referring to faith in material things or in persons of greater intellect or ability or in celestial predictions or in Hollywood movies or in self-determination or in multi-worldviews, just to mention a few. Specifically, your faith must be rooted in Jesus Christ. It’s a conversion process. Major Ian Thomas, a classical writer, states, “Conversion is ‘man-to-Godward,’ and redemption is ‘God-to-manward.’” In essence, you must have this type of indwelling connection with God before you can really hear Him.

I’ve learned how to hear His voice by developing spiritual sensitivity. At first when I became a Christian, my spiritual senses were undeveloped. There were times I thought that I had heard from God, and most likely, what I thought I had heard was interpreted as the best source of goodness within my own heart. As a result, I acted immaturely to this prompting; thinking all the while, if I did good deeds or sacrificed generously, then it must be God doing something within my inner being. Although the motives might have been chivalrous, the outcomes failed to integrate with who God was and what He wanted to do with my life. On the other hand, I’ve had the opposite responses to mistaken voices from the divine, specifically with how it relates to the fear of the Lord. Whenever I felt like I needed to shape up the sinful parts of my life, I would listen to the guilt and condemnation part of my own conscience, trying to become what I thought God wanted of me. Needless to say, mimicking righteous behaviors simply fueled an inner and unspoken rebellion toward Him. Eventually, I’d revert back to my former ways of living, giving into my carnal desires, and temporarily giving up on religious conditioning. It was all too suffocating to try to turn into what I thought God wanted my image to project. Sound familiar of your Christian experience?

God communicates by words of truth, which are found in His scripture, directly through the Holy Spirit into your immaterial being.

Regarding truth, after suffering mightily with physical and emotional pain, I realized I could no longer try to take God’s words and conveniently apply them for the betterment of my life. Religion is not a self-improvement course on Sundays. God wanted relationship with me instead. Rather than the words in the Bible fitting my lifestyle on my terms, I took the harder route of trust by surrendering my life to God and allowing my whole being to be changed by His Word. At this juncture, my spiritual hearing improved immensely, being able to comprehend some of His ways.

To hear from God is not an exact science in terms of how we receive and deliver verbal communication among each other. God never spoke into my soul in the form of lengthy paragraphs framed by the English language. Small profound thoughts, perhaps one word or two, might plop into my mind, causing a ripple effect throughout the rest of my being. His thoughts have been poignant but not condemning. Inspiration seems to proceed against fear and obstacles. God’s form of communication is higher and almost unexplainable, as there is a mental overlapping between God and the spiritual nature of man about His truth.  His Holy Spirit who indwells the reborn spirit of man teaches you and leads you and sanctifies you and guides you as He clears the pathway of this world for something bigger, brighter and eternal. The call of God will lure you into irreversible transformation.  No doubt about it, if Spirit led, you will clearly have the ears to hear His message about love.

These are just a few observations about the process of developing enriched spiritual hearing.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

To your health,