THE GOOD TREE vs. THE BAD TREE

After watching a video about Godly productivity and its nuances, this thought came to my mind: “Go take a break and go for a walk.”

For some context, I work as a wildland firefighter. (I will tell you how I ended up here another time.) The work schedule for this job has a lot of pliability. One day, we will be on a fire for sixteen hours; another day, we will be at the gym playing basketball for two hours. There are seasons within the job, just like in life. ;)

Anywho... on slower days like today, I usually like to immerse myself in anything God-related. Right now, the Lord is having me dive deep into almost all of Taylor Welch’s content. It is amazing how God knows who to use to speak to us and when to speak to us.

As soon as I turn on his podcast episode, my ears are solely listening to the words coming out of his mouth.

Thirty seconds in, there's a revelation. Two minutes in, I feel convicted. Five minutes in, there's another revelation. It's the gift that keeps on giving. That gift is the Holy Spirit. If you have never talked to the Holy Spirit, I highly suggest that you do. It is the best compass, playbook, counselor, and comforter that one could ever have.

If you think something is from God, it’s not. God's voice and His direction are not questionable, and they do not bring confusion. They are concrete. They are loving. They are kind. They are comforting. They are powerful. They are empowering. They are full of embrace.

I am not saying this to make you feel stupid or to make you think there is something wrong with you. I am saying this because I was once in those shoes. I would think something was God's voice. I would think something was from God. Here is the kicker: thinking is different from knowing.

When you get a download, a thought, a sign, or a revelation from Him... you know. There will be no doubt, fear, worry, anxiousness, or confusion behind it. This knowing takes practice. Growing closer to God takes time. Hearing His voice is built on the foundation of quality reps and intent. The Holy Spirit told me this:

“Abbigail, how long did it take you to get good at softball? Did you just step on the field one day and become a D1 athlete? No... you spent time on the field, you studied the game, you practiced, and you gave your life to the sport. So, what is the difference with Me? You gave your life to Me, so why would you not give Me your time and intent?”

JAW DROPS****

I said, “Wow, I have been searching for a purpose and a reason to go on after I finished playing... and lo and behold, here You are. I don’t know why I thought I could have a relationship with You and hear from You without spending time with You.”

“It’s not just about spending time with Me; it’s about your intent behind it, too. You have been taught to have intent behind everything. I've been trying to tell you: ‘How you do one thing is how you should do everything.’ But you were too busy and distracted to hear Me. Your time was distracted by racing thoughts and ambition. You are going to do big things for Me if you are close to Me.”

JAW IS STILL DROPPED**

“So... SPEND TIME WITH ME!! How are you going to hear from Me if you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off? You need to put Me first above everything else. You won’t get the fruit of the blessings I want to give you if you do not hear from Me.”

The funny thing is, this blog post is fresh after this walk I mentioned above. The Holy Spirit said, “Eat your food and sit down at your computer. I will write this blog post for you.”

I was thinking to myself, “Oh man, this is going to be good. He just gave me a revelation at the end of my prayer walk. That is what He will write about.” Little did I know, He was going to continue to speak to me while writing this.

The point is that hearing from God is built on the foundation of Jesus. You cannot build a SOLID foundation without spending quality, uninterrupted time working on the blueprints of that foundation. The blueprints of that foundation are the truths spoken from God through His word, prayer/prayer walks, and fasting. Once you make that your number ONE priority, and you do most of these daily, everything will begin to change. Things will begin to shift. And it is the best change you will experience in your life. The more you spend time with Him, the more He reveals Himself to you. (And no, I do not fast every day.)

I don’t know about you, but I want to spend time with the One who saved my life and has all the direction for me. I want to be best friends with Jesus. You can’t do that if you don’t spend time with Him.

Think of it this way: You wake up, and when it's time for breakfast, you eat. The same pattern repeats itself throughout the day. The next day, you do it all over again. The hunger cycle for food is never-ending. Why wouldn’t that same principle apply to our relationship with God? Are we going to “eat” His words only once every other week? NOOOO! That leads to starvation—spiritual starvation.

When we feel distant from Him, we feel all sorts of negative emotions and start to spiral. Nobody wants that. The other part is that we have to prepare the table, so to speak. You don’t have fresh chicken parmesan on the table by throwing raw chicken and mozzarella on the kitchen counter, do you? (If you do, that is nuts... what kind of magic are you doing?) No, you take the time to prep and cook the ingredients so you can eat the meal you desired to have.

The same thing applies to spending time with Him. What is your heart posture? Are you reading through the verse or chapter and then closing the book, checking your “time” with Him off your to-do list? Or are you allowing yourself to be uninterrupted, focusing on His words, and chewing on the spiritual food He has for us?

I found myself in a similar place—feeling desolate, frustrated, and in tears, thinking that God wasn’t there. But in reality, He had been there the whole time. I just wasn’t listening.

When He took me outside for the walk, it was like the floodgates of heaven opened up. I could finally hear Him again.

The last nugget I will leave with you is the very revelation that led to this whole page of gold (Thank You, Holy Spirit):

“You are doing great, my child, but next time... talk less and listen more. You barely give Me enough time to speak.”

I don’t know about you, but I am going to be taking a lot more walks and sticking my face in His book every chance I get. I hope you can learn from my mistakes and apply this to your walk with Jesus!

Okay, byeeee!