Over the years I have worked in a small church, a medium church, and now at a 1,500 person multi-site. As I struggled at times trying to get the thing to grow, my list of needs was long. Usually, my needs were coming from my own guessing and at times from well-intentioned people around me.
- What you need is a killer band.
- What you really need is a 4-page mission statement that no one can remember but is uber-spiritual.
- You need a strong youth program.
- You need a bake sale.
If you really want to make an impact in the Kingdom of God and grow your church, two words…
Fog. Machine.
The Holy Spirit can’t work without it.
To be honest, there isn’t anything wrong with any of those things necessarily. The problem is discerning which voice you are hearing. When the voice of that deacon on the other side of the table becomes the one that is being heard in your heart. Or when that well-intentioned member suggests being more like the church down the street that they left three months ago. Or maybe it’s the haunting voice from your past that you’re still simply trying to please. Maybe it’s your father’s voice and you’re still trying to live up to and exceed his expectations. Listening to the wrong voice can eventually create disillusionment in you and has the potential to destroy your ministry. The most important thing you can do is strip away the noise to hear the only voice that matters.
The voice of God!
4 Ways To Strip Away The Noise and Hear God!
It’s not a question that we want to hear the voice of God. The problem is the noise. We are constantly surrounded by it in a variety of forms. The voices of people and the literal noise of the world around us. So here are a few things we can do to strip away the noise and get back to hearing from God.
Get Some Space!
When it’s warm where I live, I like to go to a local monastery. The grounds are maintained by nuns. They have a garden with two large silos in the middle. Those silos are one of the quietest places to sit and collect my thoughts in all of Northern Virginia.
There’s a coffee shop 30 minutes west of where I live that my wife introduced me to. That’s a great place to collect my thoughts while also getting a great cup of coffee.
There’s a park called Silver Lake near where I live also. There’s a lake and some trails through the woods. There isn’t a lot of traffic. I can usually find a picnic table back in a wooded area where I can sit in silence and be completely focused. No distractions.
Grab A Notebook!
They aren’t hard to find. You can search for your nearest Staples or Office Depot (if that’s even still a thing) and drive over to buy yourself a pack of legal pads. If you prefer your shopping with Cheetos-stained hands, only wearing an old white shirt and your socks, then you can even buy them online. If you want to go fresh and new, find your way over to something like Moleskine. Even a sketchbook will do. Lined, grids, blank, it doesn’t matter. Just don’t bring Evernote. And the Notes app on your iPhone doesn’t count either. If you need to charge your notebook, it doesn’t count.
Have A Pen/Pencil!
In our digital age, I was crazy surprised to be walking through a Target one day. You’ll never believe this, they have an entire aisle in their “Office” section full of pens. Black pens. Red Pens. Blue Pens. Fine point pens. Medium point pens. No bleed sharpie pens. Felt markers of all colors. Bic pens. Find that aisle and if you don’t have a good pen that you enjoy writing with, buy one. You and this pen are going to get really comfortable with each other, so make sure it fits comfortably in your hand.
Open Up A Bible!
If you need a portable charger to read this Bible, you brought the wrong one. Leave YouVersion in the car (sorry, YouVersion). Why? Because your electronic Bible comes with a thing called notifications. That constant ding is the noise that drowns out the voice of God. Grab one of those Bibles we used to use. It has the leather cover. There’s a list of people who have died in the front of it. Maybe a wedding or two. And there’s a note from a family member who bought it for you. That’s the Bible I’m talking about.
Open it.
Read it.
Meditate on it.
Consume it.
Listen and hear the voice of God.
I can’t always hear God over the fog machine or the sound system. I can’t always hear God in the office when seventeen meetings need to happen. I can’t hear God when my phone won’t stop dinging because someone liked a tweet or a text trying to reach me with a question. I need less strategy at times. I don’t need upgraded gear or equipment. I don’t need a better building or the newest light rig. I don’t need more comfortable chairs or a choir. And I don’t need a zip-lining Jesus from the balcony for a pageant.
I need God.
I desperately need God.
To hear His voice and obey.
“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me.” [John 10:27 NLT]
Stan Rodda is a 4th generation pastor who has been in ministry for 15 years. He has a passion for teaching and equipping within the church. Currently, he is serving as a campus pastor at New Life Christian Church, where the mission is to create environments where people can discover God. Stan also hosts a podcast, “The Stan Rodda Podcast”, with the purpose of developing Christian influencers.
