Hello and Welcome

Listening for God’s Gentle Tugs

Several years ago we lived on twenty acres with three miniature horses and other barn animals. I gave a lot of children cart rides with our miniature horses. Once I get them in the middle of the pasture, I begin my Deuteronomy-6-by-the-way-object-lesson.

I point out how the reins control the horse's bit before we begin our ride. In horse riding, horse bits and bridles work on the horse’s head and mouth to control the direction of the horse. God make the horses mouth to accept a bit, they have no back teeth. The reins put pressure on the roof of the horse’s mouth.

Once we are driving for a few minutes and they feel comfortable, I begin the lesson.

Once in the Pasture the Lesson Begins

Did you know the Bible talks about horse bits? In James 3:3 it says: We put bits in the mouths of horses to make them obey us, and we have control over everything they do.”

Holding the reins properly is an important part of driving your horse and should not be just “holding the reins”. The reins are how we communicate with the horse. It's all about the fingers. Watch my fingers and see how I make the horse turn. Watch carefully because it is easy to miss. See the little nudge that make the horse turn. God guides us with little nudges or tugs too.

We make a lot of decisions every day, all day, big and small. You got in this horse cart. The decisions we make will shape our life. I can tell you of some decisions I made at 15 that still affect my life today (at this point they usually look as if it amazes them I was ever 15).

We all want to make right decisions. Sometime God’s way is obvious. If someone asks you to steal something, you know it is wrong, so you chose not to sin. But sometimes there is more than one right way like where to eat dinner or what book to read. It is important for us to learn to listen to God’s Holy Spirit promptings, nudges, or tugs.

Did You Know You Can Hear God?

Did you know you can hear God? (they usually shrug and I smile and give a brief hug). God wants us to acknowledge His presence. He wants us to talk to Him and to listen to Him. We walk in the Spirit daily, listening to His little tugs, to be in constant communion with Him. Think about it this way, how would you feel if you were standing next to a friend and they ignored you?

We should have a running conversation with him about everything in life and express a desire to follow His will at every turn.

You see that pasture over there (pointing at the neighbor’s farm)? The farmer cultivates his pasture. Cultivate means preparing the crops for growth.

We cultivate our relationship with God by being near Him, by allowing Him to be part of every aspect of your life. By giving Him the reigns and watching for the little tugs.

Just like spending time with a friend makes the relationship grow deeper. To grow in this life, we cultivate our relationship with God by intentionally spending time with Him throughout the day.

When we read or listen to Bible stories, we are learning how God thinks and acts. God wants you to lean on Him. Only He knows the big picture. He wants to be a part of every part of our lives and guarantees the best results for our efforts if we would just follow His advice. He still leaves the decisions up to us to make.

It takes effort on our part to hear God. It takes prayer, study. We can then take His advice and make the right choices. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do in life. The most incredible invitation Jesus made is for us to simply follow him. All we need to do is tell God we trust him and listen to His leading.

Would you like to learn to drive now?

Bible Journaling

I will share with you the Bible journaling I do (either a Memory Dex cards or a Treasure Journal page) for the daily lesson to help you get ideas for your Bible journaling Read more on Memory Dex Cards and Treasure Journals in the next pages.

Prayer

Join me in praying for all those taking this class.

Father, we come before You today and I ask that help us learn to hear your voice. Help us to hear your Holy Spirit give us direction. Father, God Most High, thank you for this precious time in your Word. Help us to appreciate the impact studying your word has on our lives—transforming power. Transform us Lord; help us develop Christ-like character. Give us wisdom to discern and learn. Amen.

Thank You Father and in Jesus holy name I pray. Amen