As I continue my journey with God, I often find myself asking many questions. Did you ever ask God a question and then get an answer? Cool. Then, if you are like me, you question whether you really heard the answer? Was that really God? Or did I just hear what I wanted to hear?
Honestly, I wish I had a clear answer. I guess it is just knowing what is right and my being a bit scared to follow through on a new path or habit. I had some great responses to my first two God Blogs. Then I stopped. I can’t even say why. I’m not sure. I had been wondering if I should continue to post. After all, I’m not a pastor or a bible scholar. I’m just a guy trying to figure out my path.
A couple of weeks ago, I got invited to give a sermon at the end of the month. Cool and Yikes! all at the same time. I could not say no, even though it is outside my comfort zone. How do you say no to God? Even if you are not a believer, I’m thinking it is not good karma. It is also “stage time.”
Last week as I was on a personal mission to clean out all of my old emails, I discovered an old one that was a comment on my God Blog. It said:
And on the private side of email, please keep up your faith blog. For someone out there, you may be THE voice that turns them back toward God. We are the tools in His hands. We do the work and leave the results to Him.
Blessings,
Phil
Was it an accident that I found it, or was it a message? The answer to that comes from our own perspective. My perspective? Yes, I need to write it. It prompted me to read some of the comments to the two posts I have already put up on my website. I also reread these two:
Okay, this blog convinced me. I am moving forward with the desire and calling God has placed on my life and in my heart. Tonight I was searching for a mentor to assist me with winning the World Champion Public Speaking title for 2017; I searched several sites of names well known in Toastmaster’s, all of whom are amazing speakers and, we both know, fantastic people. But your courage in stepping out and starting a God Blog convinced me that the stirring in my spirit to check your website was leading from God.
Blessings;
Audrey
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I have read and re-read your blog entry several times. Each time it warms my heart. Thank you so much for being bold and sharing from your heart and soul. I’ve followed your blog for a while now, gotten daily emails, heard you speak and learned so much from you, and could see your authenticity through it all. However, in sharing your faith, you’ve become not only more authentic, (if that’s possible) but you’ve also blessed us and helped us realize that it’s okay, preferable even, to share our whole self with the world, not just parts and pieces, in order to really make an impact. You are living your passion and your purpose.
Rock on; God bless,
Jean
To me, personally, the message just keeps getting clearer. Write it. Post it. I keep hearing that God talks to us through people. Maybe that includes stumbling on an answer in an old email.
Are you looking for a message or a sign? Seek and ye shall find. Maybe we should not ask God a question, if we don’t really want the answer? Then again, maybe we should.
Thank God for Truth, Love & Laughter,
Darren
Darren, you continue to be an inspiration! Bless you for sharing your journey with me, and others! Ever since we met in Omaha/Grand Island several years ago, I recognized your unique style and ability to connect with your audience. I have subscribed to your site ever since. The God Blog is another indication that you have been “Blessed to be a blessing”!
Bless your Pastor, as well. Mine has imprinted Ephesians 2:10 on my heart, and you embody that verse in your Blog, as well: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Keep up the great work!
Fondly, Ruth
So glad to see that you are back with this, Darren!
There are two times I have received very distinct messages from God.
Three-and-a-half years ago, my mother was in the hospital over a weekend. I stayed overnight with her, sitting in the hospital (still in Emergency), talking to the doctors, attending to her needs in the best way that I could and, of course, not sleeping. The next morning, my brother and sister-in-law arrived to trade places, and I headed home to get some sleep. I was sound asleep when the phone rang and my husband came racing up the stairs. “Dawna – get up. We have to go NOW.” On the drive to the hospital (about 35 minutes away), I panicked and prayed ‘Please God, make Mom be okay.” Over and over and over. About 10 minutes into the trip (thank goodness my husband was driving!), a complete sense of calmness came over me. My words instantly changed to “God, I don’t understand your decision but please guide us as we deal with it.” When we arrived at the hospital, we discovered that my mother had passed away, and it happened at about the same time that my prayer changed.
The other time was really multiple times – too many to count. Twenty-three years ago, I got very ill and that illness has persisted, in varying degrees of severity, to this day. In the really rough times, I’ve prayed “God, I know this is a test. Please help me get through it.” or “God, I’m failing your test miserably. Please help me to deal with this.” [Full disclosure, since we’re being truly authentic – I was not always good at doing this. There have been many melt-downs, tears, “failures”.] Each time I asked, I was helped.
There have been other times, but for me, these are the ones that stand out – probably because they are the most dramatic and life-changing.
I’m also a firm believer that if you are worried about the answer, you shouldn’t ask the question. In the first situation I mentioned above, my first question was definitely not answered in the way that I hoped.
I, too, have often wondered about your initial comments above — “Was that really God? Or did I just hear what I wanted to hear?” For me, the answer is “Faith is what makes me believe it was an answer from God.” The trick for me is to slow down, calm down, tune out and tune in so I can hear the answer. That is one of my goals for this year.
Thanks for the discussion, Darren. I have goosebumps!
Thank you all for sharing your experiences on Darren’s God Blog.
You hade continued to fortify my spirit today, this wonderful day in which we have nothing to worry about.
Only to be thankful and grateful for God’s love.
What could be better?
Definitely keep the faith blogs coming!
What I’ve learned over the years is that it takes time and practice to learn to recognize God’s voice. There have been times over the years where I thought I was hearing Him, and I was completely wrong. Usually those times I was just listening to the thoughts in my own head giving me the answer I wanted. Then there have been times when it’s been clear He was speaking, and I just didn’t like the answer! Actually, that happens more often than not, because usually what he calls us to is beyond our comfort zones. 😉
I’ve learned to weigh what I hear with what’s in Scripture, the advice of mature Christian friends, circumstances, and the peace of the Holy Spirit. When all of those things line up, I can be pretty sure the voice I’m hearing is Him.
God DOES speak to anyone, if we’d just learn to listen. Blessings!
On the topic of, “Did you ever ask God a question and then get an answer,” I think you’ll get a kick out of this one. About six years ago, I was driving to an NSA meeting–a one hour plus drive–and decided to finish listening to Connect with Any Audience which featured such top-notch speakers as Darren LaCroix. I finished listening to the CDs just before I arrived and decided to ask God how I should connect with my audience. The answer came back so clearly: “You don’t have to worry about connecting with your audience. You just have to worry about connecting your audience to Me!” And now to answer the question, “How do you know if you’re just making it up?” I know I’m not making it up when the answer is something I never would have thought of in a million years!
Dear Darren and friends here on God’s Blog:
There are no coincidences in our lives. Everything happens for a reason.
On the way to the airport the other day, I received a text message (reply) from Darren. (Great to hear from you again my good friend.)
In this text message I learned about this Blog and it immediately brought to mind an experience that I would like to share with you all.
A few years ago, on a warm summer evening, I met with a friend, an instructor at a local Community College. Mark teaches humourous writing there and I was a student of his. I wanted to pick his brain on helping me write a humourous speech for the Humourous Speech Contest that coming Autumn.
So we met at a little bar in Vancouver. It was such a lovely evening I took my red and chrome Yamaha 1100 Roadster and parked it next to the bar while we sat on the patio chatting.
Upon the completion of our meeting, I walked over to my motorcycle and warmed it up while I was putting my leather jacket and gloves on.
A nice lady walked by and seeing the large motorcycle idling there and seeing my gold cross hanging around my neck, she seemed startled with the incongruity.
So she said to me, “I didn’t think that ‘God’s people’ rode motorcycles!”
And out of the blue, not knowing where this answer came from (God obviously), I replied, “God’s angels are everywhere.”
What happened next was what I would never have happened in a thousand years.
She began sharing with me some very personal and intimate feelings. She admitted to feeling frustrated and angry that her boyfriend was taking advantage of her young daughter. Abusing her.
I turned off my motorcycle.
She continued to share with me what was going on and that she felt that she didn’t have the strength to get her daughter and herself to a safe place.
We talked for hours on the sidewalk on the street next to the bar where I had met my friend. By the end of the conversation I was confident that I had been able to persuade her to immediately return home and leave the abusive relationship that she had become involved in.
I have not seen her again and I can only pray that she was motivated enough to do what she had told me she would do, to leave immediately.
I shared this story with the pastor of my church and he didn’t seem to think much of it, which in itself was surprising to me. For to me, this was a “life changing” moment and one that I shall never forget.
So in conclusion, I know that there are angels all around us and sometimes, God uses us as his messengers, like He did with me on that warm summer evening in Vancouver, while out on my motorcycle.
I have other stories to share with you and hope to when I meet you personally again.
Darren, you are such a good friend and I’m glad you have this blog for us to share with.
Best personal regards to you and everyone here,
Reg Boaler