God’s Mighty Spirit speaks to us in a variety of ways. We can hear it in our hearts, scripture, music, trusted friends, nature, in our circumstances, in our coping mechanisms, and during devoted prayer time. If we’re open to it, we can hear His voice anywhere.
Once we learn to tune into the Spirit of God’s quiet whisper, we realize this whispering voice of wisdom is leading us in a direction that’s specific for our soul. The Hebrew word for whisper is silence, stillness, or calmness, indicating we must be quiet to hear one. Christ-centered meditation can help.
Christ-Centered Meditation Can Help You Hear God’s Whisper
During a daily Christ-centered meditation practice, not only do we create a physical place to meet with God, but we also give ourselves the space to let our mind chatter and our emotions express themselves. We witness our desires, but we sit calmly and hold our body in stillness while we do.
At any time during meditation, God’s Spirit may whisper a truth, an insight, a feeling of compassion, or a revelation. The hard part is to trust the whisper and continually stay attuned to it. It’s not easy to submit our will to the Will or Wisdom of God’s Spirit. Our soul (ego) speaks loudly and often doesn’t want to give control over to God’s Higher Consciousness, even if we know on some level what we hear is best for us.
Understanding Resistance
The two voices often produce a certain level of uncomfortable resistance inside of us. We don’t always like having to change or make a decision, so it’s often easier to ignore the pressure of having to do so. Becoming aware of this resistance is the first step toward having the courage to follow a path which God is pulling us toward.
Steven Pressfield, in his book “The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle,” puts it this way: “Like a magnetized needle floating on a surface of oil, Resistance will unfailingly point to true North – meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing. We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action that we must follow before all others.”
In other words, resistance is our will fighting the gentle whispering voice of God’s Spirit and His Will as He leads our souls to their highest good.
Steven Pressfield goes on to say, “Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That’s why we feel so much Resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there’d be no Resistance.”
Resistance Can Promote Positive Change
The voice of the God’s Divine Spirit brings us new challenges, encourages us to change, and asks us to consider letting harmful things go. It’s hopeful, encouraging, and brings us new life, new thoughts, and new ideas.
The two voices in our “head” are that of Spirit and our soul (ego). The voice of our soul is often fearful, doubtful, and confused. It brings up memories, thoughts, experiences, feelings and desires from our past.
The voice of God’s Spirit is full of hope and vision and is present with our current situation. It often reveals new thoughts and gives us challenges to change and grow.
At times, we may think we’ve heard an impossible plan for our life, yet Spirit is all about infinite possibilities and understands we’re capable and can do impossible things with our connection to Him. Spirit speaks love, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, wisdom, understanding, and all that’s good, then leads us toward more good.
In this way, resistance points the way to our souls’ evolution, purpose, and divine calling. Resistance comes up because it has an important lesson for you. Resistance says yes and no at the same time.
Jesus Experienced Resistance
Did Jesus resist his destiny? Yes, He was human, and like us, He, at times, sought to be relieved from moving forward into the unknown. He resisted, but his ability to trust in God’s voice kept him moving forward.
When Jesus was headed to the Cross, his disciple Matthew wrote, “Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.’” Jesus knew to have faith and trust and follow The Will and the whisper of The Voice from his Father.
Jesus had a practice that helped him to stay in the Presence of The Divine Parent. He often went alone to a quiet place, became still, went inside, and listened. Jesus meditated.
He became good at meditation so that as he walked towards his certain death (like we all do), he had a way to achieve union of body, soul, and spirit and knew how to connect and surrender to a higher voice that guided him.
He found a way to resolve resistance, the battle between yes and no. Jesus once said, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ [and] anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
“The evil one” represents the words in our soul that speak to us. It judges, analyzes, lies, directs, and prompts us to believe false perceptions and keep us in a fearful and limited reality.
Christ-Centered Meditation Can Inspire Acceptance
Confusion and resistance is from the “evil one” and keeps us stuck, moving in circles, or worse, spiraling downward. Confusion comes from our soul. We need to hear sweet whispers from God to guide our soul forward.
To release ourselves from the “evil one,” to process confusion and resistance, we can sit with Christ in meditation until we hear clearly whether it’s a yes or a no. But first, we need to relax. We must become still and alert to hear clearly. Once God gives us His gentle Word, a clear yes or no, we can move in a direction we can be sure of.
In his book, “Christian Meditation,” James Finney says, “Meditative experience offers the least resistance to the Spirit of God within us, who, with unutterable groaning, yearns that we might awaken to that eternal oneness with God that Christ reveals and proclaims.”
Acceptance of God’s Will often brings change and sometimes loss. At first, grief can keep us from moving forward. That’s because the soul is resistant to following God’s whisper. However, the more we accept the internal guidance and wisdom of God, the more the soul gets to rest, and the more energy we have to move forward, even after trauma.
Finding the paths of resistance and then acceptance can lead us to our true North. When we reach it, our soul and Spirit begin to travel a new path together. Perhaps this is the path to the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you would like to learn more about how to improve your life through an approach of feeding the whole person: body, soul, and spirit, contact me today.
Tonyah Dee has studied the Bible and wisdom traditions of the world for the last 30 years and teaches about finding ways to increase inner strength, stability, and confidence through practicing spiritual disciplines and healthy habits daily. Tonyah is a nutritionist, registered dietitian (R.D.), and earned her B.S. from Loma Linda University. She also holds certifications in Christ-centered life coaching, equine therapy, and meditation. Tonyah has been published in Scary Mommy, MSN, The Mighty, Mantra Wellness, CoveyClub, Thrive Global. Follow Tonyah on her blog, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Medium.