Why It’s Time to Let Go of the Old Things by Doug Addison

Do you feel something new happening in the spiritual realm?

There has been a positive shift for the good and it might require you to rise above your current situation to catch it. This is a time not only to hear God’s voice more clearly, but also for us to activate the things God is speaking to us.

Hearing God, Knowing His Voice

God is speaking all the time but most people are not aware of it, or they have not been trained to recognize the variety of ways God speaks. This could be through dreams and visions, prophetic words, music and the arts, the Bible, or the still, small whispers we often get from the Holy Spirit.

I recommend that you write down or journal what God is speaking to you right now. The reason is that God often speaks over a period of time and through various circumstances and events in our lives and we need to “learn to discern” God’s voice from the clamor of things coming at us all the time.

One distinctive of knowing God’s voice is peace. Do you have peace in what you are hearing? Many prophetic words these days are instilling fear in people. You will recognize God’s love and nature when you have peace in your spirit with what God is saying.

Hindrances to Hearing God

These are just a few examples of things that can hinder us from hearing God:

• Our own theology. This can even stop us from hearing what God wants to say to us, especially if we believe God only speaks in a certain way. If God is calling you to something new, sometimes what you believe can get in the way. God wants to help us where we don’t yet trust Him to do things we have never seen before. He delights to show us His ways.
• Assuming. Presumption or assuming that you already know what is being said can be a hindrance too.
• Busyness. If you’re trying to find something new, busyness is another thing that will keep you from hearing God. What do you need to say “no” to so you can eliminate the hindrances to hearing God?

Called to Something New?

When God calls us to do something new, we often have to forget the former ways that we did things.
This is usually difficult for us to do. But it is our old ways of thinking or old ways of doing things that is the very reason we need to hear God for something new. God changes the seasons in our lives and what worked in a previous season might not work now.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

What is it for you?

What are some of the former ways you’ve been doing things?

As we advance and mature in our ability to hear God, our previous ways of doing things might not work as effectively as they once did. I have noticed that many people’s spiritual gifts are shifting or morphing right now.

For me, I have seen this happen recently in my own life. I used to be able to give over 100 prophetic words to people per hour. I did this in a rapid-fire process and the revelation would come in me and flow out of my mouth before I had time to think about it. This has lifted from me and I get exhausted after 25 people. Instead, I now am able to help people recognize their season, God’s timing and deeper wisdom.

God is doing something new right now. I believe that if you put yourself out there to learn to discern, and if you ask God to speak to you and begin to record what you hear, God will answer you and you will be more ready than ever to hear and respond.

This is such an exciting time to be alive. It is going to be a great transition into a new season of new effectiveness.

Blessings,

Doug Addison
DougAddison.com