Hearing the Voice of God

Hearing God's voice can be a difficult thing. God talks in all sorts of ways. through people. through circumstances. through opportunities. through His Word. in our thoughts. sometimes audibly, although i have never experienced this.

Today, I had to make a decision to not do a planned event for the youth group. Why is that? Because I believe God told me not too. through another person and through my own personal prayer time and conviction. I admit, I partly wanted to do the initial event to do something exciting. To make it look like I actually did something on my internship. But it doesn't matter what my desires are and what my plans are. The Lord has to be behind it. And God is faithful. I ask him to close doors if I am not making the right decision. And he clearly spoke and closed the door on this fun summer event. Instead I think my efforts our best spent elsewhere. I hope to see a weekly worship gathering of students. non-advertised. I feel that this is the leading of the Lord and not my own. I'm grateful for the Lord's conviction. I chose one thing, but he made it evident he wasn't behind it. I'm thankful he lets us in on His plan.

Im grateful for this scriptural truth:

Proverbs 16:9 (New International Version)

 ⁹ In his heart a man plans his course,
       but the LORD determines his steps.

How do you hear God and know his will?