Page 11 - Evidence of Things Unseen

I have often heard of God taking away from a person some destructive appetite that
they had long been enslaved to. I have heard testimonies given where a person, upon being
born again, would have no more taste for alcohol, or drugs, or some other thing that had
formerly enslaved them. It is little thought of, but God is sovereign even over our desires,
and He is able to change them at will. Thus we read of God hardening some men’s hearts
so that they will not repent, and others He brings to repentance. The apostle Paul gives us
an interesting insight into this matter.

Philippians 2:13
[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in
you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work
for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
(Amplified Bible)

This was really the beginning of faith in my life, for I had asked God to change my
heart regarding prayer, and I saw Him do a work that I could not account for in any natural
sense. I often looked back and marveled at what God had done, for as miserable as my times
of prayer were formerly, He made them all the more a delight. What had seemed a barren
wilderness, He transformed into a fruitful garden.
Part of the transformation that God wrought at this time was the birthing of
communion and intimacy with Him. I had a real sense that God was with me, attending to
my words, and searching my heart during my times of prayer. I no longer felt that my
prayers were stopping at the ceiling, but I envisioned God with bended ear leaning over to
hear what I was speaking to Him. I also began to hear things from Him in return. He would
place some burden upon my heart and teach me how to pray for people. I began to
experience prayer as a real two-way communication between myself and God.
This was a critical development because, in order for me to enter into the walk of faith
that God would bring me into, I had to be able to discern His voice. A walk of faith is not a
walk based upon principle, or upon systematic theology, or upon proper Scriptural exegesis.
It is a walk of obedience where we hear God’s voice and we obey.

Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Isaiah 30:21
Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you
turn to the right or to the left.

Hearing always precedes obedience. The verse above from Romans is literally
rendered “So faith is out of hearing....” Faith arises out of hearing. If there is no hearing,
there is no foundation for faith. Therefore, any man, woman, or child who would walk by
faith must first have their ears attuned to the voice of God’s Spirit. What a wonderful gift
is the ability to hear God’s voice to those who are willing to obey. Yet it is a curse to those
who are not willing, but who are instead filled with disobedience and unbelief.
If you would also walk by faith, then you too must discern God’s voice. If you have not
been able to discern it, if your times of prayer and communication with God have also been
dry and lifeless as my own once were, then why not confess it to God. He already knows