Sep 16, 20193 min read

Listen Up... A Quick Detour

Updated: Feb 13, 2020

September 16, 2019

Good Morning Princesses!

Welcome to our new landing site on GO! Women's Empowerment Network!

GO! Bible Studies Are Underway!

The Patriarchs

1. Listen Up...We Have A Quick Detour

As we jump into our new study, The Patriarchs, Encountering the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob our journey to understanding foundations will take us on some twists and turns. If you can recall your last driving excursion, you may have followed a map via your GPS, Mapquest, WAZE or your backseat driver! Whichever map direction guidance you opted to use, did you find yourself asking for the direction or street to be repeated? If you are like me, I have found myself talking to my GPS system asking for them to repeat the direction because I didn't quite get the street! This is typically after I passed the street! LOL! Nonetheless, listening dear Princesses, is a fundamental element to any road trip or journey. So how are your listening ears? Let's first start with two words:

2. Active Listener and Emphatic Listener

Are you an active listener? According to SkillsYouNeed, active listening is just what it implies " fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively ‘hearing’ the message of the speaker".

Further, Stephen Covey describes emphatic listening as “Reflecting {on}what a person feels and says in your own words to their satisfaction so they feel listened to and understood.”

Can a person be both an active and emphatic listener? Most definitely, yes!

3. Quiz Time...

a. Do you ever find yourself making conclusions while listening?

b. Have you ever cut someone off while they were speaking?

c. Would you rate yourself both as an active AND emphatic listener, most of the time or some of the time?

Samuel responded, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

1 Samuel 3:10

4. Our Listening Ears

As God speaks to you and I how are your listening ears? Are you actively listening? Are you emphatic in the sense that you reflect, pray and seek Godly counsel? I must admit that sometimes when God speaks, I'm not always the best listener, but God, He is relentless and faithful as a shepherd is to their sheep. He is patient and kind. He recognizes that you and I may not get the message the first time, the second, the third or even the fourth, but because we are His children, well that's love, everlasting. So, here's the challenge this week (okay- let's just say it will be the challenge for the next 10 weeks and beyond!) Let's put down our agendas and thoughts and just listen. Jot down in your journal what the Lord says and drop GO! a note (more to come on The Forum soon). We can keep each other uplifted in prayer. Deal!

Our study this session has at its' core the art of listening. Listening by Abraham, listening by Issac and listening by Jacob. For this week's playlist, we are listening to "Speak, Lord" a spoken word by Hosanna Poetry. It's powerful. Gather round princesses, it's time to to listen up. God's trying to tell us something.

Oh, princesses of faith...remember

Prayer “empowers and ‘charges up’ every other piece so they can be used effectively against the enemy. Without prayer… your armor, cannot, will not, be infused with the power that only God’s-Spirit can give."

Closing Thoughts-