Are  You  “OPEN TO” What God Says?

Yesterday I wrote that asking God “WHAT’S NEXT” is important, but so is doing WHAT’S NEXT. That message prompted this question from an American member of our global online tribe: How do you ask God WHAT’S NEXT while continuing to move forward?
  
Asking God WHAT’S NEXT–while moving forward into UNCERTAINTY—comes down to making sure we are available and “OPEN TO” what GOD SAYS.
  
Many Christians, including me, at times are not fully listening to what God is telling them. It’s a simple point–our faith portal must be open, but we must be OPEN TO what God says.
  
THE “INSIGNIFICANT”
Being OPEN TO what God says is NOT looking for 100% clarity on the “big things” in our life. It is being OPEN TO what God says about the seemingly insignificant “little things.”
  
Here’s a real-life example in my life from LAST WEEK:
  
I was praying for SPECIFIC DIRECTION on a big project for 2021 when being OPEN TO what God was saying revealed a series of “little things” that made doing the big thing UNWISE. In other words, God was saying: “Hey Mark, stop thinking about “big stuff” when it’s obvious that you are flooded with “little stuff” that adds up to a lot.”
  
THE “NEGATIVE”
In addition to being OPEN TO what God may be saying in the seemingly insignificant parts of our life, there is being OPEN TO hearing anything and everything from God. Even if, on the surface, it sounds negative or runs counter to what we thought the direction should be.
  
Being OPEN TO what God is trying to tell us is staying away from gripping a specific, particular outcome. It is relinquishing whatever might keep us from choosing God first—money, comfort, ego, prestige, and pleasure…to name but a few. It is taking one step and one day at a time.
  
In addition to listening for the insignificant and negative things God is trying to tell us, we need to be OPEN TO identifying what needs to die in us so God’s Will can explode in majestic splendor.
  
I ask God to move me to a spot where I actively seek his will by being OPEN TO what he tells me. To help me stay open to his direction, even the seemingly insignificant and especially the decidedly unpleasant.
  
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
  
Are you 100% “OPEN TO” what God is trying to tell you right now? Are you sure?
  
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”” Isaiah 6:8