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Is God Speaking to Me or Is It My Thoughts? · Arise Women of God

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  Have you ever had a flash of inspiration, maybe a thought to call a friend or sudden urge to change your plans and then immediately talked yourself out of it?
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  You tell yourself, oh, I'm making that up.
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  Perhaps you should be asking, is God speaking to me or is it my thoughts?
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  Because you're terrified of following your own wishful thinking and calling it revelation.
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  Well, you're not alone if you've ever felt that way.
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  And by the end of today's episode, you will understand the Body Compass, how your physical and spiritual senses react differently to God versus your own thoughts.
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  We're going to help you solve the pain of prompting paralysis by sharing the signature of peace versus the pit in the stomach test and why a simple loaf of bread can be the ultimate confirmation that heaven is indeed
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  listening.
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  We're moving from the confusion of the inner chatter to the clarity of a divine connection sense.
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  Stay tuned.
• 1:01
  Ordinary women Extraordinary Faith When God calls, we say yes.
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  The Arise Women of God Podcast hello and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast.
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  I'm your host, Tamara K.
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  Anderson, and joining me today is Wendy Christensen, my co founder of Women warriors of Light, an awesome Christian counselor and licensed social worker.
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  And today we are diving into the mechanics of of discernment.
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  First, we're going to talk about the Goodness Rule, why any thought that leads to a positive outcome is a safe bet to attribute to God.
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  Second, Wendy shares her Body compass example, the physical difference between the warmth in your chest and the pit in your stomach.
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  Third, we're going to look at the love language of God, how he uses your unique way of feeling love to get his message across.
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  And finally, we'll share with you why you may want to start a journal of revelation to prove to your future self that God really did show up today.
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  But first, we're going to have Wendy share about the Goodness Rule.
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  Oh, if only we had all the simple answers to this, because I.
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  I think it is a hard one.
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  It's a very challenging one to know is this from God or is it from something else?
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  And I think ultimately if it leads to something good, no matter what it is, it's always from God.
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  It always is from God.
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  If it leads to something good, that doesn't mean that it's easy because I've had answers from God that, you know, in the dating scene, the dating world break up with that guy.
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  That was hard.
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  I cried a lot and it was so challenging and it was so difficult.
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  But I also know the answer was from God.
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  And so it's not always Easy what we're asked to do.
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  But I knew in my heart that it was right and it did lead to something better.
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  It led me to my husband, who actually came after that.
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  But I couldn't have seen that in the moment and in the time.
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  And, and sometimes we are blessed.
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  Like that situation.
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  I got more than one confirmation from the spirit, like, yes, you need to break up with him.
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  Yes, you know, it was, I think he, the Lord knew he needed to hit me over the head with that one.
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  But often, though, that's how I gauge it.
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  Is it leading me to better?
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  Is it, is it bringing the feelings of peace and calm and joy?
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  Or is it bringing me more depression, anxiety, anger, frustration?
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  And then it's probably not from God again.
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  That doesn't mean that your answers will always be easy or what God is saying or asking you will be easy.
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  It can be hard and it can be overwhelming or challenging or okay, that's taking me out of my comfort zone to do that.
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  Because we've talked about that before where it's something uncomfortable like, you know, I have to go talk to them.
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  I don't even know them, but I feel like I'm supposed to go talk to them.
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  Sometimes the outcome we don't see or understand, but he does.
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  It's not always easy, but it is always good.
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  Next, Wende is going to share something so practical that our bodies actually act as a compass when we're trying to figure out if a thought is from God or just our own anxiety.
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  Everybody's a little different.
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  For me, I will feel more warmth up in my upper part of my chest.
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  But if it's something that's not good or isn't following him, I feel it in the pit of my stomach.
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  It just, it's heavy and it just sits in the pit of my stomach.
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  Or I feel confused, like it doesn't make sense and I'm running in circles and I feel a lot of confusion.
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  But I think as you become used to hearing what like trying to listen and follow God, you'll get more used to, well, how does he speak to me?
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  And.
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  And how does my body or my spirit receive those answers?
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  Does it feel lighter?
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  Does it bring more light?
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  Does it bring more peace eventually?
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  Or does it this heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach that causes me to doubt or to question or be confused?
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  We have to test the spirits.
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  As First John 4 says, the adversary wants to limit our connection by flooding us with confusion or out of control rage.
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  But God uses connection.
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  So sometimes through a sudden moment of clarity.
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  When you're just talking things out with a friend, sometimes it comes from different sources that reinforce that I've heard God.
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  Like sometimes if I'm struggling with something and I talk to a friend about it and I'm describing this and then this, and I'm not sure what to do here and I'm trying to figure this out, then clarity will
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  come into my mind.
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  That's from God.
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  He's used another person to help me to figure it out.
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  But sometimes clarity will come as I'm even describing the challenge or the decision or what I'm struggling over.
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  Right.
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  That it can come through that.
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  Or like you said, sometimes it can come through another person delivering.
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  Maybe I've offered a prayer and I think he doesn't hear me.
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  And then somebody delivers something like, I remember one day I was so overwhelmed as a new mom and I had twin two babies and just managing everything on my own and by myself.
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  And I had a knock at the door and it was just a woman bringing me a loaf of bread.
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  But it made me cry because I.
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  I had offered a prayer that of God.
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  Are you here?
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  Are you there?
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  Are you listening?
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  I'm so overwhelmed right now.
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  And her coming and showing up my.
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  At my door was God's answer to me.
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  Yes, I see you.
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  And I had somebody deliver bread to you to help you to fill my love.
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  Sometimes it doesn't always just come through my heart.
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  Yes, I can pray through my heart.
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  But sometimes those answers come back to me in many ways, in many shapes and many forms.
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  And that's okay.
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  It's.
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  It's the fact that it comes, whether it's through another person and having a conversation with them or them doing something or delivering or a thought or an oppression or the fruits of what I'm feeling, it's that interaction that
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  I have with him that becomes manifest.
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  And I can grow in more confidence in knowing, oh, yeah, that's from him.
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  Isn't it great to know that God speaks your language, whether it's through a friend, a loaf of bread, or a direct thought.
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  Wende has found that God uses the five love languages concept when he communicates with us personally.
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  A lot of people have heard of the love languages.
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  I use it in marriage therapy a lot.
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  But it's just this beautiful concept that comes from Gary Chapman.
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  He wrote this book called the Five Love Languages.
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  And he has one that has to do with God.
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  Basically, he's like, there's five ways we feel love.
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  Words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gift Giving and physical touch.
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  And he has this beautiful book that opened my eyes to the fact that God knows our love language and can speak to us that way.
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  And at first I was like, how's that going to work?
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  Because my love languages are quality time and physical touch.
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  So I was like, well, how's physical touch going to work?
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  The quality time is easy.
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  I need to spend time with him.
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  When I haven't spent time with him, I realize I'm feeling disconnected.
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  So I have to be intentional about spending time with him because he will spend time whenever I want to.
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  But I need to be the one.
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  Whether it's through reading the scriptures or journaling like you're talking about, or for somebody who's a words of affirmation, it might be through words.
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  It could be a podcast they listen to that, they hear him speaking to them, or it could be those scriptures that they're reading and they feel him talking to Him.
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  The acts of service can be if somebody does perform an act for you and you realize, oh, that's from God, right?
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  Or the gift giving even, and the physical touch.
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  I noticed because I, I love hugs and sometimes I've had a spontaneous hug from someone that I needed right in that perfect time and I realized, oh, that was from Him.
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  Or sometimes I've even sat and visualized and my.
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  I have this beautiful vision of him just like holding me and just being there with me and just connecting with him on a whole new level than I've connected before, that there are just so many different ways that
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  we can connect with him if we just open our minds to it.
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  Isn't it wonderful to know that God knows us and hears us and knows how to communicate with us exactly how we need to hear it?
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  Our final tip to you is to start a journal of revelation to track these moments where you're getting whispers so that they don't get lost in the daily shuffle of life.
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  If you're not sure if you're getting revelation, sit on your bedside before you go to bed and ask God, where did you show up for me today?
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  What were the whispers I received?
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  You might be surprised to see some in retrospect that you didn't originally recognize your thoughts and God's promptings aren't as hard to distinguish as you may think.
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  If it leads to light, brings you peace and encourages you to do good, it is coming from Him.
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  Trust your gut, trust that warmth in your chest, and trust that he wants to be heard and communicate with you because you are his child.
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  And if you're ready to start your own journal of Revelation or hear God Better.
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  We have a great gift for you.
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  It's our roadmap to Revelation.
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  It teaches you six steps to help you hear and recognize God better in your own life.
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  We also have a second gift that is free as well.
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  It is our Receiving Light and Revelation Audio meditation by Wendy and you can get those free on our Women warriors of Light website.
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  The links are in the description below.
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  So my friends, go act on one good thought today and see where it leads you.
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  And until next time, may you arise.
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  Do it God's way.
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  God Strong.