Have you been in a situation — or met an individual — and thought to yourself, "I don't know what it is, but something isn't right"? More often than not, we quickly dismiss the thought and later find out that our intuition was right.

As Christians, we may desire to give every situation and person the "benefit of the doubt," but the Bible teaches that we should listen — and respond — to God's whisper.

Jesus warned:

"Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack. [...] Don't be naive" (Matthew 10:16-17, The Message Bible).

God will often send a gentle whisper that warns us about certain situations and people. When the prophet Elijah was in trouble, the Lord came to him in a whisper:

"As the Lord approached, a very powerful wind tore the mountains apart. It broke up the rocks. But the Lord wasn't in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake. But the Lord wasn't in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire came. But the Lord wasn't in the fire. And after the fire there was only a gentle whisper" (1 Kings 19:11-12, New International Reader's Version).

Naivety wants us to respond to winds, earthquakes, and fires. But God wants us to respond to His gentle voice. If we're able to yield to God's whisper, imagine how much pain, disappointment, and wasted time we'll be able to avoid.

Written by: Marsha DuCille - Publisher/Editorial Director
publisher @ calledmagazine.com