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by David Truman
Every person has the ability to "obey" the still small voice, and everyone who does will work wonders. Here are five simple instructions on obedience.
1. Get out of the way
To clear the fog that obscures Divine promptings, stop fretting and feel.
Quit trying to figure out what to do. If it seems difficult to discern the promptings of the still small voice, note that the haze seems especially dense when the mind is consumed with fretting, over-analyzing, and trying to figure out what to do. To clear the fog, remember that no one can ever know the ultimate effects of an action. It is like trying to figure out how an elephant's sneeze on one side of the earth will change the weather on the other side. Such problems are far too complex to solve! So stop calculating and RELAX.
You can quiet the mind and increase receptivity by releasing personal plans and purposes. The more projects you are obsessively invested in, the less room you have to hear the voice of truth -- much less act upon it. But once the mind quiets down, we can FEEL whether an action is good. Any action that feels good in conception will yield good results. Here, then, is the key to confident action:
If it feels sweet, it will sweeten;
if it feels beautiful, it will beautify.
Don't drown out the answers with your cries for help. Don't try TOO hard to listen to the still small voice; stressful effort and receptivity don't mix. Trying hard to listen jams the airwaves with mental interference. You are more likely to receive an answer in a relaxed moment -- while brushing your teeth or walking down the street.
Ask with confidence, then go about your business.
Here's how to get in tune with the still small voice: pose your question, express your commitment to receptivity to the universe, be quiet a minute and listen for an answer. Then, regardless of what happens -- even if you THINK you have not heard the answer -- go about your business with faith and confidence that an answer has already been given, or that one is forthcoming. Implement on the answers you ALREADY have, and more will come as needed.
2. Admit that you "hear" the still small voice
Do you doubt that you can reliably HEAR the still small voice? Well, you can, and you do. In the article "Why Obey the Still Small Voice," we note that people feel more love than they express. Your loving impulses are the still small voice talking to you. If you feel those impulses, then you definitely hear the still small voice.
Divine impulses fall on us like rain -- we just have to put down our umbrellas.
Why do we sometimes feel that we have no idea what to do? The answer lies in the speed of our editing. We often reject our inspirations so quickly that we hardly realize they came: We feel a fleeting urge to call someone, but then turn our attention instantly elsewhere; we want to touch someone, but then judge that silly and launch into a conversation that is really silly. It's like brushing away flies automatically and almost unconsciously.
Nature is incredibly fertile: seedling trees cover the hillside; fish eggs cloud the seas. In the same way, true Divine inspirations flow through our minds in abundance.
Example: Sitting with her lover on the couch, a woman declared that she wanted to be more assertive in her affection. But then, feeling insecure, she hastily added that she had no idea what to do. He replied, "Write a list of the impulses you had in the last ten minutes." She wrote a list of five impulses she could recall. "Why didn't you do any of these things?" he asked, "They all sound good to me."
As usual, over zealous EDITING is the culprit. Of course we think we don't have a clue as to what to do -- after we kill every impulse we have been given. But pretty soon another impulse pops up. So, instead of crying to the still small voice, "Answer me, help me!" admit that you're already getting its messages. And thank God!
3. Raise your percentage of allowing
As editor-in-chief of our own actions, each of us holds the keys to the manifestation of the Divine Will. To survive, a good impulse needs a welcoming environment -- a person who is willing to act.
Beware of the ego's habit of resisting obedience. Naturally, the ego wishes to lead, not follow. It feels threatened by the prospect of releasing ego control and submitting to Divine kindness. That is why it casually ignores the directives of the still small voice. It lets inspiration die on the vine, and then offers lame but conventional-sounding excuses: "I didn't want to be too forward." "I didn't have time."
Just because the ego's a party pooper on obeying Divine directives doesn't mean the party's over.
To help the Divine Will manifest, keep ego from ruining the party with excuses. In particular, question the conventional conservatism behind which the cowardly ego hides. Certainly, enlightened action, whatever it is, will not conform to the rigid rules of convention: True rightness transcends linear logic.
Bringing life to life requires courage. The habit of passivity affords refuge for spiritual weakness. The ego will automatically question the propriety of any good act in order to escape spiritual "risks." But all that is beautiful cannot possibly be foolish just because it's not "normal." Only a weak man compulsively questions what he knows in his heart is right; an honest person not only KNOWS better, he DOES better. Say "Yes!" to inspiration, and be willing to take a fashion risk for Goodness' sake. Be a hero.
To bring more of God's sweet Heaven to life, act on a few more inspirations than you normally would.
We don't have to fulfill every impulse that comes down the pipeline: just boost the PERCENTAGE. If one out of ten sweet impulses were brought to life, this would be another world -- the kind of world God would prefer.
4. Have faith that following promptings will work
You may think of yourself as confused or even incompetent, but you have proved that you can follow the still small voice, because you have done it many times. Not only have you followed some beautiful urges -- you have seen great results from doing it.
When we try to judge if any particular prompting is a good idea or not, or whether we are willing to implement it or not, we put the still small voice on trial. What is REALLY on trial, however, is our willingness to act on things that we know are right. Maybe we need more faith.
We don't need blind faith, we need faith based on experience. Experience verifies time after time that the still small voice works.
We don't need blind faith, we need faith based on experience. Experience verifies, time after time, that the still small voice WORKS. For example, you act on a prompting, a sweet impulse. You then wait for the negative repercussions -- rejection, outrage, sarcasm -- but nothing happens. So you say, "You mean there's no trouble?" You get reassurance: "No, that was wonderful. Keep up the good work!" After a hundred similar events, the pattern stands clear: "These inspirations WORK. Whenever I act on them, they do good." Your faith and confidence in the still small voice soars.
Consider where confidence comes from. It comes not from comprehension, but from predictability. In Yellowstone National Park tourists gather each hour in front of a hole in the ground, poised to take a picture the next time the geyser goes off. Do they know WHY it goes off? No. And neither do the park officials. But this geyser has erupted regularly throughout recorded history. Likewise, we do not know why the promptings of the still small voice work, but we know THAT they do. Isn't that enough?
Recognize, too, that the promptings of the still small voice are POTENT. Every prompting has incredible value, rightness, and unfailing potential to heal. Sure, the recipient's resistance may blind him to the spirit of the message, causing him to respond unfavorably. But that rarely occurs. The still small voice almost always finds a receptive audience.
Example: Tom was trying to get on a plane, but since the airport was fogged in, flights were delayed for hours. The agents behind the counter were besieged by angry passengers who could not depart. Tom walked up to them and said, "This must be tough," and sympathized with the stress of having to work under those conditions. Minutes later, an official put him on a plane he wasn't supposed to get on.
How can we doubt the seeds of Divine deeds will sprout miracles?
The more you follow the still small voice, the more you put it to the test. The more you put it to the test, the more you see how well it works. You see the wonderful differences created daily. As your confidence grows, so does your boldness and your willingness to implement more and more of these promptings. Eventually, you realize that anybody who follows the still small voice can love as well as anyone else. All it takes is the impulses and a body. And your impact on the world is simply a matter of how MANY of these impulses you manifest.
God has a row, you have a hoe, and that's all you need to know.
How can one doubt that the seeds of Divine deeds will sprout miracles? As they say, consider the sorce. God has a row, you have a hoe -- and that's all you need to know.
5. Do it
Miracles result from surrendering directly to Divine promptings hour by hour. Pretend you are a blind surfer, surfing by the seat of your pants: You can feel the energy waves rising under you. If you paddle immediately, you will be able to speed into shore, powered by this great wave beneath you. If you respond too slowly, the wave will lift you up momentarily, but then pass under you, leaving you flat. So when you feel the wave, spring into action!
Feel the impulse.
Recognize -- by feeling -- that it's
a good impulse.
Do it.
God and the Angels will smile upon you.

by David Truman

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