Recognizing God’s Voice – Heaven Is Calling Lesson 3

Heaven Is Calling Lesson 3 - A Bible Art Journaling Challenge Series

Hello Everyone! Welcome to lesson 3 in the Bible Art Journaling Challenge series, Heaven Is Calling! Join me in learning some mixed media Bible journaling techniques with Inktense, Distress Ink and Pitt Pens as we talk about recognizing God’s voice. If you’ve not seen lesson one, or lesson two yet, I encourage you to start at the beginning so we can go on a journey together in this free 12-part devotional series.

In this lesson today, I want to pick back up on a story we discussed in lesson one. Hannah had cried out for a son and God had granted her request. Years later, that son Samuel was essentially being raised in the temple under Eli, the man who first told Hannah that her request would be granted from God. Samuel hadn’t yet known how to recognize God’s voice and how to respond. And that is where this story comes in, as we focus in on connecting with a good God, by learning to recognize His voice.

Heaven Is Calling Lesson 3 - A Bible Art Journaling Challenge Series

For this devotional project, I’ve taken some Inktense, Distress Ink, a stencil and Faber Castell Pitt Pens, to create this fun pop art style piece, which can help us remember this story and what our own response should be.

Now, let’s start with a video and a free download too!

Today’s Bible art journaling supplies

As promised, here are the supplies I featured in this lesson video. I hope they help you find anything you may want to try out. All links will lead to Scrapbook.com and Amazon. These are purely optional and you are free to participate with whatever you have, using the scripture for this challenge. Enjoy joining me with anything you’re interested in also!


Bibles and supplies for Bible art journaling

I’ll mention for those who are new and interested… there are several wide-margin Bibles and Journaling Bibles and supplies which I recommend for this art form. I’ve created a linked recommendations collection on my Bible Art Journaling Supplies page, to make your starter choices easier. Additionally, you can find a general supply list for this devotional series, on the Heaven Is Calling page.

Bible Page prep

I wanted to show you a side view of my Bible just after finishing my creative time on this lesson. I think people often see my photos and believe that my Bible art journaling, leaves my Bible pages super flat. They do go fairly flat in time, but not at the beginning if I first introduce any liquid like watercolor. If you want to avoid any wrinkling altogether, I’d recommend you stick to simple colored pencil, or other non-moisture introducing supplies. I hope that makes sense.

Heaven Is Calling Lesson 3 - A Bible Art Journaling Challenge Series

My opinion is that I must enjoy this process of Bible journaling, or it is simply a discipline. I think we’ve all got plenty of areas in our lives to grow in personal discipline. Being in the Word of God, is an area of life that I like to reserve as a totally fun and unavoidable awesome experience, which draws me back in time and time again. Yes, we should discipline ourselves to read the Bible. But, I’d like to think that this discipline would look the same as eating your FAVORITE meal for dinner, rather than the meal your mom forced down you as a child, “because it it is good for you”.

Whatever supplies and techniques get you excited about God’s Word, use them and fondly let your Bible pages wrinkle with the time you invest in its pages. I promise you, nobody flips through my Bible and complains about wrinkles. 😉 Let go of any worries of perfection and enjoy encountering God, through times of creativity in His Word.

As I mentioned,  my Supplies page has a list of recommended supplies with my comments and recommendations on page prep supplies, (and other supplies). Over there, I’ve also linked to my blog post called, “Felt Tipped Pens On Gesso” and another post called, “Clear Gesso & Matte Gel Medium in Bible Art Journaling”, which really helps explain gesso and matte gel medium (both great for page prep), in a bit more helpful depth. These three links should be good resources for you, if you’re trying to learn more about Bible page prep generally. You can also then search my blog, as there are a ton of helpful resources to check out.

Mixed media

Mixed media is a term that describes when a variety of media (art supply types), are used in a work of art. I am a mixed media artist myself and love to create with more than one art supply, in one piece. I think it is fun to remove limitations and rules and just create. Inktense pencils and Inktense blocks are super beautiful on Bible pages. Adding Distress Ink and Faber Castell Pitt Pens with them, creates even more fun and of course, turns my project into a mixed media piece!

These supplies work well together without any negative chemical reactions and aside from my Distress Ink, the whole page of creative work is totally permanent now. Which is great because today I spilled a bunch of water on my Bible. Yeah. I gasped and then cleaned up the water quicker than I knew I was capable of. Thankfully it’s drying without harm done.

The only downside to being a mixed media artist, is needing such a large variety of supplies. But who are we kidding here? I’m pretty sure we all buy ALL THE THINGS when we find the budget for them. 😉 Am I right?! What’s next on your shopping list? I think I’m over shopping for a while, considering my recent giant art and craft supply haul. 🙂

Heaven Is Calling Lesson 3 - A Bible Art Journaling Challenge Series

Scripture

I used my Single Column ESV Journaling Bible, for this Bible Art Journaling Challenge. The section of scripture for this lesson, is 1 Samuel 3:1-10…

1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Recognizing God’s voice

I’ve got a few random thoughts about this section of scripture that I want to add to what I shared in the video…

Firstly… I’d like to point out that, “…the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord…“. And, this is the point where God started speaking to him. I believe when we minister to God, we position ourselves for Him to speak to us.

Secondly…It seems to me that Samuel was a boy with a heart to listen and respond. Three times he thought Eli was speaking and his immediate response was to go and respond to Eli. I think this position of heart, made him ready to hear God’s voice when He spoke.

Thirdly, I think some people might believe that it was a little bizarre that Eli took 3, yes THREE full times, to realize that Samuel was hearing God’s voice. Eli was after all, seasoned in God’s Temple and understood these matters. He was actually responsible for Samuel’s spiritual training. And here he was, being “slow” to realize that God was speaking to Samuel. Wouldn’t Eli have been seasoned in hearing God’s voice? Well, no, actually.

“…the word of the Lord was rare in those days…” and Eli went on in verse 17 to say to Samuel… “What was it that He told you? Do not hide it from me.”

It’s the words of a man who lived in a season of history where God spoke through His chosen prophets of the day and it wasn’t until Jesus left the Holy Spirit with us, that we see a shift where wide-spread revelation became available to anyone willing to hear His voice.

Heaven Is Calling Lesson 3 - A Bible Art Journaling Challenge Series

This leads to my fourth point. I believe that God – our GOOD God – wasn’t satisfied with this restriction of connection with His people and longed for the day when Jesus stepped in to reconcile mankind to Himself. In that day, there was a shift that tore the veil in the Temple and never again were God’s people in need of atonement to approach God. Jesus had become the atonement. It made it possible for more than the “chosen ones” to hear God’s voice on behalf of the people. Eli would have known the ways of God and how this all worked, which is likely how he realized after three times, that God was trying to speak to Samuel. In his hunger, he asked the boy to tell all that God had revealed to him.

I want to remind you that God’s voice is not rare in these days and He is always seeking ways to lavish us with His presence and be known by us. He wants connection.

Let me share a few tips for learning to recognize God’s voice and what He is saying…

  • If you cannot find in scripture what you believe God told you, it’s not true. God never contradicts His Word. This is one reason it is SO important to spend time in the Word of God. It allows us to recognize what God would have us do in a given situation before us. It is important to note that God is always happy to contradict our understanding of His scripture. We simply have to be open to understanding Him the way He wants to be understood and to follow His lead.
  • If we have a situation we need clarity on, we need to ask ourselves what we have peace about. That “knower” in our spiritual gut, has a God-given compass designed to lead us in all truth. We need to follow peace and never be afraid to listen to it when it also lines up with what scripture says.
  • As I mentioned in my video, sometimes God will speak to us in our own voice. We can benefit from asking God to give us discernment to know the difference and then watch for when thoughts pop up in our mind that sound like us… but the smarter and wiser version of us. 🙂 This is often a sign to ask God if He is trying to say something and let Him know we are listening.

It is so valuable to learn to know God’s voice when He speaks. It prepares us to step into greater breakthrough and to deeper places with God. He is SO good and I am so grateful He loves to connect with us!

I want to encourage you to join me in one simple act as we do this devotional together. Pull out your Bible and fun supplies, and then take a moment to invite God to make His voice even more evident in your life. Join me in verbally inviting God to speak and tell Him just like the boy Samuel did… “Speak, for your servant hears.” Let’s tune in to God’s voice and invite Him to speak. Let’s make it clear we will respond as Samuel did.

And when we do this, let’s not be afraid of what He might do. God is a GOOD God, waiting to connect with us. Waiting for that invite only we can offer. Let’s invite Him and when He comes, let’s respond… “Yes Lord? Here I am.”

Your free download!

You are free to participate with whatever you have and in whatever style or way that speaks to you most. If you want to use my tutorial as a springboard in your creative process, I’ve made this free download for you! The idea is, that although it is perfect in a single column ESV Journaling Bible, it will also fit in nearly every other type of journaling Bible or wide margin Bible, by simply cutting both cloud shapes away from each other so they fit on the top and bottom of whatever Bible page you put it on.

This is meant to be printed on a 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. If you print with any other shaped paper, be sure to select 100% size when printing to ensure the image fits your Bible the same way you see it fit mine. By cutting on the scissor lines in your download, you can drop your image right into your Bible and get tracing!

Heaven Is Calling Lesson 3 - A Bible Art Journaling Challenge Series

Join me in this Bible Art Journaling Challenge

You can find answers to most any question you may have about participating in this challenge, on the Bible Art Journaling Challenge page and learn more about this particular devotional series, on the Heaven Is Calling page which holds a visual lesson archive and more! Be sure to head over to our Facebook group or Google+ Community, to chat about this Bible Art Journaling Challenge and get started on your own creativity!

Many of you ask if it is okay to share these posts with your friends. Please share! It is a simple way you can partner with me to impact lives. And remember, you can join this challenge any date you wish. The community is always growing and you are welcome to participate whenever you want! Thanks for joining me. Please take a moment and comment below! I’d love to hear from you!

You are loved. x

*Scripture is from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

*When you find deals which I’ve searched for and recommended, I get supported. This has no effect on you and makes a real difference for me. Thank you, I so appreciate your support which helps me provide these free tutorials for you! You may view my affiliate and product disclosure for more info.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...