What to Do with Moments of Insight

I grew up in Nigeria where power outage was the norm. Power could go off at any moment and for an unpredictable length of time. This was so common that when power was restored you would hear people across the neighborhoods yell, "Up NEPA!" (NEPA used to be government utility company). I remember how quickly we would run to get normal daily tasks done before losing power again. We would go scrambling to iron our clothes, heat up water, or finish the movie we were unduly interrupted watching just before the last power outage. However, you could tell who did not prioritize what they got done when the power was briefly restored by the wrinkled clothes they had on.

Interestingly, a similar scenario plays out when we miss an opportunity to dig into a moment of God-given insight. Just like power in Nigeria, God-given insights might last only a moment. It could happen in the midst of a crisis, a moment of elation, or simply out of the blue. A thought or feeling washes over us.  It's so easy to keep going on with our lives when we experience such moments. But, we shouldn't miss out on what God is drawing our attention to.

The light is among you for a little longer. Walk while you have light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. - John 12:35

Tuning In

Tuning into these moments calls for us to ask two questions:

• What is God saying?
• And what does He want me to do about it?

Jesus was there with the people as the light of the world, the insight of all insight, and the right response was for the people to REPENT and BELIEVE. He is still shining that light to our hearts through the Holy Spirit, but we struggle at times to be receptive and responsive to his nudging.

Being Receptive beckons us to try to figure what God might be saying. It involves:

• Recognizing the moment (unusual feeling or captivating thought)
• Reflecting on the moment (praying or thinking through it with an open heart attuned to God)
• Discussing our thoughts and feelings with someone we trust spiritually

We often miss out on the last bullet. It’s amazing how sharing a moment of insight or awareness with someone can really help flesh sense what God is saying to us. We should spend some time in personal reflection and then follow it up with discussing with someone we trust. However, it’s also not enough to bask in the emotion or excitement of simply sharing with someone.

Related Post: How to Hear God’s Voice

Acting on the Insight

As we figure out what God is saying we need to respond to God’s nudging by:

• Coming up with a plan (actual actions or steps in response to what God is nudging at our heart)
• Seeking accountability to follow through with the plan (someone we trust spiritually, maybe a spouse)
• Acting on the plan

We are to walk when we have light (insight), lest we walk in darkness (missing our opportunity for direction).  Our Father is constantly speaking, and when we sense His nudge we must ask, "God what are you saying and what do you want me to do about this?"