Who Speaks to Your Heart Blog Tour with Stacy Hawkins Adams

Devotional Excerpt taken from Ch. 2 of Who Speaks To Your Heart?

In my early adulthood, I thought living by the “thou shall nots” in the Ten Commandments was the answer to salvation. As I’ve matured and experienced life’s highs and lows without being abandoned by God, I’m continually reminded that “The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,” and that it is mine to be explored and appreciated, because God created it for all of his children, including me. That means we can walk this journey of faith hand in hand with God, with joy and an open heart, trusting that as we listen for his instructions and obey him when he speaks, he’ll tell us when to run, and where.

Esther must have longed for God to speak when the man who had raised her, her uncle Mordecai, came to her and insisted that she approach the king and save the Jews. Esther knew what had happened to the queen who preceded her. Vashti had made the king angry and lost her head.

Esther wasn’t willing to walk smack dab into a similar fate. But when Mordecai warned her that she might face death anyway if she didn’t try to save her people, she did what her uncle had trained her to do. She instructed Mordecai and every Jew in the city to fast and pray on her behalf. She too turned to God in prayer and fasted with her maids for three days.

Notice that after this period of dwelling with the Lord, Esther didn’t rise and immediately approach the king. God seems to have instructed her how best to soften the King’s heart. Esther made herself as beautiful as she could, then she went to the king and prayed that he would extend his golden scepter, giving her permission to approach him….

Put yourself in her place. What would you have done? Esther had to run this race before she felt ready, finally understanding that maybe, just maybe, God had put her in this place for this very reason. She was going to run with him holding her hand all the way.

Whatever stage of the race you’re in, slow down enough to see if God is ready to give you direction and move you into your purpose. Don’t rush the process; his timing is perfect.

If you are sprinting in your faithwalk instead of pacing yourself, maybe it’s time to slow down and wait for God to speak. If you’re jogging, maintain your steady pace but know that only when you’re paying attention will you see and hear what God has to say to you. If you’re walking, be patient. God is grooming you for your season and your time.

© Stacy Hawkins Adams. Excerpted from Who Speaks To Your Heart? Do not reprint or publish this excerpt without full attribution to the author or without express permission from the author or publisher, Zondervan.

About the Book

With insight, inspiration, and practical ideas in her new book—Who Speaks to Your Heart?—, author Stacy Hawkins Adams shows you and all women—regardless of the labels placed on you—that your best and most important title is the one given by God … chosen vessel.

“I wrestled with whether a God that I couldn’t see or touch would be willing to single me out from the millions of other people who wanted love, attention and help.”

To women all over the country, from all walks of life, this uncomfortable uncertainty is all too familiar. Now—for inspiration, for affirmation, for a divine connection—you have a new place to turn … to this authentic look at what it takes to pursue God with abandon, by acclaimed author Stacy Hawkins Adams.

Offering insight, inspiration, and practical ideas on how to connect more often and more deeply with God, Adams helps give you and women the world over the courage to go deeper and grow deeper in God’s word to hear Him more clearly. Women young and old will be empowered and renewed by Adams’ reminder that—regardless of the labels placed on you by society, your family, your friends, and even yourself—your best and most important title is the one given by God … chosen vessel.


About the Author


Stacy Hawkins Adams is a nationally-published, award-winning author and speaker. Her contemporary women’s fiction novels are filled with social themes and spiritual quests that take readers on journeys into their own souls.

She holds a degree in journalism and served as a newspaper reporter for more than a decade before turning her full attention to penning books, speaking professionally and writing freelance articles.

Stacy lives in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two young children. Visit Stacy online at http://stacyhawkinsadams.com/
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View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/WhoSpeaksToYourHeart.


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