Showing posts with label How God speaks to us. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How God speaks to us. Show all posts

Thursday, September 21, 2017

"How To Know And Recognize God's Voice" - Inspirational Weekend


(1)"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;"   -  Hebrews 1:1-2

God is the original author of the entire Bible, and He inspired holy men to put His thoughts and commandments in writing.  All Old Testament writers are viewed as prophets in that their testimony was preparation for the coming of Christ.   As verse 2 above states, in these last days God speaks to us by His Son Jesus or the Holy Spirit, which is part of the Godhead.   

In Old Testament times, God also spoke through visions and dreams and angels and in other ways; even in a whisper (1 Kings 19:12).  One thing about it, in OT times the person was absolutely sure it was God who was speaking,

Today, God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit through His Holy Word the Bible, through prayer, the church, and even through circumstances.   This is only true if we have a strong, intimate love relationship with Him.  That takes time and effort on our part.  Make time to read God's Word; make time for prayer.   If you never hear God "speak", then your relationship with Him is severely lacking in intimacy.   Or maybe you have never truly been born again.

"He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."               -  John 8:47

If the above Scripture in John is true of you, you need to get on your knees and pray for forgiveness of any sins, give your heart and soul in surrender to the Lord, and believe in Jesus as your Savior, Lord, and Master.   Now is the time to get right with the Lord !  (2 Corinthians 6:2)

You need to be born again, become a child of God, so that the Holy Spirit may speak to you and give you understanding of spiritual matters.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man."    -  1 Corinthians 2:14-15

The "natural man"  is described in Jude 19 as one who is sensual.  The one who is not a Christian is, for the most part, dominated by the physical and worldly or natural life.  Because he is not filled with the Holy Spirit,  he cannot understand or is not equipped to receive the truth that only the Spirit can give a person.  Therefore, he needs the new birth  (John 3:1-8).  Otherwise, he cannot enter the kingdom of  God.



Ducks and other waterfowl often gather in flocks so numerous that it is breathtaking to see them take to flight all at once.   We Christians should flock together also as Hebrews 10:25 commands us to do:  "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

When we meet together at church, we hear the Word of God preached and many times it is God "speaking" specifically to us on a matter we need to hear..... a word of correction or encouragement or an answer to a dilemma we might be facing.   So when we worship, that is one way we can recognize God's voice.

We also hear the Lord speak to us through a member of our church, or through a Christian friend or family member.  Listen to their advice, but remember they are imperfect humans and we need to "Test" what we hear by pouring over God's Holy Word.

In fact, the Bible tells us to test the spirits:

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."  -  1 John 4:1

Sometimes the voice you hear may be the devil, or your own thoughts and desires may lead you astray.  Test to see if what you hear lines up with God's Word, and pray to Him about it.  Ask Him for wisdom and discernment. If the thoughts are vague or confusing, it is not the Lord.  God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).   Ask yourself if what you hear is going to help you to be more Christlike, or if it will help you to produce more of the fruit of the Spirit in you.  (Galatians 5:22-25)

You most likely will not actually hear God's audible voice; rather, it is a still small voice that speaks to your heart and soul and that prompts your spirit to act.  Remember how Elijah witnessed the LORD's action of a great and strong wind, and after the wind an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire;  but the LORD was not in either of them.  Then, after all that, God spoke to Elijah in "a still small voice."          (1 Kings 19:9-12)  

The bottom line is:  As you worship the Lord, study the Bible, and are often in prayer, you will start to develop spiritual awareness and be able to comprehend and perceive our Lord's heart and mind and His will.  You will hear His voice in your soul more frequently and you will know and recognize that it is Him speaking.

Develop a close, personal, and intimate love relationship with God through Jesus Christ and you will experience His voice frequently. 

Nothing else is as important as this relationship and hearing from God.



"For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."   -  2 Corinthians 6:2

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"  -  2 Corinthians 10:5

"And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of a stranger."  -  Jesus at John 10:4-5   



Thursday, October 6, 2016

"Listening To God" - Inspirational Weekend


First of all, to hear God speaking to us, we have to be willing to listen to Him.  We need to set aside a special time everyday to read the Bible and pray to Him.   The primary way the Lord speaks to us today is through His holy Word, the Bible.   That is how we learn to know God and His will and purposes.  He guides us by means of His Word, and teaches us what we need to know in order to live a full and victorious life, a godly life.   Through His Word and by prayer. we grow close to the Lord and learn to love Him with all of our heart.   And of course, God speaks to us through prayer as well.  But we need to spend time in prayer listening for Him to speak, instead of us doing all the talking.  "Be still and know that I am God"  -  Psalm 46:10a .   It is best to set aside a specific time and place everyday to fellowship with and pray to the Lord.  King David, in Psalm 143:8 prayed :  "Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust:  Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee."   King David spent time with the Lord in the morning, before the day began.  I personally have my quiet time with God in the early morning, before I face the "battles" of the day.   It starts the day off right, and gives you a sense of direction for whatever may lie ahead.  Find a quiet spot in your home, or sit on your patio.  My grandfather used to sit on the front porch in his rocking chair when he read the Bible.   I rarely do deep studying when I sit on my patio, because there are distractions outside.  The point is, study where you are least distracted and can focus entirely on the Lord and His Word.  Journal key Scriptures and insights that you may gain at this quiet time.  The gazebo below looks inviting; a good place to study God's Word if the birds and other things don't distract you overmuch.   


God can also speak through other people and through circumstances.  He knows how to get your attention.   Following is a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley titled "Listening to God."


We also need to have a right attitude in order to hear God speaking to us.  First of all, we must want to do His will.   God pays attention to a heart that is totally surrendered to Him.  We need to desire God's will first, before anything else or our own selfish desires.  Matthew Henry has said, "The first lesson in Christ's school is self-denial."

Psalm 40:8 :  "I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart."

Sometimes God does not answer our prayers right away, and sometimes He is silent.  The silence can be deafening, and causes you to wonder if you have displeased God in some way.....and maybe you have, or maybe not.  Do not let that stop you from praying to Him or stop you from listening for His "voice" through His Word.  Someone once said, "God has not promised to give us answers, but He will give us grace."    Make sure there is no unconfessed sin in your life that is hindering you from hearing from the Lord.  If there is, repent and confess the sin to God and make the necessary changes to stay in fellowship with Him.

Following is a beautiful nature video to grace your happy weekend.   Nature teaches us a lot about God if we will just pay attention.


Psalm 32:8,  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you."

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness."  -  Lamentations 3:22-23