The Lord laid a message upon my heart this morning entitled, "Hearing and knowing the voice of God". John 10:27 says, "My Sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow Me".
Lord, this morning we thank you for your word and we make every choice to follow you. Holy Spirit, we ask that you would increase in our life and that we would decrease. Let this word have such deep root in us so God, without question we would know that we hear from you. In Jesus name, amen.
A man in Topeka, Kansas decided to write a book about churches around the country and he started by flying to San Francisco and traveled east from there. He walked into a very large church and began to take some photographs and taking notes. Then he spotted a large golden telephone on the vestibule wall and he was intrigued by the sign that read, "calls $10,000 per minute". This golden phone was in fact a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to God. The man thanked the Pastor and continued on his way and as he visited churches in Seattle and Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Milwaukee, he found more of those phones with the same sign and the same answer from every pastor. Finally he arrived in Florida and entered a church in Tampa and on the wall he saw the same golden phone but this time the sign read, "calls 25 cents a minute". He was a little bit confused so he looked for the Pastor and told him, "I have gone through all these churches throughout the country and saw this phone with a direct line to heaven but all the other phones said $10,000 a minute and yours says only 25 cents a minute. Why?" The Pastor smiled and said, "Because you're in Florida and this is God's country, it's a local call".
One of the questions that I'm asked very often is how do I know when God is speaking to me and how do I know his voice? How do I know with certainty that the Lord is talking to me? How many are thankful that you have a God that not only loves you but talks to you and is a God that is not far off? I get excited when I'm asked this question because I know that there is an absolute desire in the heart of the believer to know God and to talk with God. The Bible says, "My sheep know my voice and they follow me".
My wife and I just got a dog about a week and a half ago. That dog knows my voice but he doesn't follow me. He only follows my wife and my sons around. But God knows our voice and those of us who know him follow him. That knowing of his voice is not a subjective experience that is opened up to everyone's opinion. The truth is that hearing from God is something that is very Biblical and is proven in life that if you have heard the voice of God and you are living out what God has told you to do then your life will be having God like results and a God like experience. It won't be a subjective thing because people won't be able to argue with the results.
To know the voice of God we must be engaged in conversation. That means we must have a prayer life and actually talk with Him and he must be speaking to us. Most everyone talks to God but not everybody listens to God. Prayer is a conversation. If you are just having a one- way conversation then you're giving a speech, not having a relationship.
Someone once said, "Why should God's end of the line be equipped with a receiver and not a mouthpiece?"
How many know that God loves to hear your prayers and that he loves to hear your voice? God loves it when his people will pray. Prayer is not just asking for things and pouring out all the trouble that you've had over the day but it is a conversation with God. You and I have conversations and we speak to each other but there isn't a special name for that. However, in the relationship we have with the Lord, that conversation does have a special name, it's called prayer. It's a special and a powerful thing. Relationship requires a two-way communication and if its only one way then there is very little depth in that walk with the Lord.
Spiritual hearing is more important than physical hearing because both those who hear and those who are deaf still need to hear from their God. They still need to know that they're speaking to Him because it is through that voice when he is speaking to us that it reveals his will and it absolutely conveys his purpose for our life.
Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh". Part of walking in the spirit is everyday having that communication and relationship with God the Father. Many people claim to hear from God but the fruit of their life proves that either the voice they heard was their own fleshly desire or the bad dinner that they had the night before. Those who hear from God and those who know his word and hear his voice have a life that reflects the glory of having spoken to the Savior.
God is very interested in us hearing his voice. Sometimes as Christians we forget that truth. Six times in the Gospels he says, "He who has ears to ear let him hear". Seven times in the Book of Revelations speaking to the end times church he says, "He who has ears to ear let him hear what the spirit is saying to the churches". How many believe God is speaking to his people today? When Greg came up here this morning he began to relay how after he had heard the message on Sunday he heard at least 3 other preachers that week on the radio speaking the same type of message. How many believe that there is an end time message where without preachers even consulting with one another and if we are hearing from God you will hear a consistency in that voice spoken throughout the nation, not just in the local church but to all of God's people. It's a powerful thing.
"He who has hears to hear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches". We are the church, not just at Harvest Community but every single person who calls the name of the Lord Jesus as their Savior. We are the church and God says to listen to his voice. The whole key to hearing from God is whether or not we're listening.
There are times my wife will speak and I hear a sound but I have no idea what she said. It is interesting how much conflict that can cause in a household. All of us know the importance of listening to our spouse and to family. That listening is an attentiveness that says when I begin to hear that sound my attention becomes focused on that voice so that not only do I hear a noise in the background of my life but I must pay attention to what that noise is saying and recognize that it is a precious sound. That same thing is true of God and when I hear his voice begin to speak I must listen. The whole key is paying attention.
Hebrews 3:15 says, "Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your heart as in the rebellion". Rebellion is simply this; it is hearing God's voice, knowing what he wants but doing what we want. This is what he says, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion but listen to his voice and do what he says.
There are four things that we need to understand about God. Number one is that he is a talking God and he talks to people. Number two is that God is not a respecter of persons. If he will speak to me and to other believers then he will speak to every one of his children. Number three is that God expects us to hear and to obey his word. When we hear his voice, what he says is not just an option but we are wise to do it. Number four is that everything he says is for our good, even when it is difficult to hear.
I want to speak about a couple ways that God talks to us. There are a lot of voices that compete for our attention and this is why we need to know the five primary ways that God speaks into our life. I'm going to talk about the first four very quickly because it is the last one that I believe the Lord has laid on my heart for this message. The first way the God speaks to us we know is through the Bible. It is his written word for us. It contains God's will and his purpose along with the principles and keys to live a successful Christian life and have a proper relationship with the Lord. The Bible says that, "faith comes through hearing and hearing by the word of God". How many know how important it is to know this word? Not just the spoken word from a preacher but by you picking up this Bible and reading it. We are privileged to have God's word in written form today with the ability to read and to know it.
Secondly, he speaks through the preaching of his word. Not only can we read his word but we can hear it expounded on. There will be many times when we need an answer and direction and encouragement and God will instruct a preacher what to say and will speak directly to you. How many have ever been in a church service before where it almost seems like God was reading your mail. I know I get to do a lot of the talking but there are a lot of times where I like to sit and hear the word of God myself. There are times when that word is being spoken and I need to hear from God. Somehow when I've been reading the word of God it just wasn't coming alive that day but God had given a word to me either directly in the heart or something that I didn't understand began to come alive. That's why it's important to be in church and to know his word. That's why it's important to have your kids in the youth group and in Sunday school and children's church, making sure that the word is being spoken into their life.
Another way that God speaks is through the authorities in our lives. Authorities would be God's designated ministers to us like parents or teachers. Son or daughter, it doesn't matter how old you get, if your parents are still living there are times God will use them to speak into your life. Church leaders and sometimes even bosses that are in your life will speak and help develop your character. Authority is God's tool to work in our lives for character development, to give us wisdom and protection and to give us guidance and direction.
A fourth way that God speaks to us is through supernatural and special revelation. How many believe that God still does miraculous things today? God will still speak to us through dreams and visions and even angelic visitation and prophecy. Sometimes he'll even come with an audible voice. When God speaks like this it will never contradict scripture. If God gives you a dream it will line up with the word of God. If he speaks that prophecy through someone else, that prophecy will never contradict scripture. If an angel shows up and begins to speak into your life, he will always acknowledge that Jesus is the savior of the world and he will not pretend to be God himself. If that stuff starts happening you better close your ears and call on the name of Jesus real quick. People say that doesn't happen anymore but it does. Not only have I had that happen in my life but I've had so many others who have even seen not an actual angel but a demon that tried to appear as an angel of light.
The Bible says in 1John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world". 1st Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Test all things, hold fast what is good".
There will be times as you are beginning to walk with God or during your life with God that you will make sure you test everything that you hear. My prayer is that even when you hear me preach this word you'll make sure that what this preacher is preaching to you lines up with the word of God and if it doesn't then you shouldn't pay any attention to what's being said. Test the source; are they Godly? Test their attitude, how is the spirit with which they deliver a message? Is the person controlling and manipulative or are they loving and helpful? Test what is being said in the spirit with which it is being said. How many of you have been disciplined with God but have been overwhelmed while God is speaking into your life from his wonderful love that he's given you? Even when God gives a correcting word of prophecy in the church sometimes the word might come across as harsh but God will do it in such a way that is so loving that you have absolutely no contradiction of whether it was God speaking or not. If you have a check in your spirit then I would speak with the Lord and find out whether it was from him or not.
The fifth way that God speaks to you is through the inner voice of the Holy Spirit. This is what I wanted to speak to you very keenly about this morning. This is what most people are asking when they wonder if they're hearing the voice of God or not. In this voice of the Holy Spirit as he begins to speak to each individual is the still small voice that we sense coming from deep within the inner man. We must remember that when we are saved the spirit of God comes and dwells inside of us. "Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world". The Bible says that his spirit lives in us. Knowing his spirit is felt and understood is the same way that we know that we are saved. How many of you remember that day you gave your life to Jesus and you knew that he came to live inside you? Romans 8:16 says, "The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God". How many know that you know that you know that you are a child of God?
There is something that happens in the life of a believer when you accept Christ? You know you're saved. Some people describe it as a feeling. I like to describe it not so much as a feeling because feelings can be fickle. But there is this knowing when Christ comes and dwells inside and you know that you are a child of God. It is the same way that you know you are saved when God begins to speak to you and you know inside that it is he that is speaking into your life. Peter and the apostles, when they needed to make some decisions concerning what they were going to do with the idea of circumcision, whether everyone needed to be circumcised or not in order to be saved, they said this, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us". Not only did they have an agreement among themselves but there was a sense inside of each of them that they had heard from God, that they were able to say and give certain direction that we can even read about in the word of God today. "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us". When God is speaking to people there will not just be an understanding by the person who is being spoken to but there will be a recognition by others that God is in the midst of what is taking place. That's a powerful thing.
The spirit within us desires to reveal God's thoughts to us. Even when there is correction involved, his word will be loving and it will be sure. When we hear from the Lord we can know that we're talking to him and not just about him. God's voice many times comes as a flow of supernatural and spontaneous thoughts or a deep inner knowing that are different from the thoughts that we have. We know that they are different from the daily thoughts that we have. You talk to yourself all day long and people thing if you talk to yourself then you need to be locked up with a strait jacket but only if you do it out loud. The truth is you've been speaking to yourself all day, all the time. How many know your own voice?
The truth is that God is speaking to us. When he begins to speak even when it is that thought that you recognize as different from your own thoughts, it causes a certain response in your heart when God speaks.
It is one thing to hear yourself speak and come up with an idea and get excited about it. It is another thing to hear the voice of the Lord calling into your life and you get that spark of his understanding. There is an excitement or a conviction, faith, peace or awe about what he's saying that solidifies an idea that you have in your heart and you know God is settling something inside of you. You embrace it and it strengthens you to live and to put into action what he's just spoken.
The truth is that many times when God speaks we must be still and pay attention or we will miss it. There are times when God will speak into my life even if it's just a word for a message. There are so many things going around vying for our attention and God says, "Stop and be still". There are times God wants to talk to you and you might be in the middle of an intense television show. You've got a choice, watch the show or listen to God. There are even times in my own life when God is doing something inside of me and when God speaks I need to make sure I write it down. That way not only did I hear it but also I remember it.
Sometimes I may be in the middle of something and someone may want to talk to me, or my family may want my attention and I have to purposely ask them to wait a minute. My family has learned that if I say that in the middle of a television show they have every right to get in front of the tv and get my attention. But they know that if they can see that look in my eye that God is speaking and saying something then I need to get to a pen and paper, I'm not going to ignore it. There are times you just have to be still and pay attention. That's why that private prayer time is so important to hear from God. People talk about putting on worship music when you pray and that's ok but sometimes that music becomes the thought of what you begin to do. Instead of praying to God you sing the praise. Turn it off, be still and listen.
Worldly meditation tells us that we need to connect to the God around us, the God of this world. When you do that you get bad information. But being still before God helps us to listen to the Holy Spirit that is within us, not to our own voice or our own thoughts but to listen to the inner man. God will begin to tell you things that you never dreamed you could hear. He will help you understand things you never knew you could understand. I'm not talking about becoming some great scientist with some theoretical kind of understanding which he might do in someone but usually he's helping you deal with your life hearing from God.
There are several reasons why people have a hard time hearing God speak. One of the reasons they have a hard time is that they are not a Christian. The Bible says that the sheep know his voice. As his children we can expect to hear from God and expect to know that he's talking. But if you are not a Christian, God is under no obligation to speak to you, although he often does. God wants to speak to everyone and he will do anything to draw them to him.
The second reason why you may have a hard time hearing the voice of God is that there is sin in your life. Isaiah 59:2 says, "Your iniquities have separated you from your God and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear". I have had many Christians come to my office and say, "Pastor, I used to hear from God all the time but I feel so far from him. There is something that is blocking my life from God". The first question I will ask them is, "Is there sin in your life?"
Many times we don't have to go any farther. You want to hear from God but God is already speaking to you. That voice of conviction has been hindering your walk with God. How many of you have ever been offended by your spouse or your children? Let me ask you, after you've done a really good job of offending them, how has the conversation gone? They don't hear anything else you're saying except, "I'm mad at you and I want to deal with this because there's an issue between us". No matter how hard you try to pretend that it's not there, it's there. We forget that God is the same way. What God is saying is, "Listen, I'm here but we've got to deal with this first. There's something else I want to speak into your life, there's more that I want to do but this sin is in the way". The truth is that walking in disobedience causes a barrier between us and God but repentance opens it right up.
God gave me a message I'm going to preach later this summer entitled, "Radical repentance". I found that I so much don't want anything in the way with God that when I know I have done things that we deal with it immediately. We don't hear from God when we haven't obeyed what God has already said. One of the key reasons that people's lives get messed up is that they don't listen and obey. How many have ever heard God tell you to do something and you didn't do it? Just like walking on a pathway, God gives us light for each step.
Psalms 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path". Not only is this wonderful word of God a light unto our feet and a light to our path but how many have ever needed specific direction from God on a definite issue? You have said, "God, I don't know the next step to take and I don't know what to do. Lord, I need you to show me the way". Then God gives you the understanding. When you took that step you begin to find that what used to be dark is now wide open to you. Then you take the next step and there's light.
One of the reasons why people's lives get off track is because they don't want to take that next step into the light and they decide to get off the path and they don't know that they've heard from God. Here's what I love to tell people, if you're not sure where you're at, go back in your life to the last place you heard from God and get back on track. If we have neglected already what God has given to us, he is not going to give us more revelation or direction because we're just going to take the step off the path. When you're ready to get back on, "God, I want you to show me your way", then he will show you how to get back in the right direction.
Some people don't want to hear. Sometimes when we're in our walk with God, he's speaking and that voice that you hear isn't what you want him to say. How many have ever been there? That place of pride can cause us to have a hardened heart. No matter how much God speaks to some people they continue to resist but God speaks to those who are teachable, submissive and moldable. Psalms 25:8-9 says, "Good and upright is the Lord, therefore he teaches sinners in the way. The humble he guides in justice and the humble he teaches his way".
If you want to hear from God, if you want to know that you're listening to his voice and what you're hearing is from God then humble yourself before the Lord. The truth is we always think we know what is right but how many of us have found that in all our pride and all our understanding we've taken some steps and made some decisions when we thought we had it all together and we didn't consult the Lord. The Lord says, "If you would have just listened to me".
I want to challenge you, don't harden your heart. Can I speak to you with the love that I feel for people? The reason why I've seen so many people's lives get messed up is because they get to a place where they get angry with God. They don't like what's happening, they don't like what they're hearing and so they begin to tune it out and say, "If that's what you're going to say and if that's what you're going to do, I don't like it". Then their heart gets so hard and all of a sudden they can't understand why things are falling apart. When they come broken, they come hurting, sometimes that's the only time they come to the preacher's office. I get to hold them in my arms and say, "I can hear the bitterness and the pride with which you're speaking. Stop and humble yourself before the Lord".
Rebellion is a hardness toward what God is saying, It's not wanting to listen. Rebellion can come simply in the way of thinking that you've got it all together and you know what you're doing and then you make a simple mistake and you get right back on track because you realized you blew it. But some people are persistent. How many have ever met some people with a little bit of a thick head? Usually a thick head is a sign of a hard heart. What I've watched is when they stop rebelling against God beautiful things begin to happen in their life.
One of the last things that can distract us from hearing from God is the busyness and distractions of life. The place where your heart is becomes the focus of your attention. He greatest way to hear is to be still and listen. Psalms 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God". Sometimes people think that we just need to stop and watch the power of God just blow right through. Sometimes that's true but some of the most precious times I've had hearing from God is when I haven't felt like talking and I've actually gotten tired of expressing my complaints to the Lord and I've finally just decided to come to prayer. Sometimes I feel like "Sitting Bull", I'm here and I shall not be moved. I say, "God, I'm tired and what I need is to hear your voice".
Sometimes the most precious times with the Lord have not been when the Holy Spirit wells up inside of me and I've wanted to shout but some of the most powerful moments I have felt when I've needed to hear the voice of God is when I've just come to sit and I've felt like he's sat down right next to me and put his arm around me and said, "I've never left you, I've never forsaken you. As a matter of fact I haven't been right next to you, I've been right inside of you the whole time if you would just listen". Then he begins to speak and he begins to comfort and he begins to direct.
What I have found is when you hear from God and you know that you've heard his voice you will begin to have a successful Christian life. You will have a successful relationship in your marriage and with your children. You will be successful in whatever you do in life if you listen to the Lord but it's important to hear and know the voice of God.
Christian, I want to ask you, do you know his voice? There will be people who think you're crazy because you say you hear from God but only if you say you're hearing from God and your life is a mess. The truth is if you're hearing the voice of God and you know that its true and it lines up with his word, not only will you have the peace and comfort in the inner man but your life will prove out the results that God has spoken in your life.
