Created to Hear Gods Voice
Does God really still speak to us?
When has He last spoken to you?
Hebrews 1:1-4
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
Does God want to speak to you?
John 10:1-5
1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
John 10:14-16
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
John 10:25-28
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, (Miracles are a way of God Speaking)
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (Peter was challenged to “Follow Jesus” just before Jesus left the earth. In order for Peter to successfully follow Jesus, he had to be able to hear and recognize Jesus voice, even after Jesus had gone up to heaven).
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
Should we expect to hear more from Jesus then what He spoke while walking on earth?
John 14:25-26
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 15:26
26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:12-15
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. (revelation)
Does this mean that we should expect to hear more from God then what is just written in the Bible?
The Word of God is our balance. Whatever God says to us will comply with what has already been written.
Some people will demand, “If I don’t see it written in the Bible, then it can’t be God!” But that argument just won’t stand up. Why? You do many things that are not written in the Bible. For example, Do you close your eyes when you pray? Where do we see that as being scriptural? We talk about the ‘rapture’, but that is not a word ever used in the Bible.
Suppose Philip was so confused about Gods voice that when God had told him to go into the desert and run beside the Ethiopians chariot, he would have had to run and do a bible study to see if ‘it was in the bible?” He would have missed the appointment by a long shot.
So when we hear God speaking to us, we need to use the Bible to determine if what we have heard is in tune with the rest of the Scriptural symphony!
“But when I read the Bible, I really don’t get anything out of it… What is wrong?”
Is it possible that God is speaking to you and you just aren't able to hear Him?
Mark 7:6
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Isaiah 6:9-10
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
9 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
We need to bring ourselves back to a place where our hearts are tender to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We need to repent of not putting ourselves in an environment where we can know Gods voice day by day in our lives. We need to make whatever changes are necessary in order to accommodate change.
How can I come to a place where I can confidently hear Gods voice and quickly obey?
We need to recognize the reasons why we can’t hear His voice and why we don’t have the confidence that it is really His voice that we are hearing when and if we ever do hear it.
God has given us the written Word. It is His Voice. Jesus is the Word! When we follow him as Peter must have followed him day by day, moment by moment, he became so familiar with Jesus voice that it was as natural to him as if it was the voice of your own father. That is what we need to reach for… familiarity with the Voice of God.
When we know his voice, we will discover that this Christian life is the most amazing adventure! He speaks to us and we get caught up in his eternal purposes.
A Bible, a Notebook and a pen……
1. Establish a new life pattern. Pick a time and a quiet place (no interruptions, no phone if possible) to tune into the professor of Gods Word. He will meet you in that place and begin to reveal the treasures of Gods heart to you.
2. How long will you endeavor to spend each day (‘discipline’ is the word; we’re trying to make disciples here!) in God’s presence focus on learning to tune into His voice. Honor your appointment with God the way you would expect some else to honor an appointment they make with you.
3. Pick a book (of the Bible) to start in. I suggest that you start with one of the gospels. Don’t go jumping around randomly. You will never learn anything that way! Stay with that book until you have finished it.
4. Read a verse. Ask the Holy Spirit, who is the teacher in the classroom of Gods Word, to reveal the truth of that word into your spirit (heart). This is a miracle! Not a mind exercise!
5. Write down what you hear, the impressions you feel, picture you see, etc. as you wait on the Holy Spirit. Write your own name into the scriptures along with the promises of God. Believe what Jesus says about you, and what he reveals to you and then write it down.
6. Don’t rush! We’re not trying to read through the Bible in 1 year in order to put another notch in our Bible belt.
7. Don’t try to line things up with past traditional thinking if it synchronize with what God is speaking through his Word. You may need to throw out some of those burdens. The quicker you can do it, the better.
8. Be quick to respond to what the Holy Spirit speaks to you. Be quick to repent of any and every sin that the Holy Spirit brings to your attention!
9. Pray as you read! Ask questions! Make comments! Tell God your opinions. Be honest – you can’t shock God to the point that He falls off His throne!
10. Find a person who is of spiritual maturity and in right relationship with other Spirit filled believers who will share this journey with you.
11. Finally, be sensitive to what you hear. Does what you hear harmonize with the rest of Gods Word?
Questions? Ask the person / persons whom you have agreed to submit your journaling to.
Be teachable! Be submissive to that person. If something is in question, then wait on the Holy Spirit to bring clarity.
