Hearing From God part two

John 10:23 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”  So last time we started talking about hearing God’s voice and I talked about the fact that God wants us to live in communion with him. That word communion is where we get our word communicate comes from. We have been taught to talk to God not talk with God.  Here we see that God’s people hear his voice and follow him not only that but because they hear him he knows them. I want to encourage you today to keep talking with God. The more you listen the more you hear. So lets take just a few lines today to talk about the ways to hear God.

            The first way is the one that we are always told about the Bible. It is the active word of God. It still speaks God’s words to us today and I don’t want anyone to think that I am belittling this way God speaks to us. I have on several occasions picked mine up to read and had words that just seem to be spoken right to my heart.  A great example of that is Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." I was reading this at a time when I felt far away from God and it jumped off the page at me that God will hear me and answer me when I seek him with my whole heart. That he has plans to prosper me.   So I know that God still speaks by his word but that is only one way that God speaks, and it isn’t the most common way either.

            The most common way is not even attributed to God by most people we call it our conscious.  Most people think that that little voice that tells you right from wrong is their voice but scripture makes it plain that it isn’t our voice. Jesus himself says that conviction of sin or wrongdoing is one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit. John 16:7&8 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:” Once you realize and begin to recognize that voice as belonging to God then you will understand when He speaks along the line of one of the other jobs of the Holy Spirit. For more on the Jobs of the Holy Spirit read the rest of John 16:5-16 on your own.  This is the start to hearing God speak  we will continue talking about this with a couple of more ways to hear God speak this weekend when I post part three of this series. 

            On a personal note if you are reading this and it is helping you please leave a comment of drop me an email or facebook post letting me know. Till Saturday  Keep listening and talking With God.

             

How do You Hear God Speak pt one

          As a pastor and revivalist one of the most often asked questions I get is: How do I know it is God speaking to me? Or: How can I hear God like you do? To be quite honest this question surprises me every time I hear it. It says more about the leadership of churches than about the individual asking the question. How can people be attending a Bible believing, Bible teaching church and not have been taught how to hear the voice of God?  So to keep my blog entries small and readable we are going to take the next two entries to talk about this vital topic. 

          My usual answer to the question is this question: How do you know your spouse or parents voice when they talk to you on the phone without seeing them?  Or How come you can place 30 moms with 60 kids in a room and have one child call mommy and the right mommy turn around?   The answer is easy because you communicate with them regularly.  That is the answer to how to hear God speak to you, you have to communicate with him. Now let me explain, I know that every Christian prays but we are taught to pray by giving thanks asking for request giving praise but that isn’t communication that is talking at someone not to them.  How long would your other relationships last if all you ever did was talk at them and not listen to them talk?  Not long that is for sure.  So the reason that we don’t hear God speak or aren’t sure it is God when he is speaking is that we don’t take the time to listen and have a real relationship and I don’t just mean by reading our Bibles don’t get me wrong that is one way God speaks but He is a living God he wants to talk with us one on one. I want to challenge you today to start listening to God. Take some time and just listen Start a conversation with HIM ask HIM to talk to you then shut up and listen.

Then after he has said something answer him. That is communication

Next time we will talk about ways that God speaks. Until then go enjoy conversing with God.