Ways of Hearing God’s voice.

HEARING GOD’S VOICE.

This may seem obvious but many times”we do not have because we ask not”There is power in stopping everything else that we are doing and praying. There is something about being still and listening for God’s voice to speak.

• BIG IDEA: Because God loves His people, He has always spoken to them-and He still is!

                              Everyone can hear God’s voice-it just takes practice!

                              God speaks to us for others!

                              We are not called to a boring existence as Christians.We are called to take                 risks and join Jesus on the great adventure of bringing His kingdom into this world!

• MAIN VERSE: John:10:24-28 

 ‘How long will you keep us in suspense?If you are the Messiah,tell us plainly.’Jesus answered,’I did tell you but you did not believe. The works I do in my father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice;I know them,and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;no one will snatch them out of my hand.’

POINT ONE: GOD SPEAKS TO US BECAUSE HE LOVES US.

Genesis begins with God speaking-literally-all of  creation into existence. The last book of the Bible is called ’Revelation Which is essentially all about God speaking to John.In between, every time God moves in a major way, He speaks to his people.

Ways God spoke to His people in the Bible.

Abraham:’make you a great nation’

Noah:’building the ark’

Moses:burning bush.

David:through Samuel.

The Prophets:’the word of the Lord came to me’

Gideon:angelic visitation.

Christmas story:Zechariah, Mary, Joseph etc

Paul:the visitation of Jesus on the road to Damascus

Peter:the trance on the rooftop.

We are created for a relationship with God-not to follow the rules of religion. Jesus isn’t looking for a bunch of obedient robots. He wants to have relationships with sons and daughters of the King.

POINT TWO: HOW DOES GOD SPEAK TO US.

• Through dreams.
• Visions.
• Still soft voice.
• Scripture.
• Other people.
• Pictures.
• Warnings.
• Convictions.
• Words of others etc

POINT THREE: WHY DOES GOD SPEAK TO US?

• To give us direction.
• To encourage us.
• To warn us.
• To encourage us.
• To build our faith in Him.
• To help us know His voice and will for us.

POINT FOUR: PRACTICAL TIPS FOR HEARING GOD.

Here are some practical hints for us to learn as we grow in Hearing God’s voice:

Be in prayer. Obviously God can speak to us when we aren’t praying. But a great place to start learning is to ask Him to speak to us.

• Be at peace.

Don’t be stressed.

• Be okay if it doesn’t happen right then.

Be patient.

• Be open.

We tend to want to make it happen a certain way, the reality is God is creative.

• Be attentive.
• Discernment.

How do we discern between what is God’s voice, and what is our voice? Or the enemy? Or just a random thought? It is such a great practice to think on what God has spoken to you, did it make sense? This is a great way to discern God and what it isn’t.

• Be bold and obey.

Speak up if it’s for others.

 Seeing what God is doing:

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt a “spiritual nudge” from God or something? Maybe help someone? Or pray for someone? Or give a word to someone? 

• God is always working! Sometimes we make excuses for not having any opportunities to do God’s will. In reality He is always working.
• He shows us because He loves us- it’s about relationships not performance.

We should obey and don’t give up,God doesn’t call us to control the outcomes and the results. He calls us to obey. He calls us to minister to others and to take risks for Him!