Hearing God's voice in your journey of life!
This was the topic of our April meeting. How do we hear God's voice? Through the Holy Spirit. God is a Spirit! He speaks to our spirits through His Spirit. John 4:23-24, "a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 16:13, “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...” Romans 8:16, “the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
Even though you have three parts (1 Thess. 5:23), the real "you" is your spirit! You are a spirit in a body with a soul. When you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, He places His Spirit within you. Every day, we should ask that God fill us afresh with His Spirit and give us ears to hear Him. Luke 11:13 - “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Romans 12:11 tells us to be fervent in spirit. The word fervent means enthusiastic (en - in and theo- God). Since you are in Christ, you should be enthusiastic! Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant (The Message). Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord (Amplified). Pray that others are drawn to Jesus Christ Who is in you!
FAITH is essential to hearing God’s voice! - Hebrews 11:6. What is faith? You may not be able to fully understand or reason with your mind. Faith is something that your spirit does - believing! When God talks to us, He expects action. "Faith without works is dead... for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also," James 2:20, 26.
Pray Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.” Look for verses that stand out to you with special significance (does it convict you, challenge, warn, encourage? this is a rhema!). This is hearing the voice of God! Write it down, engraft it into your soul (pray it, memorize it, etc), and it becomes a part of your heart’s belief system. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that man doesn't live by bread alone but by every word (rhema) that comes from the mouth of God. Ask God for a daily rhema!
Write down GodStops!
Savoring the Observable Presence
It is explained in the introduction of the 'Believing God' Bible study Beth Moore wrote. Here is an excerpt:
"... In essence, God's glory is any way in which He makes Himself recognizable. When I see a brilliant sunset I know no artist could paint, I recognize God through His masterpiece. Likewise, when something happens in my day that I know is more than a coincidence, I am learning to recognize God in it. Part of our faith-walk experience will be learning to recognize God in our midst by noticing visible prints of His invisible hands. We don't want to miss God when He makes Himself observable! I am convinced that the more we learn to recognize and appreciate His interventions and revelations, the more we are likely to receive them!... The stop in GodStop comes from the acronym God gave me: Savoring the Observable Presence. When God makes Himself observable, we want to stop and take notice. I want to learn to say to myself, That's God! Stop and savor the moment! A GodStop is any means by which God seems to go out of His way during your day to make Himself known to you........ I even consider a GodStop a time when God suddenly catches me in a sin of action or attitude that I didn't know anyone noticed. One way I know I am cherished is because God loves whom He disciplines (see Heb. 12:6). A sudden disciplinary action is a GodStop reminding me that He is ever present and loves me too much to let me get away with something that is displeasing to Him......" - Beth Moore, Excerpt from "Believing God"
It is explained in the introduction of the 'Believing God' Bible study Beth Moore wrote. Here is an excerpt:
"... In essence, God's glory is any way in which He makes Himself recognizable. When I see a brilliant sunset I know no artist could paint, I recognize God through His masterpiece. Likewise, when something happens in my day that I know is more than a coincidence, I am learning to recognize God in it. Part of our faith-walk experience will be learning to recognize God in our midst by noticing visible prints of His invisible hands. We don't want to miss God when He makes Himself observable! I am convinced that the more we learn to recognize and appreciate His interventions and revelations, the more we are likely to receive them!... The stop in GodStop comes from the acronym God gave me: Savoring the Observable Presence. When God makes Himself observable, we want to stop and take notice. I want to learn to say to myself, That's God! Stop and savor the moment! A GodStop is any means by which God seems to go out of His way during your day to make Himself known to you........ I even consider a GodStop a time when God suddenly catches me in a sin of action or attitude that I didn't know anyone noticed. One way I know I am cherished is because God loves whom He disciplines (see Heb. 12:6). A sudden disciplinary action is a GodStop reminding me that He is ever present and loves me too much to let me get away with something that is displeasing to Him......" - Beth Moore, Excerpt from "Believing God"
Ask God for a hearing heart. This is what King Solomon did. Listen for Him to speak to you through His Word, His Spirit, through your parents, through circumstances. Remove the things that distract you from hearing (have that prayer closet! Matthew 13:22 - don't let the cares of this world choke out the growth that God wants to do in you).
Regularly and diligently feed yourself the Word of God. It’s daily fellowship with our loving heavenly Father. When we develop good communication with God, He promises to bless us in unimaginable ways! 1 Corinthians 2:9
Practical Application
Ask Questions: (about the truths that God has written)
Who, What, Where, When, Why, How
How can I delight myself in the Lord? (Psalm 37:4)
Pray Scripture. God speaks through His Word. It is alive and living!
Read Psalm 119 (one or two sections). Write down one rhema for each morning. What questions did you ask? How can you apply it?
Regularly and diligently feed yourself the Word of God. It’s daily fellowship with our loving heavenly Father. When we develop good communication with God, He promises to bless us in unimaginable ways! 1 Corinthians 2:9
Practical Application
Ask Questions: (about the truths that God has written)
Who, What, Where, When, Why, How
How can I delight myself in the Lord? (Psalm 37:4)
Pray Scripture. God speaks through His Word. It is alive and living!
Read Psalm 119 (one or two sections). Write down one rhema for each morning. What questions did you ask? How can you apply it?
