How to Recognize God’s Voice

Series: “Be Still & Hear God” – Part 4

“How to Recognize God’s Voice”

Pastor Jerry

1 John 4:1-6

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We’re going to conclude the sermon series today, “Be Still & Hear God!” We’ve been looking at how to hear God’s voice. All around you there are sounds going on. There are sound waves going through this building right now. You can’t see them. You can’t hear them unless you’re tuned in.

The same is true with God. God is trying to speak to you. But unless you’re tuned in, you’re not going to hear Him. So how do you know when an idea is from God? How do you know when an idea is from Satan? How do you know when an idea is your own idea?

If you confuse your desires with what God wants you to do the results can be fatal. “What you think is the right road may lead to death.” Proverbs14:12 (GN) It’s very important to know when it’s God talking to you.

The fact is one moment it could be the devil talking to you, one moment it could be God talking to you, one minute it could be you just talking to yourself. The Bible says this in 1 John 4:1 “Don’t believe everything you hear just because somebody says it’s a message from God. Test it first to see if it really is.”

If you want a good example of how quickly we can flip flop, look at Matthew 16, the story of Jesus talking to Peter. Jesus says to Peter, “Peter, who do you say that I am.” Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus says to Peter, “You’re right, Peter. That idea didn’t come from human wisdom. God gave you that idea.” Now a few minutes later Jesus says to Peter, “You know I’m going to have to go to Jerusalem and I’m going to have to die on the cross for the sins of people.” Peter goes, “Wait a minute, Lord! You don’t want to do that. Jesus says, “That idea is from the devil! Get behind me, Satan.” Same guy. Two different impressions within just a matter of minutes. It could happen to you and me. One minute you’re listening to God. One minute you’re listening to yourself. One minute you‘re listening to the devil. So how do you know if it’s God talking to you?

Jesus said in John 7:17 “Anyone who wants to do God’s will can test this teaching and know whether it is from God or whether I’m making it up.” Today we’re going to look at five ways to know if an idea in your mind is from God or not. All five of these tests form a very strong filter. You can’t pick and choose. No. It takes all 5, or, it’s not God talking to you. If an idea passes all five of these tests you can know with confidence that you have heard from God. So let’s look at these five ways to test an idea from God.

Does it agree with the Bible?

God will never contradict what He’s already said in His word. Luke 21, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will never pass away.” Truth stands the test of time. The truth of God never changes. The vast majority of God’s will for your life is right here in the Bible. All you’re got to do is read it. So the better you know God’s word the more God will be able to talk to you.

Does it make me more like Christ?

God’s number one goal is to make us like Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5 “In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.” God obviously would not put an impression in our lives that would lead us in a direction opposite the major goal He has for our lives. So how do you know it’s not an impression from God? Jam. 3:17 “The wisdom that comes from God is pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, impartial and sincere.”

God’s going to give impressions that promote harmony and not conflict. When God gives you an impression, He is concerned about the impact that impression is going to have on somebody else. Is it going to hurt somebody else’s life? If you really hear from God it makes you full of mercy.

3. Does my church family confirm it?

You need the wisdom and counsel and advice of other godly people in your life to help you stay on track. God never meant for you to go through life as a Lone Ranger, on your own. That’s why He created the church family because we need each other. We need spiritually mature friends to bounce ideas off of and get feedback from.

Ephesians 3:10 says this “God’s intent is that through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.” God shares His wisdom with His body and if God has genuinely spoken to you, then other mature believers will confirm it. God wants us to learn from each other, to share with each other, to get the wise counsel of each other.

Is it convicting rather than condemning?

Let me explain the difference. Conviction comes from God. Condemnation comes from the devil. The purpose of conviction is to correct something that’s out of whack in your life. The purpose of condemnation is just to put you down.

Notice what the Bible says, Romans 8:1 “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” God never attacks your value. Condemnation comes from the devil. The devil is the one who wants to make you miserable. So what is conviction? The Bible tells us in Revelation 3. God says “Those whom I dearly and tenderly love I tell their faults and convict and discipline. So, be earnest and repent.” God tells you what’s wrong in your life. He tells you the solution.

Condemnation doesn’t go away. It just stays there. If you still feel guilty after you’ve confessed a sin, that guilt is not from God. It’s from the devil. Too many people mistake their own low self-esteem for the voice of God. They think that it’s God saying, “You’re worthless. Nobody likes you.” That’s not God. That’s Your own voice. Or it is the devil. It is not God. The Bible says in Rev.12:10 “Satan is the accuser of believers.” Not God.

Do I sense God’s peace about it?

If you get an impression and it makes you feel overwhelmed, you ought to question whether that impression is from God. Because God wants us to sense His peace, not live under stress. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:33 “God’s not the author of confusion.” He wants to make sense in our lives. The only time pressure is legitimate for us as believers is when God has told us to do something specifically and we haven’t done it yet.

God wants to encourage us. There is a word for something in our lives that drives us away from God’s peace. And that word is “worry.” The Bible talks about the difference between our worries and God’s peace in Philippians 4: 6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything. Instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He’s done. If you do this you will experience God’s peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and your minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

One of the clearest signs of impression from God is when all of a sudden you sense peace – God’s peace – in the midst of the storms of difficulty in your life.

These five ways are ways to test an impression from God. They are: Number 1, does it agree with the Bible? Number 2, does it make me more like Christ? Number 3, does my church family confirm it? Number 4, is it convicting rather than condemning. And number 5, do I sense God’s peace about it?

If you use these filters you will know whether you’re hearing from God or not. Learning to hear God speak is more than hearing God’s word. You must also act on what you hear. Be still & Hear God! But when you hear God speak …you must obey!

How to Get Guidance from God

Series: “Be Still & Hear God” – Part 3

“How to Get Guidance from God”

Pastor Jerry

Habakkak 2:1-2

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I received an e-mail some time ago with the following story called “Imagine if God had voice mail.” It goes something like this, “Thank you for calling heaven. Press one for Guidance, two for Requests, three for Thanksgiving, and (so forth)…”

Three weeks ago we talked about six ways that God speaks to us. He speaks to us through the Bible; through gifted teachers; through godly friends and family; through impressions, through pain, and through silence.

Today, I want us to go back and look at that fourth way, how God speaks through impressions. There’s a lot of confusion about “How God Speaks” but fortunately there is a six step process found in the Bible, in an Old Testament book called Habakkuk. In chapter one Habakkuk asks six questions of God. He’s asking God for guidance. In chapter two he does six things to prepare himself to hear God’s answer. If you’ll do those same six things you’ll find God speaking to you in your own life. In chapter three he gets the answers from God.

Let’s get right into these six steps of how to hear from God. In the scripture lesson we read: Chapter 2:1-2, Habakkuk …In these two verses we have the six steps on how to hear from God.

Want. I must want to hear God.

I must be willing to listen. It all starts with desire, wanting to hear God. Habakkuk begins with these words “I will.” “I will climb up into my watchtower.” In other words he’s saying, I’m deciding to be still. It’s a choice.

The point is you’re never going to hear God unless you want to hear God. So it starts with your own desires. King David wrote in the Psalm 85:8 “I want to hear what God, the Lord, says.” Psalm 40:8 “My God I want to do what You want.” He says I don’t want to just hear, I want to do what You want me to do. I want to obey.

God speaks to people who decide in advance that they’re going to do whatever God tells them to do before He even tells them. How serious are you about wanting to hear from God? God called David in the Bible, “A man after My own heart.” Why? Because he was so good? No. Far from it. Why? Because David was passionate about wanting to hear from God.

This is the first step to getting guidance from God. I must want it. The second step is…

Decide. You decide to withdraw

That means you get alone in a quiet place. Habakkuk said, “I’ll climb up into my watchtower.” That’s a Hebrew expression that means I’m going to get alone in a quiet place. The point here is you cannot hear God’s voice if you’re surrounded by noise. In Luke 5:16 “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Jesus knew He needed this to be a regular part of His life if He was going to sense God’s voice and hear God’s voice.

Do you ever realize the amount of noise in your life? It’s everywhere. So in order to get away from the noise we have to intentionally decide to withdraw. That’s why it’s so important to decide to remove as many distractions as possible so that you can be quiet and hear God’s voice.

The truth is God is far more willing to talk to you or I than we are to talk to Him. It’s one thing to hear God speak and if withdrawing to a quiet place was all you needed to hear God it would be a snap. But (1) wanting and (2) deciding are just the first two of six steps to hearing God. The next thing you do is …

Wait. I calm my thoughts and emotions.

First, I want to hear God. Second, I withdraw to a quiet place. Then Third, I wait by settling down on the inside. In Habakkuk 2:1 he says, “…and I will wait.” In other words, I’m going to wait to hear God. You have to take the time to listen.

What do you do while you wait? Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” Everything in the world tries to keep you from listening to God. Especially the devil. He will remind you of all your weaknesses, all your sins, and all your mistakes. “What are you doing praying to God with your life messed up like this?” That’s not the voice of God. The Bible says if you are a believer “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” So focus on God’s love for you. That is something you can build your life on. These are the steps to hearing from God. First you (1) want to hear God. (2) Next you withdraw. (3) Then, in a quiet place, undistracted, you wait. The fourth step is…

Watch. I let God give me a mental picture.

Watching for Habakkuk is, “I will look to see what He will say to me.” Why does he say I’m going to look at what God says? Doesn’t it make more sense to say I will listen to what God says? Sure it does. So why does he say, “I’m going to look to see what God says…”

The Bible Psalm 119:18 says “Open my eyes so that I may see the wonderful truths in Your word.” Here’s a very important point. God’s voice is often visual. What do I mean by that? I mean that sometimes God speaks to you by putting a mental picture in your mind. He will give you an image, a picture, i.e. the Good Samaritan; the prodigal son; & the cross.

The Bible is full of examples of God giving people a mental picture, a mental image while they were praying. In the Bible it’s called a vision.

If there’s anything that you need in your life more than almost anything else, you need perspective. Because most of the time you go through life with a little tiny narrow vision of life. When you see the big perspective, all of a sudden your problems seem a whole lot smaller in the whole scheme of things. So how do you get perspective from God? Let Him give you a picture.

Remember Jesus said, “watch and pray,” not “listen and pray.” God wants you to expect an answer when you pray. That’s what it means to watch and pray.

These are the steps to hearing from God. First you (1) want to hear, (2) Next you withdraw, (3) you wait undistracted, (4) watch and pray, then (5) you

Write. Record the ideas that you receive.

Habakkuk says, “The Lord gave me this answer. ‘Write down clearly what I’ve revealed to you.’” Because Habakkuk wrote it down we have the book called Habakkuk. He asked God a question, God gave Him an answer, he writes it down. If your prayer life is stuck in a rut, one of the things you can do as a solution is begin to write down your prayers. It helps you to see what you’re praying.

This by the way is called spiritual journalizing. It’s a habit that many, many great Christians had for centuries. You simply write down what you’re saying to God and you write down what God’s saying to you. Some people think praying should be more spontaneous? If David didn’t write down his prayers we wouldn’t have the book of Psalms. It’s a spiritually healthy thing to do.

God tries to teach us lessons through what happens in our life. I miss them all the time and I’ll bet you do too. We get so busy we rush right past them. Take some time just to set down and write out what lesson was God trying to teach you in your life through what happens.

These are the steps: (1) I want, (2) I withdraw, (3) I wait, (4) I watch, (5) I write and the last step…

I worship. I thank God for speaking to me.

This is the natural response of hearing from God: To worship. This is what Habakkuk did in chapter 3:2 he says “Oh Lord, now I have heard Your report, and I worship You in awe.” When you receive God’s response to a prayer or to a question it makes you love Him more.

The other week I said, sometimes God speaks through silence. Why is God silent sometimes? There’s a lot of different reasons. God may be saying, “I’m not ready to tell you.” He may be saying, “You’re not ready to hear it.” He may be saying, “I want you to trust Me.”

Taking these steps that we talked about today will revolutionize your prayer life if you do it. It’s one thing for you to sit here and listen to this. It’s another thing to practice it.

However, for you to hear God, you have to “Be Still…and Listen…”

How God Talks to You

Series: “Be Still & Hear God” – Part 2

“How God Talks to You”

Pastor Jerry

2 Timothy 3:14-17

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We started a new series called “Be Still & Hear God.” It’s about hearing God speak. We talked about four attitudes that can make or break whether you hear God or not. The four attitudes were: a closed mind, a shallow mind, a preoccupied mind, and a willing mind.

God tells us that He wants to talk to us. In fact the Bible is full of examples, hundreds of examples of God talking to people. In the Bible, God uses many, many different ways to communicate. God can communicate any way He wants. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush, to Jacob through an angel, to the entire nation of Israel through a cloud, and to a man named Balaam through a donkey.

What is God using to try to talk to you?

In Job 33 it says, “God speaks in different ways but we don’t always recognize His voice.” God has many, many different ways that He speaks to us. The problem is we often don’t recognize it. This morning we’re going to look at six of the ways that God wants to speak to you. These are not the only ways. But these are six very, very common ways that God speaks to us.

God speaks to us through the Bible.

The number one way that God speaks to us – is through His word. There are a lot of people who say, “I want God to tell me what He wants me to do.” However, God is not going to write it in the sky. He’s already written it in a book, the Bible. The reason we have the Bible is because God has already spoken over thousands of years and to thousands of people who wrote down what God said. If you’re never opening the Bible, God isn’t talking to you very much. Because the number one way He speaks to us is through this book.

2 Timothy 3:16 “Everything in the Scriptures is God’s word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live.” God gave us the Bible: to teach us, to help us, to correct us, and to show us how to live. It says everything in the Bible is God’s word and all of it is useful.

This is why a daily time with God is so important. If every day you would take five minutes and say, I’m going to read the Bible, I’m going to let it speak to me, it would impact your life. Just stop and think about it and pray each day. Let God speak to you.”

Why is that important? “Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.” The Bible says that it is a light for life. It shows you the next step in life. You read today and take one step. Then you take another step. He gives you just enough light for each day. That’s what the Bible’s for. What you need to do is read a little bit of the Bible every day. Why? Because it’s the first way God speaks. Through His word.

The Bible tells us that God speaks to us through gifted teachers.

That’s what the Bible talks about over in Ephesians 4:11-12 when it says, “Christ gifted some to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors and teachers.” And look at why: “So that His people would learn to serve & His body would grow strong.”

How do you know if when somebody’s talking they have this gift from God to be a teacher? Here’s how you know. If when that person is teaching there comes a moment when you feel like, “God is speaking directly to me.” You know because God is, in that moment, saying something to you. There is a test for the gift of teaching in Romans 12:6. The Bible talks to teachers and says, “God in His kindness gave each of us different gifts. If your gift is speaking God’s word make sure that what you say agrees with the faith.” If somebody’s got the gift of teaching it’s going to agree with the Bible.

1 Corinthians 2:13 says, “We don’t speak in words taught by human wisdom. This is something different. We speak in words taught by the Spirit as we explain spiritual truths to those who have the Spirit.” The truth is it’s about God speaking to us, not about what some human being is saying. God will use people who teach the Bible to help us to understand His truth.

God speaks through godly friends and family

This one we often discount, because often we ignore those who are closest to us. We don’t realize that God actually puts people around you and then through them says things to you all the time. Proverbs 12:26, “The godly give wise advice to their friends. The wicked lead them astray.”

We all have blind spots. God puts people around you to tell you the truth. Everybody needs

somebody in their life who loves them enough to tell them the truth. Do you have anybody like that in your life? They don’t just tell you what you want to hear. But they love you enough to level with you.

This is why God hates pride so much. The worst sin is pride. One of the reasons its bad is it makes one defensive and un-teachable. A person doesn’t have to have their life perfect for them to point out something in your life. When we’re prideful we build up these walls, we keep people far away. Then we can’t hear God’s voice speaking through these other people. Proverbs 12:15 “Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advise.”

The fourth way God speaks is through impressions or ideas from the Holy Spirit.

He gives you thoughts. Actually when God talks to you in your mind we call that inspiration. When the devil talks to you we call that temptation. They are both the same method. It’s just a suggestion.

John 14:26 says this “The Holy Spirit will be your teacher and will bring to your mind all I have said to you.” This is Jesus talking. The Bible calls the Holy Spirit our teacher, our counselor. “The Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our heart and tells us that we are God’s children.” God makes impressions on our minds through the Holy Spirit.

I want to tell you. You don’t just get impressions from God. You get impressions from all different kinds of things. So you have to be very careful.

God speaks through pain.

Sometime pain is the only way God can get our attention in a circumstance. I’m not saying that all the pain in our lives is God trying to speak to us. But God uses pain when He can’t get us to slow down and listen. The verse about this in the Bible is in Proverbs 20:30. “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.” We know that’s true. We’ve all seen the truth of that verse in our lives. We change when we get desperate. It’s when we hit the bottom, often when we look up. God wants to let you know that He loves you more than you could imagine. “Be still & and Hear God!”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:71 “The suffering You sent was good for me. For it taught me to pay attention to Your principles.” God speaks to us through our pain.

God speaks through silence.

Sometimes God speaks by saying nothing. Sometimes God speaks by remaining quiet. This is extremely frustrating to us. But God has His reasons when He’s quiet and silent. You’d better just wait and trust Him. When you run ahead of God you’re going to regret it.

What do you do when God is silent? You need to do two things. First thing you do: Remember God is in control! God may not share His plan with you but it doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a plan. He is in charge and you’re not. Number two: you trust Him. I think God is asking that question of you today. God is asking you, “Will you trust Me? Will you trust Me with your problem? Will you trust Me with your dream? Will you trust Me with that ache in your heart? Will you trust Me with your loneliness? Will you trust Me with that health issue? Will you trust me with your life? Will you? Will you trust Me?”

God is asking, “Do You hear Me now?” “Be sill & hear God!”

God Wants to Talk to You

Series: “Be Still & Hear God” – Part 1

“God Wants to Talk to You”

Pastor Jerry

Luke 8:4-15

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We’re beginning a new series today. It’s about hearing God when He speaks to you. In this series we’re going to look at how do you know when it’s God talking to you? How do you hear God?

I often listen to Christian music on the radio. But I have to tune it in to a certain station, if I’m still going to hear anything. You’ve got to be tuned in.

The point is God has given you the capacity to hear Him. All the equipment that you already need to hear God you’re got. You just have to learn how to tune God in. That’s what we’re going to learn about in this series.

Some of you may be too young to remember this but back in the 70s before cell phones there was a fad called CB radios. They were saying things like “10-4 good buddy… Put the pedal to the metal… Smoky the Bear is in the woods…” One of the phrases was “Got your ears on?” That meant “Are you tuned in to hear me?” That phrase wasn’t original with CB radios. Actually Jesus said it 2000 years ago. Jesus says “He who has ears to hear let him hear.” He’s talking about the fact that: Jesus says. I’ve already given you the ability to hear Me. But you need to tune into Me.”

Jesus told the story about how to tune in. It’s called the Parable of the Sower.

Fortunately Jesus explains the story and tells us the meaning of all the parts. He says this: The farmer represents God. And the seed represents God wanting to talk to you – God’s word to you. The soil represents four different attitudes that you can have toward hearing from God. Now let’s look at how to prepare to hear God’s voice. There’s 4 things in this story.

If you want to hear God speak you must first cultivate an open mind.

What does that mean? It means you’ve got to be receptive. You’ve got to be willing. Many people don’t believe God will speak to people.” It is amazing to me how many people in this world are not even open to the possibility that God will speak to them.

This is what Jesus talked about in the first kind of soil – the footpath soil. Luke 8:5 He says, “A farmer went out to sow his seed and as he was scattering the seed some fell along the path and the birds of the air ate it up.” On a farm there are footpaths where workers trampled down the soil and it becomes really hard. And if some of that seed that the farmer’s throwing out happens to land on the hard compacted soil of the footpath there’s no way it’s going to take root. It just lays on top until a bird comes along and eats it.

Jesus gives us the meaning of this in verse 12. He says “Those along the footpath are the ones who hear. And then the devil comes along and takes away the word from their heart so that they cannot believe and be saved.”

Do you know any anyone who have a closed mind or a hard heart. They act as if they don’t need God. This first kind of soil, the hard soil represents a closed mind.

If you want to hear God speak to you, first you need to cultivate an open mind.

You’ve got to allocate time to listen.

That means you’ve got to be still …slow down. You’ve got to make time to be quiet. You’ve got to put it in your schedule so you have time to hear God speak.

The second barrier to hearing God speak is being too busy. We say, “God, I want to hear from You. Speak, God. But I’ve only got five minutes. So make it Quick!” God wants more than your spare moments. God wants to be the center of your life.

Here’s the second kind of soil that Jesus talks about. Luke 8:6 He says “Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. This seed began to grow but it soon withered and died for lack of moisture.”

In verse 13 He tells what it represents, “The rocky soil represents those who hear the message with joy but like young plants in such soil their roots don’t go very deep. They believe for a while but they wilt when the hot winds of testing blow.” Jesus says the shallow soil represents a shallow mind. We get excited. We react emotionally. But we don’t let God’s word sink into the depth of our being.

Notice it says that these people have shallow roots. How do you get spiritual depth in your life? One, schedule a daily time with God. In a quiet time you sit down, you read the Bible and you listen to God speak. If you want to hear God’s voice you have to cultivate an open mind. You have to allocate time to listen.

You must eliminate the distractions.

You can’t hear God when your mind is crowded with other thoughts, when your mind is crowded with worries and concerns and anxieties. You can’t hear God when your mind is filled with your dreams, your plans, filled with television, with your cell phone. When all this noise is going on you’re not going to hear God.

This is the third kind of soil. Jesus calls it the soil with weeds. In Luke 8:7 He says “Other seed fell in the weeds and the weeds grew with it and strangled it.” Notice the seed sprout and actually starts growing but after a while it gets choked by the weeds so it never bares fruit.

In verse 14 Jesus tells us the meaning of this “The seed that fell among the weeds stands for those who hear but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries and riches and pleasures and they don’t mature.”

You can be always on the go but going in circles. There’s no fruit in your life. The Bible says these people are choked. Jesus says the distractions are like weeds that grow up in your life and choke out the ability for you to hear God. A weed is anything you allow to choke God out of your schedule. It could be a very good thing. But if it chokes God out of your life and robs you of time to hear God, it is a weed.

The first barrier to hearing God is resistance. The second is no time. The third is busyness. You can get so distracted and so busy you don’t have time to hear God.

So this soil with weeds represents a crowded mind.

The fourth thing you have to do to prepare to hear God speaking is…

Cooperate with what He says.

First, cultivate an open mind; next, allocate time to listen; then, eliminate the distractions; and finally, cooperate with whatever He says.

God speaks to the person who says, “Before You even talk to me, God, I’m telling You ok. God whatever You tell me, I’m going to do it.” God doesn’t speak to the person who says, “God, tell me what You want to say and I’ll decide if it’s a good idea or not.” God speaks to the person who says, “God, tell me what You want me to do, and before I even know, the answer is already YES!”

This is what the Bible calls the good soil. Verse 15 “The seed that fell in the good soil stands for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart and they persist until they bear fruit.” How do you bear fruit? One way is pass it on. God says, “I’ll talk to you and you talk to others. You pass it on and you’ll be My voice to other people.” That is bearing fruit. This is the good soil we call this a willing mind.

The four things you have to do to prepare to hear God speaking is: First, cultivate an open mind—expect God to speak; next, allocate time to listen—be still and schedule a devotion time each day; then, eliminate the distractions—pull the weeds of noise that are chocking you; and finally, cooperate with whatever God says—be eager to say yes to tell others there is a God…His name is Jesus!

Jesus is asking… “do you hear me now?” “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”