Hearing and following God’s voice guarantees divine satisfaction.
Preamble
- What is hearing? Hearing is the ability to hear well or faculty to perceive sound.
- What is following? Following is coming after or as a result of ……
Lesson aim: to understand God’s voice per time for our lives and how he leads us to the divine future
- UNDERSTANDING GOD’S VOICE
- For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it -Job 33:14;
- God always speaks and His words are powerful- Psalm 19; Amos 3:7; Numbers 12:6-8; Heb.1:1-2
- God has his own ways of speaking to man, which are not those ways man expect all times. –
- He may speak audibly, silently and secretly, in thunders and lightnings, (Exodus 19:16-20),
- Regardless of ways He chose to speak, His words are nevertheless quite as effectually.
- UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD SPEAKS
PRIMARY WAY GOD SPEAKS IS THROUGH HIS WRITTTEN WORDS
- Bible is the most important and only infallible way God speaks- 2 Tim 3:16a
- It is God communicating His thoughts to you through the printed page- 2 Tim 3:16b
- No other books contain total truth from God
- It is the final authority over all issues- Matt.5:17-18; John 10:35
SECONDARY WAYS THAT GOD SPEAKS
- God never speaks against what He has written. – Rom.4:17; Luke 4:1-3;4,8,10
- God can never speak through evil spirit- Lev.19:31; Isaiah 8:19; 1 Cor.12:3; 1 John 4:2
- REVELATIONARY VOICES; Dreams; Vision; Trance- Job.33:15-16; Acts 10:9-20
- HOLY-SPIRIT GUIDANCE- Gal.5:16; John 1:14; Romans 8:14
- INNER WITNESS AND/OR PEACE OF GOD- Romans 8:16; James 3:17; Prov.20:27/1 Cor.2:10- Holy Spirit communicating spiritual feelings/instructions to your own HUMAN SPIRIT- Phil.4:7; Col.3:15
- THE FLOW OF SPONTANEOUS & PERSITENT THOUGHTS
- PROPHECY- Acts 11:27-30; 13:1-3; 1 Cor.14:29,32-33
- CIRCUMSTANTIAL EXPERINCES- Numb.22:25-28
- WHAT COULD LEAD TO IMPERCEPTION OF GOD’S VOICE
For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it -Job 33:14;
- SPIRITUAL INSENSITIVITY- Man, often does not recognize God’s action in this silent teaching of his.-1 Kings 19:11-12; 1 Sam.3:1,7-10
- WALKING AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD
- CRAVING FOR BIG SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES – Man wants something more startling, more sensational. In our Lord’s time, the Jews demanded “a sign” – “a sign from heaven;” but no sign of the kind was given them.
Job now did not understand that God, whom he called upon to answer him (Job 10:2; Job 13:22; Job 23:5, etc.), was already speaking to him in various ways
- WRONG MOTIVES & MINDSET- James 4:3
TIPS ON HOW TO HEAR FROM GOD
- Hearing the voice of God is something that everyone, Christian or not, wants to experience. Although we all want to hear God, actually doing it, for most of us, is sort of a mysterious process. We often don’t know how to hear God consistently, if at all.
- God ‘s voice is critical for our spiritual development.
- As we look at people in the Bible who heard from God, Samuel was one of the best. The story of Samuel is found in 1 Samuel 3:1-10.
1. Position yourself close to God
Samuel set his bed up in the temple, “where the ark of God was” (v.3 ESV). Samuel had never heard God speak before, he did not know what to expect, but what he did know was that if he hung around the temple
2. Find a place of regular service to God
In v.1 it says, “Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli” (ESV). If you want to hear the voice of God, you have to be doing the things of God. If you’re not serving, don’t wonder why you’re not hearing the voice of God.
3. Listen for God’s voice
Eli was “lying down in his usual place” (v.2 NIV), too preoccupied with his own interests to hear God. When God began speaking, he was not listening. Many times to hear what God is saying we have to slow down and take time to get close to God. We have to put aside our interests and lean in to hear what God is saying.
4. When God calls, respond eagerly
When Samuel heard the voice of the Lord he was immediately up and moving (v.4). If you want to hear the voice of God, you need to be ready to put into action what He tells you!
He wants to give you wisdom to lead your family, at your job, in your church, and in every area of life.
5. When God speaks, obey Him
Starting in this passage and throughout the rest of his life, Samuel consistently obeyed the Lord. No matter what God told him, Samuel did it. From that point on, “the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19 ESV). For us, the quickest way to turn off God’s voice is to disobey him.
6. Read and study the Word of God
After God spoke to him in this passage, the Bible tells us, “The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there He revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word” (1 Samuel 3:21 NIV). If you want to hear from God, you have to know what the Bible says.
- WHAT WE STAND TO GAIN IN HEARING AND FOLLOWING HIS VOICE
God is speaking. He wants to give you wisdom to lead your family, at your job, in your church, and in every area of life.
- Divine direction- Gen.26:2,12
- Transgenerational favour- Gen.26:3
- Divine Rest- Gen. 26:6
- Supernatural progress- vs 12-14