ACTS 16:6-10; JOB 33:14-16; 1 SAM. 3

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

1. 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.
2. UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD SPEAKS
3. PRIMARY WAY GOD SPEAKS IS THROUGH HIS WRITTEN 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;

1. 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
2. WALKING AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD
3. 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

1. 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.

1. Divine direction- Gen.26:2,12
2. Trans generational favour- Gen.26:3
3. Divine Rest- Gen. 26:6
4. Supernatural progress- vs 12-14

Psalm 59:9-10a

A.  Relying on The Ever- Reliable God

Life can let us down, people will let us down, but the Lord is always reliable.

Reliability is something that we crave in our relationships.

To be reliable simply means to be faithful; to be consistently good in quality or performance; to be trusted.

Faithful means to be utterly trustworthy and totally reliable.

And if there is someone that is utterly trustworthy and totally reliable, His name is Jesus. “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever” Heb13:8

What He says, He does. What He does, He does with the best delivery for His children.- Isaiah 49:15

Our Savior Jesus Christ is reliable to give us strength for life’s journey.

Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Father, I thank You for being totally trustworthy and reliable.

Every time I call, whether night or day, You come and save me, thank You Lord, in Jesus Name.

B.  How to Successfully rely on God

1. Overcoming Human Perception of Timing- John 11:21 & 32.

When our timing does not sync with God’s timing we begin to doubt His reliability.

Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus, “the one You love is sick”. But Jesus did not respond based on their timing.

“Instead of coming immediately” He stayed behind even though He loved Lazarus.- John 11:6

Jesus eventually showed up after Lazarus had died and had been buried for four days.

Prayer:

God will show up for me today even where i have perceived He is late.

Jesus will arrive to turnaround my situation for testimony

Every dead issues of my will receive the living God today in Jesus’ name

So many people are waiting on Jesus but they are looking at the clock – our time – biological time; earth timing, factual clicking. 

You need to understand that that thing you are scared of, when Jesus shows up He is able to reverse it.

Prayer Declaration:

I have confidence in You, Jesus. I have confidence in You, any time, any day. I have confidence in You.

2.  Overcoming Human Perception of our Challenges- Mark.4:38-39.

At times, we look at the magnitude of our challenges and storm and they appear bigger than the omnipresent beside us.

Whatever He allows in our lives is not bigger than Him. All is to bring glory to His name- Job 1:13-19, 22 vs 42:2, 10

What He said He will do, He will do. If He needs to raise the dead, the dead will rise.

What are you going through that you think time has passed or too big for God?

Prayer Declaration:

No matter what i am passing through now, it will end in glory. It will bring glory to the name of the Lord

At the end of the day, I will rejoice over my challenges in the Name of Jesus.

Father, Your promise is that You will be with me till the end of time and there are no conditions to Your Word. I embrace Your reliability, in Jesus Name (Jude 24-25)

3. Overcoming Human Limitation of Reasoning, Knowledge and Logic – 2 Kings 7:2.

Some things appear too much for our common brain to reason and we think it is too true to believe

Man of God vs the officer- battle of supremacy

Do not put your logic in the way of the power of the Holy Spirit. It may not make any sense but guess what? God is involve

Prayer Declaration:

Father intervene in my affairs this day and turn terrible situations around for good in the name of Jesus

God of all possibilities, let there be divine intervention in the economy of Nigeria that things will be great again in the name of Jesus

Dear Lord, Beyond my limitations prove yourselves as God over our lives in Jesus’ name

Holy Spirit, help me, take me beyond every limitation logic has formed in my mind and help me to be discerning, in Jesus Name.

4.  Seeing God as the sole creator and the sustainer of creations- Col.1:16- 17

God is not just the creator. He is the sole creator

He also carry the power to watch over and sustain together all His creations

He can create any thing even what cannot be created- John 1:1,14. We can rely upon His word to achieve His will for us

Prayer Declaration:

As I continue my journey of 2024, even from tomorrow “My God is my rock, in whom I find protection.

He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence and scarcity in Jesus Name.

5. His words and promises can ever can be trusted

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” Heb.10:23.

It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise” Heb.11:11.

Why should we hold tightly without wavering in spite of the trouble; in spite of our timing or in spite of logic?

Because God can indeed be trusted to keep His promise.

John 11:4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Prayer Declaration

As I continue in the journey of 2024, I speak the word of God into my life …….for Lazarus did not end in death …… my challenging circumstances (…..fill in)   will not  end in death, in Jesus Name

Text: Psalms 18:29; Luke 5:4-8

Introduction

• Psalm 18:29 established the fact of what we can do in our lives as children of God with God on our sides
• Life is full of aspirations and challenges. Proverbs 10:28; Isa.32:8a
• The aspirations of good people end in celebration; the ambitions of bad people crash MSG.
• Challenges of life are of varying magnitude and complexities set to debar one from achieving desire heights or feats in life-Psalms 34:19
• Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all -Psalms 34:19 NKJV
• Approaches to overcome the challenges vary and include strong determination, doggedness, dynamism and dutiful attitude. Whoever quit, quiet or quiescent about his or goal will achieve nothing-Psalms 56:9.
• The approach that God is bringing your way today is to RELAUNCH so as to gather enough momentum LEAP to FORWARD  to God’s desire place for your life.
• When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”Luke 5:4.
• God is talking to a Simon today to relaunch (retry, retake, reapply, reattempt)

Relaunch is

• to launch (something) again or to be launched again
• a new(to make) attempt to sell a product or service, often by advertising it in a different way or making it available in a different form
• to go into or put (something) into operation or motion again. To start or get going

1. What Does RELAUNCH Entail?

To relaunch implies the following:

• Review your present state: To review is to do a formal assessment of something with the intention of instituting change if necessary. To do a critical( genuine & sincere appraisal.
• But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing;. No need for pretence, like Simon, learn to review where you are and make a truth assessment of yourself
• Restrategise your approach: nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
• God is whispering to somebody,  go this way. Change your approach, attitude and action to get new desired results
• To form a new strategy- Matt.12:29- Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
• Refocus your goal–And when they had done this…..vs 6a
• You cannot continue the usual way and expect different results
• Ensure you are reposition to reach your goal
• to focus again; to change the emphasis or direction
• Simon’s goal was to catch fish, so he changed focus to new approach to get results.
• Report at the feet of Jesus– John 15:5- When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying.
• And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish-John 21:6
• No other sources could  help out side coming to God
• Draw strength from God daily-1Sam.2:9
• With Jesus lie the specific divine instructions for new leaps- John 21:6; Isaiah 30:21 .Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left-Isaiah 30:21

• Reconnect when necessary vs 7- So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats…
• You need people network, seek support , synergise when necessary. Who Are your partners and friends?
• Imagine having no one to connect with, would they have succeeded? John 5:6-7   “When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”John 5:6-7–

2. How to RELAUNCH:

Approach to relaunch include 3 ingredients/virtues in your life as a child of God:

Relaunch through Faith in God

Relaunch through Hope in God

Relaunch through Trust in God

• Relaunch through faith in God- Heb.11:6; Luke.5.5 Heb.11:32-34
• Without faith you cannot approach God for help
• nevertheless at Your word Luke 5:5
• Faith in God guarantees new leap in all your life

• Relaunch through hope in God. Hope in Christ secures new leaps. Nothing else is assuring than hope in God- Psalm 23:1-6
• For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.”-1 Cor.3:11

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. 

Ref:

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

  All other ground is sinking sand.

• Relaunch through trust in God: I will let down the net.” vs 5c; Prov 3:5-6;
• Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act. (Psalm 37:5, ESV)
• Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8, NIV)
• Trust in God not in things- Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:7, NIV)

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

Conclusion:

You may not understand the difficult or uncertain situation you find yourself in, but God does. His track record in your life and in the Bible is one of faithfulness. If you give your life to Him, you can rest assured that He will keep up His end of the bargain. You will begin to Leap Forward in Jesus’ name

2 Corinthians 1:20-22

Introduction
[ ] Everyone in good frame of mind would always like to be involved in a reliable or trusted business ( or deal) because it guarantees a good outcome

[ ] Many corporate establishments today also use identity that attract trust in partners and customers and they ensure their mission statement follow the tenets of their goals.
Why all these efforts on guarantee?

What is Guarantee?
• a formal assurance (typically in writing) that certain conditions will be fulfilled

• an undertaking to answer for the payment or performance of another person’s debt or obligation in the event of a default by the person primarily responsible for it.

[ ] To be blessed is to be highly favoured or fortunate. It is characterized with happiness, joy, rejoicing and good fortune.

A. The Guaranteed Promises

All these definitions about guarantee and promises are fulfilled in Christ Jesus ( 1 Cor.1:20a-For all the promises of God in Him are Yes…

• Christ Jesus is the fulfilment of all of God’s promises. There’re no more promises waiting to be fulfilled, and this is the reality.

• The Bible says, “In Christ Jesus all the promises of God are yea and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

• In the Old Testament, God gave the children of Israel several promises of blessings, which were preconditioned on their obedience to the Law and commandments (Deuteronomy 28:2).

• But for the new creation, we’re the result of Christ’s sacrifice and His obedience. That’s why in 1 Peter 1:14-15: As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;

• Thus, our blessings in Christ aren’t preconditioned on the basis of who we are: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ! There’s no need praying and asking God to make His promises real in your life; they’re already real. Simply walk in the light of who you are and your inheritance in Christ. You’re the one to prove His Word in your life today.

• Once you see a promise in the Word of God, respond and say, “Glory to God! That’s mine in Christ Jesus; it’s been fulfilled in Christ for my benefit. Blessed be God!” It is guaranteed and settled

• 2 Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

• Therefore, God is the one who blesses all His children and no one can reverse it and take glory about that Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s-I Cor. 3:21‭, ‬23 NKJV

B. The Guaranteed Father

[ ] The quality and assurance of the one who blesses us give us confidence in the His promises( blessings).
• He is ever faithful- 1Cor. 1:9, Heb. 10:23-
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful-Hebrews 10:23.

1Cor.1.9 – God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.,

C. The Guaranteed and Explicit Blessings
God has] given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee….God has made his promise; Christ has fulfilled (carried out) the promise, and we must accept it
• We can see that in Ephesians 1:13-14 —… the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance …
•   2 Corinthians 1:22 —… [God has] given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
• 2 Corinthians 5:5 — He who has prepared us for [heaven] is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
Holy Spirit’s work is described in 4 different ways here. Each time, scripture emphasises that God has done this for his people.

1. By means of the Holy Spirit, God establishes his people in their relationship with Christ. In other words, he gives them a strong relationship with Christ.
2. God anoints his people with the Holy Spirit. To ‘anoint’ means to ‘cover’; it was the custom to anoint Israel’s kings and priest with oil, to separate them for their special work for God.
3. God seals (or marks) his people with the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the mark is to show that they belong to him.
4. God places his Holy Spirit inside us, as a guarantee that they will receive the benefit of his promises.

Introduction
Era is a long and distinct period of history, a system of chronology dating from a particular event. It is usually characterized with memories and landmarks that are not easily forgotten, be it for good or otherwise.
It may also be refers to a point in time, especially when is beginning a new or distinctive period

A. Pre-Redemption Era
In history, these were characterised with many terrible moments of bondage, captivity, rejections, lack and alienation from God and His promises.

[ ] Experiences of desert, dryness and drought ( Isaiah 41:17a,19a- All things were dry for them, their mouth stick to roof of their mouth. No harvest, no produce. Not an era one would desire to remember
“My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death-Psalms 22:15 NIV

At that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.- Eph. 2:12

[ ] Experiences of wilderness, wastelands and wastfeulness- they were wasting away and nothing can be pointed to as blessing for them- Isa.51:3; 27:10
The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the wilderness; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare-Isaiah 27:10 NIV

[ ] Experiences of limitations, lack and liabilities: their lives and communities were full of the lame, the dumb,, the thirsty, the unsecured and terrible things-Isaiah 35:6-7

B. Redemption Era Psalms 111:9; Isaiah 44:22; Ephesians 2:13‭, ‬19
• The good news came suddenly, new era erased old order of things.
• Once bad experiences turned a new leaf, there were change of stories for the rejected and desolate people.
• They were brought near to the promises of God-Eph.2:13,19

Psalms 111:9: He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.

C. Post Redemption Era
• The redemption in the Old Testament involves deliverance from bondage based on the payment of a price by a redeemer.
• Fundamental to the message of the New Testament is the announcement that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfilment of Israel’s messianic hope and that, in Him, the long-awaited redemption has arrived.
• Deliverance of humankind from its state of alienation from God has been accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ.
• In Jesus, the redemption package brought about new leaps. This era is not promisory, it is real, tangible palpable and lasted everlasting for all children of God (know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him-Ecclesiastes 3:14 )

[ ] Era of continuous experience of God of all possibilities:
• Then shall the lame [man] leap as an hart…..and the tongue of the dumb shall sing
• Who else can do such impossible things
• Science and nature defeated as God stepped in‬
• there were many instances of such persons cured by Christ when here on earth- fulfilment of promises- Matt 15:30-31; 21:14; John 5:7-9
• Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel-Matthew 15:30‭-‬31

[ ] Era of continuous experience of God of great transformation-Isaiah 35:6-7

• Who else can do such life transforming experiences but God.
• Bringing about unprecedented changes
• For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water;
• Nothing is beyond what God change including that your situations ‬

Results of New Leaps
• It brings about an amazement (wonders of God)
• It elicits praise unto God
• It produces jumping and singing-Acts 3:1 Acts 3:8
• It gives stability and stamina upon your heights- II Sam.22:34; Psalms 18:33