Mark 4:9 (KJV) And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
we need to pray for ears to hear what God is speaking
hearing the voice of God is a mark of the true believer
it's for every believer and it's biblical
I want to show you the ways that God speaks to you according to Bible
Some of us have been missing what God is saying
because you didn't realize that's how God speaks
#1 God speaks in a still small voice
This is the most common way God speaks to us
God usually does not yell the way that I may in order to get someone’s attention
God oftentimes comes in a whisper, or a thought, or a still small voice
there's the human spirit
there's the Holy Spirit and
there are demonic spirits
Ok, how do I know if it's the flesh or a demon that speaking to me?
Simple, If it’s a demon talking in your head and telling you to do things that violate God’s word
Then you know it’s a demon
God’s Word says, don’t lie, hate, take revenge, steal…
God’s Word tells us to be holy, go to church, pray, serve the Lord…
The Word is very clear:
1 John 3:8 (KJV) He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Let’s move on, the flesh tempts and entices you
It will drag you away from God
but the flesh does not have the ability to talk
only God and demons can talk to you
If you are hearing a voice that's talking against the things of God, that's a demon
that's not God
the Holy Spirit will speak in your mind and press thoughts on you in a still small voice
It will be in the way that you know whether it's a human spirit or the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit will whisper to you things you would not otherwise have thought of
if you get a thought, that you're like wow!
This happens when I'm preaching and teaching the Word of God often
I get a really good thought I could never come up with on my own.
that that was the Holy Spirit speaking to me
example, have you ever been impressed by God to give money or something to someone and your flesh said, “no way! I need that money, I need this thing” that is usually God speaking to you to go and bless someone.
Some people get and impulse to bless someone and they run through their mind of how benevolent they are and how God is going to bless them because they gave someone 10 bucks or something. This is not from God.
Or the original thought may have come from God, but you turned it around about you.
You must be very careful about pride in your life.
When you do things to get recognition, Jesus said that you got your reward.
There’s nothing else you will receive but the happy thought that was in your head.
No reward in heaven.
No blessing from God.
You, in your own mind got your reward.
I think you scored points with God and now God owes you a great blessing.
This is extremely fleshly and evil.
Prayer: if God tells you to step out and pray for somebody
and you're uncomfortable and you just feel like you can't get away from it
then that's God speaking you
that's the difference between your thoughts and God's thoughts
as you get close to God and you get to know God
your thoughts and his thoughts become one
and you start getting on the mind of Christ
if you're sitting here in service and you get a random super imposing thought to do something good
the voice of the Holy Spirit speaks in the still small whisper
and you need to start getting in tune with that still small whisper
because this is going to set you free
you should realize God does not yell
one of the reasons why we struggle to hear him is because we're not close with him
this is what you need to understand
how close are you?
ask yourself this, how close am I to God?
the farther you get away from God the harder it is to hear the whisper
Example: remember what happened to Saul?
the voice comes out and says, “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?
was that a small voice?
it was a loud voice and it knocked him to the ground
why? because Saul had no relationship or closeness to God
remember sin separates us from the God
Sin creates distance between US and God
You can’t have a bunch of sin in your life
You can’t hear him because your drowning out his still small voice.
1 John 3:8 (KJV) He that committeth sin is of the devil;
You can't hear the whisper 'cause we're too far away
it's like standing in a room 100 feet away
and then standing right next to me
if you're right next to me you don't need to yell
and also, whispering speaks of intimacy
if you whisper usually it's into a person's ear
we need that intimacy with God
we need to be close to him
and we need to make sure that we have no distractions and the other thing that prevents God from speaking to us
the noises of life drown out the Holy Spirit
you need to remove all the clutter out of your life
all the noise
all the opinions
all the preachers your listing to 20 different preachers
get rid of some of them
and then hone down your ears and say I need to get rid of these distractions
Moses was in the backside of the desert
and after 40 years of being exiled God spoke to him
God oftentimes will speak in seasons of wilderness or isolation
so don't be all depressed and stressed out if you're in a wilderness season
just say Lord what are you trying to say to me?
Elijah: 1 Kings 19:11-12 (KJV) And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
God was showing Elijah that it is not always going to be extravagant when He speaks to you
but I'm going to come in the whisper
Lord help us tonight to remove every distraction
remove distance
you cannot apply what I'm preaching tonight if you're not willing to repent of your sins
you gotta get alone with God
my most powerful encounters with God is when I'm alone with God
didn't Jesus say shut the door when you pray?
not just the physical door, but the door in your mind
when you go to pray, and you're thinking about this and what am I going to do here
and if I get the assignment finished and where am I going to do this job
no, no! shut the door and let the distractions be removed
you may need to get rid of video games for a little bit
you may need to get rid of Netflix for a little bit
you may need to get off a tick tock for awhile
get off of Instagram or YouTube or Facebook for awhile
you may need to give these things up so that you can say Lord I'm doing this to hear your voice
because I can't survive without hearing the voice of the Shepherd
I need your voice
#2 God speaks through the Bible
If you want to hear the voice of God, you should start in the word of God
1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Romans 10:17 (KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
there are two Greek words for the word “Word” in the Bible
the first one is logos and means the mind of God or the full council of God
you'll never know the thoughts of God
the council of God or the mind of God
without knowing the logos or the word of God
John 1:1 (KJV) In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word (logos), was with God, and the Word (logos), was God.
Jesus is the personified (incarnate) logos
the logos of God is the total council of God
and God's complete purpose on the earth
Thayer Definition: 3) In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world’s life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man’s salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds.
John 14:9 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Jesus was saying that he represents everything the father is
everything the father does
this is the logos of God
the logos of God is settled in heaven
it can never be changed
Everything else may change, but the word of God remains, “the logos of God”
the second Greek word for the word “Word” is Rhema
now Rhema is important because it refers to the spoken word
it's not considered Rhema unless it's spoken
Thayer Definition: 1) that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word
Matthew 4:4 (KJV) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Our finite minds are not able to comprehend Gods total council
So, what does God do?
God takes a measure of his complete wisdom, revelation knowledge, all of the knowledge of God and He speaks to it to us
and this word becomes personal once we receive the Rhema
so, Jesus is implying, God has daily bread
we don't live by bread alone, but every day we live by the Rhema of God
which means every single day God has something to speak to us
how do I find the Rhema?
faith comes from hearing and hearing comes from the Rhema of Christ
faith comes when God speaks a specific word to you directly
the Bible doesn't say faith comes by reading the Bible
because you can read the Bible and not hear anything
we've all had times where you've read for 20 minutes and don't even remember what you read
because faith doesn't come by reading the Bible, -faith comes by hearing-(read aloud)
oftentimes we might open it other times we open it and then all the sudden something leaps out
it jumps out in front of you, that's the Rhema word of God
when it leaps out, you go “wow God is speaking to me right now”
when you hear that Rhema, it's more than just reading,
it is God communicating through his word/Rhema on a personal level
when you read the Bible, it also reads you
when you pick up the Bible, it also picks you up
when you dust it off, it dusts you off
that the Bible in itself is not the thing that leads you to truth
the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons use the Bible
Mormons 100% used the Bible and the Book of Mormon
how could they take our Bible and use it?
Jesus said the Holy Spirit is coming and will lead you into all truth
if you don't have the Holy Spirit,
you can use the Bible and manipulate the Bible and use it for false religions
you got to rely on the Holy Spirit
and the Rhema of God to speak to us, through his Word
when you get this, you will be obsessed with the Bible
you'll be in love with then Word so much you will spend hours reading it.
because the Holy Spirit makes it come alive
and the Rhema of God speaks to me
#3 it is God speaks through prayer
prayer is our lifeline
prayer is God's phone number
of the times I've gotten direction or radical encounters with God was when I was praying
we need to make a habit of praying in the spirit, praying in English
praying throughout the day
treat prayer like oxygen, you don't forget to breathe
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
what should I pray? pray about everything
every decision, every choice, every day, pray pray pray pray pray pray y
you are never wasting your time praying
God speaks not only when we're in prayer, but when we're praying for others
When you're praying, you become a mouthpiece or a vessel for God
have you ever prayed for someone, and you feel like God just takes over?
and you're like, “wow, that was a really good prayer. I didn't even know I knew that stuff”
This is the spirit of God praying through you
God wants to speak to people through your praying
Every revival in history started in a prayer meeting
when you pray you invite God's divine power in your situation
if you're struggling to hear God or you feel like he's not speaking to you
look at the amount of time you spend in prayer
don't get mad that God is not speaking to you
If you're giving him nothing to work with, who’s fault is that?
Psalms 91:1 (KJV) He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Matthew 6:6 (KJV) But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Jesus is in the secret place
we already know where God dwells on the earth, in the secret place
we need to pray to the father
we need to let the Holy Spirit
we need to let him speak to us in prayer
#4 God speaks through other people
God is speaking through people
speaking through prophets and speaking through other men
tonight God is speaking to you through this message
I wish the Holy Spirit could come tonight and just appear and just preach to us
but the reality is, the way that God speaks on the earth is through other people
Amos 3:7 (KJV) Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Proverbs 19:20 (KJV) Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
It’s funny how some people will pay good money to go to a therapist or psychiatrist to hear counsel.
But God gives counsel free to those who seek him.
I guess people think that if you pay for something that it must be good.
You know, “You get what you pay for!”
The thing is, God already paid the price for you to get His counseling. What a great deal!
So, listen to the council and receive instruction that you may be wise in your latter days
we need to have a wise counselor around us
when you're struggling and you can't hear from God,
God could speak through me, or other’s that are seeking God
that's one of the ways that God speaks, is through people
Now, if I’m doing something that the Bible is saying not to do,
Or if the Bible is saying to do something and I’m not doing it,
Then I’m violating God’s word
And God does not violate His Word
I don’t need men’s opinions
I need God’s Word and I need to be around people who believe and ACT on HIS Word!
#5 The Holy Spirit nudges you
this is what some people call your conscious, or intuition or a gut feeling
this is when you feel a certain way and you can't shake
it when you feel you need to do a certain thing or stay away from a certain person
and the Holy Spirit nudges you and you cannot get away from it
you might feel a different something pulling on you
if I'm I feel God pulling on me
or something drawing me towards a person to or something
that's most likely the Holy Spirit nudging you
if God is nudging you to do something and you do that thing
oftentimes you're going to feel an inner peace. Not relief, but a peace
oftentimes God is wanting you to do something
if somebody says, “will you do this with me?” and I feel a nudge or I feel like a pain
or it felt like a weirdness it’s usually God saying no
now if I fill a piece about it
I don't sit there and say, “oh God I need a confirmation, 25 words and 13 versus, a prophetic message ,gold dust and a letter in the Mail
I don't need none of that
Because you know God, you know what “the Peace of God” is.
if I have piece about it,
and it's in line with God's Word, have a little faith and go for it
you don’t need me to come preach to you about it
When the Holy Spirit nudges me and says go, do that.
it's not like I'm hearing the audible voice or small whisper, none of that
I feel him nudge me like he's literally just he's nudging
he's just pushing me to do something, I just do it
#6 is dreams and visions
I won't go deep into this
you're going to see this over and over in scripture
For whatever reason, American Christianity has done away with this
all through the Bible, this is a major way God speaks to us
Acts 2:17 (KJV) And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
oftentimes God will give you visions
Numbers 12:4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam
Numbers 12:6 (KJV) And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
it can't get more clear
God is going to use dreams and visions and supernatural revelation to speak to his people
this is the way God speaks
countless times in the Old Testament and New Testament God spoke this way
when God came to Joseph and said your wife is carrying the son of God
he came to him in a dream three different times
he gave him warnings h
e gave him direction and dreams
so dreams are very very, very powerful and visions are very powerful
now here's the very important thing to note
if you're writing them off saying, “I'm just not a dreamer” and you're not willing to receive
then don't expect God to speak to you this way
I started opening myself up, reading the scriptures, studying God speaking in dreams
and then it started happening,
I'm seeing in the spirit and I'm understanding the spirit better
Why can’t you do this?
because before you are not into it
you are not listening
maybe you are not being taught but its most likely, you are not listening
so, God can trust you
'cause you were ignorant to it
now that you're not ignorant, you see God’s ways and you're able to go step out
#7 is however he wants
however he wants is another way God speaks to us
and it's very important,
God can literally speak any way that he wants to
and he can use a person
he can use an animal
he can use your circumstance
he can use nature
he can use dreams
he can use visions
he can use the Bible
he can use a still small voice
a loud voice
a medium voice
a Mexican voice
an Asian voice
a sign on the freeway
a commercial
he can literally do whatever he wants
the sovereignty of God is this,
he can do what he wants when he wants, with who he wants, with nobody's permission
God does not need your permission
your direction
your revelation
you're not God’s spiritual Guinea pig- God knows what he is doing
just because you've never encountered certain things from God, doesn't mean it's not real
you're not the Guinea pig for everything spiritual
just because you don’t know about it doesn’t mean God can’t do it like that
pride says, I will not believe because I don't know about it
and I didn’t experience it
so, it must not be God
God says “I'm sovereign and I don't need your permission to do what I want to do”
God will wreck your theology
your traditions
your ideology
God can do whatever he wants
We need to get the limits off God!
in Jesus name
