Some practical steps to help you hear from God more clearly.
Scriptures:
- 1 Samuel 3:1-11
- Luke 10:38-42
- 1 Samuel 2:12
- Daniel 4:4-6
- Proverbs 11:14
- Mark 1:35
- Acts 14:23
- Esther 4:16
- 2 Chronicles 20: 17-23
Outline
- My story of hearing God’s voice
- Your story
- Samuel Meets God
- God Speaks When You are Ministering to Him
- God Doesn’t Only Speak to Mature Christians
- God Speaks in a Way You Can Perceive
- Practical Tips to Hearing From God
- It’s Not Eli (Conclusion)
Stories: How you began to hear from God
Can you minister to the Lord even if you don’t have a relationship with Him?
My Path to Hearing God’s Voice
- Grew up in the church
- Served in many ministries
- Didn’t have a relationship with God
- Bible study assignment to pray every day at the same time daily
- Turned into my Quiet time
- Worship, read bible, pray, listen
- God’s voice started becoming clearer
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Stories
- Path to leading the men's group
- Stranger at a New Year's Eve Party
Samuel Meets God
God spoke to:
- Adam in the Garden
- Noah
- Elijah in a cave
- Job in his time of need
- Abram
- Samuel
- Jonah
- Ezekiel
- Paul on the road to Damascus
God used to primarily speak to prophets, kings, judges, and priests
Because of Jesus‘s death we can all hear from God
- When Jesus died he tore the veil to the holy of hollies
When God spoke to the prophets, did he always speak to them clearly?
1 Samuel 3:1-11
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare [limited supply; valuable]in those days, visions were infrequent.
2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well),
3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was,
4 that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am."
5 Then he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, lie down again." So he went and lay down.
6 The LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he answered, "I did not call, my son, lie down again."
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him.
8 So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy.
9 And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."
11 The LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
- The Word of the Lord was rare
God Speaks When You are Ministering to Him
1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. ..
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him.
- Samuel was ministering to the Lord yet he didn’t know Him
He was ministering to the Lord
- He was not ministering for the Lord
- He was not ministering to the people
God was The recipient of his ministry
Ministering to the Lord is vertical
Ministering for the Lord is horizontal it is to other people
Ministering for the Lord
- Teaching a class
- Ushering
- Homeless ministry
Which is more important?
Story:
- I want you to be a witness of what I'm going to do
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word.
40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."
41 But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
- Merry was spending time with the Lord
Ministering to the Lord
Ministering to the Lord is when your ministry is focused on the Lord and not the church or other people
- Who is receiving your ministry?
- Who is blessed by your ministry?
- Worship
- Prayer
God Doesn’t Only Speak to Mature Christians
- God didn’t speak to Eli
- He spoke to a child
Samuel didn’t know God’s voice
- This means he was immature
Eli knew God’s voice
God often Shows up in the lives of new converts
When we get older we become cynical, pessimistic, know it all’s
You are as young as your faith and as old as your doubt
as young as your self confidence as old as your fears
as young as your hope as old as your despair
So long as your heart receives message of beauty cheers courage Grandeur and power from God
so long are you young
But when your wires are all down in the central places of your heart are covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism
then you are growing old indeed make God have mercy on your soul
- You are old when you lose faith
Sometimes old Christians put up walls and barriers
- God doesn’t still speak
- God doesn’t do this or that
Samuel didn’t know the Lord
- He hadn’t heard from God
- He didn’t have a personal relationship with God
Eli’s Children Didn’t Know the Lord
1 Samuel 2:12
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD
But God Can Speak to Whoever He Pleases
God spoke to Samuel before he had a relationship with Him
God spoke to
- The magi
- Abimelech about Sarah
- Nebuchadnezzar
Daniel 4:4-6
4“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. 5“I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. 6“So I gave orders to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
But it Takes Faith to Believe It Was God
- Nebuchadnezzar got faith when he put the 3 Hebrew boys in the fire
- God didn’t have to explain who He was
God Speaks in a Way You Can Perceive
The technical term for this is ‘divine accommodation’.
God spoke to Samuel in a voice he clearly understood
Although you might not recognize that it’s God
In the story of the birth of Christ, God spoke to:
- Shepherds through angels
- The Magi through a star
- Joseph through a dream
- Mary and Elizabeth through an angel
For some people the bible is sufficient
- Some people need an audible voice
You Might Not Recognize it as God
What should you do since there is a chance that you will not recognize the voice of God?
Proverbs 11:14
14Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.
Samuel heard God’s voice but didn’t recognize it. Eli had to point it out.
A Mature Christian Can Help
- Eli told Samuel it was God
They can help:
- recognizing God’s voice
- interpreting what he says
- confirm it’s God’s voice we’ve heard and not our own thoughts or subconscious desires.
- Confirm it’s not another voice
Be Cautious Before You Know God’s Voice
Story: Ride Along
- Omar
- Kevin Hart
Just because you hear a voice doesn’t mean that it’s God
Practical Tips to Help Hear From God
Cautions:
- Don’t turn an experience into a process
- Example: my lucky shirt
Make it a Lifestyle
You have to make it a lifestyle… Make it a practice. You can’t just lock yourself in your room when you need to make a big decision and say God speak to me now.
The way you prepare to hear from God in a crucial time is to pray and fellowship everyday
- Some people call God once every 5 months and are surprised they don’t get a clear answer
“Sleep where God dwells”
In the ancient world one hoped to discover God’s plans by sleeping where God was thought to dwell.
- Samuel slept in the Temple
- Moses was on the Mountain of God
Go to church
Get into the habit of talking to God regularly
If we’re not in the habit of talking to God daily then it will be much more difficult when every 4 to 6 months we have a big decision and try to hear from God.
Set a time and a place
- It’s easier to start a new habit if you do it at the same time each day
- Pick the time when there are no distractions
- Set a specific place that you always use
- A room
- A chair
- A lake
Read the Word
Slow down and Spend time in the word
God has already written us a letter
Example: Ikea
- Complained that a desk was too complicated to put together
- Didn’t read the instructions
- Start with the process they recommended
Pray
Mark 1:35
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
We never see Jesus teaching the disciples how to:
- Heal
- Cast out demons
- Evangelize
- Worship
- Analyze the Bible
But He taught them how to pray
Listen
Listen when you pray don’t just talk
Listening is an act of submission
Fasting
Acts 14:23
23When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
- They fasted to consecrate to God
Esther 4:16
16 "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish."
Jesus fasted
Worship
2 Chronicles 20: 17-23
17‘You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.”
18Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. 19The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.” 21When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 22When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. 23For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
Stories:
- Asked to give $1,000
- Pain from giving $100
- Give up your shoes
It’s not Eli (conclusion)
Example: driving from here to Disneyland
- We felt that God wants us to go to Disneyland
- We know it’s South on the 5
- We hopped in the car and got on the freeway
- We figure we’ll look for signs along the way
Some people are hoping for a sign from God
- They need an answer or direction
God wants to get in the car with us and guide us
We are looking for a sign when God is looking for a relationship
God Speaks to Our Spirit
We are often trying to hear God with our natural man when He talks to our spirit
The voice of God often comes as an internal desire
- Something gets activated when He speaks
Sometimes you’ll read a verse and your heart will leap
- You may not understand it yet
Pay Attention and Listen
“Show me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are”
Some people pay attention to all the good thing Trump does
Some people pay attention to all the bad things Trump does
Some people go to church they pay attention to
- Type of song
- Participation of women
- Temperature
- clothes people wear on stage
- what books the sermon from
- Old Testament or the New Testament,
- Did the sermon have three points,
- Did he talks about Satan
- Did he talk about grace
- how many people other specific ethnic group are there,
- what type of instruments are they using,
- what are the ages of the congregation,
We need to be paying attention to: “is God speaking”
Maybe It’s not Eli
- It’s not your boss who fired you
- It’s not that man that broke up with you
- When your schedule gets interrupted
- When you find a penny on the ground
Instructor: Michael Leadon
Extra
Fasting
Matthew 17:14-21 (NASB)
14When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16“I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” 17And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” 20And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 21[“But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]
- Mark 9:29
References
How to Hear God’s Voice – Three Keys
Hearing God's Voice - 1 Samuel 3 - Jon Courson
Bill Johnson 2018 - Hearing God - (Bethel Church Sermon)
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