How do you discern if a word, thought, or plan you have is from God?
Outline:
- Review
- Does it Agree With the Bible?
- Game: Could That Be God?
- Get Counsel from Wise Christians
- God Uses Other People to Confirm His Word
- Ask God for Confirmation
- Training Your Ear
Scriptures:
- Proverbs 3:6
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17
- 3 John 1:2
- 3 John 1:1-3
- Exodus 20:4
- Acts 1:23-26
- Leviticus 16:8
- @Jonah 1:7
- Proverbs 16:33
- @Exodus 20:4
- Isaiah 20:2
- Acts 16:6-8
- Isaiah 38:1
- Proverbs 11:14
- Proverbs 12:15
- Proverbs 19:20
- 1 Corinthians 14: 3-4
- Judges 6: 36 - 38
- Hebrews 5:14
Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Why do people go to fortune tellers?
- They want to know their future
- To hear positive things about the future
- They want some direction or clarity in an area of their life
Story: Girl sent me a cassette tape of a psychic
- The issue isn’t whether she was wrong of right
We Want Help Making Big Decisions
We want to discern the voice of God when we need to make a decision. We want to discern the voice of God when we are about to take action on something that could have a major impact on our lives.
- Should I marry this person?
- Should I join/ leave this church?
- Should I quit my job and become a missionary to Haiti?
Is it in alignment with God’s will?
Review
In the series Hearing From God
We previously discussed that God can speak to us through:
- Bible
- Prayer
- Pastors / teachers
- Prophetic words
- Tongues / Interpretations
- Dreams / Visions
- Peace
- Unusual circumstances / coincidences
- Fleece
- Closing doors
- Bringing things to your memory
- Voice
- Inspired thoughts
- Prompting of the Holy Spirit
- Draw your Attention to something
- Nature
- Worship / music
- Emotions
- Writing
- Angels
Voice We Hear
Voices / thoughts / impressions that we get aren’t necessarily all from God
The voices can originate from
- God
- Your Mind
- The World
- Your Flesh
- Your Gut
- The enemy
Your Mind
Your Own Voice
- Your own plan
- Voice of the past
- Negative self talk
- “You’re dumb”
- “You’re not married because you’re too ugly”
- “God can’t love you because remember you did this ____ “
Voice of the World
- Science
- Media
- Popular opinion
The systems that promote non-Christian perspectives
Your Flesh
- Your physical desires
- Your sinful tendencies
Lust of the Flesh
- To want something because it feels good
- The temptation to feel physical pleasure from a sinful activity
Lust of the Eyes
- Desire to own or possess
- Coveting
- Desire for status
Pride of Life
- Power, Significance, respect
- Something that leads to boasting
Your Gut
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungus
- Candida
- Yeast
They influence your fleshly desires
- Cravings and addictions
- Obesity
- Alcoholism
- Sexual desires
The Enemy
- Strongholds
- Temptation
- Fear
- Isolation
- Attacks When You’re Vulnerable
- Condemnation
- Deception
- Distraction
- The Enemy Can Influence Your Thoughts
- He Uses Other People
Strongholds
- fortified structure
- Patterns of beliefs
- An argument that goes against God or the bible
- Example: The bible was based on a culture that doesn’t apply today
- not a sin but the argument you use to justify the sin
- Allows you to ignore or downplay whichever parts of the Bible you deem as inappropriate
Discerning God’s Voice
What would you tell someone if they said God told them not to witness to someone?
How can we test to discern if something is from God or not?
Does it Agree With the Bible?
- When God speaks it is confirmed by his word
- If it contradicts the word it is not from God
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
We’re not asking “does it agree with our religious practices of my church”
Know who God was talking to in a verse.
Did God promise that every infertile couple could have a son even if they’re over 80?
- The promise was specific to Abraham and Sarai
Look at the Context
If you have faith God promise to:
- Heal
- Make you rich
3 John 1:2
2Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
So is God promising health and wealth to all of us beloved Christians?
- Who is “Beloved” referring to?
- Where does it mention faith?
3 John 1:1-3
1The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
2Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth.
- John is speaking to Gaius
- Gaius is the “Beloved”
- This is a greeting to the letter
John isn’t even promising Gaius prosperity and health
The Word will be in Alignment With the Whole Bible
Jesus says “the poor will always be with us”
Jesus clearly wasn’t promising that if you follow Him you’d become rich
Is it Universally True?
- What if you’re in jail for life and you have faith in Jesus
- Are you going to become rich?
- Does your interpretation only work in America?
What Was the Point of the Verse?
Was it something they did because it was cultural and therefore no longer applies or was it something based on God‘s character or the nature of mankind?
Example: flat earth
Exodus 20:4
"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
The point of the verse was “don’t make any images/idols”. God wasn’t teaching them geology or astrology.
God wouldn’t educate them just to make a point
- Physics
- Geometry
- Science
- Microbiology
- Anatomy
Game: Could That Be God?
We want to base our determination on the Bible not necessarily on cultural or church tradition.
You decide...does the bible support the claim?
Casting Lots
What if a Christian told you God told them to flip a coin to decide between two jobs?
- Do you tell them that wasn’t God
Acts 1:23-26
23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.
24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen
25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell fnto Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
- They prayed to God and ask him to control the outcome
Cleromancy
Cleromancy is a form of sortition, casting of lots, in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but are sometimes believed to reveal the will of God, or other supernatural entities.
Leviticus 16:8
8 “Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat.
When Jonah was in the boat how did the sailors determine Jonah was causing the storm?
- The cast lots
@Jonah 1:7
7 Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
Proverbs 16:33
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the LORD.
David says that whatever the lot decides is from the Lord
Story: Teddy pick by random verse
Sculpture of an Angel
What if a famous artist said that God came to him in a dream and told him to create a large sculpture of an angel in front of the church for free?
- It would be worth 100s of thousands of dollars
@Exodus 20:4
"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Walk Around Naked
What if someone said: God told me I’m a prophet and I should walk around naked
Isaiah 20:2
2the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.”
And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot.
God Told Someone Not to Witness
Someone mentions that their roommate is not a Christian, when asked if they’ve told them about Jesus they reply “God told me not to”.
Do we tell them that Jesus said: “Make disciples of the whole world”?
Acts 16:6-7
6They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;
Common Misunderstandings About Prophecy
Have you heard it said that:
- Prophecy Will Only Be Confirmation
- Prophecy Will Always Be Positive
- Prophecy Will Only be About You
Isaiah 38:1
1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.”
Get Counsel from Wise Christians
Proverbs 11:14
14Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in an abundance of counselors there is victory.
Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
Proverbs 19:20
Listen to counsel and accept discipline,
That you may be wise the rest of your days.
Not based on if you want to do it
Example: I meet with a Pastor before each series
Selective Counseling
Sometimes we ask a lot of people until somebody says what we want to hear
- Or they only ask people who they know will agree with their opinion
God Uses Other People to Confirm His Word
1 Corinthians 14: 3-4
3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. 4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.
How many of you have heard something confirmed during a sermon?
Story: take the job at HP
- General vs specific word of God
Might be:
- Pastor
- Bible study teacher or student
- Prophet
Ask God for Confirmation
Judges 6: 36 - 38
36Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said, 37then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
38And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
Story: Skip breakfast
I always ask God for confirmation when
- Joining or leaving a church
- Choosing a mate
- Taking a job
Example: leaving a church
I wouldn’t leave a church because the pastor leaves unless I was already considering leaving and I got confirmation. If I was at that church happy go lucky with the pastor I’m not leaving to follow him.
Training Your Ear
Hebrews 5:14
14But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
- “Senses” is physical and natural
Aisthētērion - Senses
faculty of the mind for perceiving, understanding, judging
Listen
The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.
-- Claude Debussy
Have you noticed that “listen” and “silent” have the exact same letters ?
Looking and noticing and paying attention matters
How to train
- Set an time to be with God
- Quiet time
- Reading scripture
- Worship
- Pray
- Fasting
- Listen
The greatest gift in the end time will not be a speaking gift but a listening gift
Instructor: Michael Leadon
References
How to Hear God’s Voice
How to Discern if a Word is From the Lord
5 Questions to Know If We're Hearing From God
7 Ways to Distinguish God’s Voice from the Circumstances of Life
http://ronedmondson.com/2015/04/7-ways-to-distinguish-gods-voice-from-the-circumstances-of-life.html
Discerning God's Voice
Discerning the voice of God – the mission church
Discerning the Voice of God - Kingdom City Messages
Discerning God‘s voice - First Baptist Church Amherst
Hearing God’s Voice - Robert Morris
How To know God’s voice
Freshwater church
How Do We Listen to God?
No comments:
Post a Comment