Transcript: Hearing God's Voice Through Faith and Preaching

For most of us, When it comes to hearing the voice of God, we quickly think of Prophet Samuel when he was a young boy, just beginning to hear and distinguish God's voice for himself. Or we reflect on Prophet Elijah, whom we really know very little about in his personal background. But when Elijah heard the voice of God, the scriptures tell us he immediately obeyed him. so you know who is mere man that the creator of the entire universe would stoop so low and condescend to and care to communicate with hearing the voice of God is a wonderful privilege and I am always amazed when I ponder on the goodness of God and how he lowers himself and stoop so low to speak to a rebellious and apostate people for their own good in order to bring them into right fellowship and deep fellowship with himself. God has many means and ways by which he speaks and communicates his heart, his will, and his mind to mere creatures of clay. Scripture says God has put it in the hearts of all men to know him first of all by virtue of his magnificent creation. For those who listen to God, his voice is being heard above them, below, and all around them. And of this there is no escape. In Psalms 19 verse 1, the word declares, The heavens declare the glory of the Lord And the fervent shows his handiwork Day unto day utters speech And night unto night reveals knowledge There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard Their line has gone out through all the earth And their words to the end of the world This is one way in which the almighty creator of all things speaks to all people. He is actually inviting men in every nation, every tribe and tongue to come to him and commune with him as their God and father. He is inviting all to come to him and to know him as their loving father who desires to lavish every good gift upon all who will hear his voice. There are so many people in this very age, from every walk of life and profession, regardless of whether they are an MIT graduate, a graduate of a trade school, a high school or higher learning of some kind, or a common laborer, who strolls through this life, seeing the beauty of creation all around them, and yet do not have one responding emotion to the giver of all things. They appear deaf to the countless notes by which God speaks and by which his power and wisdom and love is proclaimed to their hardened hearts in every possible way. God has been echoing through every generation of time saying, If you will hear my voice, Do not harden your hearts when I speak to you. There has been such a great resistance made by man to the voice of God from the very beginning of time. The resistance commonly offered to God's gracious and generous divine call and appeal is one of the fool who says in his heart, There is no God. or the reckless and irresponsible unbeliever who crows saying, Who is the Almighty that I should worship and serve him? And what good does it do for me if I should pray to this God that I do not know or I see? The major bulk and core of the resistance offered by unrepentant sinners is found in Hebrews 3, verse 8, where the warning comes to not harden your heart. Chapter 3, verse 8 of Hebrews. Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me, tried me, and saw my works for 40 years. Therefore I was angry with that generation and said they always go astray in their hearts and they have not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath they shall never enter my rest. Verse 12. See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ. if we hold firmly until the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. Verse 16. Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter because of their unbelief. Well, these are the people who delayed and willfully avoided to act on the conviction of their consciences, but held a deeply rooted love of sin in their hearts, like that of the people in the wilderness, who did nothing more than to provoke the Holy One of Israel to pronounce their judgment, which was to never enter into their promised land. When people continually disobey what they believe to be the voice of God, they must always try to find some superficial excuse for their disobedience, or they must be most uncomfortable and awkward and troubled and unstable in their minds because they have been convicted by the Holy Spirit over and over and yet continually ignore His convicting power that their disobedience and rebellion is not okay. It is a terrible place to be when the hardened heart no longer feels or even notices the convictions of the Spirit of God any longer. The individual who is frequently busy at gathering appeals and apologies and excuses for the neglect of their obedience to God's work and conformity to it soon becomes an expert in the work of self-justification by using presumption and compromise and every other excuse to avoid simple obedience to the commands of God. Having involved himself in a battle with his reason, his judgment, and fondness with his carnal feelings means that he has gained the victory and consequently he believes he has the right to less responsibility than before to any obedience to God's laws and commands. and this is saying that his heart is almost untouchable to any means of conviction by the Holy Spirit oh very dangerous how dangerous and this is what the scripture means when it says do not harden your heart and this is done every day by those who refuse the good news of the gospel when it comes to them And yes, even those who sit in church week after week and yet harden their hearts to the commands of God by not obeying His commands and precepts, but follow after their own reason and self-justification. Unfortunately, people deprive themselves of moving on in building a relationship, and beyond that, a deep and personal fellowship with God through His Holy Spirit, who speaks to them in so many and various ways in order to bring them up to stand in the high place with himself in this unique and divine communion which is afforded to those who truly love God. Dear ones, this is why God has created you. He desires to communicate with you. Hebrews 3 verse 15 declares, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. This is a command of God to all peoples. The Holy Spirit says to each one of us, Today, when you hear, do not harden your hearts. It is a tragic mistake and the ruin of many, both young and old, that they believe and obey Satan rather than hear and obey God. The word to us all is today, not tomorrow. And since God uses his human agents to speak and teach these words, much depends in the way by which we regard and treat what they are saying. But you see here in these words, these are the words of the Holy Spirit. And these are his words and remarks to the hearers of this word. It is important for us to pay attention and hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying. Just think of much importance is made and attached to what great or well-known people have to say. A man or woman's position give importance to what they have to say. The president, or king for instance, or a judge. but how much more important should be the word of the Holy Spirit when he speaks whether it be in the way of warning, exhortation, encouragement or a command. When he comes to you, you may be sure it is some important or urgent reason that he has come and speaks to your heart. In all actuality, all scripture is his word to us But in this special sense and case, these words hold a distinctive and unique significance. When a king speaks, every voice is hushed and quieted out of respect and honor. And it should be so, dear ones, that when the Holy Spirit speaks, there may be the deepest interest and attention and reverence as to what he is saying. Revelation 2, verse 7 declares, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Seven times in the book of Revelation, as the Lord was speaking to the seven churches, he spoke these words, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church. I believe it is important for us to heed that when the Spirit of God says something, it is good and right for each one of us to sit up and take notice of what he is saying. And not only that, it is important for us to respond by being obedient to do what he is telling us to do. sometimes even the words of the wisest and greatest well-known people are not to be trusted because even in the trust and best meaning individuals make mistakes but we are talking about one who when he speaks has never been deceived nor ever will be The Holy Spirit is never confused, mistaken, or wrong. Nothing he has ever said is untrue. He is known as the Spirit of truth, and he is the living link and author of the words of God, which can never be broken. When the Holy Spirit speaks to you, he is kind. even in his loudest warning to awaken you out of your stupor and lethargic. He is still kind. He is the spirit of love as well as the spirit of truth. With his gentle voice, he speaks. He is loving and kind. He is not harsh or abrasive. I don't know if you have ever seen anyone in an anxious state about the condition of their souls. But one of the first things indicating this anxious state is that their happiness or joy is gone. Many people want to sympathize with people in this state and condition. And many even think that the Lord is too hard on people such as these. but dear saint I want to tell you that this is the kindness of God coming to this individual this is his love when he awakens and alarms a soul that has been negligent or rebellious or unbelieving it is to warn that individual of the pending and coming danger that awaits them this alarm is to shake them up and lead them into a sudden reality that they need to get back up on the tried and true path and continue walking on the safe way. Can you not see the Holy Spirit as your loving friend and guide? We must see the word that he speaks saying today as an important and urgent word to us in our everyday journey with him. there should not be one part of scripture that we are negligent with the word today is a little word and a short sentence but it is a word with great impact and meaning in it it may be said to be an immediate warning and also it may be said to be an invitation it sets and proposes a time of repenting for us sin is rebellion against God and each new sin is another act of rebellion further still endangers the rebel's eternal salvation the warning in the word do not harden your hearts is a warning to know that the punishment of rebellion is sure to come if not repented of and stopped the sin must have an immediate arrest laid upon it it must be forsaken please let me make a statement here there are many people who made the confession of salvation and yet they do not obey God's word if you do not obey and submit to God's righteous commands and you consistently rebel against the authority of scripture you probably are not saved. Yes, you heard me right. You probably are not saved. Rebellion is evil. No matter if you are a young child or young in the Lord or you've been in the church a number of years God is looking for your obedience which is the fruit that proves your salvation. There is an analogy that gives a visual picture of the urgency of this sinful and willful state of rebellion in disobeying God's commands and precepts. The story is about a young boy of about 12 to 14 years of age who has begun to be serious about the condition of his soul. He knows that he is lost and would like to be saved. But at the same time, he would like to keep his sins and enjoy them too, at least for a little while more. This boy, while working with his father on a field wagon, injured his leg as the wagon fell on him and crushed and bruised his leg so badly that there was no choice but to have his leg amputated or taken off. But the young boy would not make up his mind to part with the damaged and irreparable leg. Day after day, he asked to have the operation delayed, each day thinking that it would not be so difficult until the next. His whole experience would have proved to be easier at first, but the longer he delayed, the more difficult it became. And at last, the surgeon broke in and said in a kind and wise way, because of the state and seriousness of this condition, we cannot be reckless and foolish with this matter any longer. One day more meant that the boy could have lost his life, not just his leg. And this speaks to us saying, what is your spiritual salvation or eternal life worth to put off another day. The choice lies between your limb and your life. What are you prepared to lose? Jesus in Mark 9.43 gives the analogy of a sinner. In Mark 9.43, when he says, If your hand puts a stumbling block before you and causes you to sin, cut it off. What is more profitable and wholesome for you to go into life that is really worthwhile maimed than with two hands and go to hell into the fire that cannot be put out? Verse 45 And if your foot is a cause of stumbling and sin to you, cut it off. It is more profitable and wholesome for you to enter into life that is really worthwhile crippled than having two feet and to be cast into hell. Verse 47, And if your eye causes you to stumble in sin, pluck it out. It is more profitable and wholesome for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than with two eyes and be thrown into hell. Well, Jesus isn't saying to literally cut off our foot or hands or to pluck out an eye. But he is saying, when you are tempted, you must starve or kill and mortify or crucify the detestable sin that drags you downward. These sins are called idols, and you and I are to overcome them and give no place nor make any provision for them any longer, because they will bring us into final ruin. And this is called mortifying the flesh. or dying to the flesh. And whatever needs to be done must be done at once. It must be a matter of now or never sort of thing. It must have the word urgency applied to it or connected to it. And even so, it must be with sin in your life. It is an evil habit, a forbidden indulgence, and it must go at once. It cannot be an excuse one day longer that says, I'll repent one day of these and maybe tomorrow. Then one day goes into the next until at last the Holy Spirit shatters through the darkness once more and says, Today, it must be today, you've lost too much time already. There must be no putting off those sins that easily keep you tethered to the earth and inhibit you from reaching the highest mark in Jesus Christ. What is your soul's salvation worth to you, dear one? You really have one choice if you desire to inherit the promised land. And Luke's gospel gives us the only way possible. In Luke 13, 3, he declares, Jesus declares, I tell you no but unless you repent and you change your mind for the better and heartily amend your ways with abhorrence of your past sins you will likewise perish and be eternally lost You see the Holy Spirit says today It is not too late yet It may be too late tomorrow but while you have breath today it is not too late to repent of your sinful ways and to make a firm resolve in your heart not to go back to those rebellious and sinful ways again. You are not capable of improving yourself and neither am I, thinking that you could fix your own problems your way, is a hard heart at work that says, I'll do it my own way, thank you. Trying to improve yourself only makes matters worse because there is only one who can fix any problems and kinks in our personality quirks and sinful nature. The humble soul will see the need for getting help at once from the source and author of life. When the Holy Spirit says, Today, it is though He is saying, Now is the time for you to run to Jesus wherever you may be. Run to Him now. And when the Lord speaks, It is time to run to Him, dear ones. What a day and a time it is for those who have done this. When they have heard God's voice, they said, Lord, I take you at your word today and to you I do run, oh my God. To hear the voice of God when he speaks to your heart and convicts you and convinces you that your sinful and rebellious ways are wrong and to stop being idle in your pursuit of him is a true day of salvation for you. Idleness of every kind is evil. In fact, it is unhealthy for the body, soul, and spirit. This work and effort in coming to God and actually dying to yourself is not for your total benefit, dear ones. There is a future generation who needs to hear the words in Hebrews 4, verse 7, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Just as these words are pronounced to you, they need to be spoken to others. we need to get out of the me, myself and I mentality and be doing the work that God has for us to do we need to keep our own souls in a healthy, a vigorous and lively upright state you are never at a point in your Christian walk no matter how young you are in the Lord where you cannot be of encouragement or a help of some kind for others it is pleasing and brings honor to God when he sees his children at work in these ways for him did you know that when this is genuine it is one proof of your love to God this is evidence of your active love for God and it's shown while you live on this earth not when you get to heaven sort of thing these acts of love are to be demonstrated not only by seasoned Christians, but also by those who are young in the Lord. This is a now time for us all to be busy about the Lord's business. Many people think that they cannot demonstrate the Lord's goodness and kindness in acts of love for their fellow man or neighbor until they grow up in the Lord. And I'm speaking even the young children in our midst today. we are all to be demonstrating Christian grace to those around us these acts of God's goodness are shown in our caring concern for others especially for the brotherhood of believers our kind deeds and words and giving as we are able in both our time and finances ought to be the hallmark of our Christian behavior and love as part of our involvement in our churches and congregations as we reach out to touch the world for Jesus. The Holy Spirit says, Today, not when you are older, but now while you have breath and you are able. The Lord asks us to do this kind of work now when He speaks to our heart, not to think we'll do this work when we get to heaven. It is finally important that we obey the voice of God and not put off responding to him one minute longer. At this point, you may be asking, will God and does God really speak to me? Well, I'm happy to tell you, yes, God will and does speak to his people. And when God speaks, he expects us to listen. He expects us to react to his voice. we talked at the beginning of this word how God speaks to all mankind through his visible creation and God speaks to us generally at first through his providence by virtue of his creation he shows us his continual activity in sustaining the entire galaxy system by his almighty hand as he preserves and governs the entire universe God speaks to us in this way and affirms his absolute lordship over his creation and confirms the dependence of all creation on his almighty care and providence. He makes it clear and plain to our hearts that his lordship over all the universe and that it is not governed by chance or fate. and then he makes it clear to our spirits that his presence and power is more than enough for us to be successful in having victory and overcoming every obstacle in our Christian journey as he protects us on the way these too are the ways that God speaks to us without his continual care and activity in the world and in our lives the world would not exist and neither would we. Another way that God speaks to you and me is through his word and through other Christians. God is always speaking to you through these means. God was speaking to you through the first human voice that reached your infant mind, especially those who had loving parents. As a little child, God spoke to you through the tender words of your mother and father when you were ill, and you heard those soothing and kind words as your parents stroked your forehead or rubbed her back. This, too, is a way that God speaks. As was just previously mentioned, God speaks to us through His Word. and his word is not like the words of men in a boring book that is dead an unresponsive thing but only in God's book of life will you hear the living voice of God God speaks to you by his spirit God created the ear so we could hear our ear is one of the main entrances or gateways of the soul remember faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god the inner ear of the heart is made up of many wonders by which you will hear the noiseless voice of god you have great authority and control and dominion over your own ears you may defile your ears and soul by what you hear, or you may edify, enrich, and perfect the condition of your heart by what you incline your ear to hear. Isn't it interesting when you think about a musician and how attuned his ear is to the whole scale of musical notes, and he has the ear to detect any instrument or voice that is off-key and or out of timing. It is amazing how quickly the ear is sensitized to hear anything we really desire to hear. It is said that Indians were able to lay their ear to the ground, and by holding his breath, he could detect the approach of herds of buffalo in a far distance, or even the approach of someone riding a horse while they were miles away. They were such skilled hunters as well and could hear the movement of a deer or a rabbit while it was quite a distance from them. A mother will hear the slightest sound and movement of her little baby or a sick and suffering child and will be awakened to check on that child. It could really be said that a mother's love makes her heart into one listening, fine-tuned ear. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The ear of your soul has the ability to be trained to know even the slightest, quietest, and gentle whisper of God's voice as he speaks to your heart. And one of the greatest examples we have in the Bible, in an ear being fine-tuned to hear the voice of God, was a young boy by the name of Samuel. Samuel's mother, Hannah, was a young woman who could not bear children. She prayed to God through tears and weeping and made a promise to God that if he gave her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord's service. So at a very early age, when Samuel was weaned from his mother's breast, which in those days was between four and five years of age, he went to live with Eli, the priest, who taught the young boy the various duties of the priesthood. And it was here where Samuel learned to hear the voice of God, and then later God called Samuel to become a priest and a prophet in Israel. And it was after Eli's death that Samuel became the judge of Israel. Let us read in 1 Samuel 3, verse 1, about the account of where the young boy Samuel learns to hear the voice of God. 1 Samuel, chapter 3, verse 1. Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was rare in those days. There was no widespread revelation. And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow dim that he could not see, and before the lamp of the Lord went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, that the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, Here I am. So he ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. and he said, I did not call, lie down again and he went and lay down verse 6 and then the Lord called yet again Samuel so Samuel arose and went to Eli and said here I am, for you called me and he answered, I did not call my son lie down again verse 7 now Samuel did not yet know the Lord nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and he said, Here I am, for you did call me. Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Verse 9, Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go lie down, and it shall be, if he calls you, that you must say, Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. So Samuel went and laid down in his place. Verse 10 Now the Lord came and stood and called at other times, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel answered, Speak, for your servant hears. Then the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears will tingle. Verse 12. Verse 15. me of all that he has said to you verse 18 and Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him and he said it is the Lord let him do what seems good to him so Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground and all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord. Did you notice in verse 10, when the Lord called to Samuel, he had learned from his instructor to say, Your servant hears. This term, your servant or thy servant, is a name that the young prophet had learned to call himself. When God spoke to him, he said, Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. He who calls himself or herself a servant of God must truly desire to know the mind of God. In this preparation, the student must be prepared to hear and then promise to attend to the words of the Lord. In other words, whatever God commands or instructs, then you must set yourself to follow through with what he says. King David said in Psalms 85 verse 8 I will listen with expectancy to what God the Lord will say again let me repeat what David said I will listen with expectancy to what God the Lord will say in Habakkuk 2.1 the prophet not only waited to hear what the Lord spoke to him But he carried out the word of the Lord to the greatest detail. Habakkuk 2.1 Oh, I know. I have been rash to talk out plainly this way to God. I will in my thinking stand upon my post of observation and station myself on the tower or fortress and will watch to see what he will say within me. Hear that? Within me. What he will say within me. And what answer I will make as his mouthpiece to the perplexities of my complaints against him. And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes by may be able to read it easily and quickly as he hastens by. We're back to our example of the young boy Samuel. And something of great significance that I wish to point out to you today is that Samuel's obedience was prompt when the Lord spoke to him. He did not lie in bed shaking in fear and say, Oh, this is really frightening and it's terribly dark in here. I want my mama. He was prompt in obeying Eli's voice, which was really the voice of God. God will sometimes speak to us in voices that we are familiar with and I am especially reminded of the time that our son said to his father a number of years ago Dad, when I was younger and was going to do something that I knew you and mom would disapprove of I would hear your voice saying to me in warning Aaron, do not do that or Aaron, stay away from there or do not go in that direction. He said, Dad, your voice kept me out of trouble many times. But really, as I said, this is one of the ways that God will speak to our hearts and it is through a voice that is familiar to us. He will even speak to us in dreams through voices with whom we are familiar. We read in this account of young Samuel that his obedience was also wholehearted. He was single-minded with God as well as enthusiastic and zealous when God spoke to him. He put his whole heart into his servanthood. And we see this especially at first in hearing God's voice as he was listening under the tutelage of the older prophet and teacher Eli. When Eli instructed him, he obeyed in prompt obedience every time. Dear ones, I make this next statement to you in hopes that it may startle you into a sudden reality and possibly awaken your slumbering heart. You cannot really obey God until you really love him. That's right, neither can I. when you love God you will obey him promptly Samuel was a rare individual his obedience to God was lifelong and there are several things that we can glean from this account of Samuel hearing God as a young boy just as Samuel in order to distinguish the voice and message of God we too must learn the essential or necessary factors in being privileged to hear God's voice. You must have this frame of mind. It is a privilege to hear the voice of the living God. Eli taught Samuel to go back and lay still and listen for God's voice. This meant that Samuel must have a focused mind and an undivided heart. And we too, precious ones, must have a mind that is disciplined to pay attention and be absorbed in one subject where there is little room for nothing else. Too many people have their minds filled with so many trivial things that weigh them down. Many cares and concerns of the world occupy their minds, and the little foxes come to steal the silence or interrupt this restful and peaceful place with the Lord. And the fourth time God spoke to Samuel, it was somewhat different from the other times that he had called to him. The other three times God called Samuel by name, and Samuel did not know it was God calling him, but thought instead it was Eli, his spiritual father. the fourth time God called the boy he called out his name twice Samuel knew in his spirit that this was God's voice and we must see also that the scripture says in 1 Samuel 3.10 the Lord came and stood there calling as at the other times Samuel, Samuel then Samuel said speak for your servant is listening The word says that the Lord stood there before Samuel. We didn't read in the other three visits that he had made with Samuel that he appeared and stood before Samuel. We must know that there was a visible and tangible presence of the glory of God which was shown and enveloped the young prophet. The Lord appeared before Samuel in a vision. and this is what Samuel later reported to Eli. The Lord in the fourth time called out Samuel's name twice and this is saying the call was doubled as the Lord delighted in the mention of Samuel's name or to intimate that he, Samuel, should now know who it was that was speaking to him. And because Samuel had been obedient to follow Eli's commands to be still and to listen for God's voice. The Lord showed himself, either by his physical appearance or by his almighty and powerful presence, and spoke the word of the Lord to Samuel. God honored Samuel undivided heart and single focus and his absolute obedience can we see that Listen to this This child Samuel obeyed first his spiritual father Eli. Prophet Eli instructed the young boy in God's righteous ways and he was preparing him for the priesthood. The boy Samuel was obedient to follow unquestionably his teacher's instructions, and the Lord saw this rare quality in this young boy as he quickly responded to do what his spiritual father had told him to do. And because of his obedience, not only in his early years, but also in his young boyhood, the Lord saw he was ready to do the work that he had prepared for him to do. Young people, can you see the importance that God puts upon being obedient to your parents? If you want to serve the Lord and live a life filled with joy and peace, then your obedience to your parents is the first place to start. If you as a believer are young in the Lord, the same factor ought to be working in your Christian behavior also. Samuel had a focused mind and an undivided heart when it came to obeying and submitting to God's righteous commands. Even if you are not young in the Lord, but have been in church for years, I challenge you by asking, are you presently in your life overcoming sinful passions, that is, lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and pride of life? Have you overcome lying free of slanderous remarks and accusations against others? Do you cheat on your taxes? Do you harbor jealousy, unforgiveness, and or hold hatred in your heart for another? Do you go to R-rated movies and fill your mind with filth and violence and sex and use the excuse that there was some good message for Christians in that movie so therefore it is okay because everyone else is doing it. God says in Matthew 7 verse 13, Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because in verse 14, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, that's speaking of eternal life, there are few who find it. and no doubt you who are seasoned and living a spirit-filled life in Christ you are developing a deep and intimate relationship more called fellowship with the lover of your soul who is called Jesus Christ in our hearing God's voice multifaceted ways by which he speaks to us praise the Lord this is what God is looking for in all of his children. And this will only happen when we walk in absolute obedience and submission to God's righteous commands, dear saints. And the second factor that we may glean and see here in this account with young Samuel and hearing God's voice is that Samuel was free and had no preconceived hang-ups with the way God would communicate with him. He demonstrated what God calls for each of us as his children to have, and that is a simple childlike faith. Samuel was unbiased. In our own selfishness and conceit and prejudices, we tend to want to do the speaking and talking and argue according to doctrinal differences whereby we prevent hearing from God and his truth in its fullness and entirety. Samuel obeyed his spiritual father's direction and instruction. Eli worked with the boy to make sure it was God's voice Samuel was hearing and not another voice. Once God made himself known to Samuel, both in by his presence and by the word of the Lord, Eli knew this young student was really hearing God's voice. another factor in hearing the voice of God is that Samuel had an earnest expectation he waited on the Lord he kept a joyful anticipation in his heart and waited patiently from one experience to the next and this is good for us to keep in mind as we wait on God too many people get impatient with God and say I never hear from God He never speaks to me. You see, God isn't interested in people who want to take a fast track because he knows that he cannot trust them with his word nor his work. Another major factor in hearing the voice of God is that we must have a humble heart. Samuel's words to the Lord when he called Samuel's name were, speak Lord for your servant hears. This implies that we hear in order to do. Yes. We hear in order to do. If we are God's servants then we should have the heart to do what he has purposed before the foundation of time for each and every one of us. God will never give his counsel to the proud and the haughty. We must have a servant's heart. and a servant's heart is a humble heart. The last point or factor in hearing from God is that we must maintain a personal and individual communion with Him. It is lack of personal union with God that keeps people in the dark. God hides His light from our souls when we are not personally living in Him and submitting to His ways. James chapter 4 verse 7 declares, Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Why would the Lord care to share his precious truth and treasures with someone who is half-hearted and lukewarm in their relationship with him? well it is simple he doesn't and he won't it is just that way dear ones there are many different ways that God speaks to us besides these ways that we have talked about today most of the time we will not hear the audible voice of God calling us like he did when he called Samuel and the other men when he spoke to in scripture when he called them into service to work for him. It is not my purpose in this message today to talk about the many ways that God communicates himself to us. But we have talked about a few of the main ways that God speaks to our hearts and it is first through his word and by his spirit as a still small voice within. God will speak to us and communicate his heart, his mind, his will, through his leadership, through his creation, through a parent, a friend, and even through music and song. We have talked about training the ear to listen as we learn to be still and wait on our Lord. Learning to love the silence and the quiet moments are imperative to truly hearing God's voice. And this is why David said in Psalm 63, verse 1, O God, you are my God Early will I seek you Hear that? Early will I seek you My soul thirsts for you My flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water So I have looked for you in the sanctuary To see your power and your glory David loved to spend time in the Lord's presence It was in this place early in the morning, by the eyes of his spirit, that he saw his Lord's power and glory. God spoke to David in this place, dear one. This is why his soul thirsted for his God. It was like his thirst for God could not be quenched. The eyes of his spirit in his inner ear was attuned to the noiseless voice of God. Both you and I have this wonderful opportunity to know God in the same way, because God is not a respecter of persons. As we said earlier in the earlier part of this message today, you have great power over the ear of your spirit. You have power to ruin it or to enrich and enhance and perfect it. and again this can only be done by your prompt obedience and humble submission to God's righteous commands through the power of his Holy Spirit and the reason we must desire to hear God's voice is first because it is by this way that we will truly walk in obedience to his righteous standards and precepts and secondly God has a plan for each and every one of us that was purposed before the foundation of time. In the book of Jeremiah 29, verse 11, God's word says to us, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future, and then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you, and you will seek me and find me, and when you seek me with all of your heart, I will be found by you, declares the Lord. This is a promise, precious ones. This is a promise. How hungry are you for the Lord? How thirsty are you to know Him in this deep and intimate way? Do you long to see those who are perishing all around you, saved from the wrath that is sure to come, unless they come to Christ? Are you in a place to be of help to these unbelievers around you? What a sad thought it must be for many who have looked back and said, I might have done something for Jesus if I had only begun in time. These words have been echoed through every generation of time. Many, many, many regrets. because people did not heed the voice of God when his words came to them saying, Beware, brethren, lest there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily while today is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold, if, the word says, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. Today is the day to hear what God is saying to you. For some, it is a day of repentance. For some of you, you have taken your salvation for granted, and you have neglected your relationship with the Lord. This too calls for repentance because you have hardened your heart. For some of you, you have had fear about stepping out and allowing the Lord to use you to touch others in some way that is beneficial for the kingdom of God. This too calls for repentance because you have hardened your heart and unbelief is at work in your heart along with fear. the workers are few but the harvest is plentiful and the spirit of the Lord says to each and every one of us today today is slipping by and will soon be over and what is it that you must set right in your own heart in this day called today God has been speaking to you through this word and there is something for each and every one of us For some, this may be the only today we will ever see. Will you hear God for yourself in this word? Value and treasure today while it is called today, dear ones. Treat it and regard it as you do any other precious thing. Will you elect to incline your ear to hear what the Spirit of God is speaking to your heart? or will you say to yourself oh this has been a hard word and it is really exaggerated and out of focus will you make the most of this day and make hay while the sun shines upon you may I make a suggestion do not waste this day nor any other day that you are privileged to live in lay it out and plan it and be a good steward of God and incline your ear to hear what His Spirit is speaking to you. Today is the day to hear what God is saying to you. We would like to hear from you if this message has touched your life in some way, either by encouragement, healing, deliverance, or simply if you've been enlightened by the Word of God in an area of understanding in your Christian growth. Contact us, and remember, your information will be kept strictly confidential. May our Lord Jesus Christ richly bless you this day. Following is a broadcast recorded live with Patricia Evans from Shining Light 7 Ministries. May the Lord bless your ears to hear and your heart to receive as you listen to God's holy word. Psalms 139 verse 17 declares, How precious and weighty are your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. Just think about that. God's thoughts towards you are too vast and numerous to count How unspeakable and loving are the thoughts of our great God and Father towards us And honestly, dear Church, how cold and barren are our kindest and warmest thoughts towards God, our Creator God lovingly has prearranged a wonderful and glorious inheritance for us along with all the saints and we so many times stay tethered to the earth with our minds of reason because they are bombarded every day with so many external influences and distractions. This awesome comment of King David in that God's thoughts are so numerous that they cannot be counted, surely frames the fact that God's thoughts involve the perfect plan and care necessary to bring our lives to perfection, to develop our lives completely, to provide everything we need, and to guard and defend our lives. Just think how many thoughts that a parent has towards their children in providing for them, in teaching them, training and counseling them and anticipating their future needs. But dear ones, how many more thoughts are needful on the part of God in reference to each one of us? There are numberless things necessary for each one of us, which God has already prearranged because he knew us before the foundation of time. God has great plans for each and every one of us. Nevertheless, the whole aim of our loving God and Father is to provide for our needs and all that is necessary to secure the salvation of our souls. If God is continually thinking kind thoughts towards us, then can we please know that he wants to communicate with us? He does this because this is part of his being. God has created us with the ability to hear His voice. And He has planted two ears on the sides of our head and given us two eyes by which we can see and perceive those things both in the natural and also in the spirit. God speaks to us individually, personally, and directly by His Holy Spirit through many and various and different means and ways. In John's Gospel, chapter 16, verse 13, the beloved apostle declares, But when he, the Spirit of truth, the truth-giving Spirit comes, he will guide you into all truth, the whole full truth. For he will not speak his own message on his own authority, but he will tell you whatever he hears from the Father, and he will give the message that has been given to him, and he will announce it and declare to you things that are to come that will happen in the future. You see, the Holy Spirit will speak to you those things that are on God's heart and he will make those things clearly known to you. God has a plan and a hope and a future for you, dear one. God is desirous to communicate with you and unfold that future to you. God has made a promise with His Son Jesus Christ long before this old world was ever created. And that promise involved you and me and everyone else who accepted Christ's sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins. And in return will be given the promise of eternal life. Titus 1.2 says, resting in the hope of eternal life, life which the ever-truthful God, who cannot deceive, promised before the world or the ages of time began. And since there were no human beings who were created at that time, this promise was made between the Father and the Son, who was then the Word. Well, you see, we can see that through their agreement in this covenant, that there would then be a family and a church to form a covenant with. If there was a family, then God, who is our Father, was definitely going to communicate with His children. So since the promise of eternal life is our main factor to consider here, then we must know that there are promises that go along with the attainment of this high and lofty goal of living in God's glory for all of eternity. These promises are needful in aiding us in our Christian responsibilities or the support when we are under trial. And most of all, these promises lead us into deep fellowship and communion with our God and Father. Dear ones, without these promises to carry us along, eternal life could never be reached. But our loving God and Father has prearranged and worked out everything ahead of time. He left no details unattended or unconsidered when it comes to your life. But you must understand that these promises can only be enjoyed while you live now and yet for all of eternity. When you live in Christ, now while you have breath. In this awesome work and effort in the attainment of eternal life in your life, God is creating his righteousness in you. And this is the bottom line here, the great victory over Satan the devil. And this is what Satan fights and hates and tries to prevent happening in yours and my life. You see, just to remind you again, the promise of eternal life was made before the foundation of time between the Father and the Son who was then called the Word. God did not promise man a thing, but his agreement was with his Son. It is only by living in Christ that we will have the blessing and promises of God to come to pass in our own lives. And this is the only way by which we will inherit the promises. Jesus Christ is our surety. And there could be no promises or blessings for any Christian believer unless they live in Christ And I am afraid that many purporting Christians today will have a rude awakening one day as they meet their Maker because they did not live in Christ, but lived apart from Him by doing their own thing their own way. Living in Christ is a term that is stated at least 300 times in the New Testament. living in Christ and eternal life are synonymous. Romans 6, 23 declares, For the wages which sin pays is death, but the bountiful free gift of God is eternal life through in union with Christ Jesus our Lord. And I believe this is important for us to know, since living in Christ is the only way by which we will hear what the Spirit of the Lord is speaking to us. Living in Christ means that we will be going through the wonderful metamorphosis of change, which transforms us into the very image of Jesus Christ himself, with his wisdom, his righteousness, holiness, and purity. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30 declares, It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus Who has become for us wisdom from God That is our righteousness, holiness and redemption The Holy Spirit lives within the heart and soul of every true believer in Jesus Christ And he speaks to you and leads you and guides you in the way that you should go Me too even this is a promised blessing for those who live in God's Son Jesus Christ Hebrews 4, 7 declares today today if you hear his voice and when you hear it do not harden your heart today if you hear his voice this means that God is speaking every day God longs to communicate with you and he has something to say to you if you will hear him and listen to him. God communicating with his people is quite common, dear church. This is nothing new. We can see this throughout the Old and the New Testaments. We have been coursing through the scripture in regards to this subject of hearing the voice of God when he speaks. We have three other teachings that more or less lay a foundation to this one that you will hear today. and the titles of the others are Learning to Listen for God Hearing God's Voice When God Speaks and this one today is the last in our series called Ways That God Speaks to You There is something very necessary and vital that every Christian should know when it comes to hearing from God You need to be established in a firm foundation This is very necessary. Hebrews 5.11 declares, We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food. Verse 13. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teachings about righteousness, but solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. And on down to Hebrews 6, verse 1. Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity. You see, the milk of God's word is called faith knowledge. It is like basic math. And in basic math, you need to know addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. And anyone who is not acquainted with the elementary truths of God's word does not personally know the teachings and importance of righteousness. And this is vital and necessary in hearing from God. God will not share his heart, his mind and will with those who are not established in his wisdom and love and familiar with his ways it makes sense that you personally would not share your secret thoughts and plans with somebody that you do not know well and neither will God dear ones he is looking for mature people who have grown beyond the milk of the word or faith knowledge and have advanced on to what is called revelation knowledge. And revelation knowledge is like understanding higher math. Say, for instance, like geometry. And unless you have grown in understanding of these basic fundamentals for a foundation, the greater understanding will never be grasped. Well, so it is with the Word of God. Faith knowledge first, that is foundational truths and principles in God's Word, growing up in line upon line, precept upon precept, which is milk of the word, and then greater progression in revelation knowledge will be given. And this is God's progressive development and plan in yours and my growth process. And this leads us to greater faith and love and righteousness, and finally to where we love God's righteous justice in our lives. in other words we love his correction and exhortation and are actually trained by these and then it is with these that he can entrust his secrets and his plans and ministry to us it is here where God will speak to you giving you your special ministry assignments whether it is a prayer focus an assignment that might take you to another part of the world special gifts such as the fivefold ministry offices or gifts of the Spirit that he will entrust to you such as those spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 1. And now about spiritual gifts, brothers, Paul speaking, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or another you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. And therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, Jesus, be accursed, and no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. Verse 4. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Verse 7. And now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. Verse 8, To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, and to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers and another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to another still the interpretation of tongues. All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one just as he determines. You see, all of these gifts and offices and special assignments bequeathed by God to mature Christians are for the purpose of building his kingdom. Jesus Christ and his father do not send laborers out into the field for sinners sake dear ones they are sent out for Christ's sake and Jesus deserves the glory and the reward of his suffering your part and my part is to be obedient to his precepts in his ways and practice them and this is the only only way by which you will hear God's voice and will be effective for him. And this is called walking in the spirit. You need to learn to hear from God at all times, not to sin bad times or in times of need, but at all times. God is at work teaching and training as secret agents and sending them out into the field. And the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. We saw that even hearing from God was necessary to attain eternal life. God did not leave us helpless because he gave us his Holy Spirit. Even Jesus learned to speak what his Father had told him to say in John 12, verse 49. I have never spoken on my own authority or of my own accord or as self-appointed. But the Father who sent me has given me the orders concerning what to say and what to tell. Verse 50. I know that his commandment is eternal life. So wherever I speak, I am saying exactly what my Father has told me to say in accordance with his instructions. In this scripture, It is obvious that Jesus heard what his father was speaking to him. He said, I am saying exactly what my father has told me to say. In John, the Beloved's Gospel, in John 5.19, we see that Jesus speaks about seeing what the father is doing. John 5.19, so Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you most solemnly I tell you the son is able to do nothing of himself of his own accord but he is only able to do what he sees the father doing for whatever the father does is what the son does in the same way not only does Jesus hear what his father says but he sees what his father is doing Jesus is our all time greatest example he heard the voice of his father because he was humble obedient and his sole aim was to please his heavenly father in all that he did Jesus said I have come to this earth to please my father in heaven and do his will Jesus had a mission and an assignment from his father and that the work he was given to do is defined and summed up in Isaiah 61 verse 1 the good news of salvation. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor and he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Each one of us has in some part in the Lord's ministry that is outlined in this scripture. And we are to become like our Lord in his nature and character. That means that we will live and act and think like Jesus. And Jesus was pure in every way. Spiritually, we too will grow as we submit and obey and learn to walk in the Spirit, seeing and hearing the things of the Spirit so that we might be used as effective tools of the Lord as he gives us special assignments and missions and work to do for the sake of building up the kingdom of God for Christ's sake. Isaiah 11, 1 through 5 becomes a vital part of the equipping for every true mature believer as they labor in the field of the great harvest that is so rich and plentiful. just as this scripture speaks of the one who was to come and give his life is the answer for man's sin so will it be the clothing for those who are mature and receive the revelation knowledge of God directly from his spirit as he leads and guides them to perform many wonderful miracles, signs and wonders bringing hope and healing and deliverance to his people everywhere in every corner of the earth. Isaiah 11 verse 1 says, And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stalk of Jesse, a branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, and the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord. Verse 3, And shall make him of quick understanding, and his delight shall be in the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord. And he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears. But with righteousness and justice shall he judge the poor and decide with fairness for the meek, the poor and downtrodden of the earth. And he shall smite the earth and the oppressor with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. and righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist and faithfulness the girdle of his loins. You see, God is busy pouring his spirit out these days just as the book of Acts declares. In Acts 2.17, it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares that I'm going to pour my spirit out upon all mankind and your sons and daughters shall prophesy telling forth the divine counsels and your young men shall see visions, divinely granted appearances, and your old men shall dream divinely suggested dreams. Verse 18, Yes, on my men's servants and on my maidservants in those days I will pour out my spirit, and they shall prophesy, telling forth the divine counsels and predicting the future events pertaining especially to God's kingdom. And I will show wonders in the sky and signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire and smoking vapor and the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the obvious day of the Lord comes that great and notable and conspicuous and renowned day it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord invoking, adoring and worshiping the Lord Christ Jesus shall be saved. Our cry in response to these scriptures should be Oh Lord do not pass me by Lord give me a quickening spirit A heart of reverential and obedient fear of you Oh God I pray Lord help me not to judge by the sight of my eyes Nor by the hearing of my ears But with righteousness and justice that comes from you and your wisdom You see, God is just waiting to speak to you, dear ones. This is His nature. God is love and He wants to communicate with you so that you will communicate His heart, His will and mind to others. And we're talking about the Lord's ministry here. But I must warn you that there are other voices besides the voice of God. 1 John 4.1 tells us and warns us to not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. And Paul warns us against the deception which comes through demonic influence in 1 Timothy 4.1. You see, Satan's voice may not be detected objectively. You need to pray and seek God in discerning the difference between the various voices that possible that being your own voice, the voice of the devil, and of course the voice of God. And I have been telling you that there are many and various ways that God will speak to us. And some of these main ways are covered in the other teachings that we have already coursed through and were previously mentioned in this teaching today. Briefly, these ways that God will speak to us is first and foremost by his word. God's word is the chief and main way that he will speak to his people. And another way is through his five-fold ministry or others that he may care to speak through as he communicates his will to that individual or individuals by using them as a mouthpiece for himself. God will also speak through his creation using a tree or water or a storm and so on to convey his thoughts to men and women. And the book of 1 Corinthians 12, 1 lays out the gifts of the Spirit, which are all meant to build up and edify the body of Christ as a whole. And the body of Christ is called his church. And we covered these scriptures and these gifts. And to one's gift, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. And then we covered the various gifts, the nine gifts. And according to 1 Corinthians 12.31, we are told to covet these gifts. You see, zelo in the Greek means to covet earnestly. And this means that we should have a great desire and intense hunger to see something happen as we minister these gifts to God's people. And these gifts, according to 2 Timothy 1.6, are to be stirred up. Yes, they are to be stirred up. And we are told to exercise and use these gifts. And as we do, we grow in faith and God gives us increase to see greater results. And we are told and admonished to not neglect these gifts and are also told not to despise them. Each and every one of us is given the mandate to minister one to another. and this means that we will be manifesting these gifts and if they are manifested we will be growing in grace and favor and maturity and where these gifts and ways that God will speak to us are in operation they are meant to edify the body of Christ and love is lasting dear ones but the gift is not they shall all pass away one day Yes, I said, the gifts will one day pass away. 1 Corinthians 13 verse 8 declares, Love never fails, but where there are prophecies, they will cease. Where there are tongues, they will be stilled. Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. And besides the nine gifts of the Spirit we have just read about in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 1 through 11, There are other ways and means by which God will speak to you, and this will be my main focus today in this teaching. God quickens your spirit to hear him as he speaks to you in these various ways, which are scriptural and have been in operation since the time of the apostles. Some of the ways that God speaks to us overlap with and are entwined with some of these gifts in one way or another. So we will course through some of these gifts, not all of them, but we will course through a few because they're so important to define and describe the others that we will be covering. One way that we hear God's voice is in our spirit. And it is one of the ways by which God will reveal himself to a child of God. Hearing God's voice in our spirit is one of the other main ways by which God will reveal himself to a child of God. And this is what you might have heard as a still, small voice. And hearing the small, still voice of God was a promise given to us by Jesus Christ himself in John 14, verse 26. but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, in my place to represent me and act on my behalf. He will teach you all things and he will cause you to recall, will remind you of and bring to your remembrance everything that I have told you. The Holy Spirit was promised to live with us forever and help us to understand the truth. And this means that he will speak to our hearts and impart his understanding. And the main requirement for this gift and all the others is called obedience. Obedience is the key to hearing from God and understanding the truth. We further verify this awesome fact and way that God will communicate with those who obey his commands. the account is found in 1 Kings 19 verses 9 in verse 9 and this is where Elijah the prophet had broken down the altar killed 400 false prophets and Jezebel was in hot pursuit of his life 1 Kings 19 we'll begin in verse 6 and the angel of the Lord came back the second time and touched him and said arise and eat because the journey is too great for you So he arose and ate and drank and went through the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. to a cave and spent the night in that p