You CAN Hear the Voice of God Many believers tend to have a fear that they can’t hear God’s voice That it’s impossible for them to differentiate His voice from all the noise that is constantly bombarding their life and mind But you need to realize that if you recognize and stand on a few foundational things, you will be well on your way to eliminating many of the conflicting signals that you so often receive And then you can sleep peacefully at night! See Reflection/Question #1 John 10:27-30 (NLT) says “27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.” Even though you must know Him to enter His eternal Kingdom (See Matthew Chapter 7), John 10:27 is clear that the relationship starts with Him Remember two weeks ago when we talked about how God knew you before you were formed? And then we read that He chose you long before He created the world? That means He knew you first, and loved you before you even knew of Him He reached out and pursued a relationship with you first Isn’t that amazing? It is freeing, actually, to know that we only have to respond to His patient invitation See Reflection/Question #2 Let’s look three basic, foundational principles that you must grasp to fully understand the process of hearing God’s voice and knowing His Will You Are NOT Alone #1. You have the Spirit of God living inside of you 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) says, “19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price.” #2. And if He lives in you, the Bible is clear that He is in control (and that you are not in control) Romans 8:9a (NLT) says, “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the
Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.” #3. So even if you fail or make mistakes, He transcends our humanness and restores everything that has been lost Read the story of the Roman soldiers coming to take Jesus away when Peter cuts off the ear of one of the Roman soldiers in His seeming righteous indignation (Luke 22:49-51 is one example) Not only did Jesus restore the Roman soldier to complete health, but He lovingly and patiently taught the disciples a very important lesson that night (notice Peter wasn’t the only one carrying a sword -- they all needed to hear the wisdom of Jesus) God can restore anything, at any time, in any way that He wishes, as He works His purpose in your life See Reflection/Question #3 Knowing What to Do Must Start with a Trust in God and a Steadfast Confidence in Him You have got to believe that He loves you and He is for you We talked about this two weeks ago in the first session He created you, then you were born into sin and He wanted a relationship with you so much that He paid the highest price to buy you back again and adopted you into His family You have a front-row seat at His table You are loved, you are chosen; You belong (reread Ephesians 1:4-5) See Reflection/Question #4 Next, you have got to believe that He created you for a purpose, with specific gifts and talents (we talked about that last week) Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” You are a masterpiece, thoughtfully and lovingly created by the master, with Kingdom purpose in mind Once again, it is confirmed that He planned out your life long ago and you are part of a divine plan You were equipped with specific personal gifts and talents Why? In order to show His glory You are gifted, you are blessed; You have something to give See Reflection/Question #5 That leads us to the destination we have been after this whole lesson… confidence in hearing God’s voice and knowing His perfect Will for you personally Remember, you are His child; you possess His wisdom
You CAN follow Him James 1:5-7 (NLT) says, “5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” See Reflection/Question #6 If you completely trust in Him, you can rest easy at night, knowing His Spirit is in complete control Because He lovingly created you and gifted you, you can make God-inspired decisions, knowing that He will guide you every step of the way, even if it doesn’t look the way you planned Reflections/Questions: Have you ever been concerned that you will not be able to discern the voice of God? If so, were you able to overcome that fear? Why or why not? How does it make you feel to know that God chose you and pursued a relationship with you before the foundation of the world? What are three basic, foundational principles to remember when trying to discern the voice and Will of God? Do you truly have a confidence that God loves you fiercely and He is for you? If so, what has allowed you to grasp that belief? If not, what do you believe has impeded you from trusting completely in His love? What things are you already doing with a Kingdom purpose in mind? What things do you feel the Holy Spirit is asking you to do, that you have not yet accomplished? What does James 1:6 say is the only prerequisite to receiving God’s wisdom? Action Points: Write out the following sentences and put them in prominent places where you will see them often: “I have the Spirit of God living inside of me at all times!” / “Because He lives in me, He is in control!” / “Even if I fail or make mistakes, He can restore, redeem and heal whatever has been lost or destroyed.” Make a list of all the ways that you know (without a doubt) that God loves you and He is for you; continue to add to the list as He shows you more and more of His Daddy heart Evaluate the things that you are doing with a Kingdom-purpose in mind to see if that is what the Holy Spirit wants you to accomplish right now, then ask Him to reveal His Kingdom-purpose to you and check to see if they line up Write down James 1:5-7, take it with you wherever you go and recite it often until it gets down into your spirit