So, How do we hear from God?

Pic by Chloe Lewis

     "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." - John 16:13 (NKJV)

     Just because so many people don't hear, or aren't able to discern God's voice, doesn't mean He isn't speaking. We can't lower our level of expectation of God to what we experience, but rather we should push for our experiences to live up to the standard of His Word. As seen in the previous blog, it is imperative that we hear His voice. The truth is that as His 'sheep', we are capable of recognising the voice of the 'Shepherd', as Jesus taught in John 10, in the parable of the Shepherd and the Sheep. But, practically, how can we discern His voice? How do we know it is God and not just our flesh pushing it's agenda?

     The first step is being assured of the fact that God does speak and is speaking to us. Once we are aware of this truth,we start to look at situations differently, we start to expect God to speak to and through us. This expectation immediately starts making us more sensitive to the different ways He is able to speak to us and for what purposes.

     I want to stress at this point that the language used in many cases and contexts may be different; for example someone might say, "I heard the Lord say ..." and someone else might say, "I felt in my Spirit" and still someone else could say, "I just knew it was the right thing ..." All these things are filtered through our vocabulary and 'christianese' language, but come down to the same thing. God is talking and you heard!

     The most consistent and readily available way to hear from God is through His word. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that "All scripture is God-breathed ...", another translation says that it was "given by His inspiration" This means that whenever we read His word, the Holy Spirit is able to apply the Word to your life, as though it is God speaking right to you; because it is God speaking right to you! Our part is to believe what we are reading to be true, inspired and relevant. We must believe God can speak to us through His word, for it to actually happen.

     But, what about when we don't have our bibles open, or if God is not reminding us of a scripture? What about when we are ministering to people, or are having to make a quick decision, what should we rely on then? The story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, where the Lord wants to speak to Elijah, is a good example of what we experience today. The Lord was not in the powerful wind that tore through the mountains, He was not in the earthquake and He was not to be found in the fire. Instead, God spoke to him in a 'gentle whisper'. This is a great picture of how we hear God speaking to our spirits today. So often we expect the fireworks, like God writing on the wall (Daniel), shouting in a booming voice (Samuel) or sending a sign down from the heavens (Elijah). He can do all these things, but more often than not, He speaks in a gentle whisper to our spirits.

     When He whispers in our spirits we must be able to discern His voice. Often we get confused with our own thoughts and imaginations, however, there are some ways to discern His voice from all the other voices in your head. Firstly, whatever you feel is being spoken to you, does it contradict the written word of God. If it doesn't, but instead it aligns with what the bible says, then it could be from God. But, just because it's biblical doesn't mean you've heard correctly. For example, you may have felt that it was God telling you to talk to someone about their salvation, that's bible. But, it may not be the right time to do so, they might not receive what you have to say at that moment, but at a later stage they may.

     Ask yourself these questions: Does, what you think you've heard, bring peace to a situation? Will it bring joy to a situation? Does it speak life into a situation? Does it go against your natural inclination or flesh? Does it get you out of your comfort zone, in a good way? If your answer is, yes, to all of the above, then it is probably God speaking to you.

     These aren't formulas, they are just guidelines. At the end of the day we must practise hearing His voice. The more we practise it, the better we are able to discern it. Start with the small things, then when the big, tricky situations arise, your confidence for hearing His voice will be high.  Expect Him to speak to you in every situation, He is always speaking, but are you listening?

Why is it important to hear from God?

Pic by Chloe Lewis

Maturity

     Most people do not go through the effort of seeking God and the truth of His word, on their own. The majority of church-goers prefer to get told what to believe. This is both the fault of the church leadership and the individual too. But why is this a problem? Can't the pastor just hear from God and tell the people what he thinks God wants them to know?
     No, this makes for a vast segment of believers who don't know why they believe what they believe, making it impossible for them to replicate these beliefs in others. Our mandate on earth is to 'make disciples of all nations', insinuating that we should teach others and train them up in the faith. We can't do this if we don't have our own understanding on why we believe and why it is important to tell others about what we believe. It's not the paid pastors job, it is the responsibility of every mature believer to spread the good news.
     Immature Christians are ineffective for the kingdom of God, as their beliefs and revelations are from the outside in and not from the inside out, often causing more damage than good! We must allow God to speak to us, His words are truth and life, setting us free from the desception of immaturity.

Insecurity

     If you don't hear God’s voice on a regular basis, our only option is to be insecure. If you never hear God’s voice, there is no way you can confidently be about God’s business. No way you can know if you are in His will and no way of knowing whether the decisions you are making are the right ones. You are constantly in doubt, easily offended and easily swayed. Not the place you want to be. The church is rife with insecure Christians, always worried about popular opinion, happily letting their destinies slip through their hands due to the fear of rejection, which is at the root of insecurity.
     One word from God and everyone else's opinions seem trivial. Regularly hearing from Him will catapult your life into a life of passion and purpose. Knowing His heart for your life, in every situation, is when we really start to live!
    
    Practise hearing His voice, make it a priority in your life. Read His word as though it is Him speaking to you; ask the Holy Spirit to drop thoughts, ideas and unctions in your heart about situations, both present and future. Listen to your spirit-filled friends and leaders, open your heart and see what the Lord is saying through them! We can't afford to not hear His voice, we can't afford to be average: You were born for greatness!
His grace is sufficient for us!

What do you give off?

Pic by: Lea vd Heever

What do you give off?

   This is a question I've been throwing around in my head for a while now. Each one of us communicate with other people without actually talking or making gestures on a conscious level. In fact it's a consistent 'vibe' that you're giving off, that other people react to. It's not that spooky if you think about it. I'm talking about the way you think and act without even knowing it; this could include body language, frame of mind, confidence, mood etc. People react to you according to what you give off.

   Bear with me for just a second, I am getting to something a little more concrete! As Christians what kind of signals should we be giving off when we interact with people? How should people feel after having been around you, regardless of what you say or do, but just by assessing what is going on in your heart? Remember, humans aren't just physical beings, we are spiritual as well. There are many unseen things that trigger reactions in our spirits, which make themselves known in our physical bodies. Take worry for example, I have known people to become physically sick, just by worrying, it's true.

   The state of your heart will always come through in your physical, no matter how well you try to hide it. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life (Prov 4:23). Insecurities will show up at the funniest of times and manifest in many different ways.The most important manifestation of what is going on in your heart can be seen by the type of environment or atmosphere you create when you are around other people.

   As born-again believers, we should always bring the hope, safety and joy into a situation; because that's what Jesus would have done. It is our responsibility to make other people feel as safe as possible so that they are able to express themselves fully, as God made them. The kingdom of heaven is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17), we are meant to be carriers of this kingdom and therefore exponents of these qualities.

   So my question to you is: What are you giving off? Are you so secure in your relationship with Christ in your heart, that without thinking or being purposeful about it, you can change the atmosphere in a room? Do other people feel safe around you, free to be themselves? Is it easy for you to encourage and admonish other people without needing acceptance in return?

   It is not a personality issue, it is a heart issue. An issue of the security of knowing who you are in Christ and your acceptance of His love towards you. We need to be people who give off the right 'vibes', so that other people want what we have!