Hearing the voice of God Above the Noise of life

John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

“My own sheep will hear my voice and I know each one, and they will follow me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬ ‭TPT‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/1849/jhn.10.27.TPT

Ps 29 “A psalm of David. Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with bolts of lightning. The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!” The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever. The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.”

Opening :

Lord, heighten my spiritual senses to see that which is not visible hear that which is not audible sense that which is not tangible believe that which is unbelievable.

Teach me to sort through the noises of this world to hear and discern Your powerful, wonderful, pure, precious voice.

Have you ever wondered how to hear God’s voice above the noise of daily life?

Sometimes we hear people say, “God told me such-and-such,” and we secretly wonder, How did you know that was God?

At certain times in Scripture (especially in the Old Testament), God spoke clearly and audibly to His people. According to Job 40:6, God once spoke to Job out of a whirlwind. Habakkuk knew the sound of God speaking to him (Habakkuk 2:2). Elijah described the sound of God speaking as “a still small voice” in 1 Kings 19:12.

Make time for the quiet moments, as God whispers and the world is loud. —author unknown

We won’t Miss God’s voice when make space for quiet .

The world has many voices that is always speaking and many times we often recognize the voices of the world rather than the voice of the one who made us in his image.

This morning want to give you a few points about the value of hearing the voice of God above the noises of life

You and I were designed in created to hear the voice of God above the noise.

a. hearing the voice of God is the Free Flow of thought that come to our mind when we fix the eyes on Jesus and ask him a question.

We have the mind of Christ - 1 Cor 2:16 “For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”

Heb 12:2 “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

B. Lie: I am not good enough

If we believe that we are not able to have communication with God because we are not worthy or good enough, then our spiritual hearing can only be exercised through how others have heard God’s voice.

Also, some of us have been taught to believe that communicating with God is only for those who are in church leadership or have certain elevated gifts beyond the norm.

c. Truth: Every believer can hear God

All of us can hear God’s voice and experience encounters with Him because all of us are His children. He desires us to be close and hear His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice”. If you are a sheep, then you have the capacity to hear God’s voice, whether you are a young untrained person like Samuel, a single mother like Mary, or a great apostle like Paul.

Activation: Ask Jesus: “What lies keep me from hearing your voice, and what is the truth to replace

2. Get into the rhythm of hearing gods voice on a daily basis

A. Anticipating hearing the voice of God - God will speak to the hearts of those who prepare themselves to hear; and conversely, those who do not so prepare themselves will hear nothing even though the Word of God is falling upon their outer ears every Sunday.1 —A.W. Tozer

B. If we come to Him doubting His ability

to speak,

we will have

a difficult time listening. So we must come expectantly.2 —Charles Stanley

Ps 5:3 “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.”

c. if you want to hear God’s voice clearly and you are uncertain, then remain in His presence until He changes this uncer- tainty. Often much can happen during this waiting for the Lord. Sometimes He changes pride into humility; doubt into faith and peace; sometimes lust into purity. The Lord can and will do it.1 —Corrie Ten Boom

I never make a major deci- sion, especially one that will affect another person, before I receive direction from God.”

If we approach our relationship to God and His Word expecting Him to speak, we will be more patient because we know He will come through in His time. Just like the rest of us, Habakkuk had to wait for God’s Word and its fulfillment.

Ps 27:14 “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

3. We must plan to obey the voice of God

a. Obey simply means to hear and respond

Dt 6:4 ““Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.”

B. his leading is only for those who are already committed to do as He may choose. To such it may be said: “God is able to speak loud enough to make a willing soul to hear .”1 —Lewis Sperry Chafer

The story of Priscilla shire

c. Several weeks ago, I asked my husband which pair of shoes looked best with my outfit. I knew which pair I was going to wear regardless of his response. When I chose my option instead of his, he was understandably irritated. These days when I ask for his opinion he is hesitant to give a response. Instead he just says, “Why are you asking me? You’re going to do what you want to do anyway!”

I wonder how often we ask God for His opinion while knowing full well we plan to stick with our own plan. Yes, we will follow Him, but only when and if His

prescription will be comfortable to follow and will closely match our own desires. If we want to keep the lines of communication open and flourishing, we must prepare to abandon our plans when they don’t coincide with His. Obedience is the key to hearing His still, small voice.

Ex 19:5 “Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.”

Luke 8:18 ““So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.””

If we settle ahead of time that we will obey whatever God tells us, we will go into our time with him ready to hear his

voice.2 —Henry and Richard Blackaby

4. Listen for it and not doubt it

a. Things don’t change when I talk to God; things change when God talks to me.1 —Bob Sorge

He Speaks

As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut! ... he is in heaven, and you are only here on earth. So let your words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, nlt

b. Listening for the voice of God seems to be a misplaced phenomenon. Lost in the midst of busyness and growing religious activity is the art of being still— consciously and deliberately tuning our ears to hear God.

Ps 46:10 ““Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.””

C. Two types of listeners

There are two types of listening—passive listening and aggressive listening. We engage in passive listening most frequently. We hear with our physical ears, but we don’t digest the truth of what is being said. God wants aggressive listeners who look intently at His Word and listen deliberately to what He has to say.

Although it’s easiest to concentrate on listening to God during times of prayer, meditation, and worship, we can aggressively listen at other times. I practice listening while I am doing all sorts of mundane tasks. I purposefully focus on God, invite the Holy Spirit to speak, and concentrate my attention on Him.

5. Have faith in it

a. I know the Lord is speaking to me when the voice I

hear is always challenging, always convicting, and never allows me to be comfortable where I am. Not having a father, what an honor it is to have One who loves me so much that His greatest desire is to see me grow. —Kirk Franklin

B. Faith is the channel of living trust that allows us to experience God in our every day lives.

He is looking for someone who believes He is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do! Go to God expecting to hear His voice, and don’t hesitate to move forward in obedience. When you obey, you move from your agenda to His, and God’s plan is always greater.

Heb 10:22 “let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

Took:

Is That You, God?

The Father so passionately loves you that He sent Jesus to die in your place. He desires a personal relationship in which He speaks directly to you.

Have you spent most of your Christian life leaning on these beliefs without really experiencing them? Have you been in the presence of passionate believers who shared stirring encounters with God’s voice while your own soul overflowed with confusion? How did these saints know God was speaking?

No blessing surpasses a relationship with God in which you know when He is specifically calling to you. The more intimate your relationship with Him, the clearer God’s voice becomes.