Divine Direction

Hearing from God through Wisdom, Counsel and the Church

Welcome Home

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Opening

We’re talking about Hearing from God in this series based on DOVE Founding Pastor, Larry Kreider’s book, “Speak Lord I’m Listening.” We’re learning that God speaks in many different ways. We’ve talked about hearing from God through His Word, through writing and meditation. We know that God speaks through prayer, praise and worship. He speaks through spiritual perception, dreams and visions. And makes Himself known by observation, nature and the circumstances around us. We’ve discovered that God is always speaking in many different ways- but we’re not always listening, perceiving, or understanding what He’s saying.

We’ve talked about many profound ways that God speaks to us, but today, we’re going to bring it into the everyday. Because the most common way of knowing what God wants us to do is simply that... by knowing. Call it wisdom or common sense, it’s been given to us by God and He wants us to use it!

Pray

I think we’ve all heard the story of the man who was trapped on his roof during a flood. He prayed with great faith for the Lord to rescue him from his plight.

When a neighbor came by on a rowboat beckoning the man to jump in, he replied with confidence “No, thank you! God’s got this!” When the coast guard dropped him a rope ladder from their helicopter, he faithfully waved them off, “That’s okay! God’s got this!” And when the last convoy of national guard tried to get the man to come with them in their high-water rescue vehicle, he was determined to wait on the Lord, “It’s alright, God’s got this!”

Finally, the waters rose and the man was lost to the sea… When he got to heaven he asked the Lord why He hadn’t answered his prayers. Of course, the Lord replied, “I tried three times, but you wouldn’t accept my help!”

Is it possible... that when the Lord is silent... it’s because He’s already answered our prayers through what he’s already given us? “Divine direction” is not always as dramatic as a roof rescue by the Coast Guard, but it’s often just as obvious in the people and resources that God has already placed in our lives. God speaks through the ordinary just as much (if not more) than the extraordinary. Most often... the way that God speaks to us is a lot more “normal” than we might think.

Wisdom and Common Sense

God has gifted us with something called “common sense” (well… most of us). We might joke that common sense isn’t all that common anymore, but the truth is, you won’t get far in life without it. Common sense tells us just by stepping outside our door that there is a God who teaches us through the ordinary, every day things of life.

Common sense is the natural balance God gave us to keep us safe in our faith. Its the issues about which God already trusts us with, that we don’t really need to ask Him about. God entrusts us, as His children, to use our common sense as we seek the Spirit’s guidance. It doesn’t take a sign to know that God won’t ask us to step into traffic. The audible voice of God or a prophecy or a dream or a vision is not needed when commonsense wisdom is already telling me what to do.

Sometimes, the most common way we hear from God is in just knowing what we should do. Proverbs 4:7 “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.” Some of the wisest people I’ve ever met demonstrate their wisdom in the most common ways… usually in simple gestures of everyday integrity and excellence. Making their beds, pushing their chair in, opening the door for others...

How about this... we all go to the grocery store, right? If we like to eat, we’ve all been there, but would you believe that God speaks to us even in this ordinary everyday experience? Tell me if this has ever happened to you… (grocery cart, putting an item back, given too much change) we just know that’s what we should do. That’s commonsense wisdom.

These little moments of knowing what God wants us to do are important indicators of our listening factor. If we aren’t humble enough to obey in these little things, how can we expect God to trust us with big things? Oh, now I’m stepping on toes but don’t get me started with all you I saw driving on Airport Road on the way in here!

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” If we believe that God is with us always, why don’t we act like He cares about those little things? It’s more than just common courtesy, its God trying to teach us integrity with common sense. We know it’s the right thing to do - we are wise to do it, and to know that God sees it even if nobody else does.

Say what you mean, do what you say - this is wisdom. If you use it, put it back… if you rent it, leave it better than you got there… if you borrow it, care for it as if it were your own - these too are all commonsense wisdom. I could go on, but I think you get the point. Wisdom and common sense are gifts from God, as we discipline ourselves to use them they will grow to be used for even greater things than a trip to the grocery store.

People and the Body of Christ

So, let’s move on… if God can use a properly returned head of lettuce to speak to us, is it safe to say He can probably use the person sitting next to you too!? God has gifted us with brothers and sisters in Christ, not only in this room, but all over the world who encourage us and bring God’s wisdom into our lives.

I have come to realize that it is extremely difficult to live the Christian life alone, not that I would want to, but I hear people say all the time that they “love God, but don’t like the church” or ‘organized religion.’ The church of Jesus Christ is simply people. All people, all over the world, who have received Jesus Christ as Lord. We’re all part of the same family, the body of Christ.

I don’t come to church to “get religion,” I am part of the Church who comes together like this to grow in God’s Word, to know what He’s speaking to His children, and then to take what I’ve learned out into my community. Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” That’s Church.

Our Sunday Morning pep-talks are the locker room where we are reminded that we are not alone in the ring. Church is the gathering place for worship and praise. Church is the grocery store that feeds our spirits with His spiritual food. We go to the grocery store because we want to eat, right? We want to be sustained by the food we can get there and we want to bring it home to feed our family as well. Same with church.

Hebrews 3:13 “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Every believer needs a “support system” in order to survive, for spiritual protection and accountability. The Lord’s plan is to use the local church to protect us, help us grow and equip us to be all that we can be in Jesus Christ.

The body of Christ, the Church is also referred to as His bride. When someone says, “I love God, but I don’t like the church,” it’s like they’re saying, “I love God, but I don’t like His wife.” Husbands, can you imagine if a friend of yours said that to you? “I love you, brother, but I don’t like your wife!?” they just might get a ‘knuckle sandwich’ the next time they go to this grocery store! (lol yikes!)

Unfortunately, many people have been hurt by church leaders or by church people but that shouldn’t excuse us from being connected with God’s people. The baby was never the bathwater. You wouldn’t give up grocery shopping just because you ate something that made you sick, would you?

What happens when church leadership or church people in general hurt people is something that is powerfully used by Satan to turn people away from the family of God. It’s called offense and offense is the most alluring and damaging bait that our enemy uses to lure the lambs away from the flock.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Lions prey on strays, those who are isolated from the herd… that’s the purpose of offense. To cause division among God’s people, to make us critical of our brother or sister so that we decide to isolate ourselves.

We say, “That person did this or this, so I’m not listening to any of them. From now on, God can speak to me, and only me... directly!” When we cut ourselves off from the body of Christ altogether, we make ourselves judge and jury of His bride. And we cut ourselves off from the family that God intended for us to belong to for spiritual protection and accountability.

The church is people. We’re not perfect, but God is working on that - He will sort out the wheat from the chaff - and when He returns, He will have His spotless bride. I want to caution you today - if someone implies that God only speaks to them, and that you can’t hear from God through anyone else, that person is a liar and a thief.

Some people isolate themselves within the body of Christ by getting too caught up in one preacher, one camp, or one denomination. It’s the whole body of Christ which gives the most accurate reflection of God to this world. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 20 “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ...” “As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” All are needed and all are necessary.

At Cross Creek Community Church we are family, but we acknowledge that we are part of the greater body of Christ. You are always encouraged to take the things you’ve been taught here and study them, listen to other Christian preachers and teachers so that you will grow in wisdom and understanding. We invite you regularly to experience the greater body through cooperative events like SHIFT and the National Day of Prayer events held throughout Volusia County so that you will be able to see and be part of the more complete reflection of God’s family.

Wise Counsel and Authority

As Larry Kreider says in his book, “The reason God uses others to help us hear His voice is to remind us that we are not self-sufficient. We need each other.” Do you have a trusted mentor or counselor who will give you honest advice? Have you asked to meet a mentor? Who are you yourself mentoring? Proverbs 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

When Deryl and Mim Hurst come from DOVE Westgate later this month, they’re going to host a Saturday gathering to teach us how to be Spiritual parents and how to submit ourselves to godly mentorship. That will be February 28th, the last day of this month.

It’s important as we mature in our spiritual walk with Christ, to seek out wise counsel. Someone you trust to give words of advice that often confirm what you’ve already heard from God in your own spirit. 2 Corinthians 13:1 “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” God often confirms what He’s speaking to us through the words of other people.

Of course, we have to be selective about who and how we take advice from others, test every “word from the Lord” and be sure to ask God to confirm to you if it’s really from Him.

I once had a person come up to me during a prayer meeting who ‘prophesied’ something that seemed totally out of the blue. “The Lord says you’re going to travel far away from here.” Well, I had just purchased a house, I was a single mom of three kids, and although I love to travel, I didn’t know this person who was whispering in my ear, so I thought, “Well, He’s going to have to tell me that one Himself!”

Godly counsel will not force us to heed their advice. If their words are from the Lord, they will line up with His word and confirm what you’re already sensing. It’s always up to you to make the final decision based on hearing God’s voice.

However, there are instances in our lives when we should submit. For example, we may feel like God really wants us to enjoy our new car… top down, wind in our hair flying down Airport road... not a care in the world, (especially that pesky speed limit sign)! After all, He created us wild at heart and free in spirit… but submitting to the rules and the laws of earthly authorities protects us (and others)… like the Pastor, just trying to get to Sunday service alive.

Although we may not always agree, or feel like following all the rules, the bible says, all authority comes from God. Romans 13:1–2 “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (ouch, sorry about that… but it’s in there!)

You see, it takes a deep relationship with God to be able to submit ourselves to authority. The enemy wants rebellion, chaos, and selfish ambition but God wants peace, unity and willing hearts. Hearts that will choose the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and… what’s that last one again? *oof* self-control). God wants willing followers who choose His ways over the enemy’s schemes. If we rebel against the authorities God has set in place for us, we will have trouble hearing God’s voice clearly because we’re following the nature of the enemy.

Now, of course, there are occasions when the authority in our life is wrong… morally wrong according to His Word. In those instances, we must seek and obey God for His direction. He will provide a way out or a way through the situation. Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” As we lean on the Lord for wisdom and divine direction, He will keep us in perfect shalom, (complete wholeness) because we trust in Him to mold and shape our lives.

Witness

Now, to my final point - God can use a head of lettuce, or that head sitting next to you, or the head of a church, or the head of a nation to give divine direction… suffice to say He can also (and very much wants to) use YOU. God speaks to people in so many different ways, but the truth is that the people who really need to hear from God right now are not coming to church. They’re out there looking for Him in all the wrong places, seeking divine direction from the talking heads on social media or worse…

The truth is that God’s answer for them is not to come sit in here with us... yes, hopefully they end up here... but the answer for the pre-believer is for those of us sitting in here to go out and sit with them. They need to hear from God through people who are already hearing from Him… not from a pulpit or a worship event, but one on one through the testimonies of people who know His voice and can share what He has done for them with others.

I hope by now you’ve all heard this enough and believe when I say that you’re all called into ministry. The ministry of prayer and the ministry of the gospel. Those things do happen here in church, but this is not where they need happen the most.… Your ministry may not be in the pulpit, or on the keyboard, or in the Children’s church but that makes you no less called!

We come together on Sunday to encourage one another, and to build one another up. To know the will of God for our lives and to grow our faith so that we can go out and share it with others. “I don’t know how to explain it,” you say… “I might make a mistake and say something wrong,” you say… But God says, I have already given you everything you need for your ministry. You have a powerful truth that’s all your own that God wants to use to grow His Kingdom.

Your Testimony. Testimonies are a truth directly from God that no one can argue with. My own journey with God began with a search for truth...

When I was 24 years old I found out that I was pregnant by a person who I had met in a bar only a few months earlier. I was scared, and trapped, and I knew that I had messed up… bad. I didn’t know God and I didn’t believe in Jesus, but I knew that I needed something greater than myself to get through this. I didn’t want to believe any lies or teach my children something that might “mess them up” so, because I was raised in a Catholic home, I started with the bible and began to read from the beginning to my unborn children (the twins).

I studied the scriptures as if every word needed to be tested because I believed that telling my children the truth would have a huge impact on my relationship with them. I had studied all kinds of religions but never really gave the God of the bible a chance, so if the truth was in that book, I needed Him to prove it to me. It took me two years to get through the Old Testament and by that time, He had started speaking and confirming His Word through ordinary everyday encounters.

It was at the twins’ daycare, at a Christian Church that someone first taught me about Jesus through the types and shadows and prophecies of the Old Testament. It was there that I first believed that He was the Jewish Messiah I had been reading about even before I began reading about His life in Matthew.

Once I believed, the Lord revealed to me all the ways that He had been with me all through my life - even when I hadn’t believed. He was with me as a child going through chemotherapy treatment when all my hair fell out, He was with me when my mom divorced again... and again, He was with me when my innocence was taken at the age of 15, He was with me when I turned to drugs and He helped me get away from them… He was with me in that bar… and He is with me right now.

I realized that the truth about God is so much bigger than I could ever comprehend or understand - and in that truth was wisdom. I committed my life to the Lord and surrendered my heart like clay to the potter. From there He has taken me on a transformative journey of forgiveness, healing, restoration, and service to Him like nothing I could have ever dreamed or imagined. And I stand before you today, humbled to even be here, but excited to be telling you my story.

You may not have wanted to think of your Pastor as someone who had a Past… hey! a Pastor with a past - how about that? But I’m not afraid of what anyone might think of my life before Christ. If Christ came for the sinless - then heaven would be empty. I share my humbling testimony because He is so much greater than me… but in me He has delighted to dwell, and for that I am truly grateful and will share my story with anyone.

As you share your testimony with others, you’ll find that the Holy Spirit will use you to speak the truth and others will be built up in faith. It’s a truth that no one can argue with, it’s your story and your experience of God’s grace and power and love. The more transparent, the better - It’s in the broken places you find your most powerful ministry.

God’s grace and purpose can be revealed in ways that transform the lives of those around us. He uses the vulnerable, weak, wounded and needy to reveal His glory. When we share how God has worked through our personal struggles, past mistakes, and emotional pain those broken pieces become the raw materials for His plan and purpose for our lives.

The brokenness was not the end of my story, but the beginning of God’s masterpiece. If you’re in here this morning, you have a story about how you got here. When you walk out those doors, you become the neighbor in the rowboat, or the helicopter that God wants to send to someone whose looking for God in all the wrong places.

Small group Questions

In your small groups this week:

Share your testimony! Your life before Christ, how you came to believe in Him, and your life now.

Discuss why being part of a community of believers is so important to hearing from God.

Share another source of encouragement you like to listen to or study in the greater body of Christ.

Closing

As I close, and the intercessors and communion stewards come forward, I want you to consider how God may be speaking to you through everyday ordinary experiences. Consider who you're closest counsel is, and ask if perhaps you might be able to counsel someone else. And finally, ask the Lord to give you a boldness in sharing your story with others.

Pray (Stand)

Tithes & Offerings

We have an opportunity each week to demonstrate our faith in the Lord of all by giving a tithe of all our income unto Him. (Bless the tithes and offerings)

Communion

We also bless the elements of our communion; Matthew 26:26–28 says that “While they were eating (the Passover meal), Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

We give thanks to you, Lord for this bread, and thanks to your Son for His love poured out on the cross. We eat and drink in remembrance of you.

Benediction

Come, pray, give, eat and drink and may you share your story with others until He returns.