PoP - week 2 - Listening to God
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Listening to God
Listening to God
There was a Christian lady who lived next door to an atheist. Everyday, when the lady prayed, the atheist guy could hear her. He thought to himself, "She sure is crazy, praying all the time like that. Doesn't she know there isn't a God?"
Many times while she was praying, he would go to her house and harass her, saying "Lady, why do you pray all the time? Don't you know there is no God?" But she kept on praying.
One day, she ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying to the Lord explaining her situation and thanking Him for what He was gonna do.
AS USUAL, the atheist heard her praying and thought to himself. "Hmph . . .I'll fix her."
He went to the grocery store, bought a whole bunch of groceries, took them to her house, dropped them off on the front porch, rang the door bell and then hid in the bushes to see what she would do. When she opened the door and saw the groceries, she began to praise the Lord with all her heart, jumping, singing and shoutin' everywhere!
The atheist then jumped out of the bushes and told her, "You ol'crazy lady, God didn't buy you those groceries, I bought those groceries!"
Well, she broke out and started running down the street, shouting and praising the Lord. When he finally caught her, he asked what her problem was . . .
She said, "I knew the Lord would provide me with some groceries, but I didn't know he was gonna make the devil pay for them!"
We are talking about the power of prayer. Last week we began by defining prayer at it’s most basic level, communicating with God. So simple yet so amazing to think that we have access to boldly come before the creator of the Universe and call Him Father. When we talk to God we don’t have to have it all planned out or say specific things to get His attention, He is already watching and listening because He cares for us. We can just talk to Him. Talk to Him WITH GUT-LEVEL HONESTY. Talk to Him ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS TO YOU. Talk to Him CONTINUALLY. We PUSH. (P.U.S.H.: Pray Until Something Happens.) Pray until God changes your circumstances, or until God changes YOU. The last thing we discussed was that when we talk to God we should LISTEN FOR HIS RESPONSE.
Today we are going to talk about listing to God. Elijah was having a rough time and he talked to God about it. God spoke to him while he was on a mountain and told him that He was about to pass by Elijah. Then there was a mighty windstorm that tore rocks loose, but God wasn’t in the wind. Then there was an earthquake. That must be God! Nope. God wasn’t in the earthquake. Then there was a blazing fire, but God wasn’t in the fire either. After the fire there was a gentle whisper. When God whispers to you today, do you hear Him?
If you are taking notes today, the key thought is this…
There is nothing more important in your life than hearing the voice of God and responding.
This was so important to the ancient Israelites that they would pray for this specific thing twice per day. It was one of their most prominent prayers and it is known as the “Shema”, which is the Hebrew word for “Listen”. It is the equivalent of The Lord’s Prayer in Christian tradition. It is part of Moses’ speech to the Israelites as they were about to enter the promised land...
4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
You may remember Jesus’ response when He was asked what the greatest commandment was...
29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
We know that it is important to “Love God”, but why is “shema” a part of that? When Moses said “Listen, O Israel”, he wasn’t just telling them to let the sound of his voice enter their ears. “Listen” here means to allow the words to sink in, provide understanding, and generate a response. In Hebrew “hearing” and “doing” are basically the same thing. So God wants us to hear Him and He wants us to respond to His voice with action. With love. Love God and Love others.
There is nothing more important in your life than hearing the voice of God and responding. And an important part of being able to hear God’s voice is through prayer...
God wants us to hear his voice through prayer.
I remember asking my cousin a long time ago, “How do you know when God is speaking to you?” He said, “I don’t know man, you just know.” And as true as that may be, when you aren’t super confident about what you “know” it can start to bother you. That doubt can start to eat at you. “I don’t ever hear God’s voice. He must not be speaking to me. I pray all the time and when I pause to listen all I hear are my thoughts rolling around inside my head.” This may even bring up a whole new question and feeling of doubt in your mind. You may be thinking, “When I listen to God, how do I know it’s God’s voice and not mine? How do I know it’s not Satan’s voice?”
That’s a great question. I’m sure at some point most if not all of us have asked a question similar to these. If these are doubts you have, you should stop and ask yourself 2 questions. First, you should ask yourself how much of your conversation with God is you listening to God and how much is you talking to God. Second you should do a self evaluation of your listening skills. Not just how well you let sound waves enter your brain, but how well you “hear and do”.
Moses went on to tell the Israelites to commit to God’s commands, repeat them over and over to their kids, talk about them at home and at work, when they get up and when they go to bed, tie reminders to their hands and their heads, write them at all of the entrances to their houses. That tells me that if we want to hear God’s voice we should be learning what is important to Him. Learn the things He likes so we can be in step with His expectations and desires instead of our own.
Being familiar with the things that are important to God will help us understand and discern what voice we are listening to. When we feel like God is leading us in one direction we can confidently confirm it when we know the things He loves and approves of. This was part of what Paul prayed for the Philippians...
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
We come across decisions and opportunities every day and we need God’s guidance to make wise choices and be able to choose His best for us. We want to hear God’s voice so that we avoid having natural reactions to situations that cause us to end up in worse situations. For example, someone who knows how to drive a car and get’s familiar with defensive driving is more likely to know what to do when the roads get wet, or when you follow other cars to closely when traffic suddenly stops, or what happens when you suddenly jerk the steering wheel. A person who is less familiar with their car and driving laws is more likely to end up on one of the dash-cam videos we’ve been watching lately.
If you were to look at this picture quickly and I asked which line was the longest, your gut reaction may be to say the wrong line. It isn’t the one you initially think it should be.
In fact, it isn’t any of them. They are all the same length. You can never just “go with your gut”. Making snap decisions without listening to God is likely to land us in more trouble.
12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
Don’t go with your gut just because something sounds right. Test it to see if it comes from God. So, how do we know that something comes from God? How do we test these things? For the rest of our time this morning I want to discuss how we RECOGNIZE God’s voice. Confusion and doubt can often make it difficult to know if we “hear” God, but recognizing God’s voice is not as complicated as we often make it...
There is a story of a temporary Sunday School teacher at a large church who was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cabinet. She had been told the combination, but couldn't quite remember it.
Finally she went to the pastor's study and asked for help. The pastor came into the room and began to turn the dial.
After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment.
Finally he looked serenely heavenward and his lips moved silently.
Then he looked back at the lock, and quickly turned to the final number, and opened the lock.
The teacher was amazed. "I'm in awe at your faith, pastor," she said.
"It's really nothing," he answered. "The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling."
When we are communicating with God and listening for Him to speak, how do we recognize His voice? We are going to discuss 3 important questions that we should ask ourselves that will help us recognize God’s voice. As we go through these questions you are going to be like, “Oh. Is that it?” because it is so simple. There is no magic word, no secret hidden trick, no special language, lost ancient ritual, no need to impress God, no need to make Him feel sorry for you, nothing. Just talk to God, stop and listen, and then when you feel like He might be speaking to you ask yourself...
HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE GOD’S VOICE:
Does what I’m hearing align with GOD’S WORD?
Just like Moses petitioned the people to familiarize themselves with God’s word, we should be familiar with it too so that we can ask ourselves this question. God’s word is meant to help us along the path that we call life and help us to make wise decisions. I like the way this is worded in this well known Psalm...
105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
God’s word guides us and leads us through each day, so naturally when we feel lead in one direction it should align with God’s word. According to another Psalm, God’s word should be so important to us that we hold it deep in our hearts. As if it is so important to us that everything we do springs out of a desire to do what God has called us to do.
8 I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”
When you are familiar with GOD’S WORD you will RECOGNIZE HIS VOICE because...
GOD’S VOICE NEVER CONTRADICTS GOD’S WORD.
A couple of weeks ago the tablet I have been using to preach stopped connecting to my notes. I did everything I could to get it to work, but it is about 8 years old and computer years align with dog years. Roughly. Pun intended. Anyway, last week I went to Walmart to replace my tablet and I went there for one specific one. It had a big screen that was easy to read and would work perfect. But when I go there they had this other one. It was smaller, but I decided that might be better since it would be easier to hold for half an hour. Not to mention it was much cheaper. After I decided to buy that one, I noticed something else about the bigger one. It would be a better tablet, so I decided to go with it. As I was about to ask for someone to get that one for me I changed my mind again. The smaller one was actually better!
I am the world’s worst when it comes to buying things because I change my mind constantly. I know I’m not the only one who changes my mind. We all do. It may take several years for some of us, but at some point we all change our minds about something.
Not only that, but we just change. Our hair color changes. Our opinions change. Our favorite food changes. Our hobbies change. Our jobs change. Science changes. A new theory comes along, we test it, if it succeeds the old theory goes to the trash can. Things change all the time. But God’s word never ever changes. Jesus told the disciples...
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Today His word is the same as it was yesterday and the same it will be tomorrow. It is the one and only thing we can count on with absolute certainty. So how does this apply to listening to God?
If you are waiting for God to give you direction and you see someone in need then you feel prompted to fill that need, you can know that is God prompting you because His word backs it up. (Matthew 25)
Maybe you are just driving down the road and see a sign that reminds you of someone and you think, “I should call them and say hi. Tell them I love them. Tell them God loves them.” His word backs it up.
You are at work and realize, “I could really save a lot of time here if I just cut this corner. Nobody would ever know. Besides, if I make more money I can give more money to church! Hey, if I cut this corner I will actually be able to do MORE of what God wants with donations!” If you test that with God’s word you will clearly see that it is not God’s voice telling you to cheat.
1 The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights.
How do you know if you are hearing God’s voice? Ask if it aligns with His word. God’s voice NEVER contradicts His word. Next, ask...
HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE GOD’S VOICE:
2. Do strong followers of Jesus in my life CONFIRM what I’m hearing?
We all need other people who invest in us. People who are there to give us advice and challenge us when we get too comfortable with bad habits and stale routines. Ask anyone who is successful with something and they will likely tell you that they had great people helping them along the way and giving them advice. People they could talk to when they didn’t know what to do or weren’t sure they were doing the right things.
22 Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.
And we need more than just a room full of mouths giving opinions, we need strong followers of Christ. People you know and trust who’s lives reflect God’s word. People who ask these three questions in their own prayer life. Surround yourself with Godly people so that when a voice leads you in a direction but you aren’t sure if it is right or if it is coming from God you can go to them and ask, “Am I hearing this right?”
31 The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice, but the tongue that deceives will be cut off.
We recognize God’s voice by familiarizing ourselves with His word. What kind of things does God say? We also ask other strong Christ followers. The last question we should ask ourselves when trying to recognize God’s voice is this...
HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE GOD’S VOICE:
3. Does this decision make me MORE LIKE JESUS?
Does it align with what Jesus taught? How He lived? How He treated others? Would Jesus fight for this or would He let it go? Is this how Jesus would have acted? Is this how He would have thought? In chapter 2, verse 5, Paul told the Philippians...
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Is this thing that I think God is telling me to do making me MORE like Jesus or is it slowly pulling me further away from Him? Maybe it’s just the era I grew up in, but this concept of being “more like Jesus” in the church world has unfortunately been over-commercialized. What I mean is that many people hear this and say, “Oh, been there, done that, had the bracelet.” Maybe even subconsciously we tend to ignore this and write it off, but the truth is that we should occasionally stop and assess our lives. As if we are trying to copy some work of art, we should pause frequently to see if all of our lines are coming together like the original. Are all of the colors matching or did I accidentally use yellow instead of red?
Their are 2 kinds of wisdom in this world. God’s wisdom and our wisdom. Our wisdom seems right to us, but often times it leads to pain and grief. It’s great at first, but it doesn’t end well. It is satisfying to a point, but leaves me incomplete. I love the way the ESV words this warning that we read part of in Proverbs earlier...
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. 14 The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.
James compares our wisdom to God’s in chapter 3 of his letter...
14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
Am I becoming the type of person who I like? Or am I becoming more like Jesus? Who’s wisdom do I seek? Something may seem great to me, but that doesn’t mean that God agrees. In fact, I can guarantee one thing...
God is much more interested in developing my CHARACTER than my COMFORT.
So if you don’t know how to listen to God, or if you aren’t sure what you hear is coming from Him, ask yourself these three questions..
1. Does what I’m hearing align with GOD’S WORD?
2. Do strong followers of Jesus in my life CONFIRM what I’m hearing?
3. Does this decision make me MORE LIKE JESUS?
When something pops into your head prompting you to do something and you still are not confident that it’s God whispering to you, ask yourself these 3 questions. If it passes the test, do the thing. Pay for the stranger’s food, help the lady cross the street, tell the farmer walking down the street that he looks stunning in his nice hat! If it was what God wanted you to do, then you will sleep easy knowing that you made a difference today.
“I did that, but I am still not sure.” If what you feel prompted to do is a good thing and can pass the 3 question test and you still don’t feel confident about it, just do it. Go ahead. If it wasn’t God that told you to do it, the worst thing that happened was that you did a good thing.
If it doesn’t pass the 3 question test, pray about it a little longer and wait. Ask God to give you clarification. Ask God to help you drop it and forget about it. Ask Him to stop the voice of the adversary that contradicts God’s word. If it doesn’t look like God is going to change your situation or give you the answer you want, ask Him to change your heart.
But the important thing to do is listen. And listening to God always involves more than just letting sound waves enter your ears. Listen and do. Do what you know He has said and you will begin to hear Him more and more, and you will begin to hear Him in ways you never thought possible. And when you listen to God, not only is your life changed, but the lives of people all around you are affected in positive ways because above all God wants us to spread His life changing love to everyone we come in contact with.