Hearing God for yourself

Good morning and welcome.

Today i want to continue this mini series on prayer.

Does God Speak today

Jesus teach us how to prayer

Hearing God for yourself.

I planed to move on to another series.

But God kept after me about hearing His voice

I knew I just preached this a few weeks ago

But God would not let me move on

I asked him what he wanted me to share on and I replied didn’t I just do that?

I felt like I either missed something, which is completely possible

or God just wants this emphasized for His believers today!

or both.

Jesus stated in John 10:27

John 10:27 NASB95

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

Hearing God is not to raise you up on some spiritual scale saying your better than another person because you hear from God and they can’t

Hearing God does not make you special

Every beleiver hears God’s voice

Your special because of who God created you to be!

Unique....one of a Kind

with almost 8 billion people on the earth no one is identical. Even identical twins are unique from each other in specific ways

Hearing God does not make you special

You already are!

Jesus tells us the primary reason to hear his Voice...

Its so we can follow Him!

The Bible is the most amazing book ever put together.

It tells us more about God than any other books reveals about any other person

The Bible is the standard by which we are able to confirm and judge what we hear from God

But where the difficulty comes in.

Is the Bible cannot tell you

Where you should go

or who you should marry

or when you should have kids.

what career you should have.

etc

If we soley rely on the Bible one would begin to think God does not care about these aspects of our lives.

But that so far from the truth.

You see there are 2 types of words that God speaks.

Logos vs Rhema Word

Rhema is the right now word, word from HIM that gives you a sense of direction and joy and excitement of knowledge.

Rhema word is the word for your current situation telling you what to do.

Logos is the uttering of Christ himself; it is the spoken word communicated through Bible.

A Logos word is applicable for everyone

A Rhema word can be specific to you.

God speaks to us in both these manners

The problem with only enbracing the logos is it makes it very easy to fall into the trap of religiosity.

Their is no personalization in logos as its a generaliztion for all.

as a result it can enable a non personal interaction with God

I taught a lesson for desert streams a couple of weeks back on the topic of Religiocity

Religiocity

Religiosity is a way of thinking and living that people can be in, or can fall into, yet it is ungodly and can bring much harm to those who are in it, and those who are influenced by it.

Its one of the most dangerous and effective weapons used by the enemy to thrawt the work of a individual and the church at large.

Its been used disimpower every generation.

It’s focused more on doing right than loving people

It occurs when doing what you think is right is more important to you than the opportunity to get to know the One who is right

Did you ever think that doing good things could be sin?

You can sin even when doing good things

If your motivation for doing it is not correct

a. being associated with religious people.......Pharisees

b. doing good works to help people (i.e. acts of kindness, gifts to the poor, etc.)

c. engaging in religious activities (i.e. going to church, observing special religious events, etc.)

d. keeping church rules and expectations(i.e. regarding dress code, religious language, etc.)

e. serving in the church (i.e. as a choir member, teacher, pastor, elder, etc.)

f. witnessing to others about Jesus

g. reading the Bible

h. trying to obey/follow what is written in the Bible

i. reading or studying Christian books

j. praying

k. tithing

This is why Religiocity is so dangerous. Its not determined by what you do, but rather why you are doing it!

Romans 14:22–23 NASB95

The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

Whatever is not from faith is Sin!

So you can be doing good things and it is sinning

God hates religion

Amos 5:21–24 NASB95

“I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. “But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Jesus confronts religious leaders

Matthew 23:1–36 NASB95

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. “Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. “But the greatest among you shall be your servant. “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ “You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ “You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? “Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. “And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. “And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ “So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Jesus dealt harshly with the religious leaders of His day

what makes us think He won’t do the same today who preach a religion that goes against His heart?

James 1:27 NASB95

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

A religious mindset causes a believer to sin by making them do what appears to be good. but its actually sin because it is driven by a wrong motivation

Most people controlled by a religious mindset don’t even realize they are being religious because they are focusing on the perceived good thy are doing.

I beleive a large portion of modern beleivers are caught in a religious mindset

but it is very difficult to determine,

you could have 2 people sitting beside each other in church.

One is there because of right motivation and the other is there out of religious obligation

From seeing them both in Church you cannot tell by looks alone

but eventually the fruit will be evident

Let’s flush out this example.

If there is a person who comes to church every Sunday because “ thats what God wants me to do” they sit there and fill their seat quoting

Hebrews 10:25 NASB95

not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

But the other person who comes to church comes with the motivation to encourage one another.

Which one do you think might be controlled by a religious mindset?

You a religious person focuses on the act

But a true believer focuses on the Spirit behind the act

We gather together not out of religious obligation.

but rather we gather together to encourage one another.

We read the Bible not to get our 3 chapters a day

but rather to develop our intimacy with our creator

We give of our finances not becuase we must tithe

but rather we want to worship God through our finances

If you do not develop your ability to understand the Rhema word of God

it is very easy to fall into the trap of religion.

So How do you hear God for yourself?

One thing to address is

Who are you listening to?

There are three options for who we might hear when we’re listening out for what God is saying: yourself, satan, or God.

here’s how you can differentiate the three:

Yourself - Your own thoughts are probably going to sound logical or analytical. It’ll sound like the kind of things you often think.

satan - satan always condemns. His purpose is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. So if the thoughts you’re hearing are negative, destructive, vicious or accusing, it’s the enemy.

Often focuses on the short term pleaser or solution and minimizes consequences

Not good

God - When God speaks, it always lines up with the Bible - His character and His actions. He is kind, loving, inspirational, wise, healing, and convicting without being condemning.

It is good,

It often appears a distraction

It will cause you operate in a servants heart

THE FOUR KEYS TO HEARING GOD’S VOICE

Habakkuk 2:1–2 NASB95

I will stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the Lord answered me and said, “Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run.

1.Be still: Quiet yourself down

In our crazy-busy lives, it’s important to take some time out to find peace and listen to God without distractions. Find a quiet spot, get comfortable and get rid of any distractions. Keep a notepad nearby for the items on your to-do list that will inevitably pop into your mind.

Welcome the Holy Spirit, simply by saying, “Holy Spirit, I welcome you. Come and be here with me at this moment.”

2. Look: Fix your eyes on Jesus

Use the eyes of your imagination to picture Jesus. You might see in black and white, in colour, a still image, or a movie on the screen of your mind.

If you’ve been told that it’s bad to use your imagination, or find it a bit unorthodox,

then it’s valuable to remember that people heard from God through vision all throughout the Bible.

Jesus even used vision to connect with the Father:

John 5:19 NASB95

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

As you picture Jesus, ask him a question, “Jesus, how do you see me?” or “Jesus, what do you want to say to me today?”

3. Listen: Tune to spontaneous flow

Now, listen. What is Jesus saying?

his response it might not be an audible voice,

but God often speaks in our thoughts.

It might sound like your own thoughts at the start, but as you practice, you’ll be able to more clearly distinguish God’s voice.

That’s where point 4 comes in.

4. Write it down

Keep a journal of what God says to you.

Write it down, unfiltered, just as you hear it.

Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, and don’t course correct.

Then, share it with other people that are more experienced in hearing God.

They’ll be able to help you figure out what was God speaking, and what wasn’t.

application

Soaking music