Editor: Al Vesper
Many of us have preconceived ideas about God. Many Christians believe that God only speaks to us through His Word. Others believe it is totally abnormal to hear God's voice. Still others believe we must be very devout Christians before we can hear from Him. These preconceived notions are simply that -- preconceived notions which do not reflect God's reality.
Our God is a communicating God and He wants to communicate with us. In fact, He specifically created us with ears to hear His voice (Proverbs 20:12).
It should be normal for us to hear His voice on a daily basis. In fact, it is actually abnormal NOT to hear His voice. (Some of us have been living in the abnormal for so long that we don't even realize it's abnormal any more...) It is time to stop and take a "reality check" with what God says about this:
In John 10:27, Jesus says "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
Are you one of Jesus' sheep? (e.g., have you been redeemed by the Lamb and entered into a personal relationship with God through Christ?) You have? Good! Then know from John 10:27 that Jesus expects to speak to you and it is normal for you to hear His voice.
"But", you might ask, "What about being deserving? Is there something we are required to do before we can hear God's voice? Do we have to earn it?"
Scripture indicates clearly that this is NOT the case. God created Adam and Eve and communed daily with them. Then they disobeyed God regarding the forbidden fruit. They entered into sin and therefore became separated from God. Yet, even in this separated state, and through no merit of their own, Adam and Eve heard God's voice:
"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the Garden." (Gen 3:8).
From this, we see that ability to hear from God doesn't depend upon how holy we are -- Adam and Eve were very far from holy at that moment.. they were ashamed and very much aware of their guilt, which is why they choose to hide. God already knew they'd sinned, yet He came to them and spoke to them.. and they heard His voice! They did not "earn" the right to hear God.. God wanted to communicate with them; even after they'd "let Him down."
It is true that the effects of sin (unforgiveness, guilt, bitterness and a hardened heart) can hinder us from listening to God... we might choose to not listen to Him, but He still chooses to speak to us. Our ability to hear God is NOT based on our being righteous, but rather on God loving us and desiring to be heard so badly that He created us with "ears to hear" His voice. Yes, God wants to communicate with us. If we desire to listen to Him, He will speak to us - frequently and in a variety of ways. Just as God desired to dialog with the fallen Adam and Eve (Gen 3:10-13), He desires to dialog with us today.. even at those moments when we feel "far from perfect".
We can better understand this by thinking of God in His role as a loving father. A loving father is one who seeks to establish an intimate, ongoing, personal relationship with His children. He doesn't stop talking to them when they are imperfect. Instead, He reaches out to help them in their time of need, to offer His support. Unfortunately, just like children who think "we know best", we may become insensitive to His voice by refusing to listen. When this happens we are guilty of hindering our own ability to hear God's voice. Nevertheless, God will continue to communicate with us because He loves us and wants us to know Him.
The Bible, both the Old and New Testament, is filled with illustrations of God's desire to speak to us whether we are righteous or unrighteous. Here are a few cases where God spoke to His children or to others about His children: Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:16; 3:8,10,13,17), Cain (Genesis 4:6,7,9-12,15), Enoch (Genesis 5:24), Noah (Genesis 6:13; 7:1; 8:15-17; 9:1, 17), Abraham (Genesis 21:1,4,7; 13:14; 15:1-9, 18; 17:1-3,9,15,18,19 ,22; 18:1,13,17,20 ; 20:3-7; 21:12,13; 22:1, 2, 15-18), Hagar Genesis 16:7-13; 21:17,18), Rebekah (Genesis 25:23), Isaac (Genesis 26:2, 24), Jacob (Genesis 28:13; 31:3,11-13; 35:1,10,11,15 ), Laban (Genesis 31:24,29), Pharaoh (Genesis 41:28), Israel (Genesis 46:2), Joseph (Genesis 37:5), Moses (Exodus 3:14), Joshua (Joshua 5:14,15), Samuel (I Samuel 3:10-14), David (I Samuel 23:2), Solomon (I Kings 3:5), Job (Job 38), Balaam (Numbers 22:12, 35), Elijah (I Kings 19:12,13), Joseph (Matthew 1:20,21), Pilate's wife (Matthew 27:19), Peter (Acts 10:3,13), Paul (Acts 9:3,4; 27:23,24) and John (Revelation 1:10).
There are many different ways that God speaks to us today. He is constantly communicating with us. He frequently talks to those of His children who don't think they know how to hear His voice. Here are a few ways He does it:
- The Bible
The most obvious way, of course, is the Bible. The Bible is the word of God and He speaks to us constantly through it today. The Bible is complete in and of its own self, the Logos or the literal word of God. We accept the Bible as authoritative, and it is the standard by which we are to judge all things. We know that God does not change (Mal 3:6) and that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb 13:8). So we can be assured that God would not say something in the Bible and then change His mind about it. He is not fickle. Thus we can use the Bible as our measuring rod.. any experience, prophecy or "revelation" which contradicts scripture is not of God and is to be rejected.. period.
The Bible teaches us of God's nature and character, and the better we get to know Him and what He is like, the easier it will be for us to hear and recognize His voice as He speaks to us.
The Holy Spirit resides in us and part of His job is to teach us all truth and communicate God's heart to us (John 14:26). A lot of times, especially when we are first learning to hear God's voice, the Holy Spirit will speak to us through scripture. He will quicken a verse of a passage to us. It will seem to jump out at us and come alive and suddenly we understand it in ways that we did not understand it before.
- Repetition
The Holy Spirit may communicate something to us through repetition. The best way to explain this is through an example:
One morning you read a verse that grabs your attention and addresses a situation you've been praying about. Then as you drive to work, a song comes on the radio which has phrases from that verse in it. Then near the end of your work day, a friend calls you. During the course of the conversation, your friend brings up that same verse. On your way home from work, your eye catches a billboard with a phrase that reminds you of the verse. You get home to find your spouse's Bible open.. to that same verse! You begin to get the idea that maybe God is trying to tell you something ... and He probably is!
- Divine Coincidence
Divine coincidence is another way that God speaks to His children today. Things "just happen" at the right time and we almost "accidentally" fall into God's plan and purposes. An example might be that you begin to think of a friend you haven't seen in 5 years and remember an experience you had together. It seems to jump to the forefront of your mind so strongly that you can't help but say a prayer for the person. Then that evening you bump into them while waiting for your table in the lobby of a crowded restaurant. You start to reminisce together and you mention how you were just thinking of and praying for them earlier today. Your friend is moved by that, and begins to share a recent struggle with you. The next thing you know, you've just explained that God is the answer and they're seriously considering Christ. After all of that, you realize it was not merely a coincidence that you "happened" to think of that person this morning... You recognize God must have had a hand in this.
God will often orchestrate a series of coincidences in our lives to help steer us into the center of His will for us.
- Object Lessons
God will sometimes call our attention to something in the natural and use it to give us an understanding of a spiritual truth. For instance, you might be gardening and notice a hedge that runs along the side of your yard. The portion of it that is exposed to direct sunlight is plush and healthy and the portion of it that is always shaded by the side of the house is sparse and does not look so good. You notice that the part exposed to the light is thriving and the part in darkness is not. You are reminded of the fact that Jesus is the light of the world and of John 3:20-12. Suddenly you realize that as you bring areas of your life into His light and invite His presence into them, He gives you His beauty and victory in those areas. But the areas you hold back from Him continue to be areas of defeat. You suddenly realize that the way to get His victory in an area you've bring struggling with is to bring it into His light; to confess the problem to Him and ask Him to help you with it.
This is an example. The principle behind it is that God will sometimes take a common every day thing and use it to reveal a spiritual truth or principle to us.
The above are only a few examples of how God speaks to His children today, even when they don't think they know how to recognize His voice. You can probably think of many other ways God "speaks" to us... because He is creative and He desires to communicate with His children. How much more will He communicate with us when we are actively seeking to hear His voice?
There are times where God will speak directly to us and then confirm it through others, such as through our friends. There are also times that He will speak to us through prophets or through personal prophecy.
God spoke through Prophets in the Old Testament and He is still speaking through His prophets today. They are part of the team God sovereignly set into place for the equipping of the body. Today there are individuals who God has appointed to the "the office of prophet", who work side by side with apostles, evangelists, teachers and pastors (Eph. 4:11-12). True prophets will never seek to add nor subtract from the Bible, but instead will bring forth clarification and illumination of what has already been written.
Prophecy is yet another way God speaks to us today. Paul said we should all covet to prophesy when he was writing to the church in Corinth (I Cor. 14:39). The definition of covet is to want zealously something another person has. As Christians, we are to desire zealously to prophesy. In other words, God will give us prophetic words of encouragement for our brothers and sisters even if we aren't called to the office of the prophet. All believers may prophesy, even though not all believers have the gift of prophecy... just as all believers are expected to witness (share their faith) even though not all believers have the gift of evangelism.
So far we have learned that we are specifically created to hear God's voice. We have also explored the ways God speaks to us. Now lets investigate God's purpose for speaking today.
Again we can return to the illustration about the loving father, to bring forth understanding. Why would a loving father desire to speak to his children? A loving father longs for an intimate relationship with his children. In order to build this relationship, he places a high priority on mutual communication and spending time with each other.
Just like our example of the loving father, God longs for an intimate relationship with us. He is interested in everything we do and sincerely wants to interact with us on a regular, daily basis. God is not, nor has He ever been, an absentee father. He will always be available for us.
God wants us to understand why we were created. His plan for creating mankind was never to create and abandon. He is a loving father, one who desires to share His plans and purposes. He wants to share them with us, so we will be fully prepared, fully equipped, to fulfill our destiny. He never created us to wander around aimlessly though life. This is one of the reasons why we are specifically and lovingly created with ears to hear. God did this for our benefit.
And speaking of benefits, hearing God's voice brings divine protection.
"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him." Psalm 91:15 (KJV)
Provision can be added as a benefit, as well. When we listen for God's voice, and obey His leading, we can expect to receive His blessings (Jos. 1:7,8).
What else can we expect to gain from God's desire to speak to us today? We can expect to gain something the world cannot buy. Those of us who reach out to him in the midst of our trials and tribulations can expect God to bring forth His peace (Psalm 23). Hearing God's voice will bring forth both comfort and encouragement.
Transformation is another reason God desires to speak to us today. As we choose to spend time with God and develop a two-way relationship with Him, we get to know Him intimately. The more we know Him, the more we will long to be in His presence. The more we are in His presence, the more like Him we become. We will be in the process of transformation. We will be in the process of being changed and conformed into the image of His son, Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29).
We have learned there are wonderful benefits to hearing God speak today. However we should examine our part, and what we may be doing to hinder our ability to hear God's voice.
In our hectic, hustle bustle lives, we may be neglecting to spend time with Him. God offers us a choice: He will not make us turn off the television, or the computer, or whatever it is we are finding so interesting, and spend time with Him. However, He is there waiting for us, longing to talk with us. It is actually up to us. Will we make the decision to be in a place where we can clearly listen to God's voice, or will we become more insensitive to hearing Him? How many of us schedule time for God everyday, instead of just trying to "squeeze Him in?"
If we don't spend time with God how will we know Him? How can we be intimate with someone we don't know? The sad truth is, we can't!
Perhaps we are hindering our ability to hear from God because we find ourselves in the position of "not wanting to hear" from God because we don't think we will like what he has to say. This is a common position many Christians find themselves in. We must remember, it is always better to hear God's voice. Why? Because He loves us and wants what is best for us.
A final caution. We must never use personal prophecy as a substitute for hearing God speak to us as individuals. It is impossible to build a personal relationship with God based on what others prophesy. Instead, it is our responsibility and privilege to develop a personal relationship with Him by continuing to fast, pray, and seek God on our own behalf.
To sum it all up, God desires to speak to us if we are willing to hear from Him. And when we desire to hear Him, His ability to communicate to us is greater than our ability to "hear wrong". If we ask Him to teach us to know and clearly recognize His voice, He will be happy to do so!
Week 3 Activation Exercise: One-On-One Sharing
This week's activation will give each of you the opportunity to reach deep within and receive a thought from God for your partner. You will then be given the opportunity to share one-on-one what you believe you received from the Lord. Please remember, this is not a time for personal prophecy.
The goal of this week's activation is to allow you to actually hear the voice of the Lord and be able to share EXACTLY what you believe you have received. Please DO NOT add anything or give long interpretations. Give ONLY what God gives you.
Although we all desire to receive a Word from God, the major point in this activation is on being the giver. This will allow you to learn to hear and then deliver what God has given. This not only helps us in taking a step of faith by receiving a spiritual thought from God, but also gives us the opportunity to share it with our partner in a safe environment.
Before we go on please note, spiritual gifts are not for us to receive individual benefits. Instead, spiritual gifts are given to benefit others. To operate in the spiritual gifts, it takes an unselfish Christian who is willing to be used. When we desire (covet) to operate in the gifts of the spirit, we are really stepping out in an attitude that is saying I want to be a blessing and a servant (Mark 9:35, Matthew 23:11).
Guidelines to Make a Safe Environment
On the giving side:
Realize that most prophetic words are given to edify, exhort and comfort for the edifying of the Body of Christ (I Cor. 14:3,12).
Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions some people have of prophetic ministry is that it should be ministered in a judgmental, condemning or in a rebuking way. While prophets may speak of judgment, it is reserved for the mature who function in the office of the prophet and who are recognized as such in the Body of Christ.
God does not usually give us judgmental, negative, harsh, corrective or directive words when we are just learning to move in the prophetic. For the scope of these exercises, these types of words will be STRICTLY OFF LIMITS. If you believe you receive one of these types of words during the activation exercise, assume you have heard wrong and go back to the Lord and ask Him for a different thought from God for your partner.
The revelation received in this course should be delivered in a gentle and loving manner. You are not to criticize or put down your partner in any way when delivering a revelation to them.
On the receiving side:
Realize that this is a training exercise and your partner is stretching to hear God, just as you are. Many times your partner will hear correctly and you will be blessed by what they receive for you. But occasionally, as in any learning environment, your partner may make a mistake. If this happens, do not be alarmed.
- Does it stand up to scriptural principles and truths?
- Does it bear witness to your spirit (though not necessarily your mind or emotions)?
- Does it produce the fruit of righteousness, peace and joy within your heart (vs. anxiety, confusion or fear)?
Do not make any major life or directive decisions based on words given in this context unless confirmed by other sources of guidance. i.e. Scripture, spiritual authorities over your life, spouses and other family members, other sources of counsel, confirmations through personal peace, circumstances, witness by others involved with a decision, etc.
Do not become offended if a trainee "misses it" on something offered to you.
Finally, offer honest feedback, but do so gently. If your partner's revelation for you blesses or encourages you, let them know. If they "miss it", be as kind and gentle but truthful in your feedback as you hope your partner will be with you if you miss it.
WEEK 3 ACTIVATION - PURPOSE
The purpose of this week's activation is to allow you to actually hear the voice of the Lord, and be able to share EXACTLY what you believe you have received.
STEP BY STEP PROCESS
I Peter 4:10 states "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering Gods grace in its various forms".
All our abilities should be used in serving others, none are for our exclusive enjoyment. We desire to be good stewards of Gods grace, so lets be willing to share the Christ from within by not leaning upon our own abilities, but instead upon God.
Scriptural Foundation For This Activation: I Cor. 12:7,11 and I Peter 1:10.
We will start with a group prayer, then for a few minutes we will pray in the spirit (I Cor. 14:14), stirring ourselves up, or in other words, fanning the flames (II Tim 1:6).
You will then go silent, tune in, and focus on what God desires to share. After this silent time, you will step out in faith and share with your partner.
1. Understand the context.
Remember, this is a practice session. You are not expected to be a seasoned prophet, nor is your partner. This is merely a time to learn. You are not expected to be an expert, so relax.
Please do not use words like "Thus saith the Lord", or "God showed me". Instead use "this is what I felt", or "this is what I saw or sensed". We ask you to do this as a form of protection for you.
As you step out in faith to receive from God, what you receive may be (but is by no means limited to) a thought, a picture, or a word. Don't worry if what you receive makes no sense to you. It is not for you to understand, but instead for your partners benefit.
2. Believe You Will Receive.
If you are on the internet, or via email, reach out to your partner in faith believing. If you are in a live group, join hands with your partner. (We prefer you do not use your spouse as a partner, if at all possible.)
Remember that you are a Born again, blood washed, redeemed child of God, so if you have Christ within you, you also have the Mind of Christ.
When we ask our Father for bread, he does not give us a stone (Matt 7:9). Because you are God's child, you can safely trust that He will in fact meet you and give you a revelation for your partner when you ask Him to.
3. SANCTIFICATION - ACTIVATION PRAYER
Pray this together as a group before you begin to work individually with your partner. The group leader may wish to lead this prayer out loud with the others agreeing silently.
Dear Lord, In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, I come before your throne. I am washed by the blood. Christ lives within me. Not just in part, but in my whole being. I bring every thought of my mind and soul into captivity to the mind of Christ. I will receive an impression, thought, or a word from the Holy Spirit who lives within me. I will gladly share it with my partner. I will not doubt it, nor question it, I'll just be willing to give it. I am a believer, and I expect to receive. I thank you for giving me a thought from the throne. Amen.
4. Prayer of Covering And Protection
The purpose of this short and specific prayer is to bind any hindering or religious spirits and to release faith and anointing. Feel free to use whatever words you choose for this but it does not have to be long and involved.
5. Tune in to God and listen.
Get with your partner if you are doing this in a live group.
If you are comfortable with praying in tongues, begin praying in the spirit. Otherwise worship or quietly ask God to speak to you. Look deeply inside, listen closely, see and hear what God is saying. Do this for about 2 minutes. Then, no more praying, only listening, for about 30 to 45 seconds.
This allows you to really tune in.
6. Time To Share.
Each of us should now be willing to step out in faith and share with our partner, what God has given us. Do this one at a time. Decide who will go first. Then go ahead and share with your partner what the Lord has given you. Don't add to it if it seems too short. Deliver just what the Lord gave you, nothing more.
7. Interaction.
For those of you who are doing the Live or Internet groups it is now time to interact. It is time to share. Find out how many have received a word that bore witness or confirmation. How many received a word that brought forth blessing, or was meaningful to them in any way?
For those of you doing email partner activation, send an email to share a brief feedback with your partner.
For those of you who did not receive a word the first time, or feel they missed it. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! We will not stop because of a few misses. Think about it, if Michael Jordan misses his first few shots, he doesn't stop shooting! (Michael Jordan is a basketball player.) You won't make a basket if you don't shoot the ball! You will never learn to move in the spiritual gifts if you don't try!
8. Repetition (If you are in a Live Activation Group or an AOL Chatroom or IRC group)
This exercise is best done with multiple partners. Switch partners and repeat steps 5-7 with the new partner. When you have completed with the new partner (if there are enough people in your group), switch partners again and repeat the steps with this new partner.
9. Application
Write It Out
The last thing I am going to ask you to do is to Write Out the word you have just received as soon as possible. This way you can remember it and meditate upon it later.
End of Week 3