OK, GOD, I HEARD YOU!

Do you recognize God's voice when He speaks?

This has been a chronic problem for many people throughout the history of humanity.  

God called Moses up onto the mountain where He then spoke to him like a man speaks with another man.  

And GOD spoke with Moses face-to-face, as neighbors speak to one another.

Exodus 33:11 (TM)

 According to Genesis 17:1 (NIV),

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said to Abram, 'I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.'" 

But by David's time, God had begun speaking through the 'Urim and Thummim' which were gemstones embedded on the priest's garments that allowed David to receive answers from God.   

OK, Hal, that's all well-and-good, but how does God speak today in the 21st century?

Well, there are a number of answers, foremost among them would be through His Word (the Bible).  

But the purpose of this blog is not to address the full subject of the question.  Rather, I'd like to address the inner voice of the Holy Spirit.

We typically think of three ages of revelation of the triune God:

1. The Old Testament period was predominated by God the Father.
2. The Gospels represent a period when Jesus [God Incarnate] came to teach and prepare for the future.
3. The rest of the New Testament explains and illustrates the work/age of the Holy Spirit!

We live in the age of the Holy Spirit!  He directs the work of the Church in accord with the Word of God!

Christ-followers have the capacity of hearing directly from the Holy Spirit because at our salvation, He takes up residence within us!  

But believers have to cultivate the ability to hear the voice of the Spirit!  

This can happen while we're listening to our pastor bring a message on Sunday.  It can also happen when we read from God's Word and suddenly find ourselves sensing the Spirit's direction as we read.  It can happen virtually at any time and in any place if we are open to God and repeatedly obedient when we sense His attempts to direct us.

I know this is a vague subject and especially challenging for newer believers.  

I'm sure that at one time or another, you've looked at a picture of a group - perhaps a large group of people.  As your eyes roll across the scene, you rather quickly pick out people you know.

When we got our dog, Gabe, I trained him to come to my sharp, shrill whistle.  [Please don't be angry with me because of this illustration - it isn't something I do very often.]  One day - in a crowded space - I needed to get Debbie's attention.  So, I gave my Gabe-whistle.  She immediately turned and caught my eye!  :-)  We still laugh about this.  She also recognized my whistle!

The point: As we grow our familiarity with the voice of the Holy Spirit, we will more easily recognize those times when He is trying to get our attention!

Let me illustrate.

Just yesterday I wrote a blog article that had to do with integrity.  I worked on it for several hours before publishing it.  As usual, I re-read it repeatedly to make corrections and improvements.  I felt good about the product.

Today, after writing another blog article and publishing it, I worked on my message for The Foundery this coming Sunday.  Having a good five hours in, I loaded up Gabe in the truck and we went for a ride as a bit of a break [Deb works at Bethel Church library all morning on Wednesdays].

We ran some local, country roads with the windows down.  Gabe - as all dogs do - had his head out the window the whole time.  I simply enjoyed the pastoral views and the warm weather.

Although it's difficult to explain, as I drove, I suddenly heard the voice of the Holy Spirit!  It was crystal clear to me!  He was reminding me of the blog article I had written about integrity.  He took me to a specific area of my life and then simply said, "What about this?  Does this come in line with your understanding of modeling integrity?"  

This illustration is private, however, the area He laid His finger on was not a sin.   It was simply an area where I needed to do some thinking and evaluating.  I knew He was making an attempt to cultivate in me a greater measure of holiness, consistency and witness.  

The last ten minutes of our ride was a deliberation.  

• Did I just hear the voice of the Holy Spirit?
• Is He trying to cultivate a deeper obedience in my life?
• Am I willing to adapt my life in the way He seems to be directing?
• Will this increase my integrity?
• Will making adaptations open me to the greater works of God?

The answer to all the above was 'Yes'.  I knew it!  

And now comes the obedience - the conforming to the will of God for my life!  

___________________________

Can you identify with this?

Have you cultivated the ability to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit?

Are you soft in His hands?

Have you heard from the Holy Spirit lately?  If not, is it because He's not speaking to you?  Or is it because you are not listening carefully?

One of my favorite hymns - written by Adelaide A. Pollard in 1906:

Have thine own way, Lord!

Have thine own way!

Thou art the potter,

I am the clay.

Mold me and make me

after thy will,

while I am waiting,

yielded and still.

Have thine own way, Lord!

Have thine own way!

Hold o'er my being

absolute sway.

Fill with thy Spirit

till all shall see

Christ only, always,

living in me!

A PATTERN OF NOT TAKING TIME TO LISTEN TO GOD

It started in the beginning!  God spoke and made His directions clear.  Eve started listening to the serpent:  (Genesis 3:4-6 LB)

That's a lie!  You'll not die!  God knows very well that the instant you eat it you will become like Him...The woman was convinced.

After the disobedience, God reprimanded Adam:  (v.17)

...you listened to your wife and ate the fruit when I told you not to...

Abram had the same problem!  God had promised him (and Sarai) a son.  Twenty-five years passed - no son.  Sarai suggested that Abram raise up a son through her servant, Hagar. 

Genesis 16:2 (NASB) adds:

And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Joshua had the same problem.  He had led Israel to defeat Jericho and a city named Ai.  The nearby Gibeonites were frightened that they were next.  They tricked Joshua by making him think they were from far off.  They made him think they had travelled long to make a treaty with him.  Johua fell for it and signed the treaty!  Then he found out that they were his next-door neighbors. 

Joshua 9:14 (LB) records:

Joshua and the other leaders finally believed them.  They did not bother to ask the Lord...

APPLICATION
If it happened to these patriarchs, it can happen to us!  It is probable that we will walk into trouble, make bad decisions, and take matters into our own hands - simply because we don't bother to ask the Lord!

Don't make that mistake! 

If there's a reason for daily prayer, it's certainly to get daily guidance!  Do you really think you know it all?  Do you really want to run the risk of going through this day (or any day) without the benefit of God's soveriegn wisdom?

Think again!