“How do you hear from God?” I’ve been asked this question many times. It actually took me by surprise that some Christians would ask me that. I have always freely shared by saying, “and God said to me…” and thought that everyone did the same thing – talking to God and hearing from Him.
One day a pastor said this in his classroom “PLEASE don’t say God said to you this and that.” So when I had to do some sharing at the end of the class, I decided to respect him and corrected myself “God said… I mean the Bible says..”
I begin to wonder about my own experiences. One friend got so upset he even asked me to stop saying “God says” because he rationalised that not everyone has the same experience and I should not make others ‘stumble’.
From Genesis to Revelation the bible records some thirty eight hundred times “God said,” or “thus says the Lord”. How then did these people record “God said” if they didn’t hear God speak? We believe that every word written in the bible is “God breathed”… how did God “breathed” these words?
God spoke.. and the world came to be. God walked in the garden of Eden. God talks to Adam and Eve. God even spoke to the serpent (Gen 3:14) God spoke to Abraham. God spoke to Samuel. God spoke to David. Need I carry on? God spoke to the prophets. God spoke to Paul. God gave visions. God even appeared to Daniel’s friends in the furnace and many others accounts. Jesus appeared to Cleopas after He resurrected on the third day. Have God changed His ways of talking to us and appearing to us? Does God no longer speaks to us except to those who hold positions in church? Did the bible not say we are all priests and temple of God? (1 Pet 2:9) (1 Cor 6:19)
Teachers of the law in those days were the Jewish rabbis. Teachers of the law today are Professors, Reverends and Pastors. Have they become the same likes of the yesterdays that they no longer believed? They don’t believe we can hear from God? Why would we pray to God, whom we believe is a living God.. but does not expect this living God to respond to us? God does not only speak to the holy ones. God speaks to sinners. God even speak to those who does not believe in Him. If God only spoke to those who upholds the law, you and I would not have been here!! We would not have been saved.
The more important factor here is not whether if you can hear from God but how do you discern if that is God. I believe everyone can hear from God. But because you do not recognise His voice, you may brush it aside. Is God’s voice a thunder?
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19:11-13
This is one of the example of having a conversation with God. Sometimes we think God will only give us a word. A sign. A dream. Not really. God can have a conversation with us if you are willing. The Bible records many long conversations He has with the people.
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace and not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those devoted to them. – Hebrews 13:8,9
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has not changed His ways. He spoke to His people then, He speaks now. Pastors agree, that we have to read the word – the Bible. He speaks to us through the Bible. OK. So how do we get revelation to build a church? Or go to a certain country? Or do a certain thing which is not recorded in the bible? Abraham was called out of Ur. Moses had a staff. Samuel was called in his sleep. He gives Gideon confirmation. He tells David yes or no to go to war. He lets Daniel interpret dreams. He sent Paul to the Gentiles. He gives John the revelation of the future. Can God also give, do, say something to us that is not recorded in the bible? Of course! How else does the people of God who calls themselves prophets and apostles prophesy about nations?
Let’s back track a bit. We may not be prophesying about nations (at this point) if we can’t even tell if that’s God speaking to us. To learn to discern His voice, is to follow up with the bible. God will not ask you to do something that is going to ‘kill, steal & destroy’ you. (John 10:10) That is the enemy. God will not ask you to do something that will take you away from Him (Isaiah 59:2) God will not put you to the test to fail you (1 Cor 10:12,13) If anything at all, God will always draw you closer to Him. Jesus would have died in vain if He made it difficult for us to reconcile to God.
I want to share with you at this juncture about a fall I had. I was talking to God one day. I was crying to Him and asking why did all these thing happened to me when I was a ‘faithful Christian’. He actually answered me. And this was the conversation I had with Him:
Me: Lord what happened to me? Was I not following your ways? Did I not pray to you? Did I not asked you about it?
The Lord brought me back to the place, in a vision, the exact time and place I was kneeling down and crying out to Him saying I am done with my marriage.
(At the scene in the past)
Me: Lord I can’t take this anymore.
Lord says: STAY
(present)
Lord: What was your reply?
Me: I don’t remember
He brought me back to the past.
Me (in the past): (in response to STAY) – NO. I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to stay.
(present)
Lord: Then what happened?
Me: I don’t remember
He showed me the past. I said that I would rather die than to stay. Then I changed my mind and I said, I choose ‘Life’ because of my children. In order to live, I have to LEAVE.
So I asked the Lord, didn’t I choose right that I chose LIFE? You gave me plan B!
God replied: I am the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I lay before you blessings and curses as I have laid them before. (Deuteronomy 30:15-20) There is only plan A – BLESSINGS. When you said “NO” to Me, the devil has come to take over and speaketh things that will itch your ears (2 Tim 4:3) And it seemed pleasing to you, thus you followed that path… a path that leads to destruction.
I pay the price for disobedience to His Voice. You will note that throughout the bible, God has always only given Plan A. When the people did not listen, they ‘wandered in the wilderness’ and did not get to enter the promised land. When Saul did not listen to Plan A, God removed His presence from him for the Lord knows the intent of his heart. Jonah.. yes Jonah, was finally spit out to the original Plan A.
Anyways, that was 10 years ago. God is a God of grace. After a whirlwind of continuous disobedience, I finally let out. God was constantly not far from me. He never forsake me though I was disobedient. His grace is immeasurable. Obedience is hard. I knew that one thing He ask of me. That was my bondage, my addiction, my needs, my generational curse. You can’t just pray it away. You have to want to be obedient. You have to want to love God more than the things that you think you ‘need’ or ‘completes you’. You have to believe that God is better than what you can only see or know.
We limit God and ourselves.
Is that you God? Yes it’s Him. He speaks to us. Many times the things God says, we don’t believe because we didn’t want to give up or give in. Remember, the enemy can quote the bible too. He too can use it to his advantage when you don’t want to do the things God asks of you.
If you have ran astray from Him, know that God does not want any one of us to perish. He is always waiting at your door. He knows and understands that it’s difficult for us to believe. But if you are willing, He will restore us to Him. There is no shame. We’ve all been there. The enemy will continue to press you down and away from Him, but you can always say no and the Lord will come to our rescue.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9
When I decided to walk in obedience, the Lord began a new work in me. That didn’t happen instantaneously. It is a progressive restoration. He can work with me only as far as I am willing to abide in Him. He took me to deep memories, and did some healing in those areas. He removed some people from my life for a season of time, so that I learn to depend on Him. He showed me the truth of who I am (anger, dissatisfaction, loneliness, bitterness, un-forgiveness) so that I can repent. All these things He do, so that we are made ready.
In order to follow Him, we must learn to discern His voice and obey.
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. – 2 Timothy 3: 1-7
The day Paul is writing about, is at our doorstep. See to it that no one deceives you. You can have the word, read the word, but without obedience, is like a man who looks at himself in the mirror and walks away.
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. – James 1:19-25
God knows, you know, because He put it there, for you to return.
SHALOM – BE BLESSED ❤