Lord Is That You? Series

Lord is that You?

James 1:5-8

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

When one hears a “voice” while praying, how can one discern who is talking? Living in an age of false Christs and false prophets, amongst the teachings of those who only preach to satisfy society’s itching ears of indifference; it is easy to mistake the voice of a masquerading angel of light for the voice of the one true God! To keep one from recognizing the voice of God in one’s prayers the powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil have declared war and made our minds a spiritual battlefield of allegiance. What does one do when the waves of our inconsistent and incongruent beliefs rage and drown out the voice of our Creator? The first part of this sermon is going to review how Scripture, spiritual gifting and servanthood can be used as litmus tests to help calm the storms of our minds and determine from whom did one got a message. The last part of this sermon is going to explain why living in God’s presence is the true goal of prayer.

Discerning Whom is Talking

Most Christians are skeptical when it comes to obeying the “voice(s)” they hear while praying for good reason! Apostle Paul warned Timothy that there would come a day when people would abandon the faith and run after deceiving spirits and demonic teachings (1 Timothy 4:1). Because these false messiahs and false prophets perform miracles and wonders many people will be deceived into believing their version of the “truth” (Revelation 16:14). While some will outright reject Christ, others will refuse to put up with sound doctrine but instead surround themselves with a great number of pastors and teachers that say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). Preying on the sinful desires of our hearts (James 1:14-15) Satan convinces many Christians that truth is not absolute but is to be based on the whims of each interpreter. He who masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) has entered the arena of our minds to change our allegiance from the one true God to as many gods as possible!

Many believers are losing this battle because they see no harm in allowing sinful images into their minds. While 75% of people say they are concerned about the morality and what enters their minds, they let their children watch about 3 hours of television a day containing approximately 20 acts of violence per hour. By the time a child hits eighteen year of age they will have seen approximately 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. 75% of prime time tv shows have sexual content with soap operas leading the way with 90%, movies 87%, comedies 73%, dramas 71%, talk shows 65%, news magazines 53% and reality shows 28%. Seeing these many images of violence and sex has a great impact upon the viewers. In a study of 13 and 14-year-olds it was found that heavy exposure to sexually oriented television increased the acceptance of nonmarital sex. Only one in thirty “secular” people and one if five highly “religious” people waits until marriage to have sex. Watching TV not only increases the likelihood of having premarital sex, but studies have also found that early childhood exposure to TV violence increases aggressive behavior in both men and women. How can every thought be noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable (Philippians 4:8) when one fills one’s mind with such evil images?

Swimming in a sea of images from both Satan’s and God’s kingdom one can’t help but wonder: is it even possible to discern whose voice is talking in one’s prayers? Yes, there are three litmus tests that can help us determine if the “voice” in our prayers comes from God or not. First, promptings that come from God will always be congruent with God’s holy word (2 Timothy 3:16). So, if the voice asks you to work all the time to become rich then that voice is from Satan because God’s word says we are to run the race to win crowns of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), not stuff that is here today and gone tomorrow (Matthew 6:19). If the voice says to leave your spouse and be united unto another then that voice if from Satan because God’s word says to stay and rejoice with the wife of your youth (Proverbs 5:18-20). If the voice says to ostracize and seek vengeance against someone who harmed you, then that voice is from Satan for God says to love one’s enemies (Matthew 5:44) by doing good to them (Luke 6:27). Any voice that goes against God’s word is to be rejected for it is unquestionably Satan doing the talking!

The second litmus test to discern if God is the one talking in one’s prayers is consistency with spiritual gifting. The moment a person becomes saved Scripture says that one becomes a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), born not of flesh and blood but of God (John 1:13). Once born again the Holy Spirit lives inside that person and gives them spiritual gifts to enable the fulfillment of their divinely assigned role inside of God’s kingdom (1 Corinthians 12:7; Romans 12:6-8). God’s promptings in prayer are usually consistent with the spiritual gifts a person has! So, if the voice asks you to quit your job and become a pastor but you lack pastoral gifting then it is “most likely” that Satan is the one doing the talking. If the voice asks you go to a foreign country to be a missionary but you do not have the spiritual gifts to evangelize or teach, then it is most “most likely” Satan is the one doing the talking. I say “most likely” because God can use anyone to serve in His kingdom including His enemies who don’t have any spiritual gifts and God frequently develops dormant, spiritual gifts later in life for those who are born again. So, if a voice tells you to do something and you feel you do not have the spiritual gifts to do so then test that voice further before saying yes.