Communicating With God:
How To Recognize God’s Voice
Today we are going to continue our series “Communicating With God.” Last week we are looked at “How To Listen To God’s Voice.” We learned that listening is vital if we are to be doers of the Word. We must be receptive to God’s Word. We must be like good soil if we are to be productive for God. This week we are going to look at “How to Recognize God’s Voice.” Please follow along with me in Job 33:14:
“For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.” Job 33:14 (NKJV)
The Bible says we have a problem when communicating with God. The problem is not that God is silent. God talks to us all the time. The problem is that we do not perceive God’s voice. In other words we do not recognize God’s voice when He speaks. The question is how do you recognize God’s voice among all the voices that are speaking? How can I be sure it is God’s voice I am listening to?
Job 33:14 tells us that God speaks in a variety of ways. He is not limited to one single way. God spoke through a burning bush. He spoke through a cloud. He often spoke through angels. He also spoke through prophets. He even spoke through a donkey. Today I want to look at three common ways that God speaks.
HOW DOES GOD SPEAK?
1. God speaks through THE BIBLE.
This is the number one way that God speaks.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)
Circle the word “inspiration”. The word literally means, “God breathed.” The Bible is not just a collection of wonderful thoughts. It is the inspired Word of God. There is no other book in the world like this book.
As you read God’s Word, God will speak to you. He will give you comfort. He will correct you. He will guide you. He will help you but you must read His Word. That is why it is so important that you have a daily quiet time.
Your daily quite time may only be 5 or 10 minutes a day. But it is a time where you read God’s Word and pray to Him. Speak to God and listen to Him.
Someone says, “God never speaks to me.” Do you read a portion of the Bible every day? This is God’s love letter to you. If you’re not reading the Bible daily, how do you expect to hear God’s Word to you?
If you got a phone call from your doctor today and he said, "I need to see tomorrow at 8 a.m." Would you keep that appointment? You bet I would. Now he may tell me that I’m in the best shape that I have ever been, but I would want to know what he had to say. The doctor of our soul wants to speak to us every day. He wants to talk to you. And the most common way He speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible.
You know when I bought my truck some years ago I got an important item with it. It was found in the glove compartment. It was the owner’s manual. That is the designer’s instructions on how my truck is intended to be used and maintained. It is designed to teach me how to take care of my truck.
That is what the Bible does. It is your owner’s manual. It is designed to teach you how to take care of your life.
2. God speaks through FELLOW BELIEVERS.
God often speaks to us through fellow believers. In fact God has put special people in the church to instruct and teach us. Look at Ephesians 4 with me:
“He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV)
God speaks through teachers, preachers and pastors and it changes our lives if we listen to them. In fact the Bible says that we will become better equipped if we listen to them. The teachers, preachers and pastors job is to equip you for ministry. Did you know that every member is a minister? Every member has a ministry to perform. It is the pastor’s main job, according to this scripture, to prepare you for ministry. Circle these three words: “Equipping”, “For”, “Ministry”. Here is the pastor’s main job – “equipping you for ministry”.
Have you ever been in a church service and felt like God was speaking directly to you? He was. God speaks through pastors.
“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:13 (NKJV)
God not only speaks through pastors and teachers He also speaks through fellow believers. This past summer I went to Arkansas for my two week training with the Army Reserve and while I was there we had nightly Bible study. There was a sergeant there who did not quite see things the same way that I did. We did not argue. We just did not have the same perspective on the scriptures. Let me tell you that sergeant caused me to do a lot of thinking. He helped stretch my understanding of the Bible and I helped him stretch his understanding too. We both came away from that Bible study with a different perspective on the Bible. That’s what fellow believers are supposed to do – help each other gain a better understanding of the Word of God. Look at the verse from Proverbs with me:
“You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 (MSG)
God speaks through fellow believers.
3. God speaks through DIRECT THOUGHTS.
God puts thoughts in our minds. When God puts a thought in your mind its called inspiration. Follow along in John 14 with me.
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:26 (HCSB)
Circle the word “remind”. This means that God will bring scripture and teaching back into your mind. God gives us ideas. He gives us hunches. He gives us insights. Some of the most brilliant ideas you have had weren’t yours. God loves you and cares for you. He is interested in all the details of your life, so He gives you direct thoughts.
This does not mean that every thought that I have comes from God. In fact just the opposite is true. Satan can speak to you too. Satan can put ideas in your mind. Just a couple weeks ago I was coming to church one day and I was having a pity party. You know what I’m talking about. I was thinking, “Nobody likes me. Life is rotten. The world is the pits.” When I realized what I was thinking – I asked myself – “Where is that coming from?” I realized right then and there that those thoughts weren’t from God. So do you know what I did? I changed my thought pattern right then and there on the spot. Did you know that you can change the way that you’re thinking? The Bible tells us to keep an eye on what we think. Follow along with me as I read:
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Philippians 4:8 (MSG)
Later on in this series we’re going to spend time on how to determine whether or not what you hear is God’s voice. But let me give you three tests to see if the voice you hear is God’s voice:
THREE TESTS FOR GOD’S VOICE
1. Does it agree with the BIBLE?
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Luke 21:33 (NKJV)
2. Does it make me more like CHRIST?
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” Philippians 2:3-5 (NKJV)
3. Do I sense God’s PEACE?
“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace.”
1 Corinthians 14:33 (NKJV)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE KNOW GOD IS SPEAKING TO US?
1. Hearing God’s voice assures me that I’m in GOD’S FAMILY.
Read along with me as we look at John 10.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27 (NKJV)
This shows that God speaks to His people. If you have never heard God talk to you, if you have never sensed Him speaking to your heart, you have every reason to doubt if you are a true believer. God speaks to His children.
Some of you may know about God, but you KNOW God. Some of you may know about Jesus, but you don’t KNOW Jesus. You may have religion but you don’t have a relationship.
Did you know that I know George Bush. I know that he is the president of the United States. I know when and where he was born. I know where he went to school. I know George Bush. No! I don’t know George Bush. I know about George Bush. I really don’t know him and he doesn’t know me. Some of you sitting here today may know about Jesus – but you don’t KNOW Him.
One of the proofs that you are a Christian is that Jesus speaks to you. That shows you are in God’s family.
2. Hearing God’s voice helps protect me from making MISTAKES.
Notice I didn’t say it stops me from making mistakes. Sometimes it does because I listen to Him. But sometimes I don’t listen. Guess what – neither do you. God is there trying to lead and guide us. The only way He can do that is if we listen to Him. The question is, “How much do I listen to Him?”
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105 (NKJV)
3. Hearing God’s voice is the secret to a PRODUCTIVE LIFE.
The more I listen and obey God’s voice the more successful I am. Success is knowing God’s will and being right in the center of it. If you want to be successful in life, if you want to be productive, if you want to be effective, tune into God, listen to what He says and do what He has asked you to do.
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 (NKJV)
Prayer:
Father this day You are speaking to me. You speak to me in a variety of ways. You speak to me all the time. I pray that this day I would seek to hear Your voice. I pray that I would recognize Your voice. I pray that I would be receptive to what you have to say to me. Help me to become a doer of Your Word after I have heard Your voice. Amen.
