Hearing God: Spiritual Sensitivity
Series: Hearing God for Guidance #4
1 Kings 19:7-13[1]
9-25-05
Intro[2]
This morning we will conclude our series on Hearing God. We have seen certain safeguards that God has provided so that we are not deceived or misled in our pursuit of His will. This morning we want to focus on the intuitive, inner voice of the Spirit. As Spirit-filled believers how can we nurture sensitivity to God’s voice? I want to share with you a few principles for hearing God’s voice in our inner spirit.
I. Expect God to Speak to You!
Hebrews 11:6 tells us “...it is impossible to please God without faith....” Everything in our relationship with God depends upon faith. We live by faith. We walk by faith. We expect God to speak to us because of our relationship with Him. It is the most natural thing in the world for a parent to communicate with his or her child. Can you imagine a parent refusing to speak to his children? It is your Father’s good pleasure to interact with you. Love compels Him to do so.
One way the enemy robs us of our inheritance is to convince us of a lie.[3] And one lie he uses is to tell us God wouldn’t speak to us. “He might speak to others but I am not spiritual enough—I mess up too much—etc., etc.” I notice that the Psalmist affirms his confidence in God’s willingness to do His part. Ps 48:14 “For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.” Ps 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”
You don’t have to be a super-saint to hear from your Heavenly Father. Expect to hear from Him. Listen for His voice in your heart. Jesus said, (John 10:27) “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Very often God is speaking but because people don’t expect Him to speak they don’t listen. They dismiss it as just their own ideas. Some people have the problem of thinking every idea they have is from God. Others have the problem of thinking none of their thoughts are from God. God is speaking to His children. We just need to learn how to distinguish His voice from other voices—especially our own feelings and ideas.
II. Understand How God Speaks!
We have already said a lot about that in previous messages. But realize that God has many ways of communicating to us.[4] Acts 2:17 “’And it shall come to pass in the last days,’ says God, ‘That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.’” That verse alone identifies three ways God speaks: through visions, dreams, and prophecy. We see that kind of supernatural activity all through the Bible and there is nothing to indicate that God no longer does such things. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” The gifts of the Spirit spoken of in 1Corinthians 12 are for today.[5] We need a supernatural gospel today as much as we ever have. We have a supernatural enemy and we are not going to defeat him with carnal weapons. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God.[6]
I want to show you a video clip of William Branham operating in the word of knowledge. The segment you are about to see is from the DVD series, “God’s Generals.” Show God’s Generals: William Branham (Vol.8) (0:34:03) to (0:37:53).[7] Sunday after next we are going to see this whole clip and draw some lessons from Branham’s experience.[8] His gift was very unusual but real. My great uncle was in some of his meetings and saw first hand the amazing miracles God worked.
I believe in miracles. But there is a subtle danger that we must avoid. Signs will follow those who believe.[9] But we are to follow Jesus not signs. Once people know that God does work spectacular miracles there is a tendency for people to seek the thrill of the spectacular rather than simply seeking the will of the Father. The distinction is more important than it might sound. Luke 11:29-30 “As the crowds increased, Jesus said, ‘This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.’” As we obey God spectacular things will happen at times. But we are not just seeking spectacular things to excite our flesh. We are seeking God and sometimes He does work in a spectacular way.
Most of the time, He works in a naturally, supernatural way. Most of the time He gently, but supernaturally expresses Himself through His people—and only those who are sincerely pursuing God even discern it. In Matthew 13 the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to the people in parables. Listen to Jesus’ answer. “He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” When people make a moral choice to reject God their spiritual perception is darkened.[10] God can be working mightily right before them and they are still spiritually blind and deaf. Unbelief is not an intellectual problem. It is a moral problem. It is an act of the will.
In the text that was read at the beginning of the service from 1Kings 19:7-13 Elijah was trying to hear God. He sought to hear God in a spectacular whirlwind—but God was not there. He sought to hear God in a powerful earthquake; but God was not there either. Then came a blazing fire—and as impressive as that was it was still not God’s chosen way to speak to Elijah. God spoke to His servant in a still, small voice.[11] Occasionally God uses the other modes. But if you and I are to consistently hear God we must learn to discern the gently voice of the Holy Spirit prompting our hearts. Gal 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”
God usually communicates with us Spirit to spirit.[12] Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."[13] Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Listen for God to speak to you in your spirit.[14] Why is that the most common way God speaks? It is the most intimate and God desires intimacy with His children. During our 50 Days of Consecration we talked about spiritual disciplines that facilitate hearing God’s promptings in our spirit—prayer, meditation, solitude, silence, etc. We do not have time to reiterate those teachings.[15] But expect God to most often simply impress truth and guidance upon your spirit. “He that hath an ear (a spiritual ear) let him hear.”[16]
III. Learn the Nature of His Voice!
Let’s go back to John 10:2-5 for a moment where Jesus says, “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus is using a common phenomenon to teach an important principle about divine guidance. A lamb that grows up in a flock slowly becomes familiar with that shepherd’s voice and will only follow that shepherd.[17] Even a sheep can learn to distinguish the voice of his shepherd from the voice of a stranger.
As we listen to our Shepherd we become more and more familiar with His voice. The voice of our Shepherd has certain qualities that are characteristic of Him. His voice always carries a tone of hope—not despair. His voice always conveys love—not malice.
His voice leads rather than drives. His voice may convict and correct; but it is not condemning. His voice produces humility not pride. His voice is not the author of confusion but of life-giving truth. 1 John 2:27 “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit-just as it has taught you, remain in him.” NIV
His voice does not produce a tormenting fear but comfort and assurance. I remember an experience about 35 years ago when I was living in Dallas. I knew how to hear God but I was not seasoned in discerning His voice. I was reading a verse in Romans 8:36 “As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’” The devil gave me an interpretation of that verse that threw me into torment. It’s amazing how the devil can use Scripture and make it so very, very real.[18] The interpretation he gave me was contrary to the context of that verse. And it was contrary to the nature of my Shepherd’s voice. But I was not experienced enough to sort it all out. Today I would know that “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind.”[19] I was learning in a very practical way to distinguish between God’s voice and the devil’s voice. And fortunately while I was learning I was submitted to the authority of people who already knew the difference.
Phillips translates Hebrew 5:14 this way: “Solid food is only for the adult, that is, for the man who has developed by experience his power to discriminate between what is good and what is evil.” Experience is valuable when it comes to discerning God’s voice. A musician learns to distinguish the key of F from the key of C by listening to their sound over and over again. He develops an ear for music. I’m amazed at mothers who can tell you exactly what their baby’s cry means. She knows the difference between the sound when that baby’s just fussing and when that baby is in distress. I’ve had mechanics hear the engine of my car and tell me “Your tappets need adjusting.” I don’t hear anything unusual. But that mechanic has “developed by experience his power to discriminate between” properly adjusted tappets and those out of adjustment. We can teach principles for hearing God and it should accelerate the learning process. But experience is also important—experience in a safe learning environment.
Our Shepherd’s voice always produces peace—not turmoil and anxiety.[20] Even if He is telling us to do something we don’t want to do there is still a warmth and assurance in His voice. The Amplified version of Col 3:15 says, “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from the Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts—deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds—[in that peaceful state] to which [as members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful—appreciative, giving praise to God always.” Through experience we learn the nature of His voice.
IV. Keep your Spirit in a Healthy Condition!
Has anyone here ever had an infected ear? In the natural it’s hard to hear when the ear is infected. There are spiritual infections that obstruct our hearing capacity in the spirit. In 1 Tim 3:9 Paul told Timothy that leaders ought to be people who are “holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.” The condition of our conscience is important to our ability to hear God. Some people have a seared conscience and cannot hear God at all.[21] Titus 1:15 talks about a defiled conscience. In contrast, Paul said that he strived to keep his conscience clear (Acts 24:16). An accusing conscience is very distracting when it comes to hearing the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. Sin separates us (puts distance between) from communion with God. Therefore, if we want to hear God successfully we have to deal with any issues of conscience. The blood of Christ can cleanse our conscience.[22] But we have to deal with sin issues if we want to consistently hear God.
When I was in my teens I worked for an auto body shop. I can remember times when someone would try to talk with me but in the background someone was using a grinder, another person was spraying paint, and someone else was knocking out dents with a hammer. I could not hear what the person was saying for all the racket going on in that building. A guilty conscience makes a lot of racket in the soul. It must be dealt with in order to hear clearly. 1 John 3:21-22 “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
Through experience we learn a sensitivity of the condition of our spirit. When our spirit is healthy and strong there is a buoyancy, a vibrancy, and a restfulness that makes it easy to respond to God.[23] When that becomes disturbed we know there is something that needs to be addressed. Friday morning before our prayer time I felt a strong heaviness in my spirit. I did not know what it was that God wanted me to address; but I knew that I could not ignore it. I asked Jeanie want she was feeling in her heart. Although it wasn’t as strong she was feeling the same thing. So we entered into prayer with an expectancy that as we prayed God would lead us to the issue. And when we began to pray on that issue there was an exceptional authority in the prayer. It was not an extremely long prayer. But once we prayed what the Spirit wanted us to pray, my inner man returned to a state of rest and peace.
There is a liberty felt in our spirit when we are functioning in accord with the Holy Spirit. We are responsible to keep ourselves in the love of God by praying in the Holy Spirit.[24] We are responsible to deal with any defilement of conscience—to address any heaviness of spirit. When we maintain a healthy spirit we can hear God.
V. Remember that Hearing God Happens in the Context of Your Relationship with Him!
Hearing God is not a matter of getting the right formula.[25] It is much more relationship than technique. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God.”[26] Pride will obstruct our ability to hear God. We are responsible to walk humbly with God and with others. We must not grieve the Holy Spirit through any kind of harsh attitude or unforgiveness toward others.[27]
God has His priorities. Sometime we come to Him wanting Him to talk with us about one thing—maybe it’s which job to pursue, maybe it’s what car to buy, or an array of other things. And He wants to talk with us about our attitude toward a brother or sister in Christ. It’s going to be hard to get him on your subject until you deal with His concern. If we refuse to do that we have an impasse and we have problems hearing God. One person has stated it well when he said, “If you walk in the little light that you have, God will always supply more light.”[28]
Isaiah 58 has a lot of instruction about the kind of life God’s people are to live. Verse 10 says, “If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11The LORD will guide you continually....” If I am committed to simply doing my own thing and living for myself I will have a hard time hearing God. God speaks to those who are operating in His will. In John 5:30 Jesus said, “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” Jesus was in continuous communion with the Father but it happened in this context “because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” When we are functioning in what God has sent us to do we can confidently expect the Father to instruct us as to how He wants it done.[29] If we are just following our own desires it’s hard to get that instruction.
In Acts 8 Philip had an awesome experience. He was supernaturally transported from Samaria to where an Ethiopian eunuch was reading from the book of Isaiah. Acts 8:29-30 “Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near and overtake this chariot.’ 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" In what context did Philip hear God? Was he asking God which new shinny chariot he should buy? Was he asking God where he could get the best return on his investment in the stock market? I’m not saying it’s wrong to ask God about those things; we should. But God speaks in the context of what He is doing. And if we will join Him in what He is doing we will hear His voice.
Let us Pray
God open our hearts to what You are doing. Rather than us take the lead and get you to speak into what we’re doing, we submit ourselves to You and ask you to tell us what we are to do in the context of Your kingdom purposes. We open our hearts to Your instruction right now.
Invitation
TEXT: 1 Kings 19:7-13
7And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." 8So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. 9And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." 11Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" NKJV
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] Text which was read at beginning of the service is provided at the end of this manuscript. All Scripture quotes are New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.
[2] Devotional material used to prepare congregation for the message is available with this sermon at www.gracechapelchurch.org
[3] Luke 10:10; John 8:44
[4] For an extensive discussion of this see Hearing God’s Voice by Henry and Richard Blackaby (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002) pp 1-60.
[5] Leona Choy, Andrew Murray: Apostle of Abiding Love (Ft. Washington, Penn.: Christian Literature Crusade, 1978), p. 152 quotes Murray “Basing my views on scripture, I do not believe that miracles and the other gifts of the Spirit were limited to the time of the primitive Church, nor that their object was to establish the foundation of Christianity and then disappear by God’s withdrawal of them.”
[6] 1Peter 5:8; 2Cor. 10:4
[7] This DVD series produced by Roberts Liardon and Whitaker Entertainment can be obtained at www.cpobooks.com
[8] William Branham was a very controversial figure and I am not affirming everything about his ministry. In fact, toward the end of his life he got into some very strange doctrines. The God’s Generals Series is helpful because it acknowledges the failures as well as the successes of these leaders.
[9] This is not only affirmed in Mark 16:20 but throughout the book of Acts and many other places in the Old Testament and New Testament.
[10] Romans 1:21-22; Hebrews 3:8-19 This was seen in the Scribes & Pharisees inability to receive the Messiah.
[11] Matthew Henry writes concerning this text, 1 Kings 19:9-18, “At last he perceived a still small voice, in which the Lord was, that is, by which he spoke to him, and not out of the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. Those struck an awe upon him, awakened his attention, and inspired humility and reverence; but God chose to make known his mind to him in whispers soft, not in those dreadful sounds.” (from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.).
[12] While taking this position Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999) p. 109 suggests this preference because of two things: “the clarity of its content and the advanced spiritual condition of those who can hear and receive it.”
[13] John 4:24
[14] Prov 20:27 “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.” See also 1Cor. 2:9-14.
[15] These messages were preached from 3-20-05 to 5-22-05 and are available at www.gracechapelchurch.org
[16] Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29: 3:6, 13, 20, 22
[17] Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000) p. 370.
[18] Luke 4:10-11 and also consider Gen. 3:1-5
[19] 2Timothy 1:7
[20] Bob Mumford, Take Another Look at Guidance (Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1971) pp 96-104 deals with this extensively.
[21] 1 Timothy 4:2
[22] Hebrews 10:22
[23] Watchman Nee, The Spiritual Man, Vol II (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 1977) p 161. Although much of Watchman Nee’s teachings are debatable and less academic that we would prefer I have found that my personal experience is more consistent than inconsistent with his teachings. His extensive writings concerning these matters at the least raise important issues for nurturing a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
[24] Jude 20-21
[25] Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God on pp 169-177 provides helpful instruction for applying the three lights which we discussed in our sermon entitled “Hearing God: Three Dynamics” preached on 8-21-05.
[26] Matthew 5:3
[27] Eph. 4:30-31.
[28] Mumford, p 92. Time does not allow for me to deal with another issue closely related to this: distractions. Rom. 8:4-7 contrasts those who are pursuing the things of the Spirit with those who are pursuing the desires of the flesh. Being mind-ful of God and His presence stands in contrast to being filled with the cares of this life. Although these issues were deal with some in the sermon preached 8-28-05 entitled “Hearing God: Motives” there is much more that needs to be said.
[29] Even a human supervisor is willing to tell employees how he wants the job done—how much more, our loving, heavenly Father.
