Active Listening: Cultivating a Relationship with God
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, everyone! It's always a joy to be here with you, and I want to extend a warm welcome to those joining us online. Today, we continue our series on "Listening to God." We've previously discussed the misconceptions and barriers to hearing God's voice. Today, we focus on how we can actively listen to God.
First, we must remove the barriers that prevent us from hearing God. These barriers, often placed by the enemy, can be numerous and varied. Have you identified and addressed these barriers in your life? Without removing them, we can't expect to hear God's voice clearly.
Second, we need to identify our relationship with God. Not everyone is a child of God; we become His children when we receive Him and believe in His name. Understanding this relationship is crucial because it changes how we perceive and hear Him. Knowing that God is our perfect Father, who always wants to hear from us, transforms our approach to listening to Him.
Third, we must always be listening. God doesn't speak on command; He speaks continuously throughout our day. We need to cultivate a lifestyle of listening, being attentive to His voice in every situation. Often, we expect God to speak in dramatic ways, but He usually speaks in a low whisper, requiring us to be still and attentive.
Fourth, identify your worship center. This is a specific place where you can focus and commune with God. For some, it might be a quiet room, a special chair, or even a walk in nature. The key is to find a place where you can consistently meet with God and listen to Him.
Finally, be willing to share your conversations with God. Sharing what God is revealing to you with others can strengthen your faith and theirs. It also keeps you accountable and encourages you to keep listening and growing in your relationship with Him.
### Key Takeaways
1. Remove the Barriers: Identifying and addressing the barriers that prevent us from hearing God is crucial. These barriers, often placed by the enemy, can be numerous and varied. Without removing them, we can't expect to hear God's voice clearly. Have you done your homework in identifying and addressing these barriers? [25:28]
2. Identify Your Relationship with God: Understanding that we become children of God when we receive Him and believe in His name is crucial. This relationship changes how we perceive and hear Him. Knowing that God is our perfect Father, who always wants to hear from us, transforms our approach to listening to Him. [28:18]
3. Always Be Listening: Cultivating a lifestyle of listening to God is essential. God doesn't speak on command; He speaks continuously throughout our day. We need to be attentive to His voice in every situation, often expecting Him to speak in a low whisper rather than dramatic ways. [35:19]
4. Identify Your Worship Center: Finding a specific place where you can focus and commune with God is vital. This could be a quiet room, a special chair, or even a walk in nature. The key is to find a place where you can consistently meet with God and listen to Him. [45:05]
5. Share Your Conversations with God: Sharing what God is revealing to you with others can strengthen your faith and theirs. It also keeps you accountable and encourages you to keep listening and growing in your relationship with Him. Are you sharing your spiritual journey with those close to you? [55:08]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[21:24] - Growing the Third Service
[22:31] - God with Us: Emmanuel
[23:22] - Hearing vs. Listening
[24:02] - How Can I Listen to God?
[24:37] - Remove the Barriers
[25:28] - Did You Do Your Homework?
[26:22] - Identify Your Relationship with God
[28:18] - Born Again: Becoming a Child of God
[29:38] - The Perfect Father
[32:16] - Knowing the Shepherd's Voice
[35:19] - Always Be Listening
[37:49] - Expecting God's Voice
[40:48] - The Low Whisper
[45:05] - Identify Your Worship Center
[55:08] - Share Your Conversations with God
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. John 10:14-15 (ESV) - "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."
2. 1 Kings 19:11-12 (ESV) - "And he said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks 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. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper."
#### Observation Questions
1. According to John 10:14-15, how does Jesus describe His relationship with His followers?
2. In 1 Kings 19:11-12, what were the different natural phenomena that occurred before Elijah heard the low whisper of God?
3. What are the barriers mentioned in the sermon that can prevent us from hearing God's voice? ([25:28])
4. How does the sermon describe the difference between hearing and listening to God? ([23:22])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it important to understand our relationship with God as described in John 10:14-15 when trying to listen to Him? ([28:18])
2. How does the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-12 illustrate the way God often communicates with us? ([39:15])
3. What does it mean to cultivate a lifestyle of always listening to God, as mentioned in the sermon? ([35:19])
4. How can identifying a specific worship center help in focusing and communing with God? ([45:05])
#### Application Questions
1. Have you identified and addressed any barriers in your life that might be preventing you from hearing God's voice? What steps can you take this week to remove these barriers? ([25:28])
2. Reflect on your relationship with God. Do you see Him as your perfect Father? How does this perspective change the way you listen to Him? ([28:18])
3. How can you cultivate a habit of always listening to God throughout your day? What practical steps can you take to be more attentive to His voice? ([35:19])
4. Do you have a specific place where you consistently meet with God? If not, what place can you designate as your worship center to help you focus and commune with Him? ([45:05])
5. Are you willing to share what God is revealing to you with others? How can sharing your spiritual journey with someone close to you strengthen both your faith and theirs? ([55:08])
6. Think about a recent time when you felt God was speaking to you. How did you respond? What can you do to be more receptive to His low whispers in the future? ([39:15])
7. How can you support someone else in their journey to listen to God? Is there someone in your life who might benefit from your encouragement or shared experiences? ([55:08])
Devotional
Day 1: Removing Barriers to Hear God
Description: Identifying and addressing the barriers that prevent us from hearing God is crucial. These barriers, often placed by the enemy, can be numerous and varied. Without removing them, we can't expect to hear God's voice clearly. Have you done your homework in identifying and addressing these barriers? [25:28]
Isaiah 59:1-2 (ESV): "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."
Reflection: What specific barriers in your life might be preventing you from hearing God's voice clearly? Take time today to identify and begin addressing one of these barriers.
Day 2: Understanding Our Relationship with God
Description: Understanding that we become children of God when we receive Him and believe in His name is crucial. This relationship changes how we perceive and hear Him. Knowing that God is our perfect Father, who always wants to hear from us, transforms our approach to listening to Him. [28:18]
John 1:12-13 (ESV): "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
Reflection: How does knowing that you are a child of God change the way you approach listening to Him? Spend time today reflecting on your relationship with God and how it influences your ability to hear His voice.
Day 3: Cultivating a Lifestyle of Listening
Description: Cultivating a lifestyle of listening to God is essential. God doesn't speak on command; He speaks continuously throughout our day. We need to be attentive to His voice in every situation, often expecting Him to speak in a low whisper rather than dramatic ways. [35:19]
1 Kings 19:11-12 (ESV): "And he said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks 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. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper."
Reflection: In what ways can you cultivate a lifestyle of listening to God throughout your day? Identify one practical step you can take today to be more attentive to His voice.
Day 4: Finding Your Worship Center
Description: Finding a specific place where you can focus and commune with God is vital. This could be a quiet room, a special chair, or even a walk in nature. The key is to find a place where you can consistently meet with God and listen to Him. [45:05]
Matthew 6:6 (ESV): "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Reflection: Where is your worship center, a place where you can consistently meet with God? If you don't have one, take time today to identify and set up a specific place for your personal time with God.
Day 5: Sharing Your Conversations with God
Description: Sharing what God is revealing to you with others can strengthen your faith and theirs. It also keeps you accountable and encourages you to keep listening and growing in your relationship with Him. Are you sharing your spiritual journey with those close to you? [55:08]
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
Reflection: Who can you share your conversations with God with today? Think of one person you can encourage by sharing what God has been revealing to you.
Quotes
1. "A lot of times people, Christians, right, will go their whole life not realizing that God wants to have an intimate exchange with you, a very personal conversation with us. And they'll live their whole life not knowing that. I mean, he's called, and scripture says he is called Emmanuel. Does anybody know what Emmanuel means? Oh, man, my people. My people. Yes, it means God with us." [22:31] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Because until we remove the barriers, you can't expect that you're going to hear what God is wanting to share with you until you remove those barriers. So have you done your homework in that? And then number two is identify your relationship with him. I know a lot of you are like, well, have you had an identify the relationship talk? Have you identified your relationship with God? You see, that's a big one. Okay? It's a really big one when you're hearing from him." [25:28] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "When you understand that, here's the very cool thing, right? He's our. This is perfect father. I'm not talking about a father. I mean, because some of y'all are like me. You may have had a dad who would just not didn't add up really. He was more of an earthly father. But he said he's the perfect father. Okay. That means he's not. He's never going to leave you. He's never going to not want. He is the perfect father. And so if he's our father, think about this. Okay. If he's the perfect father, he's always wanting to hear his child." [28:58] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "You have the right to walk right into the presence because of who you are to him. All of the other goes aside. And so when we understand that, whoa, I don't know. He's yes. He's creator of all the universe, but he's actually my father. Right? That bypasses everything. And so when we realize that we have an ability, I'm telling you to go even stronger, but knowing who you are to him and who he is to you, I love Jesus was, oh, he was so he, he, he put it so perfect." [32:16] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "When you know who he is, you know his voice. And he goes on and saying a stranger, they will not follow, right? Because they flee from him for they don't know the voice of the stranger. And so we're understanding. Okay. As we're spending time in God's presence in the spirit, we start to know his voice. It's kind of like when you're out in the commons and you hear all these voices, right? You got a thousand people out here and the voices, and then someone, you know, you hear that voice and all of a sudden sticks out, you know that voice, right?" [33:42] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "When God speaks, there's like this. this barreling clouds, you know, going like this. And then he comes, you know, like that. And I'm, I'm waiting for that. I'm waiting for that because you know, that's, that's how Hollywood, that's how the, that's how it's made it out to be. And that is what I was expecting. I mean, when you, when you're waiting to hear from God, you know, are you waiting? You're like, okay, God speak. And I'm, I'm going to hear something like this. Nothing. Right. Okay. So that a lot of times is what happens." [37:49] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "Only God is omnipresent. That means when you're praying, right? And you're praying with him, his Holy Spirit is with you. And he's having a, he's listening and he's with you at that moment. This is what bothered me, right? When people pray to like saints, are they praying to like Mary? You are saying that they are a God. Now, some people, oh no, I'm not saying that. Well, here's the thing is, if you're saying that they can hear your prayer, but yet be in the presence of God and you're not saying that they can hear your prayer, then you're not saying that they can hear the other million people who are praying at the same time." [42:23] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "Prayer is not a list of what you want. Prayer is not supposed to be just this prayer list. It's the things that you want. Yes. God already knows. And yes, he wants you to tell him, but he wants you to sit down and share your heart and actually listen with him. And he wants to, he wants to have a communion with you. It's not a prayer list. And so he's like, God already knows your prayer list. You can actually just show it to him. He reads, you can do that if you want to, but that's not what he wants. He wants you to have an intimate time where you sit down with him." [51:56] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "When you pray, you have your prayer, right? Go to your room. Now, some people, I mean, this is ESV. Some people's Bible may say closet may say, well, here's the thing is when this was written a 2000 years ago, people didn't have closets. Okay. In their home, they didn't have a closet. They would, some would have a storeroom, but nobody had closets. So what he's saying is you need to make it your room. What room? Whatever it is, your room. You need to make it your room. What is your room? First thing you do when you pray, first thing you do is identify, go to your room." [50:38] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "When you are having that time with him, you'll find yourself thinking about him and what he's doing all through the day. Share it with people. Here's some of y'all are looking for an answer. I'm going to just give you this. This is free. All right. It, but I can, it works. I've done it for years and years, years. It's so powerful. It works. And if you're looking, you're looking for God to share, to give you some, a direction. Here's what I do. Cause a lot of times I'm like, I want to know, that I'm doing God's will in this. And I need direction." [55:08] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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