When the Bell Rings: Listen and Answer God's Call

Aug 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When the Uber Driver’s Story Becomes Your Prayer Prompt

A stranger’s vulnerability becomes sacred ground. Daniel’s raw confession about his daughter Allison mirrors countless hidden struggles around us. Prayer isn’t a last resort but a first response to the ache we witness. God positions His people to hear fractured stories not to fix them, but to fold them into His redemptive work. The “bell” rings in grocery lines, car rides, and interruptions—invitations to partner with heaven’s heartbeat. [38:19]

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
(Matthew 18:20, ESV)

Reflection: Whose “Allison” has God placed in your path this week? What ordinary moment might become holy if you paused to pray instead of rushing past?

Day 2: The Diplomat Who Heard What Others Missed

FDR’s absurd confession exposed a room of polite listeners—except one. Distraction drowns divine whispers. Missional listening requires leaning in when the world leans out. God speaks through the unremarkable: a driver’s worry, a coworker’s sigh, a child’s unfinished question. Tuning our ears to His frequency means silencing inner monologues to catch the sacred hidden in mundane words. [54:44]

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
(James 1:19, ESV)

Reflection: What familiar voice have you stopped truly hearing? How might you posture your heart this week to listen beyond surface-level responses?

Day 3: Muddy Sandals at the Jordan’s Edge

Joshua didn’t wait for dry ground to obey. Confidence grows when we step into uncertainty, trusting the One who parts rivers. Our “promised land” often looks like daily obedience—calling the prodigal, forgiving the wound, choosing joy. Victory begins when we wade into the mess, believing God’s promise matters more than our comfort. [58:49]

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9, ESV)

Reflection: What river are you hesitating to enter? How does God’s presence redefine what “readiness” looks like for your next step?

Day 4: Tomorrow’s Miracle in Today’s Obedience

The priests carried the ark into rushing waters before the miracle came. Faith acts on what God will do, not just what He’s done. “Tomorrow” miracles are birthed in today’s small yeses—texting the estranged, serving the ungrateful, loving the complicated. Resurrection starts when we plant seeds in winter soil. [01:18:28]

“Joshua said to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.’”
(Joshua 3:5, ESV)

Reflection: What dormant area of your life needs consecration? How might today’s obedience unlock tomorrow’s wonder for someone else?

Day 5: The Quiet That Lets Heaven Interrupt

Solitude isn’t escape—it’s combat training. Like Joshua’s mornings before battle, stillness sharpens our discernment. God’s voice cuts through chaos when we mute the noise of opinions, notifications, and self-reliance. The enemy fears believers who recognize their Father’s whisper above the world’s scream. [01:16:34]

“And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains… 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.”
(1 Kings 19:11–12, ESV)

Reflection: What “wind” or “fire” distracts you from God’s whisper? What practical step will you take this week to protect sacred listening space?

Sermon Summary

The bell rings, and the call to answer it comes right down into ordinary life. A broken car, an Uber ride, a driver named Daniel, and a hurting daughter named Allison become more than a story. The bell becomes that moment when somebody shares pain for no obvious reason, and the people of God either listen or pass by. The Holy Spirit presses the church to get up off the mat, pray with real urgency, and believe that God still reconciles and resurrects what looks dead.

The practice of listening stands right at the center of mission. Blessing moves toward people with favor. Eating makes space for intimacy. Listening trains the heart to hear God and hear people when the bell is ringing. The world is full of people talking, posting, arguing, and standing on soapboxes, but the kingdom asks for people who are actually present.

Joshua 3 gives the picture. Israel has been set free through the sea, pruned in the wilderness, and brought to the edge of the promised land. Freedom from captivity is beautiful, but victory comes when God’s people take ownership of the identity God has given them. The ark goes first, the people move from their positions, and Joshua says, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” The way forward depends on hearing before moving.

God confidence is not personality confidence. Joshua is not walking around saying, “I’m the man.” Joshua knows what God said, and that makes him steady. God confidence rests on God’s nature, God’s consistency, and God’s ability. God is good, God has been faithful through generations, and God can do what people cannot do.

The problem is not that God has stopped speaking. The problem is that God’s people often are not listening first and foremost to him. Prayer can become a list of wishes, like God is a genie, instead of a place where the soul becomes quiet before the Creator of all things. Solitude, limited distractions, Scripture-shaped discernment, and obedience to promptings train believers to hear clearly.

Faith finally puts feet in the water. The priests step in before the Jordan parts. The bell does not call people to stay in chairs, stay on the mat, or stay stuck in fear. The bell calls God’s people to listen, pray, move, and say with Joshua confidence, “Tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

Key Takeaways

1. The bell rings in real life The bell is not just a nice image for church people. The bell rings when a stranger starts sharing pain, when a parent is worried about a child, when somebody is far from God and somebody else is actually listening. The holy moment may look like an Uber ride, but the Spirit can turn it into prayer, mercy, and mission. [39:46]
2. Prayer reaches toward resurrection The prayer for Allison is not sentimental wishing. The prayer asks the God of Genesis to bring order into chaos and the God of resurrection to bring dead relationship back to life. Reconciliation may not rebuild what used to be, but God can raise something better than what was lost. [44:56]
3. God confidence comes from listening Joshua’s courage is not hype, ego, or natural boldness. Joshua has confidence because God has spoken, and listening has made him sure enough to move. A believer who does not listen will usually guess, but a believer who listens can obey with steadiness even when the whole road is not visible. [61:17]
4. Solitude clears the noise Listening requires a set apart time and a set apart place. Distractions have to be limited because the world, the flesh, and the enemy all compete for attention. God’s voice will not contradict Scripture, so a quiet heart also needs a Bible-shaped mind. [74:56]
5. Faith puts feet in water The Jordan does not part while the priests stand safely on the bank. Faith becomes realized when obedience steps forward before the visible proof arrives. The next step may feel small, but God often does the great thing after his people put their feet in the water. [77:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[35:52] - Answer the Bell
[36:31] - A Broken Car and an Uber Ride
[39:46] - Daniel, Allison, and a Holy Moment
[41:45] - Praying for the Far From God
[49:56] - Bless, Eat, Listen
[51:09] - A World That Talks but Does Not Listen
[55:11] - Joshua at the Jordan
[56:14] - From Freedom to Promised Land
[58:26] - Move Out and Follow
[60:20] - Access to God for Every Believer
[61:17] - God Confidence, Not Self Confidence
[63:37] - God’s Nature, Consistency, and Ability
[74:31] - Making Space to Hear God
[77:59] - Put Feet in the Water

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Joshua 3:1-9
Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” [55:11]

Joshua 1:1-6
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.” [01:06:17]

Matthew 18:20
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” [40:09]

Observation questions

In Joshua 3, what are the people told to do when they see the ark, and what are the priests told to do when they reach the Jordan? [58:26]
What details made the conversation with Daniel feel like more than a normal ride, and what burden was shared about Allison? [39:46]
In Joshua 3, what words does Joshua speak before the people move forward, and what does that show comes first: listening or moving? [59:36]
What practical steps were named for making space to hear God more clearly? [01:14:56]

Interpretation questions

Israel had already been freed from Egypt, yet they still had to cross the Jordan and take the land. What does that suggest about the difference between being set free and actually walking in victory? [56:14]
Joshua’s confidence was rooted in what God had said, not in his own personality. How does that help explain the difference between self-confidence and God confidence? [01:01:17]
The priests had to step into the water before the river parted. What does that reveal about how faith and obedience usually work in real life? [01:17:59]
Prayer is not mainly a way to hand God a wish list. How does listening-centered prayer reshape the way a person approaches decisions, burdens, and relationships? [01:09:36]

Application questions

The bell often rings in ordinary moments when somebody unexpectedly shares pain. Where in this season of life might that be happening around you—in your home, work, neighborhood, or daily routine—and how can you become more present to it? [47:06]
Many people have an “Allison” in their life—someone far from God, distant, confused, or relationally broken. Who comes to mind for you, and what would it look like to pray for that person with real hope for reconciliation and resurrection? [44:56]
If listening to God has grown weak, what is usually crowding it out for you right now—noise, hurry, fear, anger, constant media, or something else? What would it look like this week to set apart a real time and place to listen? [01:14:56]
God’s voice will not contradict Scripture. What habits are helping you stay rooted in the Bible so you can discern whether a prompting is truly from the Lord? [01:16:13]
Some people stay on the mat because pain, rejection, or disappointment has taken the fight out of them. Where do you feel tempted to stay down, and what might “getting up” look like in one concrete step of obedience? [45:41]
Faith puts feet in the water before the outcome is visible. What is one step you sense God may be asking you to take now, even if the river has not parted yet? [01:18:06]
“Tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” is a bold way to live. What would need to change in your listening, praying, or obeying for that kind of expectation to grow stronger in you? [58:49]

Sermon Clips

63s

#GodConfidence

“One thing that stands in the way of God's people though, is that we're not listening first and foremost to God. And if you're not listening, you won't be confident in what he tells you to do. This is what set Joshua apart from many of the people that he was with. It's what sets some people apart in today's world. Some are just listening better, and so they know the will of the Lord. This is what Joshua, this is why he was set apart. It wasn't that he was simply more bold. God had had, Joshua had God confidence, not Joshua confidence. You you see the difference, right? That that Joshua wasn't confident in himself. Joshua wasn't like I'm the man. Joshua's like I know what God said, and so I'm going to do that.”

66s

#AccessToGod

“This is what we're gonna do. Can you can you imagine what that would have been like for for Joshua? Now, Joshua had a special relationship. The Old Testament was different. We we see a very special person that God had chosen to speak to and through, but in our world, in our world, God says that each one of us are priests in the world. there's a priesthood of all believers, that you too have special access to God. No one has better access to God than you. I don't. Anyone that claims to have better access to God than you is wrong. Jesus tore the veil when he died. The veil was torn in the temple so that you didn't have to go through someone else to have access to God. He's accessible to everyone.”

51s

#HearTheCreator

“And not just listening to the wind around us, but to the creator of all things. What if you could hear the one that put all of this into motion? That you could hear him. What what if you could hear the one who was and is and is to come? What if you could hear from the one who has offered you complete forgiveness? What if you could hear from the one who has never failed you? He never comes up short. He never makes a mistake.”

50s

#CrossAndConfidence

“If we fast forward to Jesus, He's called to the cross, and he goes to the father and he says, if possible, can you take this cup from my hand? Do I actually have to go through this? But when he spends time in prayer, he walks out with God confidence knowing that he is going to the cross. And he takes up his own cross and walks it with intentionality towards Galgotham.”

36s

#IntentionalListening

“So the question is, are you listening? And if you aren't listening to him with intention, you might find yourself floundering in sin, in fear, in guilt, in shame, in brokenness, in confusion. But when you're listening to him by setting aside this time and limiting distraction, letting God in, following his promptings, doing what he says that you need to do, you will begin to feel a God confidence that you've never known before.”

67s

#ComeAndListen

“Just come here and listen to the word of the Lord. Just come and listen. Just come and listen. Just come here and listen. And why wouldn't we come and listen to the creator of all things? Why wouldn't we come and listen to the one that forgives us? Why wouldn't we come and listen to the one who is able? Why wouldn't we come and listen to the one that wants the best for us? Why would it be come and listen to the one that promises for tomorrow I will do great things among you.”

74s

#FaithInAction

“Tomorrow, faith is realized. You have the faith today. I love how God says to the to the priests, go and step into the water. The water hasn't separated yet, but they put their feet in the water. We're not even doing that. You gotta go put your feet in the water. If you have faith, it's in action. they put their feet in the water, and then the waters part. That's when faith is realized. Tomorrow, God does what he said he will do. Tomorrow, he will do great things. I believe that Allison and Daniel are gonna be reunited in a way that is going to change their relationship and change the things that are going on around them. It's gonna change their families. It's gonna change the community in which they find themselves in. There's going to be more than reunion. There's gonna be resurrection. Because tomorrow, he will do great things.”

86s

#TrustHisNature

“What is God confidence? What did Joshua have that maybe we don't have? Well, God confidence is this, it's number one confidence in God because of God's nature, consistency, and ability. God's nature, consistency, and ability. If God wasn't good, if he wasn't loved, why would you have confidence in him? But he is. That's that's his nature. That's who he is. God wants the absolute best for you. So when we listen to him, we can trust that he is good. But then there's that consistency part. I love the song that we sang just a few minutes ago because it talked of this consistency. Through generations, God has been doing these things. We can look back in scripture. We can talk to people in this very room who have had those kinds of things happen. God is consistent in his love. He's consistent in his nature, but he's also able. God can do what you can't do. And so we put our confidence, our trust in him.”

39s

#TrustTheNextStep

“The second is this, when you have God confidence and you've spent time with him, you might not know the entire story. You might not know exactly how things are going to work out. You might not know what battle you have to face or what you have to go through, the ebbs and flows of life. But what you do know is this, God's will for your next steps will be made clear. then you'll have to trust him.”

65s

#JourneyToPromisedLand

“It's this idea that we've got some place to be. Now, if you follow the Israelites, they came out of captivity. They came through the Red Sea, which separated them from the bondage that they were in in slavery. They moved through the desert, there was a lot of pruning that happened, and then they moved into the promised land, which is what happened after they crossed the Jordan River. You can follow this in your own life. There's a a movement of being set free by the Red Sea or the blood of Christ, and there's a pruning time that takes place in each one of our lives. But then there's this calling to go and take ownership of who you truly are, and this is where we believe real victory comes from.”

54s

#HeartsForTheHurting

“Help us to answer the call when the Daniels of our lives and of our worlds reach out and they share their hurt and their pain for no reason whatsoever. God, I don't even know him. And yet he shared. And I just wonder if there are people in the world that are sharing and we're just not listening. Break our hearts today, God, for what breaks yours.”

56s

#PrayForReconciliation

“God, would you do the business that you've been in for so long in them? There's gotta be heart change, God. There's free will that's there, and and but we believe that you're a God of reconciliation. You're a God of resurrection. Resurrection. So I pray that you would reconcile this relationship and that you would that you would resurrect it into life. Not what it has been, but what it can be. And God, I pray that you would do that in the lives of my friends and my family here. That it wouldn't just be another prayer time, but that you would move in our hearts and in our minds and in our souls. That you would that you would awaken your kingdom in us. Ring the bell, God. Ring it today and move us to action.”

81s

#EmpoweredBySpirit

“Help us to get up off the mat. God, there's been so many of us that have been beaten down, that have been broken, that have experienced heartache. And, God, I think I think right now sometimes the pain is so overwhelming that maybe we just feel like we should stay on the mat. Maybe we should stay in our chair because there's been there's been rejection, there's been there's been hurt. But God, that's not where you leave us. Your Holy Spirit you promise will come on us with power, not power just to lay there. Power to get up. Power to do the hard things. Power to move in society, to make a difference. Power to overcome our our our pain. Power to overcome our our fears. Power to overcome the the things that hold us down. And so, I pray that you would just send your Holy Spirit. Amen.”

42s

#PrayForTheLost

“God, I wonder if you would move us to passionate prayer for this, for the lost, for people who are far from you, for people who are hurting, for people who are who are on the fringes of society. I wonder if you would if you would move us away from our own thoughts and feelings and emotions, if you would move us towards you so that we could have true connection with the Holy Spirit so that we might know when the bell is ringing. God, can we even hear it among the noise of the world that we're living in?”

48s

#ResurrectionInYou

“And it will show up in the world around you. Will show up in how you feel. It will show up in what you hear and how you see the world. It will show up in how you engage the world. And here's the thing. There's a really good possibility that you'll be just like Joshua saying to the people around you because you've seen it, you've heard it, you've experienced it. The resurrection of God has come alive in you, and so you'll say things to people like, tomorrow he will do great things. Because he will. Because that's what God does. He's consistent in it.”

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