God's Voice Builds: Listen, Encourage, and Strengthen Others

Devotional

Day 1: God’s voice builds us up, it does not beat us down.

The words we hear have immense power to shape our identity and direction. Many voices from our past or present can leave us feeling broken and defeated. Yet, God’s voice is fundamentally different; it is a voice of life and affirmation. It speaks to who we are in Christ before it ever addresses what we are to do. His words are meant to strengthen and comfort, not to crush or condemn. We are invited to listen for this building, life-giving voice above all others. [06:32]

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (Proverbs 18:21, ESV)

Reflection: What is one negative message you have carried from your past that still affects how you see yourself today? How might intentionally listening for God’s affirming voice begin to reshape that identity?

Day 2: Our identity in Christ always precedes our mission for Christ.

We often approach God seeking direction for our actions, asking what He wants us to do. However, God consistently starts by revealing who we are. Just as the Father declared Jesus His beloved Son before His ministry began, He speaks identity over us first. This foundation of being loved and accepted is what gives us the security and confidence to then step out in faith and obedience. Our doing flows securely from our being. [08:17]

“and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:17, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life are you striving to prove your worth or earn approval, rather than operating from the secure foundation of being God’s beloved child?

Day 3: We must learn to listen to Jesus, not just hear His words.

There is a profound difference between passively hearing information and actively listening with a heart ready to respond. We can read the Bible, attend church, and pray, yet still fail to truly listen to what Jesus is saying to us. Listening requires slowing down, removing distractions, and posturing our hearts to recognize His voice. It is in this attentive posture that our lives are truly transformed. [10:56]

“He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’” (Matthew 17:5, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your spiritual routine have you settled for merely hearing, and what is one practical step you could take this week to move toward deeper listening and response?

Day 4: God’s voice reveals more of Jesus to give us confidence.

The primary purpose of God speaking is to make His Son known to us. When we encounter His voice, whether in Scripture or prayer, it serves to show us more of Christ’s character, heart, and priorities. Seeing Jesus more fully is like a lamp shining in a dark place; it illuminates our path and confirms the truth of what we are hearing. Our confidence grows not in the specifics of a direction, but in the certainty of who He is. [20:39]

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16, ESV)

Reflection: When you seek God’s guidance, do you find yourself looking more for a specific answer or for a deeper revelation of Jesus Himself? How might focusing on the latter change your approach?

Day 5: God’s voice is meant to be shared to build up others.

The encouraging word we receive from God is rarely meant for us alone. It is a gift to be stewarded and shared with humility to strengthen those around us. Our words, guided by the Spirit, have the power to build up the church and extend grace to those outside it. This is how the body of Christ is joined together and grows, as each part does its work by speaking the truth in love. [27:49]

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESV)

Reflection: Who has God brought to your mind that could use a word of encouragement this week? What would it look like for you to prayerfully share a simple, truthful affirmation with them?

Sermon Summary

God’s words build life while the enemy’s words break down. Scripture and the transfiguration scene show God speaking identity first—“my beloved”—before mission or suffering. That declaration reframes every call and clears the fog of performance anxiety: identity from God opens ears and hearts to direction, while striving to earn identity leaves people exhausted and deaf to God’s leading. Hearing God does not start with tasks but with knowing who Jesus is and who people are in him.

Jesus functions as the audible center for God’s voice. The Father commands, “Listen to him,” and what Jesus says carries divine authority. God’s speaking aims to reveal Christ more fully, and any claimed word that points away from Jesus lacks the shape of biblical prophecy. The prophetic becomes trustworthy when it directs attention to Jesus, aligns with Scripture, and strengthens faith rather than inflating personality.

Practical tools appear for learning to recognize and share God’s voice. Slow reading of Scripture followed by the question “Jesus, who do you want me to know that you are?” trains perception toward Christ. The simple threefold practice—see, feel, respond—teaches empathic discernment: first perceive how God sees a person, then share God’s feeling toward them, and finally choose a loving, Scripture-shaped response. Guardrails insist that any encouragement must align with biblical truth, show Jesus, and prefer love over mere information.

Speaking God’s voice carries responsibility and timing. The church should mirror the paraclete—coming alongside to strengthen, comfort, and exhort—so that fellowship becomes the safest place to be reminded of identity in Christ. Encouragement must build up, not crush; correction without love wounds. Words issued in humility and accountability grow the body as each part works rightly, making the whole mature in love. Listening practices and daily asking the Spirit “Who needs encouragement today?” help ordinary people participate in building others up, not beating them down. The goal remains clear: help others see Jesus, receive God’s identity, and walk in that strength.

Key Takeaways

1. God speaks identity first Hearing God begins with affirmation, not assignment. When identity arrives before mission, fear and performance-driven striving lose power and the heart relaxes enough to obey. Identity from God removes the need to prove anything and opens the soul to receive clear direction rooted in love and security. [08:17]
2. Listen to Jesus above others True discernment filters every word through Christ-centered truth. A voice that points away from Jesus or elevates personality fails the test of biblical prophecy. Attention to Jesus gives confidence that direction comes from the Father and not from impulse, fear, or cultural noise. [10:29]
3. Practice seeing, feeling, responding Discernment requires empathy: first see people as God sees them, then attune to God’s feeling toward them, then choose a loving action. This sequence prevents reactive judgments and grounds responses in grace plus truth. Such practice keeps encouragement connected to Christ’s heart and avoids wielding words as weapons. [23:10]
4. Share words that build Speech should strengthen, comfort, and exhort toward Jesus, not crush. The church’s calling is to come alongside others as the paraclete does—bringing hope, identity, and practical direction that align with Scripture. Humble, timed, and accountable encouragement matures the body and advances gospel witness. [27:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - Opening Prayer
[00:58] - Introduction and Anecdote
[03:56] - Power of Words: Life and Death
[05:05] - The Transfiguration Moment
[07:15] - God Speaks Identity First
[10:29] - Listen to Jesus’ Voice
[17:33] - Knowing Jesus Through Scripture
[23:10] - See, Feel, Respond Tool
[27:49] - Share God’s Voice to Build
[31:47] - The Paraclete and Encouragement
[36:39] - ASK: Alignment, Show Jesus, Love
[40:46] - Practice Listening Invitation
[41:53] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Matthew 17:1-8 (ESV)
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Observation questions

What three things did the voice from the cloud say about Jesus?
What was the disciples' immediate physical and emotional reaction to hearing God's voice?
What was the final thing the disciples saw after Jesus touched them and told them to have no fear?
According to the sermon, what is the primary thing God's voice aims to reveal? [18:18]

Interpretation questions

Why is the declaration of identity ("This is my beloved Son") spoken before the command to obey ("listen to him")? What does this sequence communicate about God's heart?
The disciples fell on their faces in terror. How does knowing our identity in Christ, as beloved children, change our posture from one of fear to one of being able to receive from God?
The sermon states that "confidence doesn't come from pressure. It comes from affirmation." [09:53] How does operating from a place of affirmed identity, rather than performance anxiety, affect a person's ability to hear and follow God's direction?
The command is to "listen to him." In a world full of competing voices, what are the practical challenges of prioritizing Jesus' voice above all others?

Application questions

What is one negative "sticky" word from your past that you have allowed to shape your identity? What is a truth from Scripture about who God says you are that can replace that old word?
The practice of reading Scripture slowly and asking, "Jesus, who do you want me to know that you are?" was suggested. [17:33] This week, try this with one passage. What did you learn about God's character, and how did that revelation impact your understanding of your own identity in Him?
The "see, feel, respond" tool is for interacting with others. [23:10] Think of one person you will interact with soon. How can you pause to ask God to help you see them as He sees them, feel what He feels for them, and then choose a loving, Scripture-shaped response?
Who in your life—a family member, coworker, or neighbor—needs to be built up and reminded of their value this week? What is one simple, encouraging phrase rooted in God's truth that you can share with them?
The Holy Spirit is called our paraclete—one who comes alongside. [31:08] How can you intentionally "come alongside" someone this week to strengthen, comfort, or exhort them in a way that points them to Jesus?
The church is meant to be the safest place to be reminded of who you are in Jesus. [41:15] How does this vision challenge your own participation and speech within your spiritual community? What is one step you can take to help make your community a place that builds up rather than beats down?

Sermon Clips

What Jesus says is the voice of God. Here the God God the father says, I want you to listen to him. If you're gonna listen to my voice, listen to his voice. What Jesus says is the voice of God. And many of us want to see Jesus. We wanna experience Jesus. We wanna come to church and have the feeling of Jesus. But do we want the second thing? Listen to him. Do we want to listen to him? [00:10:29] (27 seconds) #JesusIsTheVoice

God's voice in biblical prophecy is Christ centered revelation. This is what Revelation nineteen eleven, where there's this whole vision of Jesus and there's all kinds of craziness and everything going on. It actually says in verse 19, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. How do we know this is from now from God? Because it's all about Jesus. It shows him for who he is. It's not personality driven. It's not about any of the other people on the mountain. It's about Jesus. When God speaks, God reveals Jesus. God exalts Jesus and gives us confidence to listen to Jesus. [00:21:17] (35 seconds) #TestimonyOfJesus

He's talking about hearing the voice of God, seeing Jesus, and it and it fully confirms. It gives us confidence in what we're hearing. When we see Jesus more fully, it gives us confidence with what we're hearing. Alright? The voice of God is confirmed by who Jesus is. And that's anytime we start talking about this word, we're gonna unpack this a little bit more with prophetic words. Some people call it a prophetic encouragement or hearing from God. It's trustworthy when it points to Jesus. It gives us confidence. [00:20:31] (27 seconds) #JesusConfirmsTheWord

And he and and what this this verse says first in first Thessalonians is therefore parakaleo, be like the holy spirit to one another. As you connect as he connects with you, you connect with others and strengthen them too. Share God's voice. Strengthen. Build up. He assumes Paul who wrote this assumes that spirit filled believers participate in this spirit shaped encouragement and building up and strengthening of each other. [00:31:41] (30 seconds) #BeLikeTheSpirit

How many of us have even heard the things that Jesus has said, but we still I hear this from some people in my life. It's like, you heard me, but are you listening? Right? Are you listening? We read the bible, got that done, but are you listening? I went to church, I heard the message, got that done, but are you listening? I prayed, but are you listening? [00:10:56] (23 seconds) #AreYouListening

But Jesus came and touched them saying, rise, have no fear. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. This wasn't about anyone else that was on the mountain that day. It was only about Jesus and seeing him more fully. I wanna see Jesus, know him, understand him, his heart, his character, his priorities, his ways. When God speaks, it's to show me more of Jesus so that I can listen to him. [00:18:31] (33 seconds) #EyesOnJesus

many of us though, with this power, responsibility, we go, man, that just sounds a little bit crazy, a little bit hard. I'm just gonna chill with me and my personal private time with God. Doesn't that sound a little bit easier? Yes. Of course. Here's point number three, though. God's voice is meant to be shared. It's meant to be shared. Words are powerful. They they hold in the the power of death. Yes. We see that. But also the power of life. We can strengthen. We can build up. We can we can transform, transfigure, change things as we share this. [00:27:29] (40 seconds) #ShareGodsVoice

Maybe you just wanna pray an include me prayer. It's very simple. Holy Spirit, would you include me today? Whatever you're doing, whatever you're saying, would you include me? And then listen and pray, speak the truth in love. So just as the father spoke over Jesus, this is my beloved son. Listen to him. God's voice formed Jesus' ministry, and God's voice forms our lives. [00:40:27] (23 seconds) #InviteTheHolySpirit

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

How does God's voice shape Christian identity?

What criteria validate a perceived prophetic word?

How should Christians build others up with words?