Listening to God's Voice: A Journey of Faith

 

Summary

In our time together, we explored the profound truth that God speaks to us, and this communication is essential for living a life empowered by Jesus Christ. This divine dialogue often occurs silently, beyond our conscious awareness, yet it is crucial for our spiritual journey. A conscious walk with Jesus involves God speaking to us about our lives, guiding us in ways we cannot achieve on our own. This communication is not just about our prayers reaching God but also about recognizing His voice in our lives.

Many believers struggle with the idea that God speaks to them, often feeling that their prayers do not reach beyond the ceiling. However, God is present both above and below that ceiling, and He desires to communicate with us. Our misconceptions about God and ourselves can hinder this communication. We must address these issues to fully embrace the life God offers, as depicted in the Bible.

Scripture provides numerous examples of God speaking to His people. In Psalm 32, God promises to instruct and guide us, emphasizing an intimate relationship where He directs us with His eye upon us. Unlike a horse or mule that requires a bit and bridle, God prefers to guide us through understanding. This understanding comes from listening to His voice and recognizing His guidance.

Isaiah 30 further illustrates this, where God assures us that even in times of hardship, He will not hide Himself. We will see and hear Him, guiding us in the right path. This assurance is for everyone brought to life by Jesus Christ. In John 10, Jesus affirms that His sheep hear and know His voice, a familiarity developed through experience and repetition.

Key Takeaways:

- God's Communication is Essential: Living a life empowered by Jesus Christ involves a conscious walk where God speaks to us, guiding us in ways we cannot achieve on our own. This divine dialogue is crucial for our spiritual journey and growth. [01:10]

- Overcoming Misconceptions: Many believers struggle with the idea that God speaks to them due to misconceptions about God and themselves. Addressing these issues is vital to fully embrace the life God offers. [02:51]

- Scriptural Assurance of God's Voice: The Bible provides numerous examples of God speaking to His people, emphasizing an intimate relationship where He guides us with His eye upon us. This assurance is for everyone brought to life by Jesus Christ. [03:46]

- God's Preferred Guidance: Unlike a horse or mule that requires a bit and bridle, God prefers to guide us through understanding. This understanding comes from listening to His voice and recognizing His guidance. [05:03]

- Developing Familiarity with God's Voice: In John 10, Jesus affirms that His sheep hear and know His voice, a familiarity developed through experience and repetition. This relationship is cultivated over time, deepening our connection with God. [06:50]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:28] - Introduction to Divine Communication
[00:51] - Conscious Walk with Jesus
[01:33] - Importance of God Speaking
[01:52] - Struggles with Hearing God
[02:38] - Addressing Misconceptions
[03:28] - Biblical Assurance of God's Voice
[04:06] - Intimate Relationship with God
[04:26] - God's Preferred Guidance
[05:21] - Understanding God's Communication
[05:37] - Isaiah's Assurance
[06:08] - Reality of God's Voice
[06:30] - Assurance for Believers
[06:50] - Developing Familiarity with God's Voice

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Psalm 32:8-9
2. Isaiah 30:20-21
3. John 10:27

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Observation Questions:

1. According to Psalm 32, how does God promise to guide us, and what metaphor is used to describe those who lack understanding? [03:46]

2. In Isaiah 30, what assurance does God give about His presence and guidance during times of hardship? [05:37]

3. How does Jesus describe the relationship between Him and His followers in John 10, and what does this imply about communication? [06:30]

4. What are some common misconceptions believers have about God's communication, as mentioned in the sermon? [02:51]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. What does it mean for God to guide us with His "eye upon us," and how does this reflect an intimate relationship? [03:46]

2. How might the metaphor of a horse or mule in Psalm 32 illustrate the difference between forced guidance and understanding-based guidance? [04:26]

3. In what ways does Isaiah 30:20-21 challenge the belief that God is distant during difficult times? [05:37]

4. How does the familiarity with Jesus' voice, as described in John 10, develop over time, and what role does experience play in this process? [06:50]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt your prayers were not reaching God. How can the understanding that God is both above and below the ceiling change your perspective? [02:06]

2. Identify a misconception you might have about God's communication. What steps can you take to address this misconception and open yourself to hearing God's voice more clearly? [02:51]

3. How can you cultivate a more intimate relationship with God, where you are guided by His eye rather than needing a "bit and bridle"? What practical steps can you take this week? [04:26]

4. Think of a recent hardship you faced. How can the assurance from Isaiah 30:20-21 that God will not hide Himself during such times encourage you? [05:37]

5. In what ways can you become more familiar with Jesus' voice in your daily life? Consider setting aside specific times for prayer and reflection to deepen this familiarity. [06:50]

6. How can you help others in your community overcome their misconceptions about God's communication? What role can you play in guiding them towards a deeper understanding? [02:51]

7. Reflect on your current spiritual journey. How can you consciously walk with Jesus, allowing His voice to guide you in areas where you feel uncertain or unable to proceed on your own? [01:10]

Devotional

Day 1: Divine Dialogue Empowers Our Journey
God's communication is essential for living a life empowered by Jesus Christ. This divine dialogue often occurs silently, beyond our conscious awareness, yet it is crucial for our spiritual journey. A conscious walk with Jesus involves God speaking to us about our lives, guiding us in ways we cannot achieve on our own. This communication is not just about our prayers reaching God but also about recognizing His voice in our lives. Understanding that God speaks to us can transform our spiritual journey, making it more vibrant and meaningful. [01:10]

"For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." (Psalm 48:14, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you become more aware of God's silent communication in your daily life, and how might this awareness empower your spiritual journey?


Day 2: Overcoming Barriers to Hearing God
Many believers struggle with the idea that God speaks to them, often feeling that their prayers do not reach beyond the ceiling. However, God is present both above and below that ceiling, and He desires to communicate with us. Our misconceptions about God and ourselves can hinder this communication. Addressing these issues is vital to fully embrace the life God offers, as depicted in the Bible. By confronting and overcoming these misconceptions, we open ourselves to a deeper relationship with God, where His voice becomes clearer and more impactful in our lives. [02:51]

"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." (Jeremiah 33:3, ESV)

Reflection: What misconceptions about God or yourself might be hindering your ability to hear His voice, and how can you begin to address them today?


Day 3: Assurance of God's Guiding Voice
Scripture provides numerous examples of God speaking to His people. In Psalm 32, God promises to instruct and guide us, emphasizing an intimate relationship where He directs us with His eye upon us. Unlike a horse or mule that requires a bit and bridle, God prefers to guide us through understanding. This understanding comes from listening to His voice and recognizing His guidance. This assurance is for everyone brought to life by Jesus Christ, offering a profound sense of peace and direction in our spiritual journey. [03:46]

"And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left." (Isaiah 30:21, ESV)

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper understanding of God's guidance in your life, and what steps can you take to listen more intently to His voice?


Day 4: Understanding God's Preferred Guidance
God's preferred method of guidance is through understanding, rather than force. Unlike a horse or mule that requires a bit and bridle, God desires to guide us through a relationship built on understanding and trust. This understanding comes from listening to His voice and recognizing His guidance. By developing this understanding, we align ourselves more closely with God's will, allowing His guidance to lead us in ways that are gentle and profound. [05:03]

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." (Psalm 32:8, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you resisting God's gentle guidance, and how can you open yourself to His preferred method of leading you through understanding?


Day 5: Cultivating Familiarity with God's Voice
In John 10, Jesus affirms that His sheep hear and know His voice, a familiarity developed through experience and repetition. This relationship is cultivated over time, deepening our connection with God. As we grow in our spiritual journey, recognizing and responding to God's voice becomes more natural, allowing us to live a life that is more aligned with His purposes. This familiarity is not instantaneous but requires intentional effort and openness to God's presence in our lives. [06:50]

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27, ESV)

Reflection: What practices can you incorporate into your daily routine to cultivate a deeper familiarity with God's voice, and how might this change your relationship with Him?

Quotes

In many respects, it works silently. It often works outside of the range of our consciousness and our efforts, but the essential part of it is in a conscious walk with Jesus Christ, a conscious walk in which there is talk, God speaking to us about what we're doing, where we are in our lives, in our world, and guiding us into the things that we need to do and need to know but cannot do and cannot know on our own. [00:35:76]

So many people feel like there is no communication between them and God, and often they only experience it in terms of their prayers. Sometimes they will say, "Well, I feel like my prayers never get above the ceiling," and of course, I like to point out to them that God is below the ceiling as well as above it, and they need help with understanding that part of it. [01:18:88]

Our ideas about God hurt us in prayer and in communication, and our ideas about ourselves perhaps hurt us even more, and so we have to deal with those kinds of issues. But we just want to say God speaking is the assumption of the life that God presents to us in the Bible. [03:11:52]

God says, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you." See, this is a very intimate relationship of living before the face of God and God speaking and directing us. It's interesting how he follows that up in verse 9, "Don't be as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding." [03:46:40]

A horse and a mule have to have a bit in their mouth or some other piece of equipment or harness that allows them to be directed, not just spoken to. And what God is bringing out here in this passage is that's not his preferred model, to have to put a bit in your mouth and something to pull you around. The preferred model is the understanding. [04:30:08]

God's way of addressing us is through our understanding. He speaks to us, and we have in the morning to go over very carefully what that's like. But I want you to understand now that God's preferred way of communicating is to speak to us. [05:14:72]

Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, he, your teacher, will no longer hide himself, but your eyes will behold your teacher, and your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left. [05:43:12]

I want to emphasize that God's speaking is a reality. I want to add that it is for every person who has been brought to life by Jesus Christ. In John chapter 10, Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice. They know my voice," and that is another thing that we need to emphasize, is you learn to know the voice of God by experience. [06:16:08]

By repetition, like you learn to know the voice of another person. [06:54:96]

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Transcript
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