Listening to God's Voice in Our Lives

Summary

In our journey of faith, one of the most profound truths is that God speaks to us today, just as He did in biblical times. This communication is not reserved for the extraordinary or the mystical; it is accessible to each of us if we are willing to listen. We are created in God's image, wired to hear His voice, and He speaks to us in various ways. The challenge is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are tuned in to hear Him.

The primary way God communicates with us is through His Word, the Bible. It is not merely a historical document or a collection of poetic writings; it is God-breathed and reliable. The Bible serves as our guide, offering truth and convicting us of our sins, helping us to live well-prepared lives. It is essential to engage with the Bible personally, beyond the sermons we hear, to truly receive God's message for us.

God also speaks through gifted teachers and preachers. Many of us have experienced moments when a sermon felt like it was directed specifically at us. This is because God uses these individuals to convey His Word, impacting our lives in ways we might not expect. It is crucial to value and listen to these messages, as they can be turning points in our spiritual journey.

The Holy Spirit is another vital channel through which God communicates. He inspires and impresses thoughts upon our minds, guiding us in our daily lives. However, we must discern these impressions carefully, ensuring they align with God's Word. The Holy Spirit's guidance is subtle yet profound, often leading us in ways we might not immediately recognize.

Lastly, God speaks to us through our pain. While none of us enjoy suffering, it is often through painful experiences that we are most open to change. Pain can be a catalyst for transformation, prompting us to seek God more earnestly and align our lives with His will. Like Joseph in the Bible, who endured betrayal and imprisonment, we can find that our trials serve a greater purpose in God's plan.

Key Takeaways:

- God speaks to us primarily through the Bible, which is not just a historical document but a living, God-breathed guide for our lives. Engaging with Scripture personally is crucial for receiving God's message. [07:41]

- Gifted teachers and preachers are vessels through whom God communicates His Word. Their messages can be pivotal in our spiritual journey, offering guidance and inspiration. [16:31]

- The Holy Spirit impresses thoughts and ideas upon our minds, guiding us subtly yet profoundly. It is essential to discern these impressions and ensure they align with God's Word. [31:43]

- Pain, though unwelcome, can be a powerful means through which God speaks to us. It often prompts us to change and seek God more earnestly, aligning our lives with His will. [41:30]

- God's guidance is like a GPS, providing direction one step at a time. Even when we make mistakes, His grace recalculates our path, leading us toward His intended destination. [40:02]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction to Series: Be Still
- [00:43] - Theme Scripture: 1 Kings 19:12
- [01:17] - Prayer for Guidance
- [02:03] - God Speaks to Us
- [03:09] - Historical Context: Is God Dead?
- [04:38] - Revival and the Jesus Revolution
- [05:32] - Tuning In to God's Voice
- [06:38] - Four Common Ways God Speaks
- [07:41] - God Speaks Through the Bible
- [10:17] - Importance of Reading the Bible
- [12:41] - God Desires Communication
- [16:31] - God Speaks Through Teachers and Preachers
- [21:13] - God Speaks Through Us
- [31:43] - God Speaks Through the Holy Spirit
- [41:30] - God Speaks Through Pain
- [45:25] - Closing Prayer and Reflection

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. 1 Kings 19:12 - "After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."
2. 2 Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."
3. Proverbs 20:30 - "Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being."

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Observation Questions:

1. According to the sermon, what are the four common ways God speaks to us today? ([06:38])
2. How does the sermon describe the role of the Bible in our lives? ([07:41])
3. What example from the sermon illustrates how God can use pain to communicate with us? ([41:30])
4. How does the sermon explain the role of gifted teachers and preachers in conveying God's message? ([16:31])

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Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that personal engagement with the Bible is crucial for receiving God's message? ([10:17])
2. How does the sermon illustrate the subtlety and profundity of the Holy Spirit's guidance in our lives? ([31:43])
3. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between pain and spiritual growth or transformation? ([41:30])
4. How does the sermon describe the process of discerning whether an impression is from the Holy Spirit or not? ([33:18])

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your current Bible reading habits. How can you make personal engagement with Scripture a more consistent part of your daily routine? ([10:17])
2. Think of a time when a sermon or teaching felt like it was directed specifically at you. How did it impact your spiritual journey, and how can you remain open to such messages in the future? ([16:31])
3. Consider a recent decision or thought that you felt was inspired by the Holy Spirit. How did you discern its alignment with God's Word? ([31:43])
4. Identify a painful experience in your life. How might God be using that pain to speak to you or prompt change? ([41:30])
5. How can you better tune in to God's "gentle whisper" in your daily life, amidst the noise and distractions? ([00:43])
6. Reflect on a time when you felt lost or made a mistake. How did you experience God's grace in recalculating your path? ([40:02])
7. What steps can you take to ensure that your spiritual journey is guided by God's Word and not by personal desires or external pressures? ([36:42])

Devotional

Day 1: The Living Word as Our Guide
God speaks to us primarily through the Bible, which is not just a historical document but a living, God-breathed guide for our lives. Engaging with Scripture personally is crucial for receiving God's message. The Bible is more than a collection of ancient texts; it is a dynamic and living document that continues to speak into our lives today. It offers wisdom, guidance, and conviction, helping us navigate the complexities of life. By engaging with Scripture, we open ourselves to God's voice, allowing it to shape our thoughts, actions, and decisions. The Bible is a reliable source of truth, providing clarity and direction in a world often filled with confusion and uncertainty. [07:41]

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to engage more deeply with the Bible, allowing it to guide your daily decisions and actions?

Day 2: The Impact of God’s Messengers
Gifted teachers and preachers are vessels through whom God communicates His Word. Their messages can be pivotal in our spiritual journey, offering guidance and inspiration. God uses these individuals to deliver His message in ways that resonate with our personal experiences and challenges. Often, a sermon or teaching can feel as though it is speaking directly to us, addressing our unique circumstances and needs. By valuing and listening to these messages, we open ourselves to the transformative power of God's Word, allowing it to influence our spiritual growth and understanding. [16:31]

"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent sermon or teaching that impacted you. How can you apply its message to a specific area of your life today?

Day 3: The Subtle Guidance of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit impresses thoughts and ideas upon our minds, guiding us subtly yet profoundly. It is essential to discern these impressions and ensure they align with God's Word. The Holy Spirit's guidance is often gentle and quiet, requiring us to be attentive and discerning. By cultivating a sensitivity to the Spirit's leading, we can experience profound insights and direction in our daily lives. This requires a willingness to listen and a commitment to aligning our thoughts and actions with the truth of Scripture. [31:43]

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26, ESV)

Reflection: How can you create space in your daily routine to listen for the Holy Spirit's guidance, and what steps will you take to ensure these impressions align with Scripture?

Day 4: Transformation Through Trials
Pain, though unwelcome, can be a powerful means through which God speaks to us. It often prompts us to change and seek God more earnestly, aligning our lives with His will. While suffering is never easy, it can serve as a catalyst for spiritual growth and transformation. In times of pain, we are often more open to seeking God's presence and guidance, allowing Him to work in our lives in new and profound ways. By embracing these experiences, we can discover a deeper understanding of God's purpose and plan for our lives. [41:30]

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." (James 1:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent trial or painful experience. How might God be using this situation to speak to you and guide you toward transformation?

Day 5: Navigating Life with Divine Direction
God's guidance is like a GPS, providing direction one step at a time. Even when we make mistakes, His grace recalculates our path, leading us toward His intended destination. Life is a journey filled with twists and turns, and God's guidance is essential for navigating it successfully. Like a GPS, He provides direction and correction, helping us stay on course even when we stray. By trusting in His guidance and grace, we can move forward with confidence, knowing that He is leading us toward His ultimate purpose for our lives. [40:02]

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to trust God's guidance more fully, and how can you actively seek His direction in this area today?

Quotes

God speaks to us today through the word of God or Through the Bible that is the number way number one way that God speaks today is through his word in fact second Timothy 3:16 Says the whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God it is what useful to teach us what is true so if you want to know the truth read the word of God and it makes us realize what is wrong with our lives so often times when we hear the word of God or read the Bible it will convict us of our sin it is God's way of what making us well prepared at every point so the Bible is not just a good collection of History it is not a good collection of ideals or poetry although all of that encompasses the Bible but the scripture said that it is God inspired in other words God inspired the word literally the Greek said God breathed it that means the Bible is reliable in other words when you read the word of God you can know that God's word it was breathed by him or God inspired heard it in fact they have found that the Bible had been proven to be more historically and archeologically accurate more than any ancient book you can read this you can read about this I Pastor Rob talked about this in our conference uh last year uh two of the greatest 20th century archaeologist by the name of William William Albright and Nelson gluick both appr approved the Bible even though these guys were non-Christian they were secular in their training and personal beliefs but they they verified that the single most accurate source of document in history is the Bible it says over and over the Bible has been found to be accurate in places in dates and records of event business record literature government document been analyze in conjunction with Linguistics geographical and archaeological anal analyst analysis of physical objects all of these things verified in fact that the Bible is true so there's no other book in the world that is more reliable than the Bible you can count on it to guide you you can count on it to comfort you you can count count on the word of God to help you how many know the word of God has helped you but it's never going to do anything for you unless what you pick it up and read it you got to begin to read it yourself I appreciate that you can sit here for 40 minutes and hear the word of God but I'm here to tell you you've got to read the Bible on your own you got to take some time and again even if you took five or 10 minutes a day and begin to read the Bible some of you you read acts every morning you read everybody's story on Facebook you do all of that you can take the time here 5 10 minutes a day sit on your uh little lazy couch or whatever it is what do they call it the lazy what is the Lazy Boy you have one of those Peter what's going on over here lazy boy you know whatever you got to do and and read the Bible you know and take some time to read it and get a hold of God and pray a little bit and you watch God will begin to speak to you I've heard people say well God never speaks to me well do you ever read the Bible you ever get in the word of God not reading not reading the Bible is like having your phone on do not disturb you're never going to get the message wow or some of us got God Blocked man God's contacts is blocked here he can't even he can't even call you he blocked okay you blocked them on Facebook you blocked them on act you block them in all these different places now if I how many here you you guys you know I know he's not Al liive but how many how many like Kobe Bryant man I mean what any any Kobe Bryant fans all right Michael Jordan fans any Michael a few of us all right so if I were to tell you that tomorrow morning at 5: in the morning let's just say kobby Bryant was still around that he was going to meet you at paramont Park and want to talk to you at 5: in the morning how many of us would be there at 5: in the morning some of you would be at there at 3:00 in the morning waiting to be first in line well can I tell tell you there's a God in heaven that wants to talk to you tomorrow morning that is more important than Kobe Bryant that you can take some time to talk to him and pray and communicate with him and get a hold of him and have a conversation again you can be in your pjs in your living room you can be in the back porch you can talk to God the creator of the universe want you to have a regular conversation with him but you got to get into the word of God now I know that God's word can be a little bit intimidating at first but if you begin to take some time and realize how important it is for you then you would make it a priority why don't you go ahead and put that what does the bible mean what does the bible means basic instruction before it even earth right this is an old one but I thought it was cool and if you want to know what the Bible is it's basic instruction before leaving Earth I believe today that if we read the Bible it'll give you the instruction on how to live right if you ever bought a new car I don't know if anybody here has ever had a new car but if you ever bought a new car they have what they call a owner's manual in the glove compartment and what happens is when you begin to read that owner's manual and you follow it it helps you keep that car in good shape and it helps that car to last because you're doing what the owner manual is telling you to do yesterday we're in prayer and Jason Lopez was sharing about PM preventative maintenance and how they have to work around he works at of school and they have to do preventative maintenance in other words preventative maintenance is being proactive and regularly inspecting and maintaining equipment before it breaks down in other words you want to make sure the belts are good the coil is good the Rings are good the bearings are good whatever equipment you're working on you are preventing any kind of major breakdown because you're checking it out you're making sure that these things are in good shape can I tell you when you read the Bible it will cause some preventive maintenance it will help you from breaking down and stressing out it'll help you spiritually it'll help you mentally it'll help you emotionally the reason why we could be breaking down in stress we could be breaking down in our emotion is because you haven't gone through the owner's manual you got to start reading the owner's man so what do I start Pastor how how what what kind of Bible should I get well I don't recommend uh the King King James version I'm not against it but it's got a bunch of the thou yay he and all that but if you read like The New Living Translation that'll help you maybe the me version which is the Modern English version that kind of gives you some understanding in today's English if you're looking for like a study Bible I recommend the Thompson Chain reference Bible that was one of my Bibles that I've used since I first gave my life to Christ and these are great toos it kind of gives you the history kind of gives you the culture of what's happening and I would recommend that you would start not in the book of Genesis but if you want to know who Jesus is read the book of John in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and so when you begin to read the Bible it'll begin to give you and speak to you and it gives you revelation of who God is and what he requires of you and what it's all about number two a second way God speaks to us are you ready for this God speaks to us through gifted teachers and preachers have you ever sat in the service and felt like God was speaking directly to you you literally felt man he's speaking right to me he's speaking right to my heart can I tell you he actually was because God speaks through gifted teachers God speaks to through people who preach the word of God look at what it says in 1 Thessalonians 2:3 when we preached to you you didn't think of the word as being just your own he's talking about we preached it but you accepted it as the very word of God which of course it was and it changed your life so I can remember many years ago this was with my my when I was just really young sitting there hearing a preacher preach very gifted teacher Minister and I remember he said these words words and it got a hold of my heart he said these words what are you going to do with your life are you just going to waste it or are you going to make it count God has the Destiny for you he said you'll never be fulfilled you'll never be happy unless you do the will of God boom it hit me right there I go man he's talking to me how did he know man he's speaking to me I know what he's saying is is about me and I begin to arrange my life in such a way I can tell you it was a turning point in my walk with God I begin to arrange my life in such a way that I said I'm going to fulfill what God wants me to do I'm going to do his will and guess what over 40 years later here I am preaching to you this morning now I'm telling you there's times where I wondered man if you would have told me over 40 years ago I'd be preaching the word of God I would have said you're crazy I mean I was a promising rock star at one time no I wasn't but in my mind I was I was a great rock star but but I can tell you today that man God got a hold of me what if I had missed that message what if I decided not to go to church that day wow maybe the trajectory of my life would be different that's why I recommend don't miss church you don't know that maybe that message was for you that you needed to hear that message and it was supposed to be you were supposed to be there to hear it now I've had people come to me and they say Pastor you're reading my mail I felt like you were you were talking just to me and you some people actually accused me of preparing messages for them like literally I'm preparing the message and can I just you're just not that important I don't I don't get to try to prepare a message just for you I years ago we had a man and he came with his wife his wife uh was invited into church and so he literally thought that she was telling me what was going on in his life and so when I was preaching I was talking just to him and I was talking about his life and so he was sitting there as I was preaching and he looked at her and goes oh so that's what it's going to be like I know what you're doing and so he came like three weeks in a row he would Mad Dog me like I I know you're saying that for me I go I didn't even know who the guy was I mean I didn't I had even met him yet but he could swear that I was talking directly to him and so I'm telling you I'm not doing that I'm not preparing messages for but I do pray God I want to minister a message that can relate to people I don't know who's going to be in the service on Sunday God you do so I pray give me a word give me a message that would Minister to them not only will it help them on Sunday but it will help them Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday and not just a one day message God I want to preach a message that will actually change lives and I can't do it but God can and so I believe today as we do that God actually speaks to us am I saying that God God speaks through me I have no doubt that he does now again I don't deserve it it's by his grace but can I tell you that God speaks through you if you're a believer in Christ I'm here to tell you today I have no doubt in my mind that God speaks right through you in fact Jesus said it this way in Matthew 10:20 the me version Modern English version that I said earlier for it is not you who speak Jesus is saying but the spirit of your father who speak through you there's many times where God is using our voice he's speaking through us and we don't even realize it you may just kind of nonchalantly just walking along and you may not even realize but somebody's coming to you for direction they're coming to you for conso they're coming to get your opinion and you're not even realizing it's kind of just natural because God does speak to us and we give that person uh some advice we give them an opinion and man it changes their lives it's like wow where did that come from and and that person and for you it was like it was I'm just telling you what I feel but you don't realize God's using you God's speaking through you I remember years ago I was where I was working this was way way back years ago I was working in one place and I was in working in sales and I had been uh I'd been in the warehouse at one point and worked at the truck driver believe it or not I was a truck driver one time and then later on um I I worked into sales and I found out that the money is not in the warehouse the money's in sales and I remember I remember I was working at this one place and there was a guy was working in the warehouse and I said hey uh do you have any goals in your life I just happened to talk to him he said yeah and and and I said you know I used to work in the warehouse then I started working in the at the truck driver and then I became in the sales and I kind of gave him a little bit of what how God helped me and he was he was really thankful but do you know like five years later I met this guy and he was working in sales he was working in a whole different he goes you know what it was that one conversation that I had with you that changed my whole life I'm thinking man that's pretty wild you know and and I'm just kind of inspiring the guy but you never know God can use you to inspire somebody because I said it again God speaks through you the Bible says here in 2 Corinthians 2:13 we do not speak in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the spirit as we explain what spiritual truth so the more we speak the more teaching we declare the more you're going to get God's word in you this is why we need to value people that speak or preach or Minister the word of God because man they bring something that God uses them God anoints them and man Our Lives can be changed our lives can be challenged can you say amen and so we're going to do something this morning that we don't normally do but I want to take the time here I did it in the first service and this is something we do once a year we're going to have our reach conference in July how many excited for that and our reach conference is when we bring all of our churches together we are a church planting Ministry we've planted many churches uh we have churches in Texas we have churches in Northern California and Washington Denver at Atlanta uh here um in central California as well and uh in Sada Colombia our church has been planting churches for many years now and what we do is once a year we gather them back I don't know if we want to show some pictures up there but we gather them back for uh a week of conference this week this year it'll be July uh 14th and uh how many were on last year's reach conference how many remember last year it was on Truth we had some big names like John bav and uh what's his name Samuel Rodriguez and Russell Johnson came and uh these were gifted teachers to minister the word of God to us and it really changed our lives if you can go back and hear some of these messages excuse me on our YouTube channel and go back on our podcast and you can hear some of their message and I'm telling you they've been dynamic in their messages that they bring every year and so we do that we bring our churches uh many of them bring some of the people in their Church to be inspired uh there about 1,200 people there that meet uh at the Anaheim Marriott and the convention area there at the Anaheim Marriott and it's been really really Dynamic uh it is does cost us extra money to do this and so we've saved money every year to help out with the conference also our churches contribute as well but it's all of us doing our part to help make this happen and so they're passing out a pledge card and this is a 3mon pledge from May June July if you want to give monthly you can uh we're saying we're encouraging you if you can give $400 within that time that would help us with our conference because there's a lot of money up front that we have to pay to the hotel and the convention center again we don't normally do this if you're a visitor this is once a year you just happen to come today and so you're not obligated to give okay we're talking about if you want to contribute you can but this is for our church that knows what we're doing knows what we're about and our church is to help really encourage some of our pastors to come back they get refreshed it helps their people and so uh you can also scan the QR code earlier I was saying the QVC code there is no QVC it's QR right it's QR code so you you scan that and it'll it everything will pop up you can give whatever amount I'm going to give more than $400 okay so I want to encourage you if you can do that join me and put more than that and again this is we're giving you three months to give that within that time and that really helps uh uh facilitate and helps us pay for this conference a lot of the expenses up front we do raise money during the conference to cover the entire cost uh but this thing is this event is over 100 Grand that it cost us to bring all these people together the room the convention area it's a powerful week but again we get to hear some of the gifted teachers from our this year a lot of our own pastors are going to be preaching from the network and you'll get to hear some of the guys that were raised up within our church that used to be youth pastors that were assistant pastors and you'll get to see them now that they're pastoring churches and and get to hear and and you know receive from their min Ministry they're excited to be with us and so I want to encourage you to fill this out we're going to we're going to we're going to past around the offering Basket in just a minute but if you want to fill this out and then put it in the offering basket you can or if you want to scan the QR code and fill it out you can do that um if you if you want to take some more time we're going to have the basket at the end of the service but we're doing this because all of us participating uh we raise here makes a big difference for our conference and it helps alleviate a lot of the cost so you guys can go ahead and pass the offering basket if you want to fill that out you can put it in there or you want to scan it and as they do that I'm going to continue this message is that all right I'm going to continue this message again I wanted to take the time to give everyone the opportunity to participate if you choose and I tell you what I would really be encouraged by all of you uh being able to participate in that it is a tremendous blessing and this church is the Church of generosity I said this church is the Church of generosity Hallelujah let let me just say a couple more things man when we talk about the Bible when we talk about teachers and and the word of God being spoken to us can I just tell you can I just encourage you to memorize the Bible a little bit memorize a few scriptures and and keep them in your heart because a lot of us are saying well I'm not good at memorizing things but you memorize all your sports team you memorize all their statistics and you ladies you memorize all the recipes am I right you got it all down and you you all of us we we we have a tremendous way of memorizing things uh we memorize lyrics from songs I see some of you rocking in the car you know those words right you you you memorize all of that or man some of you ladies man you remember you remember everything your husband said I mean you said this you were standing there you were wearing that shirt we're at this day this place it was 121 in the afternoon when you started saying those words and you and I'm shocked sometimes when my wife can just quote everything I go I go oh my God is there a video and then I said to that's exactly what I said I said exactly and you had this kind of face and you had this tone and you look this I go wow that's me that was me I so ladies you guys can memorize scripture then if you can memorize the man you can memorize the word of God can you say Amen so as Christians let me tell you you got to memorize the Bible because a lot of us today you know we're updated on the news but you're not updated on the word of God you know everything about the news but how much do you know what God's trying to say to you so number three are you ready for this as we continue this is we've got to be able God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit In other words the Holy Spirit inspires us the Holy Spirit impresses us he puts thoughts in our mind he impresses us with things in our hearts and God speaks into our mind the Bible says this in John 14:26 the Holy Spirit Will what be your teacher and will bring to your mind all that I've said to you in other word God puts ideal in your mind God puts inspiration in your heart and it saids it this way when God puts an ideal in your mind it's an inspiration when when you get uh when the devil puts an ideal in your mind it's a Temptation when you think on your own in your mind it's dumb no anyway we we've got to we we've got to look at the word of God be inspired and again the Holy Spirit he places ideals he puts things on our hearts and sometime we don't even recognize it some of those uh ideals that you had for your business some of those ideals that you had at your job we think man you're brilliant can I tell you it was God God gave you that idea God put it in your mind that that I Financial idea that family idea all of those things it seemed just like naturally it came to you but you don't realize it with the Holy Spirit and if we're not careful we allow confusion to come in and it removes some of the Impressions that God's trying to speak into your life this why we have to line our hearts and our minds up with the word of God and so how do you evaluate these Impressions how do you evaluate whether that's God speaking to you and whether it's the Holy Spirit that's leading you or whether or not you had a bad burrito the night before and you're wondering Ah that's why you're making these decisions is it really God or is it indigestion I don't know but there's two extremes here if we're not careful when it comes to the Holy Spirit leading us and impressing us one of them is being a rationalist and I'll explain that and the second thing is being overp spiritual being a rationalist is someone that denies or is void or denies that God can speak into their mind this person doesn't believe God can lead them they're too rash everything's logical to them oh God's not speaking and so you're rational that's one extreme and you never hear God trying to lead you so you miss the opportunity when God's trying to impress things on you oh that's not God oh that you know that's and you don't realize it is God God wanted you to pray for that person that's not God you don't realize it was or we are overs spiritual so everything that we see is God everything God's speaking to this God's speaking to that and you don't realize you know there's a there's a sound outside your window that must be God speaking to me there's the bird that's God speaking to the bird now that's overs spiritual you know oh I heard the baby's voice oh there's something there no you're you're overp spiritualizing everything and so again I believe God does impress things in us I do believe that God speaks to us but don't get so overp spirit ritual that you miss what actually God's trying to say the Bible tells us in Job 33:14 that God even speaks to us in dreams and envisions say God speaks again and again in dreams and envisions at night when the Deep Sleep Falls as people lie on their bed he opens their ears look at what it says in times like that and gives them wisdom and instruction so why would God speak to us when we're asleep because we're relaxed we're not distracted our defenses are low at that very moment there's times that God can't speak to you there's been times where I didn't know what to decide what to do and I've said God if man I I I need to just clear my mind if if maybe you can show me in a dream maybe you can speak into my mind while I'm sleeping and literally I've gotten up the next day and I something came to me like an ideal came to me or thought came to me and it was during that time I'm not saying that you know I don't want everybody the next day I had a vision I had a dream I'm just saying that there's times sometimes it just you know you saw a movie the day before and you were this great warrior you're not a Warrior brother amen you're not fighting anybody you don't have it in you okay but but again what I'm saying to you is if you really get the mind of God God will give you Impressions God will speak into your mind so how do you test an impression and maybe I made talk about that next week how do you test to make sure that that impression that ideal is of God and not your own can I tell you God never contradicts his word so if this impression is opposite of God's word it's not God if this impression is telling you to disobey God it's not God I've had people come up to me God spoke to me yeah yeah to leave my wife and marry this 20-year-old bimbo over here that's not God leave your family that you you know leave your wife you've been married to 15 years to marry this young snake over here that's not going to help you that's not God I can tell you that has well God told me to divorce my wife you know we got an argument yeah you got to work through it be a man stand up work through it amen problems all that you work through your marriage you don't get you don't end your marriage you get through it work it out when you marry somebody different than you guess what they going to be issues your wife is not a witch and like how she's the you know she's the devil sister you don't know him her she's the devil sister I know that for a fact Pastor has to be the Devil's sister no Noe or or you know we say well you know God wants me you know I really love this girl but we don't know we're not going to get married we're just going to move in together while STX is reserved for marriage so that can't be got that goes against God's word so that's why most people you know there venal veneral disease emotional scars broken hearts because you didn't do it God's way you didn't check the owner's manual you ignored that it contradicted God's word and you said well I got impressed by this impressed by that it wasn't God can you say amen God today will lead you in the right way give you the right guidance and I tell you what it'll he'll show you exactly where you need to go and you just need to make make sure that it never contradicts the word of God now I don't know about you but how many man what I've enjoyed the last I don't know how many years how many have enjoyed GPS on your phone now before there were GPS we used to have to use a Thomas map some of you yeah you guys are old enough I used to use thas page 34 was downtown LA page 44 with San Gabriel valy I used to be a truck driver I knew and the thing about Thomas bage you you had to use the F4 you had to know where your location was you had to read the mapbook ahead of time to know what streets were ahead you didn't have something telling you right you had to know say okay I remember you had to kind of memorize it as you went through this map book because you know you didn't have instruction uh uh you know Street per street but today GPS tells you exactly you know get ready get on your right lane even tell you get on your right lane I said man that's pretty cool make her right at this light make her right man this is awesome I go I wish when I was a truck driver could tell me all that sometimes I'd miss it in Downtown LA and you have to go all the way around the block yeah you guys don't know what I'm talking about but back then now here's the thing about GPS that two things that are very important when it comes to GPS your location and your destination can I tell you God is concerned about your location in order to get you to your destination God is concerned today he wants you wants to give you Direction now thank God GPS doesn't give you all the directions all at once make it right over here make a left over there make a it doesn't do that it gives you one street at a time one step at a time see when God chose us and gives us Direction and and wants his will to be done he doesn't show it to you all at once cuz you you'd be overwhelmed so God's trying to give you guidance along the way every step of the way God says make it right here make a left over here right that's how GPS does right and how many have ever gone where you went against the GPS you make a right goes make a your turn make a your turn you have to make a your turn make a left turn make a left you know you're like because what does GPS do it recalculates right it recalculates you when you make the wrong turn and it's telling you to make a right you made a left and it's trying to get you back on the right path how many thank God we've made mistake we failed but God trying to get us to our destination and by his grace he recalculates that's the grace of God he's trying to get you back to your proper destination and he knows where your location is in the fourth way God speaks to us and this one's a tough one God speaks to us through our pain how many are acquaint with pain anybody ever had pain in your life one man said we don't change when we see the light we change when we feel the heat none of us today like pain none of us are into pain but believe it or not once the pain is greater than the fear we'll change because we have a lot of fear but sometimes pain will cause us to make a change in fact Proverbs 20:30 says sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways every one of us have experienced some form of pain every one of us have experienced some typ of circumstances where we've experienced some ache some pain I'm not saying every ache every hurt is of God and and uh all of those but I do know this there are some aches and pains that God will use in order to speak to you I've met people that say Man Pastor God had to put me flat on my back in order for me to pay attention finally God had to put me in a situation where I finally said man I need God my wife had to finally leave me when I realized how painful it is without her and I need to get right with God see pain will speak to you at times and God will use pain will you be faithful in spite of tragedy will you be faithful in spite of your pain I thinking of a character by the name of Joseph in the Book of Genesis 37 7 through 39 a wonderful story about a young man who has a dream he's excited about life he's looking ahead but if you know the story his brothers betray him he ends up in a pit they're about to kill him and then they sell him off to slavery he ends up as a slave in this man potterer house but the Bible says even though he was a slave that the Lord was with him God was still with him of course we know the story Potter for his wife try to seduce him and he ran from her but she grabbed a hold of his robe and she lied to her husband said this man tried to rape me and he got thrown into prison unjustly he's in prison for something he didn't do but the Bible says while he's in prison that the Lord was with Joseph in prison and God gave him favor with the warden and he began to have favor in prison and finally we know the story he interprets a couple guys dreams that belonged to Pharaoh they forget about him or the one guy forgets about him but two years later when Pharaoh had a dream he couldn't understand it they call up Joseph and Joseph interpret that dream and he went from the pit from the P from the pit to the prison to the pathway to the palace and he becom the second right-hand man of Egypt most powerful man in the world and he saves two Nations Israel and Egypt because he was faithful to God in the pain he was faithful to God in the circumstances he didn't understand how God would use him but all that pain he went through was to save those two Nations all that pain he went through and that being sold to slavery and everything else in prison was to get him into Egypt in order to save his family see you don't realize sometimes even that pain God will use for good Bible say in the Book of Romans chapter 8 that God causes all things to those that love God he causes all things to work for good to those that love God are called according to his purpose so today God has a purpose for you today God has a reason for you God wants to speak to your life today so I'm going to pray why don't we just kind of B our head [00:07:41]

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