Hearing the Voice of God, Recognizing God's Voice

It's incredibly important to know if the idea or message you hear - is from God.  

Test it first to see if it really is from God.  It could be the difference of life or death.

7 ways to test whether it's a message from God or not.

1. Does it agree with the bible?
God doesn't change His mind or ask you to violate a principle that he's already given.  Does this line up with what God has already said?  Gods will not contradict His word.  Truth never changes. (examples:  pay your taxes)

2. Does this make me more like Christ?
God's purpose in our life is to make us like Jesus.  God wants us to develop Jesus' character.  Jesus is the standard.  What would Jesus do is a good question.  If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition, those are of the devil.

3.  Does my Church family confirm it?
Does other mature believers believe it's a good idea.  You need support with others.  If mature believers question it, you should too.  Eph 3:10.  The wisdom of the righteous can save you.

4.  Is it consistent with how God has shaped me?
Before I was born, God knew what He wanted me to do with my life.  He shaped me to perform that specific task.   Ephs 2:10.  We are God's workmanship, created in Christs.  Created in us to do good works which God prepared, in advance, for us to do.  He shaped us.  God's masterpiece, God's poem, God's handicraft.  Shape reveals your purpose.  Use your talent for the glory of God.

5.  Is it convicting rather than condemning?
Romans 8:1.  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  God never attacks my value.  He may attack my sin, but not my value.
God doesn't give you a dark cloud of guilt.  He says "this is what needs to change and let's change it".  We mistake our low self esteem with God's voice.  As soon as you repent, everything is okay - that's conviction.  Condemning comes from the devil.

6.  Do I sense God's peace about it?
Pressure, overwhelmed or confused - money, ministry, kids - this is you being caught up in yourself about it.  God is not the author of confusion.  If I'm feeling confused, it's some other voice speaking into me.  Pressure is legitimate if God keeps asking me to do something, and I don't.  Satan wants to drive us compulsively.  Phil 4:7, Don't worry and pray about everything.  Tell God what you want and thank you - then you can experience peace.  When God speaks it doesn't create anxiety and worry.  

If God gives you a word for someone else - 3 guidelines
1.  Be patient and pray - don't be in a hurry.
2.  God will use me to confirm what He has already said to them.
3.  God usually uses you without you being conscious of it.  You don't even know He spoke through you. 

Not from God if....
1.  It's not an idea from God if it's motivated by bitterness or envy. Satanic idea.

2.   If it's based on envy, buy something so people would envy me, so people will jealous of me.  Satanic idea.

3.  If it's motivated by selfish ambition - does not come from God.  He does not give you self serving ideas. I didn't put you on earth to bless your selfish ambition.  If it hurts everyone else but helps me.  That idea did not come from God.

God's voice is peace loving and Pure - God's ideas are pure and peace loving, impartial and sincere.  Promotes reconciliation not war or separation.  Not going to give us an idea to create conflict in our family.  He won't give us an idea that will divide people.  Bridge builder or Wall builder.    All gossip is satanic.  Real ideas from God are submissive, humble willing to have your idea checked by someone else.

God's voice is full of mercy.   True wisdom that comes from God is full of mercy.  God has been gracious to me, I must be give everyone else graciousness.  Critical nature.It takes maturity and wisdom to find the beauty in everyone. What takes intelligence is finding the beauty.

Guys if you have an idea and you don't want to tell you wife about the idea...it didn't come from God.  Girls, if you don't want to check it out with your husband, not an idea from God.  You are willing to have it tested.  Ask around.  Ask people what they think about the idea.

If you have heard God in the past and can't now?  You have allowed sin to block the passage.  It may be a relationship you need to let go of, it may be a habit you need to let go of.

What if you have never heard from Him.  You need to begin a relationship with Jesus.  You can have religion and not a relationship.  

If you belong to God, you will hear from Him.  

If you want to belong to God, pray this:
Dear God I want to know you and I want to hear your voice and I want to know what you want me to do with my life.  Jesus I don't understand at all, but I thank you that you love me and made me and that you shaped me for a purpose that you forgive me and take away my condemnation.  Show me the things in my life that are keeping me from hearing you.   I want to confess them and get rid of them and I want to follow you and trust you from this day forward.  I ask you to accept me into your family so I can hear you voice and feel your presence.  Amen.

*notes from Pastor Rick Warren "Hearing the Voice of God, Recognizing God's Voice" - Daily Hope with Rick Warren Podcast.

How do I live for God's Glory?

How do I live for God's glory? 

Who's glory are you living for?  Yourself? Your spouse? Your parents?  God says I want you to live for MY glory.  People are not fulfilled because they give first class allegiance to second class causes.  Then the causes betray them.  God did not put you on earth to live for others, but to live for HIS glory.  Only God is worthy of your first class allegiance.

Don't live for your job.  
You won't be fulfilled.

Don't live for approval.  
You won't be fulfilled.

Don't live for money. 
 You won't be fulfilled.

Don't live for sex.  
You won't be fulfilled.

One thing worth living for:  THE GLORY OF GOD

Four steps on how to live for the Glory of God.

1. Show love to everybody.  Love people the way Jesus loved.  Learn to love people the way God loves people.  "Warmly welcome each other, just as Christ has warmly welcomed you. then God will be glorified."  Simple hospitality glorifies God.  Can you be nice to people? If you want God's power in your life, do something you are afraid to do.  You can accept someone without approving everything they do.

2.  Use your abilities to serve everybody.  God did not give you your talents for the benefit of yourself, they are for the benefit of other people.  1 Peter 4:10.  I want to live in your kingdom, by your power and to your glory.  If I don't use my talents, I cheat others.  God is glorified when you use your talent to serve others.  The more you help others, the more God pours out to you.

3. Share the good news with everyone.  Find a church where it's safe to bring your friends. The only thing that's going to last for eternity - is God's family.  A thousand years from today there won't be a Microsoft or a United States.  No earthly kingdom lasts.  God's word and people are the only thing that will last forever.  

4. Do you want to live a fulfilled life?  Each morning sit on the side of your bed and pray one sentence, "Father, today I'll be in by 4".  What does that mean?  Father, today, I will live in your kingdom (I'll put you in my schedule, finances, relationships -you're #1), by your power (gonna take risks, pray all day and hang on when I feel like giving up), for Your glory (show love to everyone I meet, share my talent with everyone I meet, share good news of compassion and mercy and be a part of your family).

Will you do it?  Will you "be in by 4"?  

Father, I want to put you first in any area of my life, in my troubles, my finances and my schedules, I want to live by your power, help me to spend more on you and less then myself, give me the faith that are necessary to grow and help me to not give up and get discouraged.  Dear God, I want to live for your glory, I want my life to be a blessing to others.  I want to serve others, share the good news who don't even know you.  Help me to do all these things, in Jesus name, amen.

*notes from Pastor Rick Warren's sermon "Connecting with God, The Prayer of Fulfillment, Part 3).

New Wine in Old Wineskins

New Wine in Old Wineskins    

              

Matthew 9:16-17; Mark 2:21-22; Luke 5:36-39

In this parable Jesus is speaking to the incompatibility of the Old Covenent/Judaism and the new one which is based on Gospel, grace, kingdom and church.  Grace and law do not mix.  Jesus is telling us that the Gospel is new and not to be intertwined into the old but whole by itself, entirely different, not to be integrated into the legalism of the old, Judaism is incompatible with Christianity.  Before today, I never knew that was what He was talking about.  

Yesterday I was on the receiving end of someone trying to mix the old law with new law.  Well, really they were just putting some "old" law on me and forgetting completely about the "new".  They put their “rules” before another human beings feelings and potential to serve God.  I know their intentions were "justified" to be good intentions, but unfortunately I felt they were blind to the larger picture.  I was majorly disappointed in how this person was viewing another and was stumped as to why they were unable to see the potential and instead wanted to make a judgement and put them in a “box” that seemingly made them unusable and unwanted.

God can use broken people and people who are struggling with sin.   My broken parts are what makes me able to relate to others and gives me an opportunity to share my testimony and then I can give Glory to Him.  The legalistic nature of others is what kept me from wanting to go to Church and associating with other Christians.  Somewhere deep inside I knew this was not what Jesus was teaching.  This was the “old wine”.  The “new wine” is about love, grace and acceptance.  Jesus went to eat/drink with sinners because he was saying “I accept you”.  He didn’t stand in front of the room and tell them all how despicable they were.   Nope – he said that to the Pharisee’s, the legalistic and religious people. 

A man came in off the street desperate for help.  He kept telling me all his christian associations and wanting “prove” he was in need and was "worthy".  I looked straight at him and said “Stephen, it wouldn't matter to me if you were a Christian, homeless or who you know or don’t know, if we have the resources to help you – we will.”  He replied to me, “That’s the first I’ve ever heard anyone say that before”.  

Now, how sad is that?  This man has never felt that unconditional acceptance IN A CHURCH.  I think that’s why God has me here, He knows we need people who will stop making judgments about people’s sin (and even that is sinful – to be judgmental) and just sit and eat with him.  You know, he asked me to pray for him, and I took his hands and prayed.  An hour later, we were able to get him a hotel room for the night. 

I believe Jesus wants me to meet people where they are.  He wants me to meet their need if possible or find someone who can.  That’s why I am here.  So, while I have respect for the “old wine”, I will not mix it with the “new wine”.  It's incompatible.  Love will always win.

Father, thank you for sending Stephen to us yesterday and we were able to meet his needs.  Thank you for putting in me a new heart so that I can care and love the unlovable.  Thank you for putting people in my life that challenge my thinking and make me dig deeper and seek your answers.  Thank you for allowing conflict in my life so that I may get better at handling it with righteousness and truth.  Bless my enemies for they are making me stronger in my faith and helping me grow in my spiritually.  Help me to know each moment your way to respond to people when they offend or mistreat others.  Help me to know what the Holy Spirit wants said so that Your will can be done.  You know the hearts of everyone, use my words for your good.  I surrender all of myself to you.  Amen.

Matthew:

¹⁶ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Mark:

²¹ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. ²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Luke:

³⁶ He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”