Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
April 10, 2005 - W0515

Does God speak to us? Absolutely! And He uses different methods in order to seize our attention. Many times He speaks through dreams, visions, or people. Still other times God will often grab our attention through things like storms, a rooster’s crow, a burning bush, or even a donkey. “…God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions…He whispers in their ear and terrifies them with His warning” (Job. 33:14-16 NLT). In other words, God will speak to us in ways that are gentle and familiar or in ways that are terrifying in order to prepare us for whatever is coming our way.

So we want to be sure we know God and know truth. Then we will be able to discern His voice. Because isn’t it true that there are some who use the name of God to add credibility or take authority they shouldn’t take? It happened in Jeremiah:  “I have not sent these prophets, yet they claim to speak for Me. I have given them no message, yet they prophesy” (Jer. 23:21 NLT). What God is saying here is that there are people who insist “God said” when in fact God didn’t reveal any message to them at all.

Alright then, how do we discern His voice? How do we safeguard ourselves from following false voices we think is God? Well, here are some ways to help us learn and understand the voice of the Lord. The first is…

1)    GOD SPEAKS THROUGH THE BIBLE.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2Tim. 3:16-17)

Why does He want us to read the Bible? Clearly scriptures talk about God. So the reason we read the Bible is to get to know God more. And the more we know Him, the more we’ll know exactly what He’s saying. You see the danger we face in not knowing the Father is we won’t be able to distinguish what is real and what is false. We’ll be easily deceived by false teachers or teachings. However, if we know God, when something doesn’t sound right, we’ll get a check in our spirit. We may not know exactly why it’s not sitting well with us, but because we are reading His word, we recognize what is really His voice and therefore catch what is false.

We then begin to develop a sense of what God is saying without Him saying a word. So if God blesses us with gifts and talents, we know exactly what to do with it. We won’t be wondering and waiting for God to speak to us because we already know His heart.

Spiritual maturity comes in layers and as we read the Bible each day, depth is being built in our life layer upon layer in our character. That’s why we encourage everyone to spend time each day reading daily devotions because it is a specific time we can sit before the Lord to listen and hear His voice again and again. And by doing so we get to know Him more and more.

So one of the ways God will speak to us is through the Bible. And reading the Bible gives us an accurate view of who He is. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of God stands forever.” (Isa. 40:8). Another way God speaks to us is through…

• ACCURATE BIBLE TEACHING.

“And now I entrust you to God and the word of His grace-His message that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those He has set apart for Himself” (Acts 20:13).

One of the ways God uses to build us up and speak to our hearts is through accurate Bible teaching. Haven’t you been in church where you’ve felt the message was just for you and wondered why everyone else was there? Sure, most of us have. God will speak to us through the message at church. That is why it’s so important for everyone to have a home Church. Now don’t go jumping around looking for the latest doctrine or celebrity. Find a home church and stay put because God will speak His word to us there.

How do we find a home church? Well here are two things to keep in mind:

·         The first is we have to hear God through the teaching. If God is not speaking to you through the teaching, find a pastor through which God speaks to your heart.  

·         The second defining characteristic is being able to see the fruit of that teaching in people’s lives around you. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (Jn. 15:8). Over and over, God tells us to check the fruit. He constantly speaks about proving things through fruitfulness. So if we can hear God and see their fruit, there’s a strong possibility that is where your home church will be.

That said here’s a word of caution. There will be times when we won’t want to go to church. However, it’s important that we make every effort to be there. You see, God has an assignment for each of us and will prepare and equip us for what’s coming up. And the Bible says God knows the intention of our hearts. On the other hand, the enemy does not have that ability. Instead, he keeps track of our life by plotting coordinates –points where we’ll give up or where we’ll give in and compromise our values. And when he sees the message we are about to receive at church, he will try anything and everything to distract us with plausible excuses of why we shouldn’t attend.  He knows that we are about to receive a word from God that will bring redemption to our life and may cause us to overcome him. So during those times when you are considering skipping church, don’t do it. Instead we must double our efforts to get there because God has a word we need to hear.

Remember one of the ways God speaks to us is through the Bible, so we must read daily. He also speaks through accurate Bible teaching. Therefore, don’t let anything impede you from getting to church. Another way He communicates to us is…

2. THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (Jn. 16:13). Know Him and know the truth.

He will guide us into all truth. And we’ll be able to handle any message God sends even if it’s through a disturbing delivery system. However, if we’re more concerned about the way a message is packaged, we may reject the entire message and miss the truth within because we don’t like how, what, when, or why something is said or done.

For example if a parent says, “You slob, clean your room!” or “How come you’re not like your brother or sister?” – Sure there may be times when our parents, teachers, or bosses will not phrase something very well. Still there will be a thread of truth there. The truth is maybe our room is dirty. So instead of being defensive or retaliating, discern the truth. The packaging is not the best, but pick out the truth before discounting the whole message. Then we’ll be able to garner tons of truth and grow regardless of how God talks.

“Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I’ll restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, if you will be my spokesman.” ( Jer. 15:19)  

The Holy Spirit will speak to our hearts with graciousness like a dove, gentle yet persistent. Yet how will we know when the Holy Spirit is speaking? He won’t yell at us when He wants us to do something or change an attitude. Instead, the Holy Spirit will put his finger on our life and keep it there. We can run, but He’ll stay with us. And whatever it is that we need to change or do will be on our heart and gnaw at us until we comply. Why? It’s simply because He loves us. One of the greatest qualities of the Holy Spirit is that He is persistent and persevering until we recognize the truth.

So through the Bible, accurate Bible teaching, and the Holy Spirit we can learn to discern the voice of God. Now listen carefully: if we still can’t hear God through any of these approaches He uses a third method. When we don’t heed God’s warnings He’ll give us a hearing aid by speaking to us …

3. THROUGH PAIN.

That’s right! We see this method was used to speak to men and women in the Bible all the time. For instance, God warned Samson over and over, but Samson ignored God’s messages. The result: he was eventually over-powered by the Philistines, had his eyes gouged out, and became blind. In essence, Samson became physically blinded because he was blinded spiritually.

“I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything…” (2Cor. 7:9)

Sometimes it is necessary for us to suffer pain in order that we may hear God and not suffer loss in anything. What do I mean? I may push God away, yet still want certain blessings like a job promotion. What will happen is one day I’ll physically collapse because my soul is barren. In other words, my physical state will become like my spiritual soul - empty. I won’t know God or His truth. So God will sometimes bring us to this pain until we turn to Him. And when we do, He welcomes us back with open arms. Why? Because He loves us and doesn’t want us to lose our lives!

God’s wants to prosper, encourage, and promote us. However, when we rebel against Him, our beings start to resemble the spiritual condition of our hearts. That’s why from time to time, like a slap, God allows pain to bring us to our senses. And He’ll use it to speak and discipline our lives so that our paths are straight. “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening-it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (Heb. 12:11).

We cannot get so enamored in what we do that we lose sight of who we are. Remember, God is more interested in what we are becoming that what we are doing. Sometimes, we’ll compromise our morals and values even to the point of sacrificing our families on the altar of business success. Listen carefully: God didn’t change the world through a president or a governor. He changed the world through a carpenter. So it won’t matter if we gain the whole world but lose our soul. Remember, God can use each of us in unimaginable ways; don’t forget who you are.

So this is our prayer: Lord, seal your teachings to our hearts. Give us ears that hear when you are speaking, even through disturbing delivery systems. Thank you for the ability to discern Your voice amongst other voices and for giving us the Holy Spirit who guides us in all truth. And though at times we push you away, thank you for loving us! We’ve learned that You will use a hearing aid called pain to get our attention. And that’s okay, because we know that it is because You love us. Thank you for your grace that embraces and welcomes us back! 

Day by day, we grow into who God wants us to be. We hear God speak by reading the Bible. Listen because in the midst of God speaking, He brings discipline into our life that encourages and builds us up as we are transformed and become more and more like Him. Moreover, He provides accurate Bible teachings through those He’s set apart. Don’t lose sight of who you are, for the Lord looks for people who know Him and His truth. And when He gifts us with talents, riches and abilities, we will know what to do because we know His voice without Him having said a word.

Discussion Questions

1)   Share a scripture that has inspired and/or corrected you. Briefly explain why.

2)      Recall a message that came to you through a disturbing delivery system. What was your response?

3)      Briefly share a “message of pain” that came your way. How did God use it to bring redemption in your life?

4)      List character building disciplines from the Bible. Is there any that the Lord maybe asking you to work on?

5)      The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. Have you noticed any promptings on your heart that you need to pay attention to? If so, how can you submit to that truth?

6)      What impacted you today, and how will you become a better person because of it?

Mahalo to volunteer writer, Doreen Rabaino for this weekend’s summary – a woman with a gentle spirit and a keen sense of discerning His voice. God job!