Session 6– You’ve been hearing His voice.
Yesterday, in the course, you were reminded of the story of Adam and Eve, God’s first human children. We will be referring to them and their situation, as it relates to you and the world, again in this course. Most folks are not aware of how many times a day the Holy Spirit tries to warn them, protect them, calm them, comfort them, and help them in their personal relationships. However Christians do have some inkling when those times happen. As you progress in this study you will learn how to follow the nudging of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, Ephesians 3:16-17 Romans 8:14, Galatians 5:22-23) hearken unto God, and turn from responding in the id and begin to respond and be transformed into more of the characteristics of our triune God (Romans 12:2, Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:22-24). Every Christian leader would agree that our greatest treasure is God's presence. Yet to ‘camp around the presence of God’ in our personal lives, as well as in congregational gatherings, would mean that He has become the reference point for all that is said and done. God's presence must be central for us, but time is running out for it. He must be incorporated into all we do. Once you start to get responses from the Holy Spirit you will know instinctively that your encounter with God is what will change you. For some, it will be a "road to Damascus" experience—extreme and hard to miss. For others it will be much more subtle, like the internal realization of God upon them that made repentance possible. At that point, they were forever changed. We owe the people we serve an encounter with God, and for that to be a consistent outcome of our ministries, we must be full of the Holy Spirit. Fullness is measured in overflow. Many have stopped short of a divine encounter because they were satisfied with good theology. I became painfully aware of this truth in 1987 one Sunday when I attended a local service at a congregation I had been attending for several years. They were repeating sermons I had heard from them multiple times, by multiple persons. There was only milk and no meat. They offered no classes for new believers. No one taught how to pray. No one taught the function of the Holy Spirit or how to test the faith. Even most of those raised up in the church have no idea what I am talking about Painful as that lesson was, I discovered I had to learn to put a demand on what I believed. We need to encounter God at all times, and it is essential. I knew I must search the New Testament to find the answers I so desperately needed. Day and night, I searched. Then I found the ‘mystery’, and it has changed so many lives. Living a lifestyle that includes the Lord 24/7 is what is required to get us where we wanted to go. When you start bending your ear to God’s way of thinking (Psalm 25:4), expressing love, encouraging one another (1 John 4:20-21), becoming obedient to His will (John 14:15) , living and responding in a more positive way (Philippians 2:14), and turning away from the id (Proverbs 3:5), the world, the negative, the more you will want to draw closer to God (James 4:8). Philippians 4:8 tells us; "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things". There are many accounts in both the New and Old Testaments where God called different people. For example, please read in 1 Samuel 3, where there is an account of the first time Samuel heard the voice of God and responded. Other accounts are recorded when God spoke and no one responded (Isaiah 66:4, Jeremiah 7:13, Jeremiah 35:17, Matthew 22:2-10, Luke 14:16-24). For those that desire, there are many ways that we can hear and hearken unto God, but we need to learn to focus, desire that communication, and be willing to act upon the word of God despite how we feel or what we think when our id is active. Exercise 6- Now is the time that you must concentrate on the here and now, as well as the past, letting your mind and the Holy Spirit meld together as you start to remember visions, dreams, Déjà vous, irrational emotions, incidents, smells, songs, hearing your name called when no one is there, where God was reaching out to you. You may even have been hearing Him while driving, dreaming, or in the shower, as we have. Return to your quiet place, pull out whatever you’ve been using to keep all of your notes, and enter that information with as much detail as possible now. Once you can acknowledge that God has been trying to speak to you then the rest of this course will not only be more exciting but it will also progress much faster. You will be able to open up and experience greater and more amazing ways that our Father can use to build a solid relationship with you. Every prophet in the bible had faith in God prior to becoming a prophet. They were ordinary people that were chosen by God for special missions. He is still calling His children to be doers and not hearers only (James 1:22). Your mission may be your family, or co-workers, a certain neighbor, or simply being an example to all that know you that the God of the bible is alive and well and He is your parent, friend, savior, and so much more (Jeremiah 29:11).
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Michael & Judy Peck Archives
February 2020
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