Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
9:00am & 10:45am,
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Listen When God Speaks

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.” – John 10:27-28.

There are times when the TV is so loud you can’t hear somebody asking you a question. When the radio in the car is loudly rocking a song it is difficult to carry on a conversation with another person in the car. And when two other people are talking at the same time it is difficult to discern what each is saying. It seems like we can only really listen to one thing at a time.  There are so many voices fighting for my attention, how do I choose?  There are voices on TV, radio, podcasts, online and in person.  How do you and I turn down those voices so we can hear the voice of God. He wants you to silence the other voices of influence, so you can listen to Him.

We need to listen to a teacher’s instructions, or listening to our parents or maybe a friend sharing something they want to make sure we hear. But in the midst of all that is going on around us, we can forget that God wants us to listen because He wants to speak to us. God spoke to Daniel through visions, Balaam through a donkey, Peter through a rooster, and of all things, he spoke to Moses out of a shrub. He is a God who says in Isaiah 28:23, “Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech.” And Proverbs 3:6 (MSG) adds, “Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”

God wants to commune with us directly. He desires to speak into our hearts; encouraging us, shaping us, convicting us, inspiring us…are we listening? The first step in hearing God speak is to intentionally quiet ourselves and listen. We need to create uninterrupted space in our life to simply be still and quiet before God, listening for His voice speaking into our hearts. We build intimate connection with God by spending time in personal worship to Him – and through that connection He speaks.

We must train our hearts to hear our Father’s voice, just as a child can discern their parent’s voice out of a crowd of other voices. “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.“ (John 10:3-4) 

You will not hear an “audible voice” as Moses did. God speaks to us internally through his Holy Spirit; using a feeling, an impression, an image, a prompting, a single word or thought. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” (John 16:13) 

The more you seek God’s voice, the more easily you will recognize it when he speaks.

Discussion Questions: 

  1. How often should you talk to God? 
  2. Friends don’t talk the same way and same time every day. How will you refresh your prayer routine this week?

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