Andrew Smith

It seems that as of late, a reoccurring theme for our weekly bible studies often run past the notion of hearing God's voice. "What does God's voice sound like anyway?" Or, "How do I know if that's what God is really telling me to do?" These are questions that often pop up in the back my mind.. Actually, most of the time they just lurk back there, way back in the deep end, the breed of questions you have to go scuba diving after.

Anyway, we all want answers to our questions so I hope this shines a little ray of light into your dreary existence. =D


God wants you to hear his voice!

You already hear God's voice but most people don't know what it is or what it sounds like. You can only love God as much as you love His Word. And you can certainly cannot obey God any more than you obey His Word.

You need to have an essential view of God's voice. It's not as if you say, "I'll give you five minutes if you speak to me in that time, then fine, if not then I'll get along fine without it." Or waiting several weeks without speaking to God, then asking him to get you out of your predicament, then going back to your carnal, sinful ways. If you aren't seeking God with your whole heart, you won't hear God clearly.

If you have an old tv with a bad signal, you wouldn't call up the television company and complain about the poor quality of their transmission, the station is broadcasting all the time. You'd try to discover what was wrong with your tv receiver and try and adjust it to get to work better. You'd take it in to somebody and get it repaired. However, in Christianity, we beg and plead with God to fix his transmitter! God's transmitter is never broken, it is working 24/7 365 days a year.. Our receiver is broken. John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Most people are expecting to hear God's voice in a 'third person' voice. i.e. "I want YOU to move to Dallas." 1 Cor 6:17 "But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit." In other words, your born again spirit is one with God's Spirit. Therefore, God's spirit will communicate to your spirit which will transfer that knowledge to your brain and that will be first person. "I think... I should move to Dallas."
1 Cor 2:16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
Other passages: John 4:24, 1 John 2:20.

God doesn't typically speak to us in a showy or spectacular way. (Yes, He still does awesome miracles.) His customary ways of communication are natural, simple and often subtle ways. When Jesus came to earth, he could have showed up in a rocket ship and used a big booming voice, but he just had a bright star and came as a baby to a manger. He could have had his angels announce his arrival to kings in every nation. But the angels just told shepherds. He could have a tree point to direct you, or he could have clouds printed with messages for you. His ways are are ones that take faith to perceive.

Your spirit already knows your gifts and calling of God, the clincher is getting that knowledge to your brain so you can use it!

The only way your can know which thoughts or intuitions are from God is through his Word. Hebrews 4:12
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

You have to have a thorough knowledge of the Word of God to know use it correctly. If you're going to let someone else tell you what the Word says, or if you are living a self-centered life then you won't be effectively using it. Also, if God has already showed you His answer out of his Word, then don't expect any further specific direction until you are obedient to the first thing He told you to do.

If you landed on the beaches of Normandy and there was a huge minefield you couldn't see, would you rather have a map of where every mine was, or someone directing you on your radio guiding your every step? The Spirit is like a voice telling you where to go. The Word is like a map. You need both.

God's Word speaks to everything, it's like a football field that has boundries, if you are out of bounds, your forward progress stops.



I hope you learned something helpful, these are my notes from Andrew Womack's (http://www.awmi.net/) sermons on hearing God's voice.

God bless you all!