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How to Hear God's Voice Clearly and Never Miss His Direction Again | Pastor Vlad — Transcript

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0:00Today I want to speak to you a message
0:01that I will title be titled Speak, Lord,
0:04your servant is listening. I would say
0:07that after getting saved, one of the
0:09greatest treasures of Christians life is
0:13the ability to hear and discern the
0:16voice of the Holy Spirit.
0:19I was thinking this week and when was
0:21the first time I felt that I heard a
0:23voice that was different than mine or
0:26the demonic voice, the voice of the
0:27Lord, and I remember a an experience in
0:32my parents van. I just received the
0:34baptism of the Holy Spirit. I started to
0:36speak in tongues. I was a young teenager
0:39and we were all going to the pool during
0:41summer with my cousins, and I had
0:43cousins from Portland that would come
0:45for the summer to live with us, and I'm
0:47reading the Bible and I get this
0:50thought. Now I look back at it. It
0:51wasn't just a thought. It was the Holy
0:53Spirit
0:54to get all my cousins to a prayer
0:57meeting
0:58and to get them to be prayed for to get
1:02tongues.
1:03Now, I knew this was not my idea because
1:07that's just I'm not the creative.
1:10And I knew my cousins, like
1:12speaking in tongues, like basketball and
1:14other soccer, but like tongue stuff,
1:16like it's just not our thing. And so I
1:18get super excited. I get nervous. My
1:20heart is beating three times faster. I
1:22gather my cousins and they all have
1:23towels. We're We're about to go to the
1:25pool, all of us, including myself. And
1:28so and I was like, "Guys,
1:29I just want to
1:31>> [laughter]
1:32>> And I'm like losing breath cuz I'm like
1:34I'm nervous. I'm My heart is skipping
1:35like three beats at the same time. And I
1:37say, "You need tongues."
1:40And they're like,
1:42"Is that like a some kind of a lesson in
1:44the pool or something?"
1:46Like like we need to all pray in
1:47tongues. And they're like, "Vlad, like
1:49Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. Could we do
1:51it after the pool?"
1:53And you know, part of me wanted to Feel
1:55go with John the Baptist style on them,
1:56you brood of vipers. How dare you not
2:00want to prioritize spiritual things over
2:02these things. But then I was like, you
2:03know, that's actually a great idea. It
2:04could give me an opportunity to get
2:06prepared. What do I tell them about
2:08tongues? So I said, "Yeah, let's do it
2:10after the pool." So I remember I called
2:11the pastor and I said, "Pastor, how do
2:13you tell other people how to get
2:14tongues?" And so he gave me all the
2:16verses. I started to read through the
2:17verses. So my cousins all came back. I
2:19was like, "I'm ready. I'm going to We're
2:22going to all pray. There's no adults
2:23there." So this this is going to be
2:25crazy.
2:26And they all came back and I was like,
2:28"You guys ready?" They said, "No, we're
2:29hungry."
2:31And I was like, "Oh, well, good. I have
2:33just 30 more minutes to be more
2:35nervous."
2:36And then finally they all ate and we we
2:38came into the room. I still remember
2:39this. It's a picture imprinted in my
2:41mind. Upstairs in my parents' house
2:44duplex, we all got together on our knees
2:46and you know, we were taught to pray
2:47like Pentecostals. So everybody on their
2:49knees, no pacing around, and no music,
2:51nothing. And for 40 minutes we prayed
2:54and half of the room started to speak in
2:57tongues.
2:59The next day we did it again. The rest
3:02of the people start speaking in tongues.
3:03We did it for about 2 weeks every day.
3:06This was the rhythm. Pool, dinner,
3:08tongues.
3:12And that is how I first started to
3:15discern the voice of the Holy Spirit as
3:18a teenager. Looking back, I didn't think
3:19it was the Holy Spirit. I just thought I
3:21just had a thought, but it wasn't a
3:23thought planted by me. And then when I
3:25was 16, it happened at the parking lot
3:27of WinCo store. I was 6 months into
3:29being a into a youth ministry, wanted to
3:32quit, was getting ready to call our
3:34pastor from a house phone because I
3:36didn't have a cell phone, and on the
3:37parking lot of a WinCo, that was very
3:39clear where the voice of the Lord came
3:42to me. And if you will pastor, this is
3:44what the voice said, is that if you
3:45don't give up, one day you will pastor a
3:47church where thousands will come from
3:49everywhere. Now, mind you, we had seven
3:51people.
3:52And they will come without an
3:54invitation. And, you know, I didn't call
3:56the pastor that night to quit the youth
3:57ministry. And today we see the fruits of
4:00that. Then I would remember when I was
4:01in a meeting and a a prophet would come
4:04and like jerk my hand and tell me her
4:07vision of what she saw how God's going
4:09to use me. Now, I'm going to give you a
4:10little context. Like, in America
4:12prophets are different than in Russia or
4:14Ukraine.
4:15American prophets is similar similar
4:17like, you know, a flower in the field.
4:19There's a destiny inside of you. And if
4:21you go like to African prophets, it's
4:22like prosperity, money, blessings are
4:24coming. Russian prophets have a unique
4:26characteristic. It's like you're going
4:28to get sick, humble yourself.
4:31Like, repent. Like, it's it's pretty
4:33much 99.9%
4:35you
4:36you're doing something wrong and you
4:37better repent because God's going to
4:39find you out. So, I grew up like
4:43you were afraid of prophets. If a
4:44prophet is your way, like, you could
4:46quickly repent of anything just in case
4:48so they don't put you on the sick bed.
4:50And so, this lady, you know, no smile,
4:52no introduction, just jerks my hand
4:54after the service in Tacoma. And she
4:57just says, "During prayer I saw a vision
4:59and I saw a trumpet in your mouth and a
5:00fire was coming out. Don't be afraid."
5:02And so, and I'm standing there like and
5:05I'm waiting when she's going to say like
5:06you're going to get like sick or
5:08something. And there was none of that
5:09and she walked off. That marked my life.
5:13Then I remember on the aisle seat of
5:14Alaska Airline on my flight to
5:16Sacramento. And this was about
5:18already maybe 12 years ago or or 11
5:21years ago where I heard in my heart, I
5:24thought first it was the devil. Um, and
5:26then I was pretty sure it was not the
5:28devil and it was not me to take our
5:30savings and to give our savings to the
5:32missionary field and that God will do
5:34something in our life. And that caused a
5:37outburst of personal breakthrough in my
5:40life, in my wife's life, and in our
5:42youth ministry. And I can
5:44talk to you today different times in my
5:47life where I felt I heard the voice of
5:50God and it marked my life. It is a
5:53treasure
5:55to hear God.
5:57But there are reasons why some people
5:59don't hear God. The first one is
6:01theological cessationism.
6:04It's when you have an earplug
6:06called a false teaching
6:08that plugs your ear and says, you can't
6:12hear God
6:13because God doesn't speak anymore. The
6:15second reason why some people don't hear
6:17God is practical disappointment.
6:20They prayed, fasted, said, "Lord, speak
6:22to me."
6:23Nothing came.
6:25The third reason is because people have
6:27seen spiritual leaders
6:29who have used God told me as an excuse
6:33to manipulate, dominate, and control.
6:36The fourth reason why many people don't
6:38hear God is they they have a fear of
6:42getting it wrong. And that fear is
6:44greater than their desire to actually
6:47hear from the Lord. And the last reason
6:49is And this is a struggle what I believe
6:51with a lot of people who are not in
6:53leadership positions
6:54in the church is they think they're not
6:56worthy enough
6:58and hearing God is premium Christianity.
7:01Like basic Christianity is to get out of
7:03hell.
7:04Premium Christianity is to actually hear
7:08the guy upstairs.
7:10To hear, connect with a heavenly father.
7:13And today I hope to remove earplugs of
7:17theological heresy
7:19and also
7:21ear infections
7:23that some Christians have that blocks
7:25the voice of God in their life.
7:28Amen.
7:29We will take the story reading from 1
7:31Samuel chapter 3
7:33and verse 1.
7:35Now the boy Samuel ministered to the
7:37Lord before Eli.
7:39And the word of the Lord was rare in
7:41those days, and there was no widespread
7:44revelation. I'm going to skip through
7:46that and describe Samuel hearing the
7:48voice of God for the first time,
7:50mistaking it for the voice of Eli,
7:53and then coming to Eli. Eli says, "I
7:55didn't call you." Then comes again. Eli
7:57says, "I didn't call you." And then Eli
7:59recognizes Samuel is hearing God. He
8:01instructs him, and this is what I'm
8:03going to read
8:05of what he instructs him. But before he
8:07instructs him, I do want to highlight
8:08verse 7. Verse 7 it says, "Now Samuel
8:11did not yet know the Lord, nor was the
8:14word of the Lord yet revealed to him.
8:17And then verse 9. Therefore Eli said to
8:20Samuel, 'Go, lie down, and it shall be,
8:23if he calls you, then you must say,
8:26"Speak, Lord, for your servant hears."
8:32And that's the title of my message.
8:33Speak, Lord. Your servant
8:36is listening.
8:38The first thing that I wanted to
8:39highlight is this.
8:41To know God
8:43is to know his voice.
8:45I want you to notice in verse 7 we've
8:47read. It says this, "Samuel did not know
8:51the Lord."
8:52Because the word of the Lord wasn't
8:54revealed to him. What if I were to
8:56submit to you,
8:57part of knowing who God is
9:01is knowing his voice.
9:03Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice." He
9:07didn't say the apostles only know my
9:09voice. He didn't say only the elites
9:12know my voice. Part of belonging to
9:15Jesus is knowing his voice.
9:18I want you to know
9:20that to know God
9:22requires, involves
9:25knowing his voice.
9:28You cannot know God
9:31and not know how he sounds like.
9:34And people who propagate the heresies,
9:37and that is a heresy.
9:39The God stopped speaking when the New
9:42Testament was written.
9:45Well, the Bible says in Hebrews, "The
9:47Spirit says."
9:50It doesn't say "The Spirit said." Past
9:53tense.
9:54Meaning, the Holy Spirit is still
9:57actively speaking.
10:00Now, the Bible is completed, but God
10:03still speaks.
10:05Jesus said in Matthew chapter 4 verse 4,
10:08he said, "Man shall not live by bread
10:10alone, but by every word that proceeds,
10:14not proceeded, but proceeds from the
10:17mouth of God." Meaning, you are
10:19spiritually alive, not only by reading
10:22the word God said, but constantly
10:25hearing what God is saying.
10:28Are you with me?
10:30Your spiritual life is contingent on
10:34hearing the voice of the Lord.
10:37And if you have this theological plug
10:40that was plugged into you by
10:41cessationism, where, you know, looked at
10:44these weird charismatic acts, and they
10:46do all of this, and they do all of that.
10:49So, we will correct this miss We will
10:51correct this abuse by going into the
10:54other heresy, which is God doesn't speak
10:57anymore. Well, A.W. Tozer said, "It is
10:59in the nature of God to speak." Imagine
11:02a marriage relationship where there is
11:04silence.
11:05Imagine a father and son relationship
11:08where there is silence. Our God speaks.
11:11Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice." He
11:15didn't say only Christians read my word,
11:18they hear my voice. God created Adam and
11:22Eve. Adam and Eve didn't have a Bible.
11:24They did not have a local church. They
11:26didn't have Bible classes, but they
11:27heard the voice of God. They lived in
11:30the presence of God. Then they were
11:32kicked out of the garden because of
11:34disobedience. And after that, you see
11:36God selectively speaking to people,
11:39sometimes showing up in Pharaoh's
11:41dreams, sometimes speaking to Abraham,
11:44speaking to Jacob, speaking to Isaac,
11:47showing up to Moses, showing up to
11:49Joshua and Elijah. But every day
11:52followers of Yahweh did not have the
11:55privilege of knowing God as their father
11:58and having a direct connection to him
12:01through hearing his voice. They could
12:03pray to him, they could fast to him,
12:06they had to live by his word, but they
12:08didn't have the luxury, THE PRIVILEGE,
12:10THE treasure of knowing his voice. The
12:13way if they wanted to hear from God is
12:16they would have to go to a local prophet
12:18or a seer who would sleep and get a
12:21vision or would visibly see a vision and
12:23speak to them. But you didn't have a
12:25luxury of hearing God's voice personally
12:28and directly. But there came prophet
12:31Joel and he said, "In the last days,
12:33says the Lord, I will pour out of my
12:35spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your
12:38daughters, not only the prophets, not
12:41only the apostles, not only the great
12:43men, but everyone, EVEN THE SERVANTS,
12:46EVEN THE MAIDSERVANTS, the males, the
12:48females, the young and the old." AND GOD
12:51SAYS, "I'LL VISIT THEM WITH DREAMS. I'LL
12:53VISIT THEM IN DREAMS AND VISIONS. I WILL
12:55SPEAK to my people."
12:58And Jesus comes. And he introduces a
13:01relationship with God that involves
13:04knowing God personally.
13:07You don't rely on your pastor. You don't
13:09rely on your priest. You rely on the
13:12Holy Spirit who indwells inside of you.
13:16I like what Dallas Willard said.
13:18If God doesn't speak today,
13:20then the greatest disservice we could
13:22ever do to people is to tell them
13:25they can have a personal relationship
13:28with God.
13:31How would we, most of us Protestant
13:33Christians, how do we present
13:35Christianity to people who are not a
13:37Protestant faith? Usually we say, "You
13:39can have a personal relationship with
13:42God."
13:43How can you have a personal relationship
13:45with God
13:46if God doesn't speak?
13:50God speaks.
13:52He's not mute.
13:54A lot of times, the problem is on our
13:56side.
13:58The second thing that I would like to
13:59highlight, and let's get closer to
14:00actually learning how to discern the
14:02voice of God. And that is this, if you
14:04want to hear God's voice, don't tolerate
14:08what does not please him.
14:11The story of Eli is a very good example.
14:14Eli opened The Bible opens up about Eli,
14:16and it says that the word of the Lord
14:18was rare.
14:20Does that describe your spiritual walk
14:22with God?
14:23Rare?
14:24Every once in a while, it's not that
14:25you've never heard God. It's not that
14:28you don't hear God. It is very rare. And
14:32it's And it says, "And the revelation
14:35This is not necessarily just the insight
14:37from the scripture, but this is God
14:39revealing his plan to you.
14:41was not very common.
14:43But if you read carefully down, you will
14:45see why.
14:48Lack of revelation
14:50is not a coincidence.
14:52It's a consequence.
14:55I'm going to say that again.
14:57Lack of hearing God
14:59is not a coincidence.
15:03It is not a personality trait.
15:05It is not something, well, I'm just not
15:08one of those people. No, no, no, no, no.
15:10There is always
15:12a reason.
15:13In Eli's case, it was not a personal
15:16sin.
15:18The Bible doesn't say Eli personally
15:20sinned. Eli had a passive tolerance
15:24toward God clearly was displeased by.
15:29And sometimes it's personal sin.
15:32And sometimes it's personal passiveness
15:35toward things we know they don't please
15:38the Lord.
15:40And we tolerate them.
15:42The longer you tolerate it,
15:45you develop an ear infection.
15:48Sin is an ear infection that blocks the
15:51still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
15:54That's why the Bible says my hand is not
15:56shortened to save and my ear is not
15:58heavy to hear, but he says your sins
16:00have separated. In Matthew, Jesus says
16:03that their hearts have grown dull and
16:05THEIR EARS ARE HARD OF HEARING. When
16:08your heart is hardened, your ears can't
16:11hear.
16:13My friend, if there is lack of
16:15revelation, if there is lack of hearing
16:18from the Lord, that means the
16:20sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is dull.
16:24It's not always a sign that you have a
16:26sin in your life.
16:28But it could be a sign there is
16:30something within your proximity you are
16:33tolerating, perhaps celebrating, that
16:36the Lord looks at it and is grieved by
16:39it.
16:41Let's look practically. Do you know
16:42people in your life that hurt your
16:44feelings a lot?
16:45Do you talk with them regularly?
16:47No.
16:48You usually what do you do with them? If
16:50you don't block them, then you withdraw.
16:53Now some of you you go hard like you
16:55just go block online everywhere and
16:58restraining order.
17:02You're like, you hurt my feelings. You
17:03will never do that again. I will never
17:06see you until the judgment seat of
17:07Christ.
17:09>> [laughter]
17:09>> Most of us are not like that radical.
17:12The way we most of our are, if you keep
17:14hurting my feelings,
17:16we keep withdrawing.
17:19And you limit access they have to you,
17:22and they stop hearing from you. You
17:25don't hate them, but you definitely
17:27don't speak to them.
17:29When the Holy Spirit is grieved,
17:32he withdraws quietly.
17:34When he comes, he comes powerfully. When
17:38he withdraws, he always does so
17:41silently.
17:43When he is hurt
17:45because of what we tolerate, he
17:47withdraws.
17:48This is a personal thing for me. Every
17:50time that I go for more than 2 weeks,
17:52okay, 3 weeks is like maximum, and the
17:54presence of God is not real anymore. I
17:57still pray, I still read the scriptures,
17:59and I still would get some insights, but
18:01like that, you know, that
18:04like that your heart just like
18:06melts, and the presence of God, I know
18:09it doesn't happen every day. I don't
18:10expect it every day, but if it goes more
18:12than 2 weeks,
18:14then I I do a very clear examination of
18:16what is happening in this heart.
18:18And if I notice that I am completely
18:20clogged up, my ears are filled with
18:23something else that's not right, I
18:24usually just go through, and I just
18:26declare a day of fast. Or 2 days. This
18:28happened just not even long ago where I
18:31just felt like I that that connection,
18:33everything is great, nothing is bad.
18:35Felt like I'm doing so good on
18:37everything else in my life, but see, I
18:39don't live by just what God is doing. I
18:41live when when he speaks.
18:44And if he doesn't speak, it's not
18:45because he has nothing to say.
18:48God wants to speak. Something is in my
18:51heart needs to be open. Lord, I need to
18:53hear from you. I want to be so close to
18:55you where you're my friend, you're my
18:57father. You need to speak to me. And
18:59then I would declare a few day fast. And
19:01sometimes on the first day nothing
19:02happens, just a lot of repentance and
19:04recognizing how wretched I am.
19:06Second day, a lot of moodiness and
19:08crankiness and headache.
19:10And then the third day, I was like,
19:12"Lord,
19:14I'm just here. Do whatever you need to
19:15do." And sometimes right at the end,
19:18something just breaks. And then many
19:19times after the fast, after that one
19:22day, and few days later, like a dam that
19:25just
19:27And the precious love, and that
19:29revelation, and that insight, and that
19:31Holy Spirit closeness. I don't seek that
19:34as a pastor. I seek that as a believer.
19:38Because first, before I am a pastor, I
19:40am a son of God.
19:42I am a sheep of Jesus. I am a I'm in
19:45communion with the Holy Spirit. What
19:47sustains me in my Christian life is not
19:50a salary I get at the church or a
19:52position I get in my denomination. What
19:54sustains me in my Christian faith is the
19:56fact I am saved by the grace. The Holy
19:59Spirit lives inside of me. I can have a
20:01personal relationship with the God of
20:04the universe. He talks to me. He wants
20:06to talk to you. But sometimes there are
20:09theological earplugs that somebody in a
20:12seminary gave us and said, "God doesn't
20:14speak anymore." This theological bent
20:17that is not scripturally rooted. But
20:19other times, on the other side of the
20:21ear, there is an ear infection where you
20:23allowed things that displease the Lord
20:25for so long, he no longer speaks. And
20:28you're okay with that, and you call that
20:30normal Christianity. I desire to offend
20:34you today and to tell you that is not
20:36normal. If my son doesn't hear my voice,
20:39that is not normal. If my wife doesn't
20:41hear my voice, that is not normal. In
20:44marriage, we call that a fighting.
20:46In marriage, we call that a problem. If
20:49you go for weeks and months and you
20:51don't hear the voice of the one you
20:53love, that is not normal.
20:57And Jesus said, "Your ears are heavy to
20:59hear,
21:00hard of hearing because the heart
21:03is hardened. My desire is not to condemn
21:06you.
21:07But if the word of the Lord is rare,
21:09may I ask you honestly,
21:12did somebody plug your ears
21:16with the wrong teaching?
21:18Because Jesus says, "My sheep hear in my
21:21voice." Are you his sheep? Then hearing
21:24God's voice is not a gift. It comes
21:26natural.
21:28My boy is not the first thing they
21:30checked when the boy was born is his
21:32hearing. They couldn't make his hearing.
21:35It comes with birth.
21:37Hearing God's voice is part of being a
21:40Christian. Discerning God's voice comes
21:42with training. Hearing his voice is
21:45natural.
21:47But when there is an infection called
21:49compromise or tolerating what's not
21:51pleasing to the Lord, or some theology
21:53theologian comes and puts a plug in your
21:56ear and says, "You shouldn't be hearing
21:58God."
21:59We got to remove that
22:01and heal the infection.
22:03The third thing I want to highlight
22:04today is this, if you are near the Holy
22:06Spirit, you will hear
22:09the voice of God.
22:11Now look at Samuel. So Eli didn't hear
22:14the Lord because he tolerated sin.
22:17Samuel heard the Lord, but before he
22:19focused on hearing the Lord, I want you
22:20to notice
22:22he ministered to the Lord.
22:24He ministered to the Lord, grew in the
22:27Lord, and he was close to the Lord.
22:31Don't focus on hearing God.
22:33Focus on being near God.
22:37God doesn't speak to your position. He
22:40speaks to your proximity.
22:42God doesn't speak to your age.
22:45He doesn't look at, "Oh, you're 12 years
22:46of age, you're too young."
22:48He doesn't speak to your education
22:50level. He speaks to your proximity.
22:53He doesn't speak to your IQ. He speaks
22:55to your proximity.
22:58He spoke to the fact that Samuel was
23:00given up by his mother to God, was
23:03thriving in a toxic, religiously
23:07lukewarm environment being a young boy.
23:10That's why never blame your environment
23:12for your spiritual complacency.
23:15Because he could be spiritually thriving
23:18though his environment was toxic. And
23:20parents, I want to challenge you to
23:22raise your kids to depend on God so much
23:24that even if they go to a public school,
23:26they don't get contaminated. Even if
23:28they go to some friends, they can still
23:31serve God if everybody else around them
23:33serves the devil.
23:35The scripture says the sons of Eli were
23:37corrupt and they did not know the Lord
23:39nor the duties of the priest, but Samuel
23:42in spite of that environment, not having
23:45a godly example, being surrounded by
23:48weird, cowards, and corrupt people,
23:51ministered to the Lord. Ministered to
23:52the Lord. And when God came to speak, he
23:55ignored the fact that Samuel didn't have
23:57a daddy as a priest. He didn't have a
23:59daddy as a prophet, but Samuel had
24:02proximity to God.
24:05You want to hear God?
24:07Get near him.
24:10Hearing God is like a Bluetooth.
24:14You have to first pair it
24:16and get near to it.
24:18Once your heart is paired
24:21with the will of God,
24:23once your heart is paired
24:26with pleasing God,
24:28all you have to do
24:30is make sure you stay close to the
24:31router.
24:34Call the Holy Spirit.
24:35The Holy Spirit is within us and he
24:39speaks. The Bible says in Revelation,
24:41"And the spirit says to the churches, he
24:43who has an ear, let him hear." And it
24:45says in Book of Acts chapter 13, "As
24:47they worshipped and they ministered and
24:50they fasted, the Holy Spirit SAID." SO,
24:52THE HOLY SPIRIT wants to speak to you.
24:54He lives inside of you. HE DOESN'T HAVE
24:57A DUCT TAPE OVER HIS MOUTH. HE WANTS TO
24:59SPEAK TO YOU. IF YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN, YOU
25:01HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND IF YOU HAVE
25:02the Holy Spirit, you have a speaking
25:04Holy Spirit. You don't have Holy Spirit
25:07the junior. You don't have Holy Spirit
25:09the third. YOU HAVE THE HOLY Spirit that
25:12raised Christ from the dead. The Holy
25:14Spirit that heals. The Holy Spirit that
25:17speaks. The Holy Spirit
25:20>> [applause]
25:21>> that wants to guide your life.
25:23But he is like a Bluetooth.
25:26You got to get paired
25:27and stay near.
25:29He's like a Wi-Fi.
25:30You got to get connected
25:32and stay close.
25:35I have this crazy thing in my house all
25:36the time. Anytime I'm getting out of my
25:38house, the Wi-Fi works really bad in the
25:40garage.
25:41It works terrible in the driveway. And
25:44then there's that period when you get
25:45out of the driveway, just about leaving
25:47the house, and everything stops working
25:49in your phone.
25:50Because it's disconnecting from the
25:51Wi-Fi. And see, that's how relationship
25:54with the Holy Spirit is. The closer you
25:56are to the Holy Spirit, the stronger the
25:57signal.
25:59So the problem is not your status.
26:02The problem is the signal.
26:04It's not the status you have in the
26:05church. And it's God doesn't even look
26:07at how many years you are in the church.
26:09God doesn't look like which Bible school
26:10you went to. And God doesn't look like
26:12which family you came from, and how
26:14good, bad, or the ugly are people when
26:16it comes to relating to the Lord from
26:18your family. He's looking at the signal.
26:21Are you connected by faith through
26:22Jesus? And you saved by the grace of
26:24God? And how close are you staying to
26:26the router? Because if you stay near the
26:29Holy Spirit like Samuel, you will hear
26:32the Holy Spirit like Samuel.
26:34>> [applause]
26:40>> Number four.
26:41If you want to hear God's voice,
26:43obey the last thing he told you.
26:46God didn't tell Samuel to tell Eli
26:49about the what he told him. But I do
26:52want you to let you know that after
26:54Samuel revealed the word that was given
26:56to him, the scripture says, "We begin to
26:58see Samuel being established as a man
27:02that was recognized as the one that
27:04hears from God." The first word that
27:06came to Samuel from the Lord was a hard
27:09word. And Samuel treasured that word,
27:12stewarded, shared it when he was asked
27:15to share it. And you begin to see people
27:19who obey what God tells them
27:22seem to hear God more.
27:25Obedience magnifies the voice of God in
27:27your life.
27:28Disobedience to the word that you hear
27:31from God deafens your ability to hear
27:34more.
27:35When I was younger, my biggest prayer
27:37was, "Lord, I want to hear your voice.
27:41I don't want to miss your voice. I don't
27:43want to ever confuse your voice. Lord, I
27:46want to discern your voice."
27:49My prayer changed to more of, "Lord,
27:52I want to obey your voice.
27:55I want to obey the voice
27:57I do know is yours.
28:00If I'm not sure, you'll make it clear.
28:04But it's the one that I am sure,
28:06give me strength
28:08to obey."
28:11The Bible doesn't say in Deuteronomy 28,
28:14"If you diligently hear my voice,
28:16blessings will follow you." It says, "If
28:18you diligently obey my voice."
28:22May I submit to you, Adam
28:24heard the voice of God in the garden,
28:26but he obeyed the voice of a serpent.
28:29It's not hearing the voice that changes
28:31your life. It is obeying the voice that
28:33transforms your life.
28:35Jesus heard the voice of a serpent in
28:37the wilderness, but he obeyed the word
28:39of God, and that that way he overcame
28:41Satan. And so, don't get so fixated that
28:44you're like, "Oh, I just want to hear
28:46and treasure the voice of God. Yes, but
28:48if you don't ever do what he says, you
28:51will start hearing him less, less, and
28:54less, and you'll become a spiritual
28:57junkie instead of a spiritual soldier.
29:00You'll become a person that is
29:01spiritually overweight instead of having
29:04an overflow of God's blessing because
29:07you have more words than you actually
29:09do. I'd rather hear less and do more
29:13than hear more and never do anything
29:17that he says.
29:18Jesus says those who only hear but they
29:20don't do it, they're like people who
29:22looked in the mirror, walked away, but
29:24nothing changed in their life. You got
29:26to ask the Lord, give me the grace to
29:28obey. So, if you're here today and you
29:30say, I don't remember last time the Lord
29:32has spoken to me, let me ask you a
29:34question.
29:35Did you do the last thing he said?
29:41Sometimes just go back to the last thing
29:43he said
29:44and do that.
29:46Your and my disobedience to the voice of
29:48God
29:50puts a mute
29:52on God's voice.
29:54Have you had music playing on your
29:55computer and then somebody on accident
29:57put a mute on it?
29:59You can still see the bars, everything
30:01is there, but the nothing is coming out.
30:04Same thing with the voice of the Lord in
30:05our life. When we consciously, willfully
30:08choose to disobey it, we mute that voice
30:12and we don't hear him anymore. And we go
30:15into auto auto pilot, complacent,
30:17lethargic, predictable, routine, boring,
30:21may I submit, Christianity and we're
30:24just hanging in there, holding on to
30:26Jesus' mind, blessed assurance,
30:29everything's going to be fine as long as
30:31I'm going to heaven. Christian life is
30:32more than that. It's a living
30:34relationship with God where you can hear
30:36his voice. He convicts you. He speaks to
30:38you. He comforts you. He strengthens you
30:40and you know him as your father and as
30:43your shepherd. Amen.
30:47Don't dismiss God's voice
30:49just because it sounds
30:51familiar.
30:53A principle from Samuel's story that's
30:55very good and that is this.
30:58One of the reasons we miss God's voice
31:02we don't discern it.
31:04Especially those of us who are beginning
31:05our Christian faith is this way.
31:08Because it sounds
31:09like your thoughts.
31:12Samuel, the scripture says, heard the
31:14voice of God, thought
31:16it was Eli.
31:18Now, watch this.
31:19Samuel, on the other instance
31:22saw Eliab
31:24and thought
31:26this is God's anointed. So, his
31:28thoughts, he thought they were the voice
31:30of God.
31:32So, the common confusion that happens is
31:34this is when you mistaken your thoughts
31:36for God's voice.
31:39And when you mistaken God's voice and
31:42you say, "Oh, this is just my thoughts."
31:45But commonly where most of us will hear
31:48the Lord whether it's going to be 100%
31:50through the word of God through our
31:52spirit, through visions, through dreams.
31:55Rarely most of us are going to get
31:56trances, though some people get that,
31:59but most of us probably don't like to
32:00just go unconscious completely for 3
32:02hours to hear God. And so, most of you
32:04are going to get it like through a
32:06daydream, an impression, or you will get
32:07it through a dream when you are asleep.
32:10Or you will hear a voice in your spirit.
32:12The Bible says the Holy Spirit speaks to
32:14our spirit confirming that we are
32:16children of God. Three voices we must
32:18learn to discern. The first voice is the
32:21voice of God. Here are a few
32:22characteristics to help us discern the
32:25voice of God. First thing, a lot of
32:27times it sounds like your thoughts.
32:30It's very quiet but persistent.
32:33It's peaceful, yet it's clear. It's
32:36consistent with the scriptures and it
32:38has a sense of conviction, a sharpness
32:40to it
32:41without the condemnation, even if the
32:43Lord is actually judging you through his
32:46word or convicting you. There's a sense
32:48of hope. You actually want to change.
32:51You want to You want to like change your
32:52life around for God, not feeling
32:55hopeless.
32:56Then there is your own thoughts, my own
32:58thoughts.
33:00They're tied to our flesh fleshly
33:02desires. They're typically driven by
33:04emotions, so they have like a waves
33:06component to it. They're strongly
33:08connected to logic and intellect.
33:11They sound right, but if you put them on
33:13the weight scales, they lack spiritual
33:16depth.
33:18And
33:19they typically push you to premature
33:22decisions.
33:24Then there's the demonic voice. The
33:26demonic voice is different.
33:28It carries an aura of fear,
33:32paralysis,
33:33doubt,
33:34shame,
33:35accusation. You feel less than,
33:38hopelessness, doubt.
33:40It It's very subtle. It has a twisting
33:43of scripture.
33:44Satan doesn't oppose the scripture at
33:47first. He messes with it.
33:50First time he came to Eve, he didn't
33:51say, "No." He just says, "Well, kind of
33:53you know, like" He puts a question mark.
33:55He takes scripture out of context. He
33:58came to Jesus and said, "Well, the Bible
33:59also says" He is a twisting serpent. He
34:02likes to twist the scripture to hurt
34:04you, to hurt the character of God. And
34:06then one thing about Satan's voice is
34:08that it creates urgency
34:11with confusion. When he comes, he makes
34:14everything seem like
34:16urgent,
34:19pressure, fear, and doubt.
34:23The moment you feel that coming on,
34:25you can 100% know. The Bible says he's a
34:28father of lies. All he does is lies.
34:31God's voice oozes peace about it.
34:34Conviction,
34:36clarity,
34:37quiet,
34:39yet persistent,
34:40consistent with the scriptures, and
34:43always
34:44has hope.
34:46Because that's who Holy Spirit is.
34:48He's the spirit of hope.
34:50You can't be taught to hear God's voice,
34:54but you and I can discern God's voice.
34:57People can teach us to discern it
34:59better.
35:00But hearing him comes naturally as being
35:03born again Christians.
35:05And Samuel heard the voice of God. He
35:08just didn't discern that it was God. He
35:10thought it was Eli. I wonder how many
35:13times that crazy thought
35:16was actually God.
35:18How many thought How many times you went
35:21to a coffee shop and the person next to
35:23you, and for some weird reason, you got
35:25a sharp elbow pain. No reason. It came
35:28for 3 seconds and it left. And it was
35:30actually God
35:31speaking to you to pray for an elbow of
35:34the person next to you.
35:36You're like, "Oh, this is weird."
35:38How many times an impression that would
35:41come in, and we would just It's not that
35:43we don't hear. Most of us don't discern
35:46it and dismiss it because we're like,
35:47"Well,
35:48it's Eli that he called me. What if it
35:51was the Lord?" So, my encouragement to
35:53you is test the spirits, hold on to what
35:55is good, and take risks
35:58because God wants you to hear him. And
36:01you would say, "What if I make
36:02mistakes?" That's okay, because it's
36:05better to God wants us to know him, and
36:08he will guide us into all truth. And I'm
36:10not saying that you come up to somebody
36:13and you say, "Thus says the Lord," and
36:15hand them a business card that says, "I
36:17am an established prophet of Tri-Cities,
36:19Washington, and I operate in the realm
36:21of Pacific Northwest."
36:24Don't do that.
36:25You can just easily come and say, "I
36:27on my heart, I just want to submit it to
36:30you. I don't know what that would mean
36:31for you, but I want to share that with
36:33you. I heard Al Landon shot I was riding
36:35on my bike few days ago and I was
36:36listening to his teaching on
36:38hearing God and he comes and gives a
36:40word to somebody and this big guy, he
36:44gives him a word he said, I hear the
36:45Lord put on my heart the joy is coming
36:48back.
36:49And the guy is like, okay.
36:51And so and Landon leaves and you know,
36:52his wife gave such a strong word to
36:54somebody and he felt so like he's like,
36:56man, what kind of word is that? Joy is
36:57coming back. Like really? And so he just
37:00felt so like, man, I should have
37:01delivered a stronger word. And so he
37:04gets in the car with the pastor who was
37:05hosting him and he said, you have no
37:07idea what that word meant. He's like,
37:08yeah, happiness is coming back. He's
37:10like, yeah, it's like everybody needs
37:11that word. He said, no. His wife's name
37:14is Joy.
37:15And he's waiting for her to come back.
37:18And when you gave that word, that
37:20actually did not mean about happiness.
37:22It actually meant that his wife is
37:23coming back. And he's been waiting for
37:25that. He's like, oh wow, that's a
37:26powerful word. You see like how
37:29sometimes the Lord could give us a word
37:31and we just like, ah, we dismiss it's
37:33not a big deal. If God speaks, act on
37:36it. Amen.
37:38And the last thing and we're going to
37:39finish up and that is this. If you want
37:41to hear the voice of God, you can't hear
37:43God if you already decided what you
37:45wanted him to say.
37:46I want you to notice what Eli did not
37:48tell Samuel. Samuel, when the Lord
37:50speaks, tell him, speak Lord.
37:54And tell me what I want to hear.
37:58I wonder how many times why we miss the
38:00voice of God is because we come to God
38:03with a script instead of surrender.
38:07If you made up your mind,
38:09I'm going to marry this person.
38:11Don't ask the Lord what he thinks about
38:12it.
38:15I I don't like it when people come up,
38:17they already have a wedding date and
38:18everything like, pastor, so what do you
38:19think about it? It's like, really, what
38:21am I going to say?
38:22Well, not a good idea.
38:24You're against our marriage.
38:28I think you should have been here before
38:29you made a decision, if that's what you
38:31wanted to hear my input. But if you're
38:33coming to the Lord and you already made
38:35up your mind,
38:37please understand, I'm not saying that
38:39God is just not going to
38:41bless that. You want to have his perfect
38:43will. You can make up your mind, but you
38:46can come to the Lord Lord and say, Lord,
38:47this is what I want to do.
38:50Ah. [sighs]
38:52I might struggle if you tell me
38:54otherwise.
38:56If you're patient with me, Lord,
38:59I'll get on with the program.
39:02But be honest with God. Don't make up
39:04your mind
39:05and then treat God as someone that just
39:08puts a stamp of approval.
39:10Can God bless our plans? 100%. The Bible
39:13says, if you delight in the Lord, he
39:15will give you the desires of your heart.
39:16He'll change those desires first. He'll
39:18put those desires first. But to hear
39:21God's voice, you must come this way.
39:22Speak, Lord.
39:24Not your boss is listening,
39:28but your servant is listening. That
39:30means I'm here to listen and I'm here to
39:32obey. I have willingness to obey, not
39:36only eagerness to listen and then
39:38compare with my notes. Uh I don't like
39:40that, Lord. So, can you say something
39:42else?
39:44Do you have anything else that you can
39:46tell me, like any other word that you
39:48have for me? No. Okay, Lord, I'm going
39:50to go find a different voice.
39:53And that's how many people live. They
39:55don't want to hear the Lord's voice.
39:57They want to hear from the Lord what
39:59they want him to say. And be very
40:02honest, if you want to hear God, be open
40:05with the Lord and say, Lord, speak,
40:07Lord, your servant is listening. And as
40:10a servant, I don't have an agenda. I
40:13have a heart willing to obey.
40:17Amen.
40:18And if you do that, God will speak.
40:20But if you come in with a preconceived,
40:22pre-decided idea already, it will be
40:25very difficult to speak.
40:28Give you an example.
40:30One king was a going to was going to
40:31war.
40:33He had a friend named
40:35Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat said,
40:37"Before we go to war, let's hear of the
40:39Lord's will. What does the Lord want us
40:41to do?" So, they already made plans to
40:42go fight, and now they want to hear what
40:44the Lord wants to do. So, they invited
40:46this all the prophets, and all the
40:47prophets came in and says, "GO TO WAR,
40:49YOU'LL BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU'LL BE
40:50SUCCESSFUL." They just literally were
40:52just confirming whatever these guys
40:53already pre-decided.
40:55And then they invited this one and the
40:57king Jehoshaphat, he says, "Is there not
40:59like a real prophet who like doesn't
41:01tickle everybody's ears?" And not that
41:03he's has to be Debbie Downer, always
41:05negative, but like like like real word
41:06from God, cuz Jehoshaphat discerned
41:08right away, "These guys are paid.
41:10>> [laughter]
41:11>> They're not real deal. They're not
41:12prophets. They are guys for a profit.
41:15This is something is off with this." So,
41:17he's like, "Yeah, there's this guy, but
41:18he never says anything I like to hear."
41:21And Jehoshaphat he's like, "Well, then I
41:22want to hear from him."
41:23So, and this Micaiah comes in, and
41:25Micaiah plays right into their scheme.
41:28He comes in and he's like, "Yeah, go and
41:30you will win, AND GOD WILL BLESS YOU."
41:31AND AHAB'S LIKE, "DUDE, STOP.
41:34LIKE TELL ME THE WORD OF THE LORD." HE'S
41:36LIKE, "OH, OKAY, you want to hear the
41:37word of the Lord?"
41:38Uh yeah.
41:40God was planning to take you out.
41:42And there's a great way to do it. And
41:44the way he's going to do it is by you
41:45going to battle and you're going to die.
41:47And he goes like, "See, I knew he never
41:49says anything good about me."
41:52And Jehoshaphat said,
41:53"Don't say it like that."
41:55If your attitude toward God is God
41:57always has to agree with everything that
41:59you want to do,
42:01you're not trying to hear God, you're
42:03trying to lead him.
42:06You want to get God on your program.
42:08Now, if that is your version of
42:10Christianity,
42:11good luck.
42:14Christian faith is there is a Lord.
42:17We submit to him.
42:19So, my sheep hear my voice and they
42:21follow me, meaning we arrange our
42:23program to fit his purpose.
42:26So, that's why we don't pray, "Speak,
42:28Lord, what I want to hear." We pray,
42:30"Speak, Lord, your servant I'm here
42:34willing to serve
42:36is listening.
42:37You can count on my obedience and
42:39willingness to rearrange my plans to
42:43serve your agenda."
42:45And if you have that attitude, God will
42:47deal, work, and speak to you. Now, if
42:49you're not there yet, this is what I
42:51would encourage you to pray. This is
42:53Samuel prayer version two for 21st
42:57century Christians living in Tri-Cities,
42:58Washington.
43:00"Speak, Lord,
43:02I'm not yet ready to obey,
43:06but be patient with me and help me to
43:09get there."
43:11I prayed that prayer numerous of times.
43:13I said, "Lord, I'm not going to lie to
43:15you.
43:16I have a feeling you're going to ask me
43:17something I WOULD NOT WANT TO DO.
43:19BE patient with me as I get on the
43:21program.
43:23I don't want to miss your voice, but I
43:24also don't want to pretend that it's
43:26IT'S EASY BECAUSE MY SELFISH DESIRES
43:28HAVE TOO MUCH STOCK INVESTED INTO THEM.
43:31I PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THIS IDEA. I
43:33REALLY have worked it. I I have people
43:35backing it up, and you coming in just
43:37doing this to it, THAT'S GOING TO HURT.
43:39I THINK YOU HAVE A FUNERAL FOR THAT
43:41IDEA. WE NEED TO CRY OVER THAT. I CAN'T
43:43JUST JUMP INTO THAT. SO, LORD, be
43:45patient WITH THE SERVANT WHO IS VERY
43:47SLOW.
43:49But help me to get on with the program.
43:52And Lord, I will get on with your
43:53program.
43:55Amen.
43:56Rise to your feet.

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