- If we want to hear God we need to draw near to Him.
- He likes whispering, and only those who draw near to Him will hear Him.
- EX: Listening to the fan motor.
- EX: Listening to your spouse in a crowded room (you gotta get close).
- The same is true with our relationship with God.
- He's speaking. He's always speaking.
- The key for us to hear is that we must draw near.
- vs 1 - “Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it!”
- God is telling the people to draw near to Him and listen!
- Five Keys to draw near and hear God:
- 1) Reverence - Honor Him as king of kings and Lord of Lords.
- Hearing from God always starts w/reverence.
- It’s a posture of heart that says, “You are God and I am not.”
- Hebrews 11:7 - “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household…”
- When you’re reverent, the applause or boos from the outside means nothing to you.
- 2) Repentance - we must turn from our sin and go in the opposite direction.
- All through Scripture, we see God stop talking because of impurity.
- To repent means to “change your mind.”
- Romans 12:2 - transform your mind!
- 3) Rule - let Him have authority in our lives as Lord.
- God calls the shots from here on out.
- Have a heart of surrender (ADS).
- 4) Recognize - who God is and who you are in relation to Him.
- This will keep you humble, and humility is key to staying close to God.
- God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
- 5) Reorder - make it your top priority to listen to Him daily.
- Put everything else after that.
- Discipline yourself to have time with God every day.
- Reorder your life around hearing God.