Day 13 - Hearing God’s Voice
Joel Bomberger • 1 Kings 19:11–13, John 16:5–15, John 14:26, John 10:27
SCRIPTURE:
John 16:5-15 “5 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”
Highlighted Verses:
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
ENCOURAGEMENT:
It’s amazing that God wants to speak to us! The God of the Universe, who spoke everything into existence, wants to live inside of us by His Spirit & teach us, guide us, & bring to remembrance everything Jesus said! This is the Christian’s superpower, the Spirit of God & His voice inside of us! If you ever doubt whether you hear God’s voice, remember John 10:27 which says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” If you made a decision to follow Jesus, you have heard His voice! He has gotten your attention & called you to Himself & you responded!
Maybe you've never heard His audible voice, heard Him in a dream, or seen an open vision, but you CAN hear His voice! As we grow in our relationship with Him, it’s learning to grow our ability to discern His voice so you can better follow Him. The Holy Spirit is the one who speaks to us & tells us everything Jesus and the Father want to do. We see first and foremost that the Holy Spirit will highlight & bring revelation to the Bible, God’s Word to us. This is the primary way God speaks to us, by illuminating a passage of scripture & showing us His heart through the Bible! Anything God speaks to us through a vision, a dream, or any other way will NEVER contradict what the Bible says about God. Sometimes it will be different than what we’ve previously KNOWN about the Bible, but it will always line up with it! So make sure you are spending time with God asking Him to speak to you through the Bible first and foremost.
Throughout the Bible, we see various ways God speaks: mainly dreams, an inner Spirit’s voice, through angelic encounters, & varieties of other ways. Again, once you have a good base of seeking God through the Bible, ask Him to speak to you in any & all the ways you want to hear from Him. Then make time to listen for His response. So much of a relationship is listening. We can’t spend all our time talking, but never spend a moment to listen to His response.
Lastly, in 1 Kings 19:11-13, when God spoke to Elijah, God wasn’t in the whirlwind, or the rocks, or the fire, but was in a “still, small voice.” So don’t get distracted by wanting a loud exciting encounter. Let God speak to you through the small inner voice, and be obedient to THAT above all!
PRAYER:
Take a moment to pray the prayer outlined below. If you are looking for a good song during your prayer time, check out: “Holy Spirit (we love you)” by Upperroom http://(https://open.spotify.com/track/0mkoo9...).
Pray this prayer: “God, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to teach, guide, and speak to me! I ask that You would open my ears to hear your voice! I ask for the gift of dreams, visions, & pictures! I surrender to Your ways and ask that You would speak to me in any way you want! Make me sensitive to Your words, God! In Jesus Name, Amen!”
CHALLENGE:
- Ask God to speak to you about 3 friends. Pray & ask God to give you encouraging, edifying words & pictures for them.
- Then write out anything that comes to mind. Tell your friends you're practicing hearing God and want to give them some things He said about them.
- Ask them afterward if what you said resonated and if it was encouraging.
Tip: Set a timer & talk to God like you would talk to a friend. Then stop & set another timer for the same amount of time. Wait in silence. Write any pictures, thoughts, or things that come to mind. Then look over them & see what could be God. This will help you discern His voice!