How to Hear God's Voice

Pt. Dave Kenney

1. God speaks through the Bible
2. God speaks to us through gifted teachers
3. God speaks through impressions
4. God speaks through pain.

Why is it so important to really hear God speak? There are three reasons:

1. It is assures me that I'm in God's family.
2. It protects me from mistakes.
3. It is the secret of a productive life, listening to God on a moment by moment basis (not only on dangerous situations)

God gives us impressions. But how do we know, it's from God?
1. DOES IT AGREE WITH THE BIBLE?
Luke 21:33 - God never contradicts His own word.

Let me "pray" about it, usually means No.

2. DOES IT MAKE ME MORE LIKE CHRIST?
Eph. 4:13 (NLT)
Gal 5:22-23 (NLT) - What would Jesus do?

3. DOES MY CHURCH FAMILY CONFIRM IT?
Proverbs 12:15 (NLT)
Proverbs 15:22 (ESV)
1 Cor 12:26 (NIV)
Proverbs 11:14b (ESV)

4. IS IT CONSISTENT WITH HOW GOD HAS SHAPED ME?
Eph. 2:10 (NIV)
Rom 12:6 (NLT)

5. DOES IT CONCERN MY RESPONSIBILITY?
We have area of our own responsibility.
When He speaks about other people to you:

• God uses you to confirm what He's already said to them.
• If God uses me to speak to someone else's life He will often do so without you knowing it. - we don't always know how God uses us.
• Trust God to speak to that person first before you talk to them. Pray that God speak to that person first.

6. DO I SENSE GOD'S PEACE ABOUT IT?
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
John 8:47 (TNIV)
Psalm 78:1 (NIV)

How To Hear God Speak

Pt. Dave Kenney
Luke 8:1-12

God speaks to every single people. And it's good news that He speaks to everyone.
He wants to have a communication based relationship.
The problem is, we misunderstand His words. Even most of the time we do according to our own understanding.
IES is not a non PROPHET organizations. :)

Luke 8:1-12

Attitude of your heart and how it reflects on, to how God speaks to us.

Luke 8:4-15
"Jesus said... He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" v.8b

How can we hear Him speak?

I. CULTIVATE an open mind : be eager
"...some seed fell along the path: It was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up." v.5

"Those along the path are those who hear, and then the devil comes along and take away the word from their hearts, so they cannot believe and be saved." v.12

The hardened path - because of the constant traffic. Usually narrow minded, not open to hear what Jesus speaks.

3 Causes:

1. Pride - "didn't need Good to tell me what to do"
2. Fear - out of afraid, then decide on not to listen.
3. Bitterness - cos our mind start to questioning God. You will be hurt in life. This not heaven, this is earth. But we have God. Our choices today will determine us becoming a better person or a bitter one. If we close our mind, we have close ourselves to the only ONE who can help us.

He didn't promise a god life (non pain life). But He promise to be with you to go through the pain life.
If problems occur, don't run from God. Instead run for God.

The first step in hearing God speak is I must cultivate an open mind.

II. ALLOCATE time to listen.
"Other seed fell on shallow soil with rock beneath. This see began to grow but soon withered and died for lack of moisture." v.6

"Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fail away." v.13
They didn't retain. You can completely be inspired/thrilled with The Word, but not be transformed.
Why God should teach us new things when we haven't resolved the old ones?

The shallow soil -

Secondly, we must allocate time to listen.

III. ELIMINATE the distractions. Give time for God to speak.
"Other seed fell among thorns which grew up with it and choked the plants. v.7
"The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they don't mature. v.14
Preoccupied our mind.

The soil with weeds

Define: [weeds']

A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden. Rank growth of such plants. Tobacco. A cigarette. Marijuana. A water plant, especially seaweed. The leaves or stems of a plant as distinguished from the seeds: dill weed. Something useless, detrimental, or worthless, especially an animal unfit for breeding. Slang Tobacco. A cigarette. Marijuana. v. weed·ed, weed·ing, weeds v. tr. To clear of weeds. To remove (weeds). Often used with out: weed out dandelions. To eliminate as unsuitable or unwanted. Often used with out: weed out unqualified applicants. v. intr. To remove weeds. [Middle English, from Old English wēod, herb, grass, weed.]

Weeds are signs of neglect

3 types of weeds

• Worries - you can't be worried and pray for God on the same time.

define [worry]
–verb (used without object)

1.	to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.

2.	to move with effort: an old car worrying uphill.

–verb (used with object)

3.	to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague.

4.	to seize, esp. by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another.

5.	to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc.

–noun

6.	a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.

7.	a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.

8.	act of worrying.

9.	Fox Hunting. the action of the hounds in tearing to pieces the carcass of a fox.

—Verb phrase

10.	worry along or through, Informal. to progress or succeed by constant effort, despite difficulty: to worry through an intolerable situation.

• Riches
• Pleasure - God invented FUN, but don't let those things to distracted but instead make it fulfill.

We must pay attention to God and what HE says to us.

IV. COOPERATE with what He says
You will never know how His plans will work. You can't tell God, let show me how it works, then I'll decide later. If God tells you to do something, you will only know 2 things: the first step, and the last step. What happened in between, you will never know.

"The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word retain it and by persevering produce a crop." v.15

Do you want to have a productive life?

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says!" James 1:22
Don't think if you came regular to church, or listen to worship music in your car, then you will have a productive life.

I will allocate time to listen MORE!
[God wants us to have a willing mind]