Review of Chapter 1-7, Discerning the Voice of God
Happy Veteran’s Day. As many of you may be home from work or hanging out with your kids as they are home from school, we just wanted to encourage you to take your “day off” to do any catch up that you might need in our Bible study. Di and I have noticed a decline in the amount of posts and responses and we are assuming that some may be falling behind and have given up…but please don’t! There is so much to be learned still and we thought we would take this opportunity to catch everyone up and invite you to re-engage until we take our holiday break after next week. So be ready to tackle chapter 8, “A Peaceful Voice” and we will leave you to meditate on that topic while you celebrate what we hope will be a “peaceful” holiday. Then starting on January 5th, we will start up again and finish the book up sometime in January.
So, here are some “Cliff’s Notes” to remind you of past chapters:
Chapter 1 – Expect to Hear
In this chapter we are given a list of postures that we need to have in order to hear from Him. Here they are but they can be experienced in different orders:
1) Come Expecting – believe that God will speak to you
2) Look for How God is Already Moving – look beyond your circumstances and see how He might already be working in your situation; what is He trying to teach you?
3) Come As You Are – Don’t wait until you feel “worthy” to go before Him. Go to Him straightaway and give Him all your emotions and concerns…He can handle it!
4) Come Determined to Wait – If something is truly important to you, you will wait. If someone promised you a million dollars but you were told that you had to wait in a line for it, you would stand there for hours, if need be, to get your cash. We should be as willing to wait on God and trust that His timing really is perfect.
5) Come Believing – This, to me, is sometimes the hardest step. Circumstances will shake my trust, but that is when having a network of believers around you is so helpful. They can have faith for the situation and lift you up until you come to a point where you can believe too.
Chapter 2 –Listen to Him
This chapter is so simple, but it is such a difficult concept for me. It encourages us to slow down and discipline our bodies and minds to allow ourselves to hear God. As we read His Word, we should also meditate on it. Think on how we can incorporate the words into our own, everyday lives. And as we meditate, we can allow ourselves to worship Him and His greatness. Di challenged us to “separate” ourselves and to throw off those things that hinder us from hearing God speak. Numbers 16:9 says "is it not enough for you that the God of Israel separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them."
Chapter 3 – A Marvelous Voice
Before the Scriptures were written down, God used miraculous signs to confirm His will. He used a burning bush to speak to Moses, He used a pillar of fire and a cloud to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He sent angels to speak to people; with signs like this, who wouldn’t listen, right? But we have something so much better. We have access, via the Holy Spirit, to access the mind of God and His will for our lives. We don’t have to wait for a prophet or a sign. We are allowed to come to Him anytime. He has also given us the Bible. This text is the same now as it was when it was first written and it never changes. The concepts are just as applicable now and we can use His Word as another key to unlocking His Will.
Chapter 4 – A Guiding Voice
Upon becoming a Christian, we were given the opportunity to commune with the Holy Spirit. When you allow the Spirit to speak to you, He is speaking the words of God the Father. It is our human spirit that communicates with the Holy Spirit but we have to remember that we are a three-part person: body, soul (mind will and emotions) and our spirit which is the essence of who we are and allows us to have contact with the Holy Spirit. Many times we confuse the soul part of who we are and think that we are hearing from God. The problem with our soul, or what some might refer to as our conscience, is that it is influenced by our experiences, environment, traditions, etc. and cannot always be trusted…it is fallible. Di also mentioned the searing of one’s conscience. When we repeatedly sin, we sear our conscience and don’t seem to see any trouble with our sinful behavior, and, in fact, we find it quite easy to continue doing it. This can certainly cloud our judgment and our ability to truly hear God’s voice.
Chapter 5 – A Verifiable Voice
God has given us a wonderful gift in the Bible. It is our most reliable, tangible resource for what God is saying to us. It gives us a clear framework for how we are to live our lives. And as we read His Word, we become more acquainted with the nature of God and we will become more and more familiar with Him and when He is speaking.
Chapter 6 – A Persistent Voice
God uses various ways to get our attention and to confirm His Will. He uses Scripture, the Holy Spirit, other people and circumstances. We need to pay attention to these things because they are clues that can help us. Many times when we are going through a rough time, we lose sight of His Will because we are so wrapped up in our circumstances and the stresses we feel. But it is in those circumstances that God can teach us a powerful lesson, and we allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to call on Him and not trust in our own strength.
Chapter 7 – A Revealing Voice
God reveals Himself to us in many different ways. He may have helped you get a job that you thought was out of reach, He may have provided money to pay a bill that you were concerned about paying, He may have healed a broken relationship that was important to you; when He cares for us in this way, we experience His care, His provision and His love. We love hearing other people’s testimonies of God’s work in their lives, but what we have to be careful of is not being satisfied with those testimonies. We should crave His work in our own lives. We need to experience God ourselves and not get caught up in other’s stories. As we discipline ourselves to spend time in God’s presence, we will naturally desire more of Him. By increasing our desire, we will spend more time and we increase our ability to recognize His voice and our knowledge of Him and ultimately, that is what we want, right?
Hopefully this little synopsis will help you get caught up and remind you of the lessons that you have already learned. Please remember to post your thoughts and remember to read Chapter 8, A Peaceful Voice. I will post my thoughts on that chapter on Monday, November 17th. Have a great week and keep striving to hear God’s voice in your life.
So, here are some “Cliff’s Notes” to remind you of past chapters:
Chapter 1 – Expect to Hear
In this chapter we are given a list of postures that we need to have in order to hear from Him. Here they are but they can be experienced in different orders:
1) Come Expecting – believe that God will speak to you
2) Look for How God is Already Moving – look beyond your circumstances and see how He might already be working in your situation; what is He trying to teach you?
3) Come As You Are – Don’t wait until you feel “worthy” to go before Him. Go to Him straightaway and give Him all your emotions and concerns…He can handle it!
4) Come Determined to Wait – If something is truly important to you, you will wait. If someone promised you a million dollars but you were told that you had to wait in a line for it, you would stand there for hours, if need be, to get your cash. We should be as willing to wait on God and trust that His timing really is perfect.
5) Come Believing – This, to me, is sometimes the hardest step. Circumstances will shake my trust, but that is when having a network of believers around you is so helpful. They can have faith for the situation and lift you up until you come to a point where you can believe too.
Chapter 2 –Listen to Him
This chapter is so simple, but it is such a difficult concept for me. It encourages us to slow down and discipline our bodies and minds to allow ourselves to hear God. As we read His Word, we should also meditate on it. Think on how we can incorporate the words into our own, everyday lives. And as we meditate, we can allow ourselves to worship Him and His greatness. Di challenged us to “separate” ourselves and to throw off those things that hinder us from hearing God speak. Numbers 16:9 says "is it not enough for you that the God of Israel separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them."
Chapter 3 – A Marvelous Voice
Before the Scriptures were written down, God used miraculous signs to confirm His will. He used a burning bush to speak to Moses, He used a pillar of fire and a cloud to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He sent angels to speak to people; with signs like this, who wouldn’t listen, right? But we have something so much better. We have access, via the Holy Spirit, to access the mind of God and His will for our lives. We don’t have to wait for a prophet or a sign. We are allowed to come to Him anytime. He has also given us the Bible. This text is the same now as it was when it was first written and it never changes. The concepts are just as applicable now and we can use His Word as another key to unlocking His Will.
Chapter 4 – A Guiding Voice
Upon becoming a Christian, we were given the opportunity to commune with the Holy Spirit. When you allow the Spirit to speak to you, He is speaking the words of God the Father. It is our human spirit that communicates with the Holy Spirit but we have to remember that we are a three-part person: body, soul (mind will and emotions) and our spirit which is the essence of who we are and allows us to have contact with the Holy Spirit. Many times we confuse the soul part of who we are and think that we are hearing from God. The problem with our soul, or what some might refer to as our conscience, is that it is influenced by our experiences, environment, traditions, etc. and cannot always be trusted…it is fallible. Di also mentioned the searing of one’s conscience. When we repeatedly sin, we sear our conscience and don’t seem to see any trouble with our sinful behavior, and, in fact, we find it quite easy to continue doing it. This can certainly cloud our judgment and our ability to truly hear God’s voice.
Chapter 5 – A Verifiable Voice
God has given us a wonderful gift in the Bible. It is our most reliable, tangible resource for what God is saying to us. It gives us a clear framework for how we are to live our lives. And as we read His Word, we become more acquainted with the nature of God and we will become more and more familiar with Him and when He is speaking.
Chapter 6 – A Persistent Voice
God uses various ways to get our attention and to confirm His Will. He uses Scripture, the Holy Spirit, other people and circumstances. We need to pay attention to these things because they are clues that can help us. Many times when we are going through a rough time, we lose sight of His Will because we are so wrapped up in our circumstances and the stresses we feel. But it is in those circumstances that God can teach us a powerful lesson, and we allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to call on Him and not trust in our own strength.
Chapter 7 – A Revealing Voice
God reveals Himself to us in many different ways. He may have helped you get a job that you thought was out of reach, He may have provided money to pay a bill that you were concerned about paying, He may have healed a broken relationship that was important to you; when He cares for us in this way, we experience His care, His provision and His love. We love hearing other people’s testimonies of God’s work in their lives, but what we have to be careful of is not being satisfied with those testimonies. We should crave His work in our own lives. We need to experience God ourselves and not get caught up in other’s stories. As we discipline ourselves to spend time in God’s presence, we will naturally desire more of Him. By increasing our desire, we will spend more time and we increase our ability to recognize His voice and our knowledge of Him and ultimately, that is what we want, right?
Hopefully this little synopsis will help you get caught up and remind you of the lessons that you have already learned. Please remember to post your thoughts and remember to read Chapter 8, A Peaceful Voice. I will post my thoughts on that chapter on Monday, November 17th. Have a great week and keep striving to hear God’s voice in your life.
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posted by Heather Taylor | 2:46 PM
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