How to listen to the voice of God

How to listen to the voice of God

If I sent  A mission team  in the middle of the desert. I cannot contact to them, and I just know there are in the middle of desert. Then I will be very worried about t them. There is no proper road in the desert. So that they might not know where to go. And they maybe hungry and scared.

Day time, they cannot walk well because it’s very hot, and in the night time, it’s very cold. And there would be many scorpions and cobras there. It will be very problem.

However, if they know how to listen the voice of God, I would not be worried. Why? Because God is there. In the middle of storm, and the desert God is there. No need worried.

God is almighty God, and living God, and he is good and faithful.

Therefore, there is nothing that God cannot do. In Gen. 18, God says, there is nothing impossible. All things are possible in God, because God is almighty. So I no need worried about them, if they know how to listen the voice of the Lord.

When you start to hear God’s voice in such kind of circumstances and not fear and be disappointed, God will comfort you and show the way and guide you.

If you start to hear God's voice in such circumstances and not fear and despair in such a situation, you will surely comfort the Lord, guide the way, and guide them.

But if they don’t know how to listen the God’s voice It will be very problem even though they are smart and have many experience.

 So, the most important thing in our life is living a life of hearing God’s voice.

Why do you want to hear the voice of God?

When I decide something, I do not make it according to my will, but I want to make it according to God's will. Therefore, I want to know which of God 's will is in my decision. I really want to make a good decision.

There is a big difference in making decisions according to my will, and making decisions according to God's will. When I make decisions according to my will, I could make a lot of mistaken decisions.

But if i make a decision according to God's will, it will be good 100 %.

Then what was purpose of Jesus for hearing God’s voice?

In John 17, Jesus says to God, “ I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do 5. And now, Father glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”(John 17장 4-5).

It is long prayer of Jesus that Jesus went to pray before God in the last hour of time on this earth.

What is the goal of Jesus’s whole life?

It is that glorifying God.

Then, what Jesus says that how did he glorify God? By finishing the work you gave me to do.

If Jesus does what the Father has told him to do, God is glorified.

Do you want to glorify God? How can we do it?

It is simple. It is that we do what God tell me to do. Then what is God tell me to do?

To know it, we have to hear the voice of God.

After you did what you want to do, and you say,” Lord, please be glorified” is not.

If you want to glorify God, you must know the will of God, and to know the will of God, you have to hear the God’s voice.

Do you want to hear the voice of God? Why? Because to glorify God. Amen?

Who is God?

1.       God is the one who speaks.

From the Genesis to Revelation, God is introduces himself as speaker.

God is the one who speaks to human.

God spoke to Moses who is Him, and God spoke to Moses how to make tentacle, and Moses did whatever he did according to the word of God.

And God told to Moses, and Moses heard it from God and he passed it to the people of Israel.

Who we are?

God is infinite and man is finite. No relationship can be formed between God and man.

A person talks to an ant? God and human have communicate is much more difficult than this.

 God and man talk each other? It is nonsense.

But God created human according to his image. According to God’s image, human have intellect, feeling and will. It is impossible to communicate infinite being between finite being, however, amazingly we have image of God so that we are able to communicate with God.

Jeremiah 33:3

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”

God command to call to Him.

And He gave promise that He will answer what He will tell us great and unsearchable things we do not know.

It is same that call to God and prayer.

For the prayer, or calling to God, there are two way.

First, the praying is that telling God. And the other one is that praying is that hearing when God tells me.

But when we pray, we pray very hard during 10minutes, I mean we tell very hard to God during 10m. And we just finish our prayer by the name of the Lord. And hurry to go back home or work or fun.

We don’t wait God’s voice. We don’t give time to listen to the voice of the Lord. Right?

Even we don’t have any idea that God is telling me so I have to listen.

Then, it is just one way communication between God and me.

For building the fellowship with people to people, for developing relationship each other, this one way communication is no good. We must not do that, instead we have to pay attention to listen what the person speaks to me.

 In the same way, to build up fellowship with God deeper, you must not just speak and finish and go, but have to listen and wait to hear it. You must make time to hear the voice of God.

There are many people who don’t know how to communicate with God even though they believe in Jesus for a long time.

If you don’t know how to communicate with God, you cannot know what is will of God.

Think about it.

How long the relationship that speak alone and not listen can go?

Do you want to have relationship with such kind of people?

He just speak of him a lot to me, when my turn to speak he just go…어떻해?

And when you talk on phone, the people is just keep talking and I have not spoken yet, but he just hang up the phone…어떻해?

Do you like it?

How do you do when you pray to God?

We must not do that anymore.

As the word says so, when we call to God, God will answer to us.

So we need to hear what He speaks to us, and need to have time to wait His word.

When you live like this, your relationship with God will be dipper, and you will know God more and more. How much do you know God?

You can know about God when you have information about God even though you didn’t meet God personal. But it is different with that you know God himself by meeting God deeply.

It is different knowing about God and knowing God Himself.

When you study about God you can easy know about God.

But knowing God in personal, you can not make it by studying.

Knowing God through that I call to God, and I hear the God’s answer, and what He speak about is very important.

So, if you only know about God, then you not really know God.

So when we have more time each other, we know more each other.

So I encourage you to have practice to listen to the Lord.

1. Why do we want to hear the God’s voice? To know the will of God , so that for glorify God.

2. Who is God? God is the one who speak to us.

3. How could we hear the voice of God? Because we are image of God.

엘리야 열왕기상 19장

After Elijah heard that, “by tomorrow, I surely will kill you” from Jezebel, he was afraid and ran for his life to Horeb mountain for forty days and forty nights.

At that time God told to Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

                                                                                (low, ESV, still small, KJV, still small, ASV)

There was not God in a great powerful wind, earth quake, and fire.

God speaks us with still small voice.

He speaks in silence.

How to listen the voice of God?

If  you want to hear the God’s voice, decide to listen and make time for that. And stop your busy work and wait.

For me, at first time, it was not easy.

Whenever I sat down to listen and I closed my eyes to listen carefully, 1 m, 2m, 3m, and 4m,…I already was sleeping.

And I did again …and fall in sleep again…everyday…this morning also after 3m, I slept.

It is natural, when you start to make specific time to hear the voice, you asleep and in my mind was very noisy. Because we are not use to do it. It was not our life style. But when I didn’t give up to hear, and patiently I went before God to hear and wait, suddenly one day I realized that half of noisy were gone. Still my mind was busy and noisy, but I feel the half of noisy were gone away.

And the other day also same, my inner heart became getting calm.

Every day I didn’t disappoint what I couldn’t hear, and I stay and wait to hear before God. So a great powerful wind was gone, and the fire was gone,…

At some point my mind begins to calm down and begin to become clearer.

At that moment, the voice of God was started to hear to me.

When the silent moment in my mind, I could start to hear the word of the Lord.

If you become used to hear it, even though you are in the very noisy place, you would hear the Lord’s voice.

Characteristics of prophecy from God

1 Corinthians14:3

“the one who prophesies speaks to people for their up building and encouragement and consolation.”

ㄱ.   What is the characteristics of the word from God?

1.       덕을 세운다 build up

2.       권면한다. encourage

3.       위로한다. Comfort

The word of God is not to pull down person, and not frighten person. His words are not discouraging, condemning. And it does not bind people. Instead, It is the characteristics of God's Word to build up, encourage, and comfort people.

Someone listened to the voice of the Lord, these three things are the reference point.

What do I need to hear the voice of God?

1.       Longing for

Ex 24.

Moses went up to the mount of Sinai and went to God.

God spoke to Moses on seventh days. But during 6days, God didn’t tell to Moses.

Moses waited God to speak to him. But God didn’t tell to him for 6days.

In this point, I was very encouraged.

Moses also had to wait to hear the voice of the Lord.

During full of  6 days he waited God.

How could he wait God? Because he had desire to hear God’s voice.

He was also human, when he stayed at the top of mount Sinai, he might be also lonely like us, because he was alone. And he might be afraid of the mountain. But he waited until God speak to him. What can make him to wait? It is that he longed for God.

It made Moses as great person of God.

We also need this same desire to God to hear the voice of God.

The one who busy with his ideas, and work cannot hear the voice of God is very natural.

Pay your time to hear the God’s voice, even 5m in every day regularly.

At first time, at the beginning, you may not able to hear, but someday you could hear the still small voice.

Do you really want to hear the voice of God?

Who raise up this mind that want to hear the voice in your heart?

God.

God is giving it in us, then God will give you ability to hear it. So that you would live according to the voice.

Isaiah55:2-5

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.

Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful love promised to David.
⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander of the peoples.
⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,

What results will come to you when you listen to the voice of the Lord and live it?

You will eat good. you will delight in the richest of fare.

When I go to the Lord and pay attention to hear His voice, and  when the Lord speaks to me, during I hear it, I am renewed and strengthened. It is amazing.

So, when we hear the God’s voice,

1.       Your inner person is strengthened.

Your tiredness will be gone away from your body, your inner person will be renewed, and the wisdom will be crated in you.

So when you tired, it is your best to go and stay before the Lord. And silently, give your ear to listen his voice.

2.       God will give you the blessing which was given to David.

You will help others and influence others.

It means that you will be leader who gives influence to others. God work through the one who listen His voice.

You will give the influence in your family, work place, and in everywhere.

God will glorify you, and God will be glorified through you when you hear the God’s voice and you live it. Wherever you go, you will be respected and credited by the people.

And you will not be shamed. As a result, God will be glorified.

I told you God is the one who is speaking. Then how God speaks to us, what is the God’s speaking way?

1.       Most of time God speaks to us through the Bible.

The written word in the Bible is the God’s word. God is author of it. Then, why God made the Bible?

To reveal us what is God’s will.

So, many of time, God already spoke to us, but we ignore it and ask God to speak us directly. That’s why many people couldn’t hear the voice of God.

Remember, God love to speak us through the Bible. This Bible, this word is already enough to us, and perfect. So don’t ignore the Bible, and when you read it, or study it, meditate it, or hear the sermon, pray to understand what God speak to you.

And start to read it. And ask help to the Holy Spirit to understand it.

You can find the God’s will for you through the 5 ways.

Reading, listening, meditating, studying, memorizing.

The more you read the Word, the more the Holy Spirit works on you, and you can hear God’s voice best, even though you do not understand everything. The more you read the Word, richly you can hear God's voice.

2.       God speak through the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit. (confidence, and peace)

The Holy Spirit makes us sure that we are children of God.

Through the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:16,
The Holy Spirit makes us sure that we are children of God. So, when you don’t know whether I do or not do, God doesn’t say do or don’t do. But when you decided something but you not sure it is God’s will, so you ask God, then you may have confidence. So that your spirit can understand God’s will. Oh it is right. Your spirit can sense it.

Proverbs 20:27, The function of the spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD. When it is dark, we can not recognize anything. But when you turn on the lights, you can see. Our spirit is like a lamp that functions to know God's will. I can sense the will of God by your spirit.

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in you ...

For example,

In my mind, I would do this, if there is peace in my heart, then I will know it is God’s will. And when I supposed to do this, there is no peace in my heart, then it is not God’s will. Okay?

So you have to know that when there is peace or no peace, both are the answer of God.

3.       Still small inner voice.

There is a still small inner voice that God gives in our heart. And even though it is low and small, it is clear. But for me it is comfortable to say, one idea by the impression of the Holy Spirit comes up in my mind instead of that oh God spoke to me. Because many people just simply say that oh God spoke to me this morning even though it might be his own thought, and once they said God spoke to me, then no body can correct it. So I’m so tired to hear that oh God spoke to me. When I hear it My whole sensors start to judge whether God spoke to him truly or not?

Anyway, as we continue to live with the Lord and listen to the Word, complex things disappear within us, and we become simple and quickly aware of God's presence. At that time, we can understand the still small voice that God speaks inward.

4.       External evidence

God can speaks you through the people. Last Sunday, I told you, if you came to church because of your boyfriend, God guide you to come to church through the boyfriend. And some people may give you the word of prophecy. So it can be the voice of the Lord.

And dream, God speaks also through it, but the feature of dream from God is always clear.

Despite being awakened, the memory of dream is clear, it can be the God’s voice. And God tells us through vision, the environment, sign like Gideon,

Pastor David Wilkerson.

He is a influential preachers of his era preaching a message of God’s love, God’s judgment and rigorous personal holiness. And he shared gospel with the gang of Manhattan.

Normally, he watched TV youth program before he sleep, around 11pm to 12, a hours.

But one day, when he see the TV show, he felt no comfortable. He was burden that ‘if I do not watch that Tv program, instead during one hour, if I pray for the youth, teen agers! ’ So, he recognized that oh God is speaking to me.

So he start to excuse to the Lord, oh Lord, you know that I’m so much concern the teenagers, so I’m watching it to understand them more.

But he was still not comfortable, so he want to make sure whether it’s really God’s voice or not?

So he asked sign.

 He told to God, Lord I will make ads to newspaper to sell my TV.

If I open the time to sell it while 4pm to 4:30 pm, within that time if someone call me to buy it , and I will tell to him price 100 dollars, actually it’s real price is 10 dollars, and if he still want to buy it, then, I will know it’s your will.  He thought it’s impossible, the TV is very old, no one want to buy.

But within 30m, somebody call to him to buy it, so sold it.

Finally, it’s God’s voice.

It’s interesting story. Right?

God is the one who can open the door which was closed, and also can close which was opened. God can tell you through these external evidence.

Do you want to hear the God’s voice and know God’s will and want to obey it?

Start to listen the God’s voice.

Don’t be afraid to hear wrong.

When you think, oh it’s wrong, it is not the word of God, you admit it and you listen to it again. It is okay. We all can hear wrong sometimes.

At that time, you no need discourage or disappoint.

Even Jesus when he prayed for blind, first time he couldn’t see clearly, at that time Jesus wasn’t discouraged, and he just prayed for him again until he could see clearly.

If you hear wrong, it’s okay, you can hear again.

It is not sin.

But it is sin and problem that even though God clearly says you to do, but you didn’t, or God says you not to do it, but you did it. That’s big problem.

God is the one who speaks.

God is not only speaking to special people but to you and me also. Because God loves you and me.

It doesn’t matter that how you lived before. 

Believe that you can hear the voice of God. You have right to hear God’s voice, so no worried about it.

But you cannot heart God’s voice automatically. Even Jesus also separate time apart to h

In order to hear the voice of God, Jesus also took a time at dawn to go to a quiet place and pray.

God has given us 24 hours of time fairly to all.

We must pay the price of time to hear God's voice.

Take time to go to God day by day and listen to the voice of God and live a life of victory.