Hearing God's Voice..Craig Denison Ministries

 Hearing God's Voice

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

You and I have been given the invaluable gift of communication with God. Last week we learned about the process of making the soil of our hearts soft and receptive to God. This week we’ll learn some different ways to receive the seed of his word. May your communion with God flourish as you engage in continual conversation with your loving, present heavenly Father.

Scripture: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13

Devotional:

God desires to speak directly to you.As a good Father, he longs to engage with you in continual conversation. So great was his longing for communication that he’s given you the gift of the Holy Spirit. You now have access to the heart of God through the Spirit. You can know his will, hear his voice, and live with the knowledge of his love.

John 16:13 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” If you are a Christian, the “Spirit of truth” has come. He dwells within you. He longs to tell you how God feels about you. He longs to guide you to the Father’s perfect, hopeful, and pleasing plans (Jeremiah 29:11). His voice is perfect, full of love, and always truthful. He will never guide you into something that isn’t best for you. He will never speak hate or condemnation to you. As John 16:13 promises, he will declare to you what he hears the Father say.

Let the truth that God desires to have real, life-transforming conversations with you sink into your heart for a minute. Think about what it means for your own life to have communication with God. Your Creator longs to help you with your decisions, relationships, work, finances, and identity. God himself wants to talk with you about your life—to fully know you and be known by you.

Just as any good parent loves talking with their children, your heavenly Father loves talking to you, his child. You see, God speaking to you is so little about your ability to hear his voice and so much more about his desire for you to know him. His voice in your life is just another product of grace, God’s unmerited favor for those who believe. Like any conversation, you will only hear him when you are listening. And just like any good conversation, God longs to hear from you as well.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Have faith that God longs to speak to you. Draw near to him in the assurance that he is already filled with love for you. The Holy Spirit longs to have a communicative relationship with you. Let the weight of conversation with God rest on his shoulders, trust in his word and his character, and listen to whatever he would speak to you today.

As you enter into guided prayer, take time to quiet your heart and listen to the voice of the Spirit.           

Guided Prayer:

1. Take a moment to quiet your mind and soul. Receive God’s presence and meditate on the important truth that the Spirit speaks.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”John 16:13

2. Now listen to God. If you have a situation, question or anything you want to ask him, now is the time! God longs for you to tell him what you want help with. If you just want to know how he feels about you, ask him! Again, the weight of God speaking is on him. Trust him and his timing. God does desire to speak to you.

3. Write down whatever God tells you. Rest in the goodness of what he’s spoken.

Communicating with God is similar to engaging in conversation with a close friend. I don’t go to my friend and ask them to tell me anything so I know they are real. Rather, I seek to know them as a person and conversation takes place as a result. Seek to know God as deeply as possible. Trust that he is real and that he speaks. Talk with him because you simply want to know him. And rest in the fact that you will have conversation with your loving heavenly Father throughout eternity. May your day be marked by life-giving conversation with the Holy Spirit.

Extended Reading: Psalm 27

The Loud Voice Like a Trumpet..Cara Meredith

 The Loud Voice Like a Trumpet (Revelation 1:10-11)

By: Cara Meredith

On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” - Revelation 1:10-11

A couple of weeks ago, I stole into the forest for a few hours to hike. There weren’t very many people on the trail, as nearby parks have intermittently been closed throughout the global pandemic. But as another woman approached me on the trail, I felt my heart race. Shivers, like goosebumps, scaled up my arms. A niggling voice that wasn’t audible as much as it was pressing, breathed into my soul and into those deep places that can’t always be put into words.

It was like she and I were supposed to talk to one another on the trail that day, for ours was a kind of Holy Spirit encounter, perhaps not unlike the one John speaks of in the book of Revelation. Because when we stopped, said hello and looked at one another in the eyes (six feet apart, of course), I knew I was leaning into physical prompting that came straight from God down to me – our encounter most divine.

Sometimes, when I dive into the book of Revelation, I can’t help but wonder what John the writer heard that prompted him to write a letter to the seven churches in the province of Asia. He writes that he was in the Spirit, when he heard behind him a “loud voice like a trumpet” (10). Some theologians say that John was in the most holy of trances, while others (including many of the early church fathers, such as Ignatius, Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria), state that “the Lord’s Day” referred not to tribulation, per say, but to the first day of the week.

Regardless, this was a loud, horn-like sound. While we don’t know if musical notes blasted from heavenly skies, if an audible voice actually sounded, or if the physical presence within John’s body merely felt like the brassy tones of a trumpet, all we know for sure is that the notes on that day’s holy music score were clear.

For me, as someone who doesn’t tend to meet God in the noise as much as in the quiet of forests and darkened cathedrals, I am encouraged perhaps now more than ever before. That day on the trail, I didn’t so much hear the vibrant blast of a trumpet on the trail as much as I felt it rumble and roll around within me – but I can be certain that the blast was the Lord’s. And you and me both can know that this blast will continue to make its way known, extending to “Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea” (11), and ultimately, beyond.

So, tell me, what does the trumpet sound like in your life? Even if the sound in your heart feels rather muted compared to some of your brothers and sisters, it’s the sound of the Lord, nonetheless – this voice an invitation to lean into the holy music of God, whether on forest trails, in coffee shops or under archaic cathedral ceilings alike.

After all, the trumpeting Spirit of God beckons speak to us all.

Scattered Seed..Meg Bucher

 Scattered Seed

By Meg Bucher

“Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.” Matthew 13:7 NLT

The Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed tells the story of several different seeds and how the environment they were planted in and the way they were cared for determined the progress of their growth. It’s a smart and accurate comparison to our current lives and the way in which we decide to water the Word of God in them daily. This parable gives us great direction to follow, when determining to live our lives to the full, as Jesus died for. “The human heart is like receptive soil to the seed of the Word of God,” Greg Laurie explains, “The soil that the seed fell on represents four categories of the hearers’ hearts, four different reactions to the Word of God: the hard heart, the shallow heart, the crowded heart, and the fruitful heart.”

The Receptive Heart

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” James 1:19-21 NLT

Per his usual, James put it bluntly! Though we can’t control every thought which enters our minds, we do have a say on whether they stay. In Christ Jesus, we have the power to hold our thoughts accountable to the Word of God. In doing so, we test what is good and what is not. When we seek God, we find Him! 

Unfortunately, we are very distractible! Fostering a receptive heart to God’s Word is an active discipline. Scripture tells us to pray all of the time! Any parent who has ever gotten up from their quiet time with the Lord to lose patience with their child understands! The moment we allow our minds to drift from Him, we allow distraction an audience. Fix our minds on Christ Jesus, the Bible says, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith. We will never get it right and are not expected to! Jesus would not have had to die sacrificially for our sins if we were able to keep from sinning. But, living in a world cursed by sin means we constantly have to check our hearts, clear them by confession, and by the strength of the Spirit in us travel down the road of redemption. Such faith requires perseverance! But in Christ, it’s possible! 

Intersecting Faith and Life:

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.” - Matthew 13:24-26 NLT

Everyday life contains challenges in discernment, trying to establish what is good and what is evil. There is very real evil in the world. The destruction, injustice, and hatred is evident. The greed grows and self becomes more prominent than neighbor. Jesus, in His parable, assures us we will live alongside good and evil. Sometimes it will be obvious, other times it will be hard to tell the difference. 

The truth of the Word of God helps us recognize the lies and embrace the love and light of Christ Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the living Word of God. In Him, we are able to see with an advantage. But even then, we will not always be able to understand everything we aim to, nor find answers to all we seek. One thing we can always do …follow Jesus. He will always lead us in truth and light. He is living water. When we are thirsty for answers or direction, wisdom or comfort, we can turn to Him who is the only One able to quench our desire for knowledge, fulfillment, and love. Our self-worth is found in Christ, alone.

One day, truth will be separated from lies. “Let both grow together until the harvest,” the parable continues, “Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, burn them, and put the wheat into the barn.” We, children of God, are the wheat. Our hope is in Christ, alone. We hold tightly to the Truth, persevere and remain laser-focused on Him until the day He returns to right every wrong. 

Further Reading:

• Matthew 13:33-35
• Mark 4:1-20
• Ephesians 1:18

A Prayer to Appreciate God’s Blessings..Victoria Riollano

Scattered Seed
By Meg Bucher

“Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.” Matthew 13:7 NLT

The Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed tells the story of several different seeds and how the environment they were planted in and the way they were cared for determined the progress of their growth. It’s a smart and accurate comparison to our current lives and the way in which we decide to water the Word of God in them daily. This parable gives us great direction to follow, when determining to live our lives to the full, as Jesus died for. “The human heart is like receptive soil to the seed of the Word of God,” Greg Laurie explains, “The soil that the seed fell on represents four categories of the hearers’ hearts, four different reactions to the Word of God: the hard heart, the shallow heart, the crowded heart, and the fruitful heart.”

The Receptive Heart

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” James 1:19-21 NLT

Per his usual, James put it bluntly! Though we can’t control every thought which enters our minds, we do have a say on whether they stay. In Christ Jesus, we have the power to hold our thoughts accountable to the Word of God. In doing so, we test what is good and what is not. When we seek God, we find Him! 

Unfortunately, we are very distractible! Fostering a receptive heart to God’s Word is an active discipline. Scripture tells us to pray all of the time! Any parent who has ever gotten up from their quiet time with the Lord to lose patience with their child understands! The moment we allow our minds to drift from Him, we allow distraction an audience. Fix our minds on Christ Jesus, the Bible says, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith. We will never get it right and are not expected to! Jesus would not have had to die sacrificially for our sins if we were able to keep from sinning. But, living in a world cursed by sin means we constantly have to check our hearts, clear them by confession, and by the strength of the Spirit in us travel down the road of redemption. Such faith requires perseverance! But in Christ, it’s possible! 

Intersecting Faith and Life:

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.” - Matthew 13:24-26 NLT

Everyday life contains challenges in discernment, trying to establish what is good and what is evil. There is very real evil in the world. The destruction, injustice, and hatred is evident. The greed grows and self becomes more prominent than neighbor. Jesus, in His parable, assures us we will live alongside good and evil. Sometimes it will be obvious, other times it will be hard to tell the difference. 

The truth of the Word of God helps us recognize the lies and embrace the love and light of Christ Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the living Word of God. In Him, we are able to see with an advantage. But even then, we will not always be able to understand everything we aim to, nor find answers to all we seek. One thing we can always do …follow Jesus. He will always lead us in truth and light. He is living water. When we are thirsty for answers or direction, wisdom or comfort, we can turn to Him who is the only One able to quench our desire for knowledge, fulfillment, and love. Our self-worth is found in Christ, alone.

One day, truth will be separated from lies. “Let both grow together until the harvest,” the parable continues, “Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, burn them, and put the wheat into the barn.” We, children of God, are the wheat. Our hope is in Christ, alone. We hold tightly to the Truth, persevere and remain laser-focused on Him until the day He returns to right every wrong. 

Further Reading:

• Matthew 13:33-35
• Mark 4:1-20
• Ephesians 1:18