Introduction
To listen is to hear, trust and stay within the word to impact your life. A story is told about Franklin Roosevelt who experimented, whether people really listen to what he says whiles welcoming them to the White House. As he received guests to a reception he would say to them "I murdered my grandmother this morning." Surprisingly, they would respond like "Marvellous! keep it up" or "Proud of you good work" or "God bless you, sir." Did they really listen to him? I don't think so. But you, do you listen to the Lord?
We are a generation that has seen much advancement in communication through the influx of technological advancement. Messages and information are received with a simple click on the internet at the comfort of our homes or wherever we are.
Even at that, God communicates with us always at every second no matter where we are. He needs no internet to reach us but through His creation, His Word, sermons, situations, and in everything you can think of "Omnipresence". The Lord is constantly speaking to us, do you listen? Or you are like the guests at the reception? God is always peaking to us so we are not ignorant of the facts (1 Cor. 10:1). We need to listen to the Lord's words, "for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body." Proverbs 4:22 (NIV)
In Isaiah 55:1-9, the Prophet is seen to be wooing the people to listen to the Lord. He gives them many promises; provision of water, buying food, wine, and milk without money or cost. They were assured of the everlasting covenant, God's love, and authority over nations.
Isaiah pleads with them saying, "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?" Isaiah 55:2 (NIV)
Beloved, are you listening to the Lord?
How God Speaks to us today
Many expect God to speak to us in a clear-sounding voice like the “burning bush” kind of experience, (Exodus 3). The Bible teaches us that the Lord uses various ways to talk to us today. God is not limited at all in terms of resources. Meanwhile, we need to pay attention to God’s voice amidst all the noise that surrounds our lives.
1. Listen to the Lord from the Bible
The Holy Bible is God’s Word. We can say that it is God’s primary way of speaking to us. Any other communication must be based and tested by what is taught in Scripture. The Holy Bible is God’s guide for us, so we can reach and hear back from Him.
The Bible is a direct revelation of the Lord. The Holy Spirit inspired human authors who registered the inspired words in written form.
To listen to God speak to us, we must first go to the Bible. It is the best way for any Christian to learn more about God and listen to His voice. It brings us close to Him today, on His terms.
2. Listen to the Lord in Prayer
Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. It is about talking and listening to God. For instance, He may direct you to a passage in Bible that will meet your needs. Or might use someone to deliver a message or your need. He answers our prayers in many other ways. Precious one, remember to validate the answers you get with the Bible, to make sure you’ve understood it correctly and that you’re following the will of God and obeying Him. Also, make sure your prayer times are special moments to connect you to God and listen to His voice. Avoid distractions and create a habit of seeking Him in prayer every day.
3. Listen to the Lord from the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is the third person of the Holy Trinity. The Bible teaches us about many things the Holy Spirit does for us, including, the In-dwelling of the Christian (John 14:17; Romans 8:9) and being the Comforter Jesus promised (John 14:16).
He is that still small voice inside of us that reveals God’s truth to us. That means He guides us to what pleases and warns us against what displeases the Lord (John 16:13). He is also the One who gives us access to the Father through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:18). He listens to our prayers and intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit makes it possible that we have communication with the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.
4. Listen to the Lord in Sermons
God uses sermons to communicate to us through the preaching of Scripture. It is different from the personal reading of the Bible. The Holy Spirit uses the preacher to expose the Word of God in a way that we can understand it better and apply to our lives. That allows us to live in a way that pleases the Lord. Bible-based sermons are an essential way that God uses to speak to us.
Please note that even godly preachers may make mistakes, so we need to check if each message is correct by Biblical standards (Acts 17:11). Also, beware of false prophets. They manipulate the Bible to teach heresies. Many of them claim to bring a “new revelation” – some exclusive communication from God that only they have. That’s not true. Beware, because anything that doesn’t conform to the Bible should be tossed away (Galatians 1:8).
5. Listen to the Lord from Godly Teachers and Wise counsel
Godly teachers are people called to minister to the brothers and sisters by teaching them about God (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit), His Kingdom, Christian life, the History of God’s people, and many other relevant subjects from Scripture. Bible classes taught by godly teachers are an excellent opportunity to listen to God’s voice from Scripture and grow in faith.
The Lord uses His servants to bless each other. When you need a word of encouragement, guidance, or comfort, you should go to your pastor or a person with more spiritual experience. Then, talk to them, pray with them.
6. Listen to the Lord from Testimonies
From stories of God’s people in the Bible, in history, and in our communities, the testimonies of other believers are a powerful way that God speaks to us even today.
Our testimonies are also a great way to hear the voice of the Lord through everything He has already done for us. We can remember how God has forgiven, guided, delivered, loved, and protected us. He has also provided for our needs and taken care of us. The Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives reminds us how we have a loving Father that we can rely upon (Romans 8:15).
7. Listen to the Lord from His Creation
The apostle Paul wrote a long discourse saying that God revealed His invisible qualities to all human beings through His creation (Romans 1:18-32). The magnificent beauty of the Universe shows us some attributes of God, like His amazing power and wisdom. There are no written words, but we can still learn about God from studying nature.
8. Listen to the Lord in Dreams
The Bible tells us of a few episodes when God spoke to human beings in their dreams (Genesis 41:1–36; Daniel 2:1-45). On other occasions, God gave instructions to be followed (Matthew 1:20-21, 2:13). It is not about having a special gift of dreams. It is God who chooses how He communicates with us.
If you think you had a dream that might be a message from God, pray and talk to your Reverend Minister to find out what is the right thing to do about it.
NB: There are many other uncountable ways God speaks to us that we must listen to Him that we live.
Today, many Christians have overlooked these diverse means of God speaking to us and are running after prophets who are seeing things about them to believe its God's voice. It is obvious that Christian leaders today will choose to invite a prophet for prophetic revivals over a teaching revival. Let be informed, God may be speaking in other ways to you which are not listening, yet, you say 'God is silent in my life.'
Living, to Christ, is about bearing fruit and being the light of this dark word. Jesus Christ draws our attention to the fact that if we refuse to listen to the Lord we forfeit life. The axe is ready to cut us down (Luke 1:6-9) if refuse to listen to bear fruit. Beloved, we have another chance.
Conclusion
The Lord wants our best listening attention to Him for our own benefit. It is the only way to enjoy all that the Lord has made available to us. When we refuse to listen to the Lord we miss out on God’s power to transform our hearts and lives. Let us listen to the Lord and live not just in this life but the life after the way God has designed it to be. Amen!
Shalom aleichem...
God bless you MoG.
ReplyDeleteMore grace and oil to do His work 🙏🙏
Amen!
ReplyDeleteBless you too