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Transcript

How to Recognize God_s Voice in Your Daily Life · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: You've probably heard it a hundred times before, listen to God.
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  Speaker 1: Your pastor has said it, your friends have said it.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe you've even told yourself, I need to hear from God.
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  Speaker 1: But what does that actually mean? How do you recognize
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  Speaker 1: his voice when your mind is filled with so many thoughts?
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  Speaker 1: How do you separate God's direction from your own emotions,
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  Speaker 1: from fear from doubt. If you've ever struggled with this,
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  Speaker 1: trust me, you're not alone. Maybe you've sat in silence, waiting,
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  Speaker 1: hoping to hear something anything. Maybe you've faced a big
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  Speaker 1: decision and prayed God show me what to do, only
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  Speaker 1: to feel more confused than before. Maybe you've even had
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  Speaker 1: moments where you thought you heard something, but you weren't
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  Speaker 1: sure was that God or was it just my own thoughts?
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  Speaker 1: Or worse, what if it wasn't God at all. This
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  Speaker 1: is one of the most common struggles for believers. How
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  Speaker 1: do you know when God is speaking? That's exactly why
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  Speaker 1: we made this video. We're not just going to give
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  Speaker 1: you theories or generic advice. We're going straight into scripture
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  Speaker 1: where we'll look at ten people who heard God's voice,
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  Speaker 1: how they heard it, how they knew it was him,
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  Speaker 1: and what we can learn from their experiences. You'll see
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  Speaker 1: that God doesn't speak the same way to everyone. Sometimes
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  Speaker 1: his voice is loud, sometimes it's quiet, sometimes it's completely unexpected.
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  Speaker 1: But one thing is certain, He is speaking. The question
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  Speaker 1: is are you able to recognize it? By the end
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  Speaker 1: of this video. It is our hope and prayer that
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  Speaker 1: you will walk away with deeper clarity and confidence in
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  Speaker 1: knowing when it's truly God speaking. Because God doesn't want
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  Speaker 1: you to be confused. He wants you to know his voice.
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  Speaker 1: He wants you to walk in the kin and of faith,
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  Speaker 1: where when He speaks, you don't just hear, you obey.
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  Speaker 1: We have created in depth explanation videos on every book
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  Speaker 1: of the Bible to help you go deeper in your
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  Speaker 1: faith and walk with God. Each Deep Bible Stories video
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  Speaker 1: is designed to break down scripture in a way that
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  Speaker 1: is simple, clear, and deeply impactful. We've also turned some
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  Speaker 1: of our most powerful teachings into ebooks so you can
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  Speaker 1: study at your own pace and take your understanding even deeper.
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  Speaker 1: Check the description to grab yours. So let's dive in,
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  Speaker 1: and as we go through this, we want to hear
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  Speaker 1: from you. Have you ever wondered if what you're hearing
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  Speaker 1: is from God or just your own thoughts. Drop a
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  Speaker 1: comment below, we'd love to know your experience. The first
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  Speaker 1: and perhaps most important lesson we've learned from going through
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  Speaker 1: all these biblical examples of hearing God's voice is this.
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  Speaker 1: You won't recognize God's voice if you've never been trained
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  Speaker 1: to listen, and no story illustrates this more clearly than
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  Speaker 1: the story of Samuel. Imagine this. You're lying in bed,
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  Speaker 1: The room is dark, the temple is quiet. You're just
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  Speaker 1: starting to drift into sleep, when suddenly you hear your name,
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  Speaker 1: not in your head, not as a thought, an actual
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  Speaker 1: voice calling you, Samuel. Your heart jumps, your eyes open wide.
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  Speaker 1: You sit up, confused. Who said that? The only logical
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  Speaker 1: explanation is Eli, the high priest you've been serving under.
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  Speaker 1: So you get out of bed and go to him. Here,
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  Speaker 1: I am you called me, but Eli looks at you,
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  Speaker 1: confused I didn't call you. Go back to bed. You're
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  Speaker 1: still unsettled, but you lie back down and then it
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  Speaker 1: happens again, Samuel again. You run to Eli again. He
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  Speaker 1: tells you he didn't call you. By the third time,
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  Speaker 1: Eli realizes something that Samuel doesn't. This is God's speaking,
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  Speaker 1: And finally, Samuel is given the instruction that changes everything.
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  Speaker 1: If he calls you again, say speak Lord, for your
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  Speaker 1: servant is listening. That's ain deer is sink shhhhhhhhhhh. And
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  Speaker 1: that's exactly what happens. The voice calls again. This time,
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  Speaker 1: Samuel doesn't run to Eli. This time he stays still
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  Speaker 1: and says, speak Lord, for your servant is listening. And
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  Speaker 1: that moment, that one moment of recognition, was the beginning
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  Speaker 1: of Samuel's life as a prophet. He didn't just hear
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  Speaker 1: God once. From that day forward, he knew how to
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  Speaker 1: recognize God's voice. Now, let's pause and ask the big question.
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  Speaker 1: Why didn't Samuel recognize God's voice the first time? Was
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  Speaker 1: he too young, too distracted? Number The answer is right
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  Speaker 1: there in First Samuel three seven. Now, Samuel did not
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  Speaker 1: yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord
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  Speaker 1: had not yet been revealed to him. Samuel had never
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  Speaker 1: heard God's voice before, so he didn't recognize it. This
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  Speaker 1: is the same reason so many of us struggle to
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  Speaker 1: hear from God to day. It's not that he isn't speaking,
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  Speaker 1: it's not that he's distant. It's that we have not
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  Speaker 1: trained ourselves to recognize his voice. Think about this in
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  Speaker 1: a real life context. Imagine you're in a crowded room
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  Speaker 1: filled with people talking. Voices are overlapping, conversations are blending together.
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  Speaker 1: But suddenly, in the middle of all that noise, you
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  Speaker 1: hear someone say your name. And not just anyone, someone
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  Speaker 1: you know very well, a close friend, a family member.
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  Speaker 1: You don't need to turn around to see who it is.
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  Speaker 1: You just know why because you've heard their voice so
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  Speaker 1: many times before that it's instantly recognizable. But what if
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  Speaker 1: the person calling your name was a stranger. You wouldn't
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  Speaker 1: recognize it, not because they weren't speaking clearly, but because
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  Speaker 1: you haven't spent enough time with them to know their voice.
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  Speaker 1: This is exactly how it works with God. He is speaking,
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  Speaker 1: The question is have you spent enough time with him
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  Speaker 1: to recognize his voice. Samuel needed Eli to tell him
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  Speaker 1: what was happening, but once he understood, he never made
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  Speaker 1: that mistake again. He learned the pattern, he learned the tone,
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  Speaker 1: He learned how God speaks, and that's what you need
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  Speaker 1: to do too. So how do you train your spiritual
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  Speaker 1: ears to recognize when God is speaking? First, you need
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  Speaker 1: to spend time in his word. God's voice will always
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  Speaker 1: align with his character. If you don't know what his
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  Speaker 1: word says, you won't know what his voice sounds like.
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  Speaker 1: Imagine trying to learn a new Lafe language. If you
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  Speaker 1: never expose yourself to it, never study it, never listen
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  Speaker 1: to it, how will you ever recognize it when someone
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  Speaker 1: speaks it to you. It's the same with God's voice.
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  Speaker 1: The more time you spend in scripture, the more familiar
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  Speaker 1: his voice will become. Second, you need to develop a
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  Speaker 1: habit of listening prayer. So often we pray like we're
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  Speaker 1: leaving a voicemail for God. We talk, we ask, we
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  Speaker 1: say amen, and then we go about our day. But
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  Speaker 1: what if God wants to respond? What if the reason
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  Speaker 1: you're not hearing him is that you never stop talking
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  Speaker 1: long enough to listen. Samuel had to be still and say,
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  Speaker 1: speak Lord, for your servant is listening. That same posture
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  Speaker 1: of stillness and expectation is required if you truly want
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  Speaker 1: to hear from God. Third, you need to learn from
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  Speaker 1: spiritual mentors Samuel had Eli. Who do you have who
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  Speaker 1: in your life knows God's voice well enough to help
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  Speaker 1: you recognize it. Sometimes you might hear something from God
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  Speaker 1: but need wise counsel to confirm it. Sometimes you might
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  Speaker 1: mistake your own thoughts for God's, and you need some
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  Speaker 1: one who can guide you. Find people who are strong
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  Speaker 1: in their faith, who have a track record of hearing
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  Speaker 1: from God, and learn from them. And lastly, you need
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  Speaker 1: to practice obedience. The more you respond to God's voice,
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  Speaker 1: the clearer it becomes. If God speaks and you ignore it,
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  Speaker 1: your spiritual ears become dull. But if you respond, if
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  Speaker 1: you step out in faith, if you act on what
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  Speaker 1: he says, then you begin to recognize his voice faster
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  Speaker 1: and with more certainty. Samuel's story teaches us a powerful truth.
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  Speaker 1: God wants to speak to you. He isn't trying to hide,
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  Speaker 1: but if you've never heard him clearly before, it might
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  Speaker 1: take some time for you to recognize him. And that's okay.
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  Speaker 1: Samuel didn't get it right the first time either, but
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  Speaker 1: once he learned, he never missed God's voice again. So
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  Speaker 1: now let's turn the question to you. How many times
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  Speaker 1: has God been calling your name but you've mistaken his
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  Speaker 1: voice for something else. How many times has He been
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  Speaker 1: speaking but you've dismissed it as a passing thought. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: this is your moment your eli moment where you realize
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  Speaker 1: it's been God all along. Maybe now is the time
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  Speaker 1: to stop running to other voices for answers and instead
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  Speaker 1: sit still and say, speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
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  Speaker 1: And if you've ever had a moment where you wondered,
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  Speaker 1: was that God speaking to me? Drop a comment below
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  Speaker 1: and let us know, Because learning to recognize God's voice
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  Speaker 1: isn't just a personal journey, It's something we grow in together.
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  Speaker 1: The second most important lesson we've learned from st seeing
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  Speaker 1: how God speaks is this God doesn't always speak the
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  Speaker 1: way you expect him to. If you think God only
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  Speaker 1: speaks in a certain way, through a booming voice, through
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  Speaker 1: a dream, through an obvious sign, you might miss him
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  Speaker 1: completely when he chooses to speak differently. No one understood
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  Speaker 1: this better than Moses. Moses was not looking for God
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  Speaker 1: when he heard him. He wasn't on a mountain fasting,
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  Speaker 1: he wasn't deep in prayer. He was doing something completely ordinary,
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  Speaker 1: taking care of sheep in the wilderness. His life had
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  Speaker 1: settled into a quiet routine. Decades had passed since he
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  Speaker 1: fled Egypt. He was no longer a prince, He was
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  Speaker 1: no longer thinking about the Israelites. He was just a
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  Speaker 1: shepherd in the desert, and yet God knew exactly where
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  Speaker 1: to find him. Then one day something caught his eye.
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  Speaker 1: A bush was on fire, but it wasn't burning up.
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  Speaker 1: The flames were there, but the leaves weren't turning to ash.
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  Speaker 1: This was straining. It wasn't normal. It was something he
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  Speaker 1: had never seen before. Moses had a choice. He could
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  Speaker 1: have ignored it. He could have thought that's weird and
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  Speaker 1: kept walking. But he didn't. He stopped. He turned aside,
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  Speaker 1: He investigated, and that's when everything changed. The moment Moses
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  Speaker 1: turned toward the bush, God called his name, Moses, Moses,
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  Speaker 1: and right there, standing in front of something completely unexpected,
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  Speaker 1: Moses had an encounter with the Living God. Now let's
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  Speaker 1: break this down. Moses didn't hear God in a temple.
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  Speaker 1: Moses didn't hear God in a dream. Moses didn't hear
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  Speaker 1: God while he was praying. He heard God through something unexpected,
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  Speaker 1: something unusual, something that stood out in the middle of
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  Speaker 1: an ordinary day. And if he hadn't been paying attention,
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  Speaker 1: he would have missed it. How often do we do
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  Speaker 1: the same thing? How often do we miss God because
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  Speaker 1: he speaks in a way we don't expect. Maybe you're
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  Speaker 1: waiting for a sign in the sky, but God is
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  Speaker 1: speaking through a conversation you overheard at work. Maybe you're
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  Speaker 1: waiting for a dream, but God is speaking through a
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  Speaker 1: sermon that hit your heart differently this time. Maybe you're
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  Speaker 1: expecting a loud, obvious answer, but God is speaking through
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  Speaker 1: the stillness of a morning devotion. Moses's story teaches us
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  Speaker 1: that God is always speaking, but will we notice when
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  Speaker 1: he does so? How do you stay open to hearing
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  Speaker 1: God in unexpected ways? First you have to slow down
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  Speaker 1: enough to notice. Moses wasn't in a hurry. He was
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  Speaker 1: in the wilderness, away from distractions, fully aware of his surroundings.
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  Speaker 1: When the burning bush appeared, he had the awareness to
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  Speaker 1: stop and look. But today our world is so fast
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  Speaker 1: paced and noisy that we rarely stop to notice when
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  Speaker 1: God is trying to get our attention. About how many
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  Speaker 1: times you've been so busy that you ignored a moment
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  Speaker 1: where God might have been speaking. You were rushing through
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  Speaker 1: your day, stressed about work, scrolling through social media, and
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  Speaker 1: something small, something unusual, caught your attention. Maybe it was
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  Speaker 1: a song that played at just the right moment. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: it was a verse that popped up on your feed.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe it was a random thought that hit your heart
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  Speaker 1: with weight, and maybe, just maybe it was God. But
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  Speaker 1: you were too busy to stop. Moses could have kept walking,
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  Speaker 1: but because he turned aside, he encountered God, how many
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  Speaker 1: burning bushes have you walked past because you weren't paying attention. Second,
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  Speaker 1: you have to be willing to listen, even when it's uncomfortable.
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  Speaker 1: When God spoke from the bush, it wasn't just to
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  Speaker 1: say hi, Moses. It was to give him a mission.
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  Speaker 1: It was to tell him to go back to Egypt
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  Speaker 1: and deliver an nation. Moses wasn't thrilled about this. He
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  Speaker 1: had excuses, He had fears, he had doubts. He literally
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  Speaker 1: tried to argue with God, I'm not a good speaker.
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  Speaker 1: What if they don't believe me, Please send someone else.
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  Speaker 1: But God didn't change his message just because Moses was uncomfortable.
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  Speaker 1: Sometimes we want to hear from God, but only if
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  Speaker 1: it's something we like. We want God to confirm what
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  Speaker 1: we already want to do, not challenge us to do
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  Speaker 1: something difficult. But what if the reason you haven't heard
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  Speaker 1: God is because He's already spoken, but you didn't like
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  Speaker 1: the answer. Moses's story teaches us that God doesn't speak
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  Speaker 1: to entertain us. He speaks to lead us, and when
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  Speaker 1: he does, we have to decide will we listen or
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  Speaker 1: will we resist. Third, you have to trust that if
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  Speaker 1: God is speaking, he will make the way. Moses's biggest
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  Speaker 1: fear was that he wasn't qualified, that he wasn't the
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  Speaker 1: right person, that he couldn't do what God was asking.
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  Speaker 1: And God's response, I will be with you. God never
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  Speaker 1: promised Moses that it would be easy. He never promised
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  Speaker 1: Moses that he wouldn't be afraid. He never even addressed
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  Speaker 1: moses insecurities. He just promised his presence. Because at the
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  Speaker 1: end of the day, when God speaks, it's not about
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  Speaker 1: what you can do, It's about what He will do
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  Speaker 1: through you. So now let's bring it back to you.
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  Speaker 1: Where is your burning bush? What is God using to
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  Speaker 1: get your attention? Maybe it's a situation you can't ignore.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe it's a conversation that keeps coming up. Maybe it's
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  Speaker 1: a scripture that keeps popping into your life over and
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  Speaker 1: over again. Maybe it's a burden on your heart that
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  Speaker 1: won't go away. God doesn't just speak in loud dramatic moments.
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  Speaker 1: He speaks in subtle, unexpected ways, but if you're not
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  Speaker 1: looking for him, you might miss him. So here's the challenge.
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  Speaker 1: What if God has been speaking to you all along,
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  Speaker 1: but you just haven't stopped long enough to listen. Moses
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  Speaker 1: life changed the moment he turned aside and paid attention.
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  Speaker 1: Will you do the same. And if you've ever had
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  Speaker 1: a moment where you thought, I feel like God might
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  Speaker 1: be trying to get my attention, but I don't know
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  Speaker 1: for sure, drop a comment below, Because the first step
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  Speaker 1: to hearing God clearly is to start paying attention to
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  Speaker 1: the ways he might already be speaking. The third most
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: important lesson we've learned from studying how God speaks is this,
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  Speaker 1: God's voice is often quieter than we expect. We look
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  Speaker 1: for him in the dramatic, in the obvious, in the
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  Speaker 1: loud moments that shake the world, but more often than not,
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  Speaker 1: he speaks in the stillness. No one learned this more
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  Speaker 1: powerfully than Elijah. Elijah had just come off one of
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  Speaker 1: the greatest victories of his life. He had confronted four
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  Speaker 1: hundred fifty prophets of Baal called down fire from heaven,
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  Speaker 1: and proven once and for all that Yahweh was the
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  Speaker 1: true God. But instead of celebrating, Elijah found himself running
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  Speaker 1: for his life. Queen Jezebel wanted him dead, and fear
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  Speaker 1: overtook him. He ran to the wilderness, sat under a
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  Speaker 1: tree and told God he was ready to die. I
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  Speaker 1: have had enough, Lord, take my life First Kings nineteen four.
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  Speaker 1: He was exhausted, he was discouraged, he was burnt out.
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  Speaker 1: God's response he didn't rebuke Elijah for being weak. He
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  Speaker 1: didn't tell him to toughen up. Instead, he let him rest,
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  Speaker 1: He provided food and water, and then after strengthening him,
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  Speaker 1: he called him to an encounter. Elijah traveled to Mount
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  Speaker 1: Horeb and hid in a cave, and that's when God
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  Speaker 1: told him go out and stand on the mountain in
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  Speaker 1: the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about
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  Speaker 1: to pass by. Elijah must have felt a surge of anticipation.
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  Speaker 1: He was about to hear from God directly. He was
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  Speaker 1: about to have a supernatural encounter. Surely this was going
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  Speaker 1: to be powerful. Then a mighty wind tore through the mountains,
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  Speaker 1: Rocks shattered, the earth trembled, but God was not in
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  Speaker 1: the wind. Then an earthquake shook the ground beneath him,
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  Speaker 1: a raw display of power. But God was not in
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  Speaker 1: the earthquake. And then a raging fire blazed before him,
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  Speaker 1: the kind of fire that consumes everything in its path.
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  Speaker 1: But God was not in the fire. And then, after
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  Speaker 1: all the noise, after all the chaos, there was a whisper,
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  Speaker 1: a gentle, quiet whisper, And that's where God was. Now
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  Speaker 1: stop and think about this. Elijah had just experienced fire
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  Speaker 1: from heaven when he called on God at Mount Carmel.
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  Speaker 1: He had seen God move in big, undi deniable ways,
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  Speaker 1: and yet when he needed a personal word, when he
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  Speaker 1: needed comfort, direction, and clarity, God didn't show up in
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  Speaker 1: the loud. He showed up in the stillness. This is
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  Speaker 1: the same mistake so many of us make when trying
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  Speaker 1: to hear God's voice. We think that if God is
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  Speaker 1: going to speak, it has to be something dramatic, a
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  Speaker 1: sign in the sky, a dream that shakes us, a
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  Speaker 1: prophetic word from someone, something undeniable. But what if God
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  Speaker 1: has been speaking all along and we're just too distracted
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  Speaker 1: to hear him. Think about our lives today. Noise is
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  Speaker 1: everywhere we wake up, and before we've even gotten out
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  Speaker 1: of bed, we've checked our phones. We fill every moment
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  Speaker 1: with entertainment, podcasts, music, social media, endless scrolling. We rush
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  Speaker 1: from one thing to the next, always busy, always thinking,
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  Speaker 1: always distracted, And then we wonder, why don't I hear
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  Speaker 1: from go God? Maybe the problem isn't that God isn't speaking.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe the problem is that we've created so much noise
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  Speaker 1: in our lives that we can't hear the whisper. So
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  Speaker 1: how do we create space for God's voice? First, we
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  Speaker 1: have to embrace stillness. When was the last time you
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  Speaker 1: sat in complete silence, no phone, no background music, no notifications,
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  Speaker 1: just you and God. For most of us, that's rare.
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  Speaker 1: But if we never make room for stillness, we will
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  Speaker 1: struggle to hear God. Psalm forty six ten says, be
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  Speaker 1: still and know that I am God. Not be busy,
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  Speaker 1: not be productive, not multitask while listening to a sermon.
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  Speaker 1: Be still, because it's in the stillness that God speaks. Second,
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  Speaker 1: we need to lower the volume of the world. There's
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  Speaker 1: nothing wrong with watching shows, listening to music, or being
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  Speaker 1: engaged in culture, but if those things are constantly filling
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: your mind mind, they will drown out God's voice. Think
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: about a conversation in a crowded room, if the background
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: noise is too loud, you'll struggle to hear the person
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: in front of you. You'll hear noise, but not clarity.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: That's exactly what happens spiritually. If your life is filled
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: with constant noise, negativity, and worldly distractions, then even when
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: God speaks, his voice will be buried under everything else.
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray Luke five sixteen.
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: Why because even though he was God, he knew the
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: importance of silence and solitude. If Jesus needed quiet time
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: to hear from the Father, how much more do we
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: third We need to stop assuming that God only speaks
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: in big, obvious ways. Yes, God can speak through miracles,
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: Yes he can speak through powerful encounters. But if you
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: think that's the only way he speaks, you will miss him.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Maybe he's speaking to you through a scripture that keeps
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: coming up. Maybe he's speaking through a deep sense of
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: peace about a decision. Maybe he's speaking through a conviction
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: that won't go away. But if you're only looking for
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: earthquakes and fire, you might miss the whisper. Elijah learned
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: this the hard way. He thought he needed something dramatic,
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: but what he really needed was closeness with God. And
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: closeness isn't built through noise, it's built through stillness. So
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: now let's ask the real question. What if God has
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: been whispering to you all along, but you've been waiting
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: for something louder. What if He's already given you the direction,
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: but you were so busy looking for a sign that
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: you ignored the peace he put in your heart. What
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: if his answer wasn't in the big moment, but in
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: the small quiet one. God isn't always in the fire,
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: God isn't always in the earthquake, but he is always near.
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: And if we learn to embrace the quiet to make
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: space for the whisper, we'll realize that He has been
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: speaking all along. So here's the challenge. Take time this
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: week to be still, no phone, no distractions, Just sit
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: with God, even if it's uncomfortable at first, even if
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: your mind races, because when you create space for him,
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: you'll start to hear him more clearly. And if this
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: resonates with you, if you've ever felt like you were
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: waiting for God to speak, but maybe you just weren't
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: listening in the right way, drop a comment below. Let's
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: walk through this together. The fourth most important lesson we've
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: learned from studying how God speaks is this, it's okay
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: to ask for confirmation when you're unsure, but there's a
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: difference between faith and doubt, and no one in the
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: Bible struggled with this tension more than give. Gideon's story
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: is the story of someone who wanted to believe, but
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: was afraid to trust. It's the story of a man
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: who heard God's voice but wasn't sure if it was
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: really him. And if we're honest, we've all been there.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: Maybe you've felt a strong pull towards something, but you
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: weren't sure if it was from God. Maybe you've sensed
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: a direction in your heart, but doubt crept in, whispering,
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: what if this is just me? What if I'm wrong?
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: Maybe you've wished that God would give you a sign,
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: something obvious, something clear, so that you wouldn't have to
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: wonder anymore. That's exactly where Gideon found himself. When we
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: first meet Gideon in Judges six, Israel is in chaos.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: The Midianites have taken over. They raid the land, destroy crops,
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: and leave the Israelites feeling hopeless and powerless. And where
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: is Gideon hiding threshing wheat in a wine press, the
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: place where wheat was never meant to be threshed, because
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: he's afraid of being seen. And that's when God speaks.
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: An angel appears to Gideon and says something that must
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: have sounded ridiculous to him. The Lord is with you,
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: Mighty Warrior. Judges six twelve. Mighty warrior. Gideon probably looked
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: over his shoulder to see if the angel was talking
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: to someone else. He didn't feel like a mighty warrior.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: He didn't feel like a leader. He didn't feel like
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: someone God would choose, and his response shows exactly where
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: his heart was. If the Lord is with us, why
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: has all this happened to us? Judges six thirteen. Gideon
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: wasn't just unsure about his calling, he was unsure about
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: God himself. But God doesn't entertain Gideon's doubts. He simply
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: gives him an assignment. Go in the strength you have
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: and save Israel. And just like that, Gideon face the
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: same choice we all face when God speaks. Do I
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: trust what I just heard or do I let fear
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: and doubt talk me out of it. Gideon's first instinct
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: ask for a sign. He tells the Angel, if I've
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: really found favor with you, show me a sign Judges
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: six seventeen. So he brings an offering, places it on
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: a rock, and God miraculously sets it on fire. That
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: should have been enough, right, but it wasn't. Later, when
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: Gideon is asked to lead the army to defeat the Midianites,
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: he's still unsure. He still wonders, did God really say that?
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: Did I hear him correctly? And that's when he does
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: something bold. He asks God for another sign. This is
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: the famous moment of the fleece test in Judges six
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: thirty six to forty. If you will save Israel by
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: my hand as you have promised, look, I will place
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: due only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry,
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: then I will know that you will save Israel by
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: my hand. And God does it. The fleece is wet,
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: the ground is dry, but Gideon is still unsure. He
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: asks for another sign, this time in reverse. God let
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: the fleece be dry and the ground be wet, and
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: once again God answers. Now, let's pause and ask the question,
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: was Gideon wrong to ask for confirmation? The answer is
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: both yes and no. No, because God understands our weaknesses.
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: He knows we struggle with doubt. He knows we want
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: to be sure before stepping out in faith, and he
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: was patient with Gideon, just as he's patient with us.
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: But yes, because there's a difference between asking for confirmation
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: in faith and asking out of fear. Gideon wasn't just
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: confirming what God said. He was stalling. He was hoping
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: that maybe, just maybe God would change his mind. And
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: that's the key difference. If you're genuinely seeking confirmation because
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: you want to follow God, that's one thing. But if
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: you're asking for sign after sign because you're afraid to obey,
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: that's not faith. That's avoidance. So how do you confirm
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: if what you're hearing is really from God? First? Does
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: it align with scripture? God will never contradict his word.
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: If what you're sensing goes against what the Bible teaches,
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: it's not from him. Second, does it bring peace? Not
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: the kind of peace that means you'll never feel nervous,
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: but a deep, settled assurance that God is leading you
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts Colossians
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: three point fifteen. Third, does it require faith? God rarely
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: calls us to things that feel safe and easy. If
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: what your sensing stretches you, challenges you and makes you
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: trust Him more, that's often a sign that it's him. Fourth,
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: does it produce good fruit? Jesus said you will know
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: them by their fruits in Matthew seven sixteen. If following
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: what your hearing leads to love, joy, peace, and spiritual growth,
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: it's a strong indicator that it's from God. And finally,
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: have you prayed about it? So often we ask God
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: for confirmation, but we don't actually sit still and listen
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: for his response. Gideon got his confirmation because he kept
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: seeking God. If you're unsure about something, don't just talk
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: about it. Pray about it, fast about it, seek God's presence.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: At the end of the day, God is not trying
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: to trick you. He wants you to know his will.
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: But faith requires movement. At some point, you have to
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: stop asking for another sign and start walking in obedience.
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: So now let's bring it back to you. Is there
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: something God has been speaking to you about but you're
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: hesitating because you're unsure. Have you been asking for sign
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: after sign, hoping that maybe God will make things easier
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: before you take a step of faith. Maybe this is
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: your Gideon moment. Maybe God is saying, I've already given
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: you the confirmation. Now it's time to go. And if
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: you've ever been in a situation where you kept asking
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: God for a sign, drop a comment below. Let's talk
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: about it. Because faith isn't about waiting for endless signs.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: It's about learning to trust that when God speaks, he
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: means it. The fifth most important lesson we've learned from
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: studying how God speaks is this just because someone claims
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: to speak for God doesn't mean they do. Not every
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: voice that sounds spiritual is from God. Not every person
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: who claims to be a prophet is actually speaking the truth.
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: And no story in the Bible illustrates this warning more
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: powerfully and more tragically than the story of the Young
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: Prophet in First Kings thirteen. His story is one of obedience, deception,
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: and devastating consequences. It's a warning to anyone who has
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: ever wondered how do I know which voices to trust?
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: Because in a world filled with pastors, prophets, teachers, influences,
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: and self proclaimed messengers of God. Not every voice is
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: leading you toward truth. Let's step into his story. God
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: had given the young prophet a clear assignment. He was
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: to go to Bethel, deliver a message against the false
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: alter built by King Jeroboam, and then return home without
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: eating or drinking in that land. It was simple, do
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: what I told you, don't stop, don't linger, don't eat,
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: don't drink. And at first the young prophet did exactly
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: as God commanded. He fronted King Jeroboam, he delivered the prophecy,
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: and when the king invited him to stay for a meal,
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: he refused, even if you gave me half your kingdom,
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: I would not eat or drink here because the Lord
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: commanded me not to first Kings thirteen eight to nine.
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: So far, so good. He was obeying God's voice, But
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: then came the deception. As he was leaving, an old
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: prophet heard about what had happened and went after him.
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: He found the young prophet sitting under a tree and
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: said something that should have been a red flag. Come
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: home with me and eat. The young prophet answered, just
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: as he did before, I cannot because the Lord commanded
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: me not to eat or drink in this place. And
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: then the old prophet lied, I am also a prophet
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: just like you, and an angel told me to bring
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: you to my house so that you may eat and
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: drink First Kings thirteen eighteen. And that was all it took.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: Instead of standing firm, instead of going back to what
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: God originally told him, the young prophet listened to the
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: wrong voice. He went back with the old prophet ate
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: and drank and sealed his fate because in the very
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: next moment, the same prophet who deceived him prophesied his judgment.
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: He told the young prophet that because he disobeyed God's
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: direct command, he would not make it home alive. And
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: that's exactly what happened. As soon as he left, he
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: was killed by a lion. Now pause for a moment.
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: This young prophet had a direct word from God. He
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: wasn't confused, he wasn't unsure. But the moment someone else
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: claimed to have a different message, he ignored what God
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: originally told him, and that mistake cost him his life.
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: This is a chilling reminder that not every voice that
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: sounds godly is from God. Think about this. In today's world,
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: there are more preachers, more prophets, more Christian influences than
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: ever before. Some are truly anointed, some are not. Some
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: are speaking truth, some are twisting the truth. Some are
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: leading people toward God, some are leading them into deception.
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: And if you don't know how to test what you hear,
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: you will end up just like the young Prophet, believing
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: a lie and walking into destruction. So how do you
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: test what you hear and avoid deception? One always go
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: back to what God originally said. The young Prophet had
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: a clear command from God, but when another voice contradicted it,
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: he wavered. He didn't go back to God. He didn't
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: ask for confirmation. He just trusted the wrong person. How
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: often do we do the same. God tells you to
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: stay away from a certain relationship, but then a well
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: meaning friend says, maybe God is testing you, and suddenly
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: you second guess yourself. God convicts you about a sin,
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: but then a popular preacher says, God is love, he
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: doesn't really care about that, and suddenly you feel justified
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: in ignoring conviction. God speaks through his word, But if someone,
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: even someone spiritual, tells you something that contradicts what he
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: already said, who will you believe? Two, test every message
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: against scripture. God will never tell someone to tell you
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: something that goes against his word. If someone claims to
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: have a revelation, a dream, a prophecy, but it doesn't
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: align with scripture, reject it. This is why you need
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: to know the Bible for yourself, because false teachers rely
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: on the fact that many Christians don't study the Word.
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: If you don't know the truth, you'll fall for a lie.
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: For First, John for one, says, do not believe every spirit,
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Three.
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: Be cautious of people who claim God told me to
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: tell you. Yes. God can use people to confirm things
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: in your life, but be careful when someone acts like
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: they are your only connection to God. The old Prophet
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: didn't say, let's seek God together. He acted as if
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: he had secret knowledge the young Prophet didn't have, and
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: that's how deception works. If someone's voice replaces God's voice
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: in your life, that's a red flag. Four. When in doubt,
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: seek God directly. The young Prophet could have prayed. He
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: could have said, Lord, this man is telling me something
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: different than what you told me, is this from you?
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: But he didn't, He just assumed. How many times have
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: we believed something just because someone sounded confident. If you're
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: ever unsure, go to God first, pray fast, ask for wisdom,
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: because God will never leave you confused. Five, Never let
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: someone else's voice replace God's voice in your life. At
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: the end of the day, the young prophet had everything
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: he needed to obey God. He didn't need a second opinion,
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: he didn't need validation. He just needed to trust what
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: God originally said. And that's where we end todere Has
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: God already told you something, but you're doubting because of
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: what others are saying. Have you ignored a conviction because
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: someone made you feel like it wasn't a big deal.
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: Maybe this is your moment to go back to what
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: God originally told you, because in a world filled with voices,
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: the only one that truly matters is his. And if
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: this message hits home for you, drop a comment below,
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: because more than ever, we need believers who are grounded
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: in truth and able to discern the difference between God's
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: voice and deception. The sixth most important lesson we've learned
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: from studying how God speaks is this. Sometimes God interrupts
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: your life when you least expect it, even in the
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: middle of your mistakes. You don't have to be in
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: deep prayer, you don't have to be in church. You
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: don't even have to be looking for him. When God
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: decides to speak, nothing will stop him from getting your attention.
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: No one in Scripture learned this more dramatically than Paul,
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: who was still Saul when this happened. Imagine this, You're
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: absolutely convinced you're doing the right thing. You're committed, you're passionate.
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: You wake up every morning with a clear mission. You
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: don't second guess yourself because you are one hundred percent
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: sure you're right. That's exactly how Saul felt. To him.
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: Christians weren't just wrong, they were dangerous. They were a
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: threat to everything he believed, everything he had been taught.
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: He saw them as heretics who needed to be stopped
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: at all costs, and he wasn't just sitting on the
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: sidelines shaking his head. He was actively hunting them down.
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: Saul had authority, he had power, and on this particular day,
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: he had a mission. He was on the road to
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: Damascus carrying official letters that gave him permission to arrest, imprison,
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: and possibly kill followers of Jesus. But what he didn't
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: know is that God was about to wreck everything he
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: thought he knew. As Saul rode toward the city, something happened.
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: A light, blinding, overwhelming, terrifying, flashed from heaven, knocking him
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: to the ground, and then a voice Saul, Saul, why
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: are you persecuting me? For the first time in his life,
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: Saul was speechless. He had spent years studying theology, debating
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: with scholars, confidently defending what he believed, but in this moment,
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: he had no argument, He had no words. All he
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: could say was who are you, Lord? And then came
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: the answer that changed everything. I am Jesus, whom you
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: are persecuting. Saul had spent his life believing he was
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: serving God, but in an instant, he realized he had
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: been fighting against the very one he thought he was defending.
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: That moment broke him. Everything he had built his life on.
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: Everything he had believed, collapsed in an instant, and when
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: he got up from the ground, he was blind. He
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: had come to Damascus full of pride, full of confidence,
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: full of certainty. Now he was helpless. He had to
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: be led by the hand like a child. For three days,
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: he sat in darkness, no sight, no food, no water,
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: just waiting, just processing. And then God sent a man
• 41:01
  Speaker 1: named Anonius to lay hands on him, and in that moment,
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: Saul became Paul. His old identity died, his old mission
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: was erased, and from that day forward he would no
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: longer persecute Christians. He would become one. Think about this
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: for a second. Saul wasn't looking for God, he wasn't
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: questioning his path, he wasn't having second thoughts. He was
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: on his way to commit more violence, and yet God
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: interrupted him anyway. This is proof that God's mercy is
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: bigger than our mistakes. Some of us think we have
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: to be in the right place, doing the right things,
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: with the right heart before God will speak to us.
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: But Paul's story proves that God speaks even when we're
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: on the wrong road. Some of you might feel too
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: far gone. You might think I've made too many mistakes.
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: God's not going to speak to me now. But Paul's
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: stood proves that God doesn't wait for you to fix
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: yourself before he speaks. Sometimes he meets you right in
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: the middle of your mess. Saul was so convinced that
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: he was doing God's will that he never stopped to
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: question it. He never considered the possibility that he was wrong,
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: and if God hadn't interrupted him, he would have spent
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: his entire life fighting against the truth. This is a
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: warning for all of us. What if there's something in
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: your life that God is trying to correct, but you're
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: too convinced your right to hear him. What if you're
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: holding on to a belief, a habit, a lifestyle, thinking
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: it's okay, but God is trying to get your attention.
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: The hardest voice to hear is the one that challenges
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: what you already believe. But sometimes that's exactly how God speaks.
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: Saul wasn't planning to meet Jesus that day, but God
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: interrupted his journey. What if God is trying to interrupt
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: something in your life right now. A relationship that isn't
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: good for you, a job that isn't part of his plan,
• 43:10
  Speaker 1: a direction you're taking that he never called you to.
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: Sometimes God speaks by stopping you. Maybe a door closed,
• 43:19
  Speaker 1: maybe things aren't working out. Maybe there's an obstacle in
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: your path that won't move no matter how hard you push.
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: What if that's not the enemy. What if that's God.
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: Saul lost everything, He built his life on, his reputation,
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: his status, his identity, but in return he found the truth.
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: And when God speaks to you, really speaks to you.
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: Sometimes it means leaving things behind. It might mean changing
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: the way you think. It might mean letting go of
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: a dream you had. It might mean humbling yourself and
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: admitting you were wrong. But if God is calling you
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: to something new, trust that what He has for you
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: is better than what you're holding on to. What if
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: you're on the wrong road and don't even realize it.
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: What if God is trying to interrupt something in your
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: life right now? Maybe this is your Damascus Road moment.
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: Maybe God is calling your name, trying to stop you
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: before you go any further in the wrong direction. Maybe
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: he's saying, why are you fighting against me? And if
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: that's you, If you feel like God might be trying
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: to get your attention but you're not sure how to respond,
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: drop a comment below, because the good news is even
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: if you've been on the wrong road, God knows how
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: to turn you around. The seventh most important lesson we've
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: learned from studying how God speaks is this. God is
• 44:45
  Speaker 1: still speaking even when we feel like he's silent. There
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: are moments in life when we desperately need to hear
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: from Him, when we cry out for answers, for direction,
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: for relief, and the only response seems to be silence.
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: That silence can feel unbearable, It can feel like abandonment.
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: But Job's story shows us that just because we don't
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: hear God right away doesn't mean he's not present. Job's
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: life was the picture of success. He had wealth, influence,
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: a large family, and deep faith in God. If anyone
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: looked at his life, they would say God is with him.
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: But then everything changed in the span of a single day.
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: Disaster struck. Raiders stole his live stock, fire from the sky,
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: burned his fields, his servants were killed, and worst of all,
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: the house collapsed, killing all ten of his children. Can
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: you even imagine that kind of devastation, To go from
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: having everything to losing everything in a matter of hours.
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: Most people would have cursed God right then and there,
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: but Job didn't. Instead, he fell to the ground and said,
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: be the name of the Lord. And that moment could
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: have been the end of the test, but it wasn't
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: As if losing everything wasn't enough. Job was then afflicted
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: with painful sores all over his body. He was unrecognizable.
• 46:25
  Speaker 1: His wife, who had suffered just as much, told him
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: curse God and die. His friends came to visit him,
• 46:32
  Speaker 1: but instead of comforting him, they accused him. They said,
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: you must have done something wrong. God wouldn't let this
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: happen to an innocent person. And in the middle of
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: all of this, Job had one desperate request, God, where
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: are you? Days passed, then weeks, then months, and there
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: was no answer nothing. Have you ever been in that place?
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: Have you ever prayed, begged, pleaded, only to be met
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: with silence when you were grieving and asked God for comfort,
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: but the pain stayed when you were desperate for a breakthrough,
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: but the situation didn't change when you needed an answer,
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: but Heaven seemed closed. That was Job. He didn't just suffer.
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: He suffered in silence for thirty seven chapters in the
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: Book of Job. God does not say a word, and Job,
• 47:21
  Speaker 1: in his pain, starts to ask the hard questions, God,
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: why was I even born? What did I do to
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: deserve this? Where are you his friends give him bad advice,
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: his wife gives up on him, and the entire time
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: God says nothing. This is one of the hardest truths
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: about following God. Sometimes he doesn't answer right away. Sometimes
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: you cry out and he doesn't respond the way you expect.
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: But here's where everything shifts. After all the waiting, after
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: all the tears, God finally speaks, but he doesn't give
• 47:58
  Speaker 1: Job the answer he was expected. He doesn't explain why
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: everything happened. Instead, God responds with his presence out of
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: the storm. God speaks, where were you when I laid
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: the Earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. For four chapters,
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: God doesn't explain, He reveals himself. He reminds Job that
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: he is bigger than suffering, that he was there before
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: the pain, and he will be thereafter. And in that moment,
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: Job finally understands. My ears had heard of you, but
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: now my eyes have seen you. Sometimes God's silence is
• 48:37
  Speaker 1: not rejection, its preparation. Job had heard about God before,
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: but after walking through suffering, he encountered God in a
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: deeper way. His pain didn't drive him away from God,
• 48:51
  Speaker 1: it drew him closer. So what does this mean for you?
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: If you feel like God is silent. If you're in
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: a season of waiting, If your crying out and don't
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: hear an answer, don't give up. God is still working
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: even when you don't see it. Maybe he's teaching you
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: how to trust him beyond emotions. Maybe he's revealing something
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: about his nature that you wouldn't have understood otherwise. Maybe
• 49:17
  Speaker 1: he's preparing you for something greater than you imagined. Because
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: in the end, Job didn't just get an answer, he
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: got restoration. God blessed him with double what he had before.
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: His latter days were greater than his former days. But
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: the real blessing wasn't just the restoration. It was knowing
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: God in a way he never had before. So now
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: let's turn the question to you. What if the silence
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: you're experiencing right now isn't a sign of God's absence
• 49:50
  Speaker 1: but a set up for something deeper. What if instead
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: of asking God, why aren't you speaking, you started asking God,
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: what are you teaching me in this silence? Because one
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: thing is certain, God's silence is never the end of
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: the story. And if this resonates with you, if you've
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: ever been in a season where you felt like God
• 50:12
  Speaker 1: was silent drop a comment below, because just like Job,
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: sometimes our greatest encounters with God come after the longest silence.
• 50:23
  Speaker 1: The eighth most important lesson we've learned from studying how
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: God speaks is this. The closer you are to God,
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: the clearer his voice becomes. Recognizing God's voice isn't about formulas, rituals,
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: or guessing. It's about relationship. And no one modeled this
• 50:43
  Speaker 1: better than Jesus himself. If there was anyone in history
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: who always knew what God was saying, it was Jesus.
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: He never second guessed, he never hesitated. Every word he spoke,
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: every action he took was perfectly aligned with the will
• 51:01
  Speaker 1: of the Father. How because Jesus didn't just pray occasionally.
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: He didn't just check in with God when he needed direction.
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: His entire life was constant communication with the Father. In
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: John twelve forty nine, Jesus made an incredible statement, for
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: I have not spoken on my own, but the Father
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: who sent me has commanded me what to say and
• 51:26
  Speaker 1: how to say it. Think about that. Every single word
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: Jesus spoke, every teaching, every parable, every rebuke, every encouragement
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: was directly from the Father. He didn't just speak for God.
• 51:39
  Speaker 1: He spoke from God because he lived in such deep
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: intimacy with the Father that his voice and God's voice
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: were one. This is what makes Jesus different from every prophet,
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: every teacher, every spiritual leader in history. Others heard God occasionally,
• 51:57
  Speaker 1: others received glimpses of divine revelation. But Jesus he lived
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: in perfect unity with God, and because of that, he
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: always knew what the Father was saying. So what does
• 52:10
  Speaker 1: this mean for us? Most of us want to hear
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: God's voice when we need direction, when we have a
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: big decision to make, when we're in a crisis, and
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: then after we get our answer, we go back to
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: living without seeking him daily. But Jesus didn't hear from
• 52:29
  Speaker 1: God because he only prayed during major moments. He heard
• 52:32
  Speaker 1: from God because he never stopped communicating with him. If
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: you want to hear God more clearly, you have to
• 52:38
  Speaker 1: stop treating him like a last minute adviser and start
• 52:41
  Speaker 1: treating him like your closest relationship. Imagine this in real life.
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: Let's say you have two friends. One friend you talk
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: to every single day. You know their voice, their tone,
• 52:54
  Speaker 1: their personality, even if they text you without signing their name.
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: You immediately recognize them. Now, imagine another friend you haven't
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: spoken to in years. If they call you out of nowhere,
• 53:07
  Speaker 1: you might hesitate, you might need a second to figure
• 53:11
  Speaker 1: out who it is. You might even mistake them for
• 53:13
  Speaker 1: some one else. That's exactly how it works with God.
• 53:17
  Speaker 1: The more time you spend with him, the more familiar
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: his voice becomes. The less time you spend with him,
• 53:24
  Speaker 1: the more uncertain you'll be when he speaks. Jesus was
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: so in tune with the Father that he didn't need
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: a sign, a fleece, or a dramatic moment of confirmation.
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: He just knew because he had spent eternity with the Father,
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: he was always connected. And this is where most of
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: us struggle. We want certainty in hearing God's voice, but
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: we don't want to invest in intimacy with him. We
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: want to know what He's saying without doing the work
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: of staying close to him. So how do we develop
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: this kind of constant communicatation with God? First prioritize daily
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: time with him. Jesus often withdrew to pray, not because
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: he was weak, but because he was dependent on the Father.
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: He didn't just pray when he needed something he prayed
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: because he wanted connection. Luke five sixteen says Jesus often
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Notice the word often.
• 54:24
  Speaker 1: This wasn't a rare event, This wasn't something he squeezed
• 54:28
  Speaker 1: in when he had time. It was a lifestyle. And
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: if Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, the one
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: with all wisdom and power, needed time alone with the Father,
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: how much more do we second align your heart with
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: his word. Jesus didn't just pray. He lived by scripture,
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: every time he was tempted, every time he responded to
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: the Pharisees, every time he taught. His words were deeply
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: rooted in the word of God. Some of us struggled
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: to hear God's voice because we're not filling our hearts
• 54:59
  Speaker 1: with his truth. If you spend more time listening to culture, entertainment,
• 55:04
  Speaker 1: and the opinions of others than you do in the
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: word of God, then it's no wonder you're uncertain about
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: his voice. Jesus knew exactly what to say in every situation,
• 55:15
  Speaker 1: not because he guessed, but because he was fully immersed
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: in truth. Third, learn to recognize how God speaks to
• 55:23
  Speaker 1: you Jesus knew the Father's voice because he had spent
• 55:27
  Speaker 1: eternity with him, But for us, it takes time to
• 55:31
  Speaker 1: recognize how God speaks. Some people hear him in prayer,
• 55:35
  Speaker 1: others feel a deep conviction in their spirit. Some hear
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: God through scripture, while others experience his leading through circumstances.
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: The key is learning the patterns. Has God ever spoken
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: to you in a way that was undeniable? Pay attention
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: to that. Does He tend to speak to you through dreams,
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: through a deep inner peace, through godly counsel. Learn the
• 56:01
  Speaker 1: ways He has spoken in the past, and you'll start
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: to recognize him faster in the future. Fourth practice obedience.
• 56:09
  Speaker 1: One reason Jesus heard the Father so clearly was because
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: he never resisted him. He didn't hesitate to obey, he
• 56:17
  Speaker 1: didn't argue. His response was always immediate trust. Some of
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: us are struggling to hear God's voice because we ignored
• 56:26
  Speaker 1: him the last time he spoke. If God asked you
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: to do something and you brushed it off, why would
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: he give you a new word when you haven't followed
• 56:35
  Speaker 1: the last one. John fourteen twenty three says, anyone who
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: loves me will obey my teaching, My Father will love them,
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: and we will come to them and make our home
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: with them. Obedience brings clarity. The more you obey, the
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: more you will hear and finally, stay connected even when
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: you don't feel like it. Jesus never let distracts pull
• 57:00
  Speaker 1: him away from the Father. But how many times do
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: we go days, weeks, even months without truly seeking God,
• 57:09
  Speaker 1: and then when we need an answer, we expect to
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: hear him instantly. Hearing God is not a one time event,
• 57:16
  Speaker 1: it's a relationship. If you only talk to God when
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: you need something, you don't have a relationship, you have
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: a transaction. But if you stay connected daily, even when
• 57:27
  Speaker 1: you don't feel like it, even when you don't need
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: an answer, then his voice will become clearer and clearer
• 57:33
  Speaker 1: over time. Jesus was never confused about what God was
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: saying because he was always in communion with him, and
• 57:42
  Speaker 1: that's what we should strive for. So now let's turn
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: this to you. What if the reason you struggle to
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: hear God's voice isn't because he isn't speaking, but because
• 57:53
  Speaker 1: you haven't spent enough time with him to recognize it.
• 57:57
  Speaker 1: What if, instead of chasing signs and formations you committed
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: to daily closeness with him, because when you do, you'll
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: realize that hearing from God isn't about trying harder, It's
• 58:10
  Speaker 1: about staying closer. And if this message speaks to you,
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: drop a comment below, because more than anything, we need
• 58:19
  Speaker 1: believers who aren't just listening for God's voice in emergencies,
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: but who are walking so closely with Him that his
• 58:26
  Speaker 1: voice becomes second nature. The ninth most important lesson we've
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: learned from studying how God speaks is this, God's voice
• 58:35
  Speaker 1: often calls us to step out in faith, even when
• 58:38
  Speaker 1: it doesn't make sense. When God speaks, it's not always comfortable,
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: it's not always logical. Sometimes it requires you to let
• 58:48
  Speaker 1: go of everything familiar and trust Him completely. No one
• 58:51
  Speaker 1: understood this better than Abraham. Imagine waking up one day
• 58:56
  Speaker 1: and hearing God tell you to leave everything behind, your home,
• 59:01
  Speaker 1: your family, your security, everything you've ever known, and where
• 59:06
  Speaker 1: are you going to? A land? I will show you,
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: no details, no road map, just a command to walk
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: in faith. That was Abraham's reality. At the time he
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: was known as Abram. He was living in Er of
• 59:22
  Speaker 1: the Chaldeans, a prosperous city. He had wealth, stability, and
• 59:27
  Speaker 1: a predictable life. And then suddenly God's voice broke into
• 59:32
  Speaker 1: his world and changed everything. A sea A go from
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: your country, your people, and your father's household to the
• 59:40
  Speaker 1: land I will show you Genesis twelve one. Pause for
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: a second. Imagine hearing those words to day. Imagine God
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: telling you to pack up and move, but not telling
• 59:53
  Speaker 1: you where. Imagine trying to explain that to your family
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: and friends. I'm leaving, Where are you going? I don't know.
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: God will show me. That kind of faith doesn't make
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 1: sense in human terms, and yet Abraham obeyed by faith.
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 1: Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: a place that he was to receive as an inheritance,
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 1: and he went out not knowing where he was going
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 1: Hebrews eleven eight. This is one of the first things
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: we learn about recognizing God's voice. It often requires movement
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 1: before understanding. Some of us want all the details first.
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 1: We want to know how things will work out. We
• 1:00:39
  Speaker 1: want to see the whole plan before we take the
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: first step. But God rarely works like that. God calls
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 1: you to step out first, and then he reveals the
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: details along the way. But Abraham's story doesn't stop there.
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: Years later, after following God's voice, after seeing miracle after miracle,
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 1: after finally receiving the son he had been waiting for,
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: God speaks again, and this time the command is even harder.
• 1:01:08
  Speaker 1: Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac,
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: and go to the region of Mariah. Sacrifice him there
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 1: as a burnt offering on a mountain. I will show
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: you Genesis twenty two colon TI. Let that sink in.
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: This was the Son of Promise, the son Abraham and
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 1: Sarah had waited for decades to have the son through
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: whom God said he would create a great nation, and
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: now God was telling Abraham to sacrifice him. It made
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: no sense, but Abraham obeyed. The very next morning, he
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: got up and went no arguing, no stalling, no bargaining
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: with God. Why because Abraham had learned something about God's voice.
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 1: When God speaks, you can trust him even when you
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: don't understand. Abraham didn't know how this would end. He
• 1:01:57
  Speaker 1: didn't have a guarantee that God would stop at the
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 1: last second, but he had faith that God was good.
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 1: He had faith that God always keeps his promises, and
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 1: that faith gave him the confidence to obey even when
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: nothing made sense. We know how the story ends. Just
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 1: as Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God intervened, a
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 1: ram appeared in the thicket. The test was over, and
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 1: Abraham's faith was proven. But here's what's even deeper. Abraham
• 1:02:28
  Speaker 1: called that place Jehovah Jirai, the Lord will provide Genesis
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 1: twenty two fourteen. He didn't name it the Lord tested me.
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 1: He didn't name it the mountain of my struggle. He
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: named it the Lord will provide, because looking back, he
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 1: could see what we often miss in the middle of
• 1:02:47
  Speaker 1: the test. God had a plan all along, and that's
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: what we need to remember. Maybe God is asking you
• 1:02:54
  Speaker 1: to step out in faith. Maybe he's leading you somewhere uncertain,
• 1:02:58
  Speaker 1: maybe he's testing your trust, and maybe right now nothing
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 1: makes sense. But here's what Abraham's story teaches us. God
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 1: never calls you to something that doesn't have a purpose.
• 1:03:11
  Speaker 1: When he calls you to step out, it's for your good.
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: When he tests your faith, it's to make you stronger.
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: When he asks for your obedience, it's because he has
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 1: something greater on the other side. So how do you
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 1: trust God's voice even when it doesn't make sense. First,
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 1: remember that God sees what you don't. Abraham didn't know
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: that a ram was already waiting in the thicket. He
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 1: didn't see the provision ahead of time, but God did.
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 1: God already had the solution before the test even began.
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 1: What if the thing you're afraid of right now, the
• 1:03:47
  Speaker 1: thing you don't understand, already has an answer waiting, but
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: you just can't see it yet. Second, remind yourself of
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 1: God's track record. Abraham could trust God because he had
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 1: history with him. He had seen God come through before,
• 1:04:04
  Speaker 1: He had seen the impossible happen when Sarah gave birth.
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 1: In old age, some of us struggled to trust God's
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: voice because we forget what He's already done. Think back,
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 1: has God ever led you before? Has he ever provided
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: for you? Has He ever spoken something that, looking back,
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 1: you now see was exactly what you needed? If He
• 1:04:26
  Speaker 1: was faithful, then he will be faithful now. Third, be
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: willing to move before you have all the answers. Some
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 1: of you are waiting for more confirmation, more details, more security.
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: But God is waiting for you to take the first step.
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: Maybe he's calling you to leave something behind, Maybe he's
• 1:04:47
  Speaker 1: asking you to do something risky. Maybe He's stretching your
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: faith beyond what feels comfortable. Move even if you don't
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 1: see the whole picture. Because Abraham's obedience didn't just bless him,
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: it blessed generations. When God speaks, it's not just about you,
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: it's about the people connected to your obedience. Your faith
• 1:05:08
  Speaker 1: today is building something for your future. So now let's
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 1: bring it back to you. What if God is calling
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 1: you to step out in faith, but you've been hesitating
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 1: because it doesn't make sense. What if he's asking for
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 1: your trust and you're holding back because you don't see
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 1: the full picture. What if, just like Abraham, your greatest
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 1: blessing is waiting on the other side of your obedience.
• 1:05:34
  Speaker 1: And if this speaks to you, drop a comment below.
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 1: Because faith isn't about understanding everything, it's about trusting that
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 1: when God speaks, he always has a plan. The tenth
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 1: most important lesson we've learned from studying how God speaks
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: is this, God's voice often interrupts our plans, but it
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 1: always leads to something greater. When God speaks, it rarely
• 1:05:59
  Speaker 1: comes at a convenient time, it rarely fits neatly into
• 1:06:04
  Speaker 1: the life we've planned for ourselves. But if we respond
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 1: with faith instead of fear. What he calls us into
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 1: will always be far greater than anything we could have imagined.
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: No one in Scripture understood this better than Mary, the
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 1: mother of Jesus. Mary's life was simple. She was a
• 1:06:25
  Speaker 1: young Jewish girl in Nazareth, engaged to be married to Joseph.
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 1: She wasn't a queen, she wasn't a priest, she wasn't
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 1: looking for a great destiny. She was just living her life.
• 1:06:38
  Speaker 1: And then, out of nowhere, everything changed. One day, an
• 1:06:42
  Speaker 1: angel appeared to her and spoke the words that would
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 1: alter human history. Greetings you, who are highly favored, The
• 1:06:49
  Speaker 1: Lord is with you Luke one twenty eight. Mary had
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 1: never seen an angel before. She wasn't expecting a divine encounter,
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: and the Bible says she was troubled. Why because when
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 1: God speaks, it often disrupts our expectations. She had her
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 1: life planned out. She was going to marry Joseph, settle
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 1: into a normal life, and live like every other woman
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 1: in her village. But then came God's voice, calling her
• 1:07:18
  Speaker 1: into something beyond her imagination. The angel continued, do not
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 1: be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 1: will conceive and give birth to a son, and you
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 1: are to call him Jesus Luke one thirty to thirty one.
• 1:07:37
  Speaker 1: Imagine being Mary in that moment. You're a virgin, you're engaged,
• 1:07:42
  Speaker 1: and now an angel is telling you that you're about
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 1: to be pregnant. This wasn't just confusing, it was life altering.
• 1:07:49
  Speaker 1: In her culture, being found pregnant outside of marriage could
• 1:07:53
  Speaker 1: have ruined her reputation, cost her everything, even put her
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 1: life in danger. She had every to panic, to question,
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 1: to resist, but instead she asked one simple question, how
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 1: will this be? Since I am a virgin? She didn't ask,
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: are you sure? She didn't ask can you pick someone else?
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: She simply asked how, not out of doubt, but out
• 1:08:18
  Speaker 1: of a desire to understand. The angel explained, the Holy
• 1:08:23
  Speaker 1: Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 1: most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: be born will be called the Son of God Luke
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 1: one thirty five. And then to reassure her, he mentioned
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 1: her cousin Elizabeth, who was far past child bearing age
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: but was miraculously pregnant. For no word from God will
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: ever fail Luke one thirty seven. This was Mary's moment
• 1:08:52
  Speaker 1: of decision. She could have resisted, she could have argued,
• 1:08:56
  Speaker 1: she could have worried about what people would think. But
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 1: instead she rescips bonded with one of the most powerful
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 1: statements of faith in scripture. I am the Lord's servant.
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: May your word to me be fulfilled Luke one thirty eight.
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: No hesitation, no excuses, just trust. Mary didn't fully understand
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 1: what this would mean for her life. She didn't have
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: all the answers, but she knew who was speaking, and
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 1: that was enough. And that's the lesson for us. When
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 1: God speaks, it won't always make sense, it won't always
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 1: fit into the life we expected. It might even feel impossible.
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 1: But if we truly believe that God is who he
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 1: says he is, then our response shouldn't be resistance. It
• 1:09:40
  Speaker 1: should be trust. Think about your own life as God
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 1: ever spoken something that felt too big for you? Has
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 1: He ever called you into something that didn't match the
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: plans you had for yourself. Maybe it's a career change,
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 1: Maybe it's a move to a new city. Maybe it's
• 1:09:56
  Speaker 1: a ministry opportunity that feels far beyond your comfort zone.
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 1: Like Mary, you might feel unqualified. You might worry about
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 1: what people will think. You might be afraid of the unknown,
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 1: but here's the truth. When God calls you, he also
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 1: equips you. He doesn't ask for your perfection, He asks
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 1: for your obedience. So how do we respond in faith
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 1: when God speaks? First, stop waiting to understand everything before
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 1: you obey. Mary didn't know every detail. She didn't ask
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 1: for a full explanation. She just said, yes. Some of
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 1: us hesitate because we want all the answers first. We
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 1: want God to show us the whole plan before we
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: take the first step. But faith means trusting that even
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 1: when we don't see the whole picture God does. Second,
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: focus on who is calling you, not on what he's
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 1: calling you to do. Mary's confidence didn't come from her
• 1:10:54
  Speaker 1: own ability. It came from who was speaking to her.
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 1: She knew this wasn't just so random, my dear, This
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 1: was a word from God himself. And when you know
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 1: who is calling you, you don't have to fear the unknown. Third,
• 1:11:10
  Speaker 1: let go of fear. Mary had plenty of reasons to
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 1: be afraid, but the angel's first words to her were,
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 1: do not be afraid. Fear will always try to keep
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 1: you from saying yes to God. Fear of failure, fear
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 1: of people's opinions, fear of the unknown. But faith and
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 1: fear cannot coexist. You have to choose one fourth. Surround
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 1: yourself with people who encourage your faith. After Mary said
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 1: yes to God, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth,
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: and as soon as she arrived, Elizabeth confirmed what God
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: had spoken. Blessed is she who has believed that the
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 1: Lord would fulfill his promises to her Luke one forty five.
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 1: Imagine how encouraging that must have been for Mary. She
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 1: wasn't crazy, she wasn't alone. God had already been working,
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 1: and he used Elizabeth to affirm and strengthen her faith.
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 1: Some of us struggle to trust God because we're surrounded
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 1: by people who feed our doubt instead of our faith.
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 1: If God has spoken something into your life, be intentional
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 1: about who you share it with. Find people who will
• 1:12:26
  Speaker 1: remind you. Blessed is the one who believes, and finally,
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 1: remember that God's plans are always greater than our own.
• 1:12:36
  Speaker 1: Mary could have said no, she could have clung to
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 1: her small, predictable life, but by saying yes, she became
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 1: part of the greatest story in history. What if the
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 1: thing God is calling you into Right now, the thing
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: that seems uncertain, inconvenient, or even impossible is actually the
• 1:12:55
  Speaker 1: doorway to something far greater than you imagined. What if
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 1: instead of resisting, you simply responded, like Mary, I am
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 1: the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled?
• 1:13:09
  Speaker 1: What if instead of fear you chose faith. What if
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 1: instead of questioning, you simply trusted. Because when God speaks,
• 1:13:17
  Speaker 1: it's never to ruin your plans. It's to invite you
• 1:13:20
  Speaker 1: into something greater. And if this resonates with you, drop
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 1: a comment below, because just like Mary, you may not
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: know how it will happen, but if you say yes,
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: you will see that nothing is impossible with God. The
• 1:13:36
  Speaker 1: most important lesson we've learned from studying how God speaks
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 1: is this Hearing God's voice isn't just for biblical heroes,
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 1: It's for you. We've seen how Samuel, Moses, Elijah, Gideon,
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: the Young Prophet, Paul, Job, Abraham, Mary, and Jesus all
• 1:13:55
  Speaker 1: heard from God in different ways. Each experience was unique,
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 1: but the principles remain the same. Now, the question is
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 1: how do you take what we've learned and apply it
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 1: to your own life. Maybe you've been longing to hear
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: from God, but feel uncertain. Maybe you've been asking was
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 1: that really him? Or was it just my own thoughts.
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 1: Maybe you've stepped out in faith before, only to doubt
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 1: yourself later. If that's you, you're not alone. The good
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 1: news God still speaks to day and he wants you
• 1:14:29
  Speaker 1: to hear him. The key is learning to recognize and
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 1: confirm his voice. So how do you apply these lessons
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 1: to your own life? One pay attention to how God
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 1: speaks to you personally. One of the biggest mistakes we
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 1: make is assuming God speaks to everyone in the exact
• 1:14:48
  Speaker 1: same way. But look at the people we've studied. Samuel
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 1: heard a voice in the night, Moses encountered God in
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 1: a burning bush. Elijah discovered him in a whisper. Gideon
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 1: asked for a sign, Paul was stopped by a blinding light.
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 1: Job waited in silence. Abraham stepped out without details, Mary
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 1: received an angelic message. Jesus lived in constant communion with
• 1:15:17
  Speaker 1: the Father. Each experience was different, but all were real.
• 1:15:22
  Speaker 1: God speaks in different ways to different people. The question
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 1: is how does he speak to you. Has God ever
• 1:15:30
  Speaker 1: nudged your spirit with a strong inner conviction. Has he
• 1:15:35
  Speaker 1: ever spoken through scripture where a verse felt like it
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 1: was written just for you? Has he ever confirmed something
• 1:15:43
  Speaker 1: through wise counsel, dreams, or unexpected circumstances. Start identifying patterns
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 1: in how He communicates with you, and you'll begin to
• 1:15:53
  Speaker 1: recognize him more clearly. Two. Test what you hear against
• 1:15:58
  Speaker 1: God's word. One thing we learned from the young prophet
• 1:16:02
  Speaker 1: is that not every voice that sounds godly is from God.
• 1:16:06
  Speaker 1: Even well meaning people can lead you astray. That's why
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: everything you hear, whether through a thought, a dream, a sermon,
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 1: or even advice from others, must align with scripture. Ask yourself,
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 1: does this align with what God has already said in
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 1: his word? God will never contradict himself. Does this reflect
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 1: the character of God? God doesn't use fear, deception, or manipulation.
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 1: Is this leading me toward righteousness or away from it?
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: If the voice your hearing doesn't match scripture, it isn't God.
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: Period Three. Seek confirmation, but don't use it as an
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 1: excuse to delay obedience. Gideon asked for confirmation not once,
• 1:16:53
  Speaker 1: but twice, and God, in his mercy, gave him the
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: assurance he needed. Sometimes God will confirm his word through signs,
• 1:17:03
  Speaker 1: other people or repeated messages. But there's a difference between
• 1:17:07
  Speaker 1: seeking wisdom and delaying obedience out of fear. Think about Abraham.
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 1: He didn't ask God for multiple signs before leaving his home.
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 1: He just obeyed. Think about Mary. She didn't demand further proof.
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 1: She simply said, let it be done to me. If
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 1: God is speaking something that is already clear, don't get
• 1:17:31
  Speaker 1: stuck in endless Is this really you? God? Prayers take
• 1:17:37
  Speaker 1: the first step, because faith is not about knowing every detail.
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 1: It's about trusting the one who does for Prepare your
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 1: heart to hear God by eliminating distractions. Elijah expected to
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: hear God in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire,
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 1: but instead God came in a whisper, and if Elijah
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 1: had been too distracted by the noise, he would have
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: missed it. How many times do we do the same
• 1:18:05
  Speaker 1: God is speaking but we're too busy, distracted, entertained, or
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 1: overwhelmed to hear him. If your life is filled with
• 1:18:13
  Speaker 1: constant noise, social media, entertainment, endless tasks, when do you
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 1: actually make space to listen? Jesus withdrew to quiet places
• 1:18:24
  Speaker 1: to pray. Moses met God on a mountain, Samuel heard
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 1: God in the stillness of the night. If you want
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 1: to hear God, you have to make room for him. Five.
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 1: Recognize that God's voice will often require faith and obedience.
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 1: One of the most common themes we've seen is that
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 1: when God speaks, it usually leads to a step of faith.
• 1:18:48
  Speaker 1: Abraham had to leave his home without knowing where he
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 1: was going. Paul had to completely change the direction of
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 1: his life. Mary had to risk public shame by accepting
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: God's job, had to trust God even when it felt
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 1: like he was silent. Sometimes we think God is being silent,
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 1: when in reality, we're just ignoring what He's already told
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 1: us to do. What if the reason you feel stuck
• 1:19:16
  Speaker 1: isn't because God hasn't spoken, but because you haven't obeyed
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 1: his last instruction. Faith isn't about waiting until everything makes sense.
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: It's about moving forward even when you don't have all
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: the answers. If what you're sensing is in line with scripture,
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 1: is leading you toward God and requires faith, obey. Six.
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 1: Stay patient. God's silence doesn't mean his absence. Job's story
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 1: taught us that just because God seems silent doesn't mean
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 1: he isn't there. Sometimes God is preparing you before he speaks.
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 1: Sometimes he's working behind the scenes, and sometimes he's waiting
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 1: to see if you will still trust him even when
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 1: he isn't giving you immediate answer. If you're in a
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 1: season of waiting, don't assume God has forgotten you. Keep
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 1: seeking him, keep trusting, because when He finally speaks, it
• 1:20:10
  Speaker 1: will be worth the wait. Seven. Keep your relationship with
• 1:20:15
  Speaker 1: God strong, because hearing him isn't about a method. It's
• 1:20:19
  Speaker 1: about closeness. Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice. I
• 1:20:24
  Speaker 1: know them, and they follow me John ten twenty seven.
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 1: Notice he didn't say my sheep try really hard to
• 1:20:32
  Speaker 1: figure out if it's me. He said, they hear my voice. Why,
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 1: because they know him. The closer you walk with God,
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 1: the easier it becomes to recognize his voice. It won't
• 1:20:44
  Speaker 1: always be a struggle, it won't always be a guessing game.
• 1:20:47
  Speaker 1: The more time you spend in prayer, in his word,
• 1:20:51
  Speaker 1: in worship, in quiet time, the more naturally his voice
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 1: will rise above all the others. God doesn't just want
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: to speak to you occasionally. He wants a relationship where
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 1: his voice is a constant part of your life. So
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 1: now it's your turn. What if God has been speaking
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 1: to you all along, but you haven't recognized it. What
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 1: if instead of waiting for a dramatic sign, you simply
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 1: started applying these lessons. What if to day you made
• 1:21:19
  Speaker 1: a commitment to remove distractions, step out in faith, test
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: everything by scripture, and walk closely with him. Because the
• 1:21:28
  Speaker 1: truth is God is speaking. The real question is are
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: you ready to listen? If this resonates with you, drop
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 1: a comment below, because to day might just be the
• 1:21:42
  Speaker 1: day you stop wondering if it's God's voice and start
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 1: knowing with confidence. The most important question we can ask
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 1: after everything we've learned, is this, If God spoke to
• 1:21:54
  Speaker 1: you to day, would you recognize his voice not just
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 1: a feeling, not just a vague eag impression, but his
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: actual voice, guiding you, directing you, calling you into something greater.
• 1:22:08
  Speaker 1: Would you know it was him or would you hesitate
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 1: wondering if it was just your own thoughts. For some,
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 1: the answer is yes. You've learned to recognize the patterns.
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 1: You've experienced moments when God's voice was unmistakable, whether through
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: his word, a deep conviction, a whisper in your spirit,
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 1: or an undeniable confirmation. But for others, maybe this is
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 1: something you've struggled with. Maybe you've asked, why does it
• 1:22:36
  Speaker 1: seem like other people hear from God so clearly, but
• 1:22:39
  Speaker 1: I don't. But here's the truth. God doesn't just speak
• 1:22:43
  Speaker 1: to a chosen few. He's not only speaking to pastors, prophets,
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 1: or people with years of experience in faith. He is
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 1: speaking to you right now, he always has been. The
• 1:22:57
  Speaker 1: question isn't whether he's speaking, The question is whether so
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 1: you're listening. Maybe you've been waiting for some dramatic moment.
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 1: Maybe you've been expecting a burning bush like Moses, a
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 1: blinding light like Paul, or an angelic visitation like Mary.
• 1:23:14
  Speaker 1: But what if God is speaking in a way you've overlooked.
• 1:23:18
  Speaker 1: What if he's speaking in the whisper like he did
• 1:23:21
  Speaker 1: to Elijah. What if he's leading you through scripture like
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 1: he did with Jesus. What if he's confirming something in
• 1:23:28
  Speaker 1: your spirit but you've been dismissing it as a random thought.
• 1:23:32
  Speaker 1: What if you've been hearing him all along but didn't
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 1: recognize it. God is not trying to hide from you.
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 1: He's not making it difficult for you to hear him.
• 1:23:41
  Speaker 1: He wants you to know his voice, just like a
• 1:23:44
  Speaker 1: shepherd calls out to his sheep and they recognize him.
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 1: God is calling out to you. He's been calling you
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 1: through his word, through prayer, through moments of conviction, through
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 1: that unshakable feeling in your heart that won't go away.
• 1:23:58
  Speaker 1: So now the real question is are you ready to listen?
• 1:24:02
  Speaker 1: Think about this? What if for the next twenty four
• 1:24:05
  Speaker 1: hours you intentionally positioned yourself to hear from God. What
• 1:24:09
  Speaker 1: if you set aside distractions, silence the noise, and asked
• 1:24:13
  Speaker 1: him to speak. What if you made a commitment to
• 1:24:17
  Speaker 1: seek him not just when you need something, but daily,
• 1:24:21
  Speaker 1: like Jesus did. Because here's what we know. When you
• 1:24:25
  Speaker 1: seek him, you will find him. When you ask, he
• 1:24:28
  Speaker 1: will answer. When you make space for him, his voice
• 1:24:32
  Speaker 1: will become clearer than ever before. And if this message
• 1:24:37
  Speaker 1: speaks to you, if you've ever had a moment where
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 1: you thought God was speaking to you, even if you
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 1: weren't one hundred percent, sure, drop a comment below because
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 1: your story might just be the confirmation some one else
• 1:24:53
  Speaker 1: needs to know that God is still speaking. If there
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: is one thing we've learned through this journey, it's this
• 1:25:00
  Speaker 1: God is still speaking. He always has been, he always
• 1:25:04
  Speaker 1: will be, And now the choice is ours. Will we listen?
• 1:25:11
  Speaker 1: For some this is the moment when everything shifts. Maybe
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 1: you've been longing to hear God's voice, but distractions, doubts,
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 1: and the noise of life have made it difficult. Maybe
• 1:25:22
  Speaker 1: you've felt distant from him, wondering if he still speaks
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 1: at all, Or maybe deep down you know he's been speaking,
• 1:25:29
  Speaker 1: but you've hesitated to respond out of fear, uncertainty, or
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 1: simply not knowing how to recognize him. But right now
• 1:25:38
  Speaker 1: we're going to do something powerful. We're going to pray
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 1: not just for another spiritual moment, but for a realignment
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 1: of our hearts. Because the truth is, hearing God isn't
• 1:25:50
  Speaker 1: just about learning a skill. It's about deepening a relationship.
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 1: Wherever you are right now, take a deep breath, set
• 1:25:58
  Speaker 1: aside the distraction, quiet your mind, and let's pray together.
• 1:26:05
  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, we come before you today, hungry to hear
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: your voice. You are not a distant God, you are
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 1: not silent. You are the same God who spoke to Abraham,
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 1: to Moses, to Elijah, to Mary, to Paul, and you
• 1:26:20
  Speaker 1: are speaking to us right now. But Lord, we confess
• 1:26:23
  Speaker 1: that so often we let the noise drown you out.
• 1:26:26
  Speaker 1: We fill our minds with the voices of the world, opinions, entertainment, fear, worry,
• 1:26:32
  Speaker 1: endless distractions. While your voice is waiting, call in whispering
• 1:26:36
  Speaker 1: for our attention. Forgive us for the times we've ignored you.
• 1:26:40
  Speaker 1: Forgive us for the moments when you were speaking but
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 1: we weren't listening. Right now, God, we ask for clarity.
• 1:26:47
  Speaker 1: Remove the confusion, remove the doubt, remove the hesitation, Open
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 1: our spiritual ears to hear you clearly. Just like Samuel said, speak, Lord,
• 1:26:59
  Speaker 1: for your servant is listening, we say the same, We
• 1:27:03
  Speaker 1: are listening. Teach us to recognize your voice when you speak.
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 1: Let us know without a shadow of a doubt, that
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 1: it is you. Let your voice be unmistakable, Let your
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: presence be undeniable. Help us to discern the difference between
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 1: your leading and our own thoughts, between your truth and
• 1:27:23
  Speaker 1: the lies of the enemy. And Father, we pray for courage,
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 1: because when you speak, it often requires action. It requires trust,
• 1:27:33
  Speaker 1: It requires faith. To step into the unknown, like Abraham did,
• 1:27:37
  Speaker 1: to surrender, like Mary did, to obey, like Paul did.
• 1:27:42
  Speaker 1: Give us the boldness to follow your voice, even when
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 1: it doesn't make sense, even when it stretches us, even
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 1: when it calls us out of our comfort zone. Lord,
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 1: If there is anything in our lives that is blocking
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 1: our ability to hear you, remove it. If there is sin,
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 1: convict us, If there are distractions, show us. If there
• 1:28:03
  Speaker 1: is fear, replace it with faith. We don't want to
• 1:28:08
  Speaker 1: just hear you. We want to respond to you, and
• 1:28:11
  Speaker 1: we make this declaration today. We will seek you daily.
• 1:28:15
  Speaker 1: We will test everything we hear against your word. We
• 1:28:18
  Speaker 1: will wait on you with patience, knowing that your timing
• 1:28:22
  Speaker 1: is perfect. We will trust that when you speak, you
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 1: always lead us to what is good, and we will
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 1: walk in obedience no matter what you ask of us.
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 1: We thank you God for being a father who speaks,
• 1:28:34
  Speaker 1: for being a God who is near, for being faithful
• 1:28:38
  Speaker 1: even when we struggle to hear you. And we pray
• 1:28:41
  Speaker 1: that from this moment forward, our ears will be open,
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 1: our hearts will be sensitive, and our spirits will be
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 1: ready to recognize your voice, not just once, not just occasionally,
• 1:28:52
  Speaker 1: but every single day. In Jesus name, Amen, if this
• 1:28:57
  Speaker 1: prayer speaks to you, if you're ready to hear God
• 1:28:59
  Speaker 1: more clear, drop an Amen in the comments, and if
• 1:29:03
  Speaker 1: you know someone who is struggling to recognize God's voice,
• 1:29:06
  Speaker 1: share this message with them, because to day is the
• 1:29:09
  Speaker 1: day we stop wondering if God is speaking and start
• 1:29:14
  Speaker 1: listening with confidence