Latest / HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN® / Learning To Hear God's Voice Ep 5 of 10 Series Following Jesus in Real Life

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Learning To Hear God's Voice Ep 5 of 10 Series Following Jesus in Real Life · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

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  Following Jesus isn't about having all the answers. It's about trusting God one step at a time.
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  Welcome to Following Jesus in Real Life, a special series from Have Faith,
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  Let It Begin. My name is Angel.
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  Together, we'll have an honest conversation about faith, doubt,
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  hope, grace, and what truly matters and what truly means to follow Christ,
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  not just on Sundays, but every single day.
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  So let's walk this journey together. Have faith, let it begin. Starts right now.
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  Let's have faith, let it begin. This is Ariel Santana.
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  Can you believe I'm seven years old already? I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
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  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana.
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  Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin.
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  I'm Angel Santana. Have you ever prayed?
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  God, if you're trying to tell me something, I just wish you'd make it a little clearer.
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  Maybe you faced a major decision, a new job, a relationship,
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  a ministry opportunity.
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  Or maybe you're simply wondering or wondered, Lord, what do I do?
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  What do you want me to do next?
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  One of the most common questions we ask is, how do I know when God is speaking? Let's explore that.
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  Here's a hard check for you. Sometimes we expect God to speak in dramatic ways. A booming voice.
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  A miraculous sign.
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  A lighting of a light in the sky. A lightning bolt moment that removes every doubt.
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  And while God certainly can work in extraordinary ways, more often he leads
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  us through ordinary faithfulness.
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  The challenge isn't always that God isn't speaking. Sometimes it's that our
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  lives have become so noisy that we've struggled to recognize his voice.
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  So we're going to talk about this.
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  Think about the people that you love most. You recognize their voices almost
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  instantaneously. Instantly.
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  Not because they speak louder than everyone else. Well, they do in my family,
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  but that's not the point.
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  But because you've spent time with them.
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  The same is true in our relationship with God.
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  The more times we spend with him, the more familiar he's leading becomes.
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  Familiar. Learning to hear God's voice isn't about unlocking a secret formula.
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  It's about growing in a relationship.
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  Relationships deepen through time, trust, and consistent communication.
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  Here's a biblical perspective. Throughout scripture, God guided us and guided
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  his people in many different ways.
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  Sometimes through his word, sometimes through prayer, sometimes through his
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  wise people he placed in their lives, sometimes through circumstances that opened or closed doors.
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  The common thread wasn't that God wasn't, well, that God was always,
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  well, yeah, I guess you can say that.
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  Sometimes I'm thinking one way and I say, let me, let me hear what God's word
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  is telling me to tell you.
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  The common thread wasn't that God always spoke the same way. There we go.
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  The common thread was that his people learned to trust him as they followed.
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  Yeah, God's guidance always aligned with his character.
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  He will never lead us in a direction that.
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  That contradicts his truth. That's a better way to put it.
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  Let me give you a more personal perspective. There have been many times when
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  I've desperately wanted God to hand me a detailed roadmap.
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  Does that sound familiar? Instead, he gave me the next step.
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  Looking back, I realized that if he had shown me the entire journey,
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  I might have been really overwhelmed.
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  Instead, he taught me to trust him one day at a time.
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  Baby steps. I've also learned that some of God's clearest guidance has come
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  during quiet moments, whether that was reading scripture, praying,
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  listening, and simply making room for him to speak.
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  Those moments have shaped my life far more than I realized at a time.
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  So how do we live this out? If you're waiting for God's direction today,
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  don't become discouraged.
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  Keep spending time with his word.
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  Keep praying. Keep worshiping. Seek wise, godly counsel.
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  I like that. Pay attention to where God is opening doors and where he may be gently closing them.
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  Don't underestimate the small nudges of the Holy Spirit.
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  Often, God's guidance isn't about rushing ahead. It's about faithfully taking
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  the next step he places before you.
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  Let's give yourself a faith challenge today. This week, create intentional space
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  to listen. Turn off the television.
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  Put your phone aside for a few minutes. Those are the sound effects,
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  by the way. Sit quietly with your Bible.
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  There's a Bible. Pray this simple prayer.
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  Lord, my heart is listening. Help me recognize your voice and give me the courage
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  to follow you and follow where you lead me.
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  Then be patient because sometimes the greatest act of faith is learning to wait with expectations.
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  So here's my closing thought. God isn't trying to hide his word.
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  God isn't trying to hide his will from you.
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  He desires a relationship with you. And as you continue to walk with him,
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  you'll begin to recognize his voice, not because life becomes easier,
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  but because your heart becomes more familiar with the shepherd who's leading you. Amen.
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  Heavenly Father, thank you for being a God who still guides your people.
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  Help us quiet the distractions that compete for our attention.
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  Teach us to treasure your word, to seek you in prayer, and to trust your leading
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  even when we can't see the whole path.
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  Give us hearts that are willing to listen and lives that are willing to obey.
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  We follow you with confidence, knowing that you are always faithful.
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  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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  Well, here's today's takeaway. The more time you spend with the shepherd,
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  the easier it becomes to recognize his voice.
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  Thank you for listening. Thank you for joining me for episode five of 10 of
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  the following Jesus in real life. Remember, God is still speaking.
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  The question isn't whether he's speaking. It's whether we're making room to listen.
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  Keep walking. Keep trusting. Keep listening. And never forget to have faith.
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  Let it begin. Coming up next, episode six of 10. when your prayers go unanswered.
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  Trust in God's heart when you don't understand his timing.
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  We'll wrestle with one of the hardest experiences in the Christian life,
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  praying faithfully and wondering why the answer hasn't come.
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  We'll discover that God's weight is not always his. No.
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  And that his faithfulness remains even in the months or years of unanswered prayers.
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  We'll talk to you tomorrow. Take care. Have.
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  Faith, let it be.