Week 2: Hearing the Voice of God

Contributed by Exec. Pastor Craig Luper

Monday 2/11

Reading: Song of Solomon 5:2,
“I was asleep, but my heart was awake. A voice! My beloved was knocking; open to me.”

Fifteen times the statement, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear,” appears in the New Testament. This indicates two things for us:

1. A basic premise: having ears to hear
2. A basic choice: choosing to use those ears to hear

If the capacity is there, the ability must be developed. All of us have the ability to hear the voice of the Lord, it is a choice that we make in choosing to use our ears. I want to give you a secret in learning to hear the voice of the Lord.

First Secret: Hearing God must be vital to you – If it is vital then it is perceived necessary or important to life. The things that are important to us in life, we make time for and make sure that we do them. In hearing the voice of the Lord it has to be vital to us, or we will not choose to hear Him. Only when it’s convenient or comfortable to us.

So today choose to “have ears to hear” and listen to the voice of the Father.

Tuesday 2/12

Reading: Matthew 5:8
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

In hearing the voice of the Lord it is so important that our hearts are pure before Him. Our hearts must be pure with a desire to follow God only. How do we attain that purity of heart? The process takes time and action on our part, but is guided by the Holy Spirit in the life of the sincere, cooperative believer. And it includes definite procedures.

#1 – Cleansing – Do you know the difference between forgiveness and cleansing? Forgiveness has to do with the results of sin. Cleansing has to do with the cause of sin. Forgiveness comes by confession and restitution. Cleansing comes by walking in the light: “God is light; in him there is no darkness…If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 5:7)

Many of us keep asking God for forgiveness for the same sins, over and over and over again. The reason is that we have never experienced cleansing. The cause of the sins has not been eradicated. If the top of the sin-weed is cut off, for a short while it cannot be seen on the surface. But the weed will soon be back again, unless it is pulled out by its root. When we keep committing certain sins, we need to ask God to show us the root, the cause of our disobedience.

To “walk in the light” means the Lord will be asking you to make a lifestyle change.

#2 – Circumcision – What is a circumcised heart? How do I get one? What will be its results?
First remember that all the physical rules of the Old Testament were just shadows of spiritual realities. This is sometimes hard to understand, but Paul clearly spells it out in his letter to the Romans: “A person is not a true Jew if he is only a Jew in his physical body. True circumcision is not only on the outside of the body. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, but the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men but from God.” (Romans 2:28,29)

Cleansing takes care of the roots. Circumcision takes care of the good but unnecessary things that crowd out God. Circumcision is both our part and God’s.

Wednesday 2/13

Reading: I Chronicles 11: 10-19

“…oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

Here’s the story, David and his men had been fighting the enemies and doing battle, they were tired and worn out. They were “holed” up at the cave of Adullam, and David was just longing for the good ole days. Three of David’s mighty warriors came down to the cave to be with David and they happen to just hear David talking to himself. And David is saying, “I would really like to have a drink of water from my wells in Bethlehem.” The men heard this and they bolted through enemy lines, risked their lives to just get their commander, chief and king a drink from the wells from home. What an incredible story, but one that is for you and I as we seek to hear the Father’s voice everyday.

First of all these three guys had to be in the presence of the king to even hear his wishes. James says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to us.” The intimacy of the Father’s presence is something sought by relatively few people. These three guys drew near to their king. When is the last time we’ve drawn near to Him? It is a choice to draw near for each of us.

Secondly these three guys took risks, but the rewards outweighed the risks. To hear the voice of the Lord means that we will take risks, but the rewards far outweigh the risks. Are you risking to hear Him?

Are you close enough to the Father to even hear His whisper? It’s a choice and a privilege that we have!

Thursday 2/14

Reading: Psalm 46: 10

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

In listening to the voice of the Lord, sometimes we just have to quiet ourselves to hear him. We have noise all around us, in the car, at the house, in the streets. Everything around us is screaming to get our attention. And the one thing or person that we should be listening to is Him! David gives us some clues in hearing the voice of the Lord.

First is to be still – to be still means; “to hush, silent, to be relaxed, to cease. To hear his voice we need to just hush, stop talking, relax and cease from all the things that we are doing to just be in His presence. I encourage you to take 5, 10, 30 minutes to just “hush,” you will be amazed at what you will hear.

The second thing David says is to “know,” – what is it that we are to know? To know Him! The word “know” means to experience. So as we hush ourselves, we begin to experience God! Wow! This isn’t a head thing but the Lord God Almighty comes and draws near to us and we experience Him!

So today just “hush” yourself and experience Him!

Friday 2/15

Reading: Ephesians 1: 17-19

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

Paul’s prayer for the people at Ephesus was so timely and important to them; in their walk with the Lord and also their continuing hearing and listening to the Lord. That prayer is still so important to you and I today. As you are listening to the Lord today ask Him to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Why? So that you can know Him better. To “know” means to experience Him. As the Lord gives you wisdom and revelation you’ll begin to go deeper in your love and understanding of Him.

Pray Paul’s prayer right now!