Live Before You Die - day 17

God may challenge us to think differently about things or to reach out to new levels of faith, but He doesn't create confusion or the doubt and strife that often accompany it.

Jesus's voice comes with an awareness of heavenly peace. Sometimes the Lord speaks words of correction and rebuke.  There are also situations when the word of the Lord is time sensitive and immediate action is required.  But most of the time when God speaks, it is not a driving, demanding, high-pressure, "You have to do this right now or else!"

The voice of our own longings, interests, and opinions can easily be confused with God's voice.  To make sure what we are hearing is from God, we must identify our desires and self-interests and, as an intentional act of our will, neutralize them.  Conversely, the quieter the voice of our own will, the louder God's voice will be.  Therefore, if what you are sensing grows quieter as you silence your desires, then it is not from God.  But if what you are sensing grows stronger as you neutralize your own desires, then it just might be from the Holy Spirit.

God seldom speaks to strangers who have no time for Him, and even if He did, they would not recognize His voice.  He loves to speak to people who love Him and desire to live their lives in His presence.  He draws near to those who, as an act of their will, have drawn near to Him (James 4:8).  The more time we spend alone with Him seeking His face through prayer and worship, the easier it becomes to hear and immediately recognize His voice in our hearts.

We can all hear the voice of God if we will learn to listen. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom 8:14).

Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die

Live Before You Die - day 16

If any form of emotional and experiential Christianity is not based on Scripture, it is nothing more than New Age mysticism. And if any form of Christianity is entirely cerebral and has no impact on real Word experience, it is nothing more than an empty shell.  People of the Word must also be people of the Spirit, and people of the Spirit must also be people of the Word.

The Word of God is not called "the sword of the Christian."  It is call the sword of the Spirit.  In other words, it belongs to the Spirit.  He alone can wield it properly.  Without the illumination that the Holy Spirit brings, the Bible is just black ink on white paper.

At the end of Jesus's earthly ministry as He was preparing to die on the cross, He told His disciples, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26).  The Holy Spirit is not a doctrine or denomination or optional experience reserved for only a few Christians.  Hearing the voice of God is actually hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

The more we give the Holy Spirit's presence a place of honor in our lives, the more sensitive we become to His voice.  It's this fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit that sharpens our spiritual sensitivity and makes our hearts better able to hear the voice of the Lord when He speaks to us.

I have often been asked, "Why doesn't God speak to me?"  I think many times the reason is so simple - we aren't listening!  We are often so busy and in such a hurry that we rush right past the Lord and never stop to give Him our attention.  I wonder how often we miss an encounter with God or a word from heaven simply because we are too busy to take the time to "turn aside."

Prayer is not about making lengthy lists of requests for God and continually chattering for as long as possible.  Sometimes the best thing you can do is to be quiet and listen!  Francois Fenelon said, "A humility that is still talkative doesn't run very deep."  Learn to become quiet in the presence of the Lord, in a posture of humility and awe, and tune your spiritual ears to His voice.

Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die

Live Before You Die - day 15

Hearing the voice of God is one of the most basic and most profound secrets to discovering God's will for your life.  God speaks to people through a myriad of different means and methods, but many simply don't realize it. Hearing the voice of God is not only possible for the child of God's, it is absolutely imperative to listen to and be led by that voice!

Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke said, "It would be hard to find a line of Scripture on which to build a doctrine of a silent God.  It is not at all the Bible picture.  People called on God because that is how they knew Him - a God who can be heard."

Jesus said, "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." (John 10:2)  If we are a part of His flock, we have all been called by the voice of the Good Shepherd, and the voice that called us to salvation is the same voice that must lead us throughout our lives.

The most common way to hear God's voice is through the Scriptures.  The Scriptures are always speaking to anyone who will take the time to meditate on them.  If you say you desire to hear God's voice yet have no desire to read the Bible, you are fooling yourself.  God has gone to great lengths to preserve His Word.  Many righteous men and women have paid a dear price, even with their blood, so that we could have the Scriptures.  If you are not interested enough in what God has already said to take the time to read His Word, then why should He say anything else to you?

If you really want to hear the voice of God speaking, make time every day to meditate upon the Scriptures.  Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).  If we learn and know the sound of heaven by reading His Word, we are better able to recognize His voice when He speaks to us personally.

Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die

We will read tomorrow on more ways to hear and discern God's voice.