DISCERNING GOD’S VOICE
INTRODUCTION
- If you are new or a guest at NWC, I want to let you know we have covered various aspect of HG.
- However, when it comes to HG, number 1 question is “How do I discern if what I am hearing is God?”
- This is a great question. How do we know. How do we discern.
- We ask this because we are living in a time that is full of voices. There is no shortage of opinions.
- When I talk about voices, I am referring to anything seeking your attention, affection, devotion.
- So many today are saying “this is what’s right, or this is what we should do” and so we align ourselves with various people, causes, comments, and ideologies – but what is God saying in the midst of it all?
- Hearing and knowing God’s voice will require discernment but how do we discern.
- At the bottom of your discussion guide I have included a basic process for discernment;
- This process is practical and in many ways is very self-explanatory. However, it assumes many things.
- Discerning God’s voice cannot be reduced down to a formula but there are principles that helps us.
- In Romans 12, the apostle Paul gives us some clarity about how to discern what God thinks;
ROMANS 12:1-2 - “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
- Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome to lay a strong foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Paul had heard that some practices and perspectives of the churches were not in keeping with how God would call them to live personally and publicly so he challenged them in these verses.
- In keeping with our conversation about DISCERNING GOD’S VOICE, notice the last part of verse 2;
“so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
- Paul says to them, ‘do these things – so that you can approve, discern, and understand God’s will’
- I want to look at the things that Paul tells them to do in order to know, prove, understand God’s voice;
WE MUST SURRENDER OUR LIVES
- In verse 1 Paul says “present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice.”
- The language of sacrifice is familiar to the Jew in Judaism and the Gentile in paganism.
- Present your bodies – your whole selves – your ears, your eyes, your mouth, your mind/heart.
- We all come to Christ pre-programmed - we have been shaped to think a certain way.
- Without a surrendered heart we cannot have a discerning ear.
- Without a full presentation we will live in a constant negotiation.
- This is a call to holiness before God that He would re-program us to be like Jesus
- ILLUSTRATION – When a girl is smitten with a young man or visa versa.
- When you are living by how you feel you will never know God’s will!
WE MUST GUARD OUR HEARTS
- In verse 2 Paul says “do not be conformed to the pattern of this world…”.
- By this Paul is saying “don’t allow yourselves to be shaped by, fashioned after or copy the customs and behaviors of those who don’t know what you know, hear what you hear and have what you have.
- Guard your heart from the influences that once told you what to do, think, and say….
- Proverbs 4:23 - “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”
- The voices that we allow in our life will affect the choices we make in our life. Guard your heart!
- There are many voices (influences) that are seeking our allegiance and compliance;
1. THE VOICE OF THE ENEMY
- The Devil’s voice lines up with his character – Accuser, liar, thief, destroyer, selfish, immoral, sinful!
- Demonic Spirits and demonic warfare is primarily about deception – wanting us to believe lies.
- Genesis 3 – Adam and Eve – lied to them in order to deceive them.
- 1 Chronicles 21:1 – tempted David to number the armies of Israel (not trusting in God).
- John 13:2 – Tempted Judas to betray Jesus through his greed which he later regretted.
- If the enemy can keep us from the truth, he can cripple our life in Christ. Strongholds.
STORY – Since I was young, I have been straight-faced and not outwardly emotional. People would even ask “what’s wrong?” Nothing was wrong, I was actually happy. As I grew older comments would get made and I began hearing this voice inside me “you’re a jerk” or “what’s wrong with you.” When I became Pastor, you would think this voice would go away but it actually got worse as I compared myself to other Pastor friends. I would hear that voice “you do not love; people don’t like you” and “why are you a pastor?” One day I was at a friend’s house helping him install flooring and painting his bathroom when that voice started going in my head. All of a sudden, the Lord asked me a question – “what does love like, Ben?” I realized that what I was doing in that moment was loving someone. I was delivered that day from the voice and influence of the enemy in that area.
- The enemy can attack us both directly and indirectly – we need to be aware of how this works.
- The enemy had put seeds in my mind and watered them through people – it’s not the Lord – freedom!
2. THE VOICE OF THE FLESH (SIN) – (we are all tempted to sin but we can overcome)
- The flesh is that natural part of us that puts self-first and craves to do wrong.
Galatians 5:16-17 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”
- We are called to learn to follow the influence of God’s voice and not the voice or influence of the flesh.
- The pleasures, the cares, the worries of this life – always me first – that is the voice of the flesh!
- The only way to walk above the lusts of the flesh is to walk by the Spirit – the voice and power of God!
3. THE VOICE OF OUR PAST – (what you were or did can’t stop what God says about you now!)
- Jesus said to those who would follow him;
Luke 9:62 – “Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
- There will often be a temptation to look back. Things we have done, things that have been done to us.
- When they enemy reminds us of what we have done, we need to remind him of what Jesus has done.
- Hebrews 10:16-18 – says that the new covenant brings total forgiveness, he remembers no more!
4. THE VOICE OF THE WORLD – (media, cultural opinions, political agendas, popular perspectives)
- The voice of the world is the systems that promote non-Christian perspective through mediums!
1 John 2:15-17 – “do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
- We love the people of the world but not the things or systems of the world.
- This voice promotes self through various means such as music, movies, internet, politics, etc.
STORY – Billboard with alcohol and cigarettes. Not reality
5. THE VOICE OF THE CROWD – (what everyone else is saying, don’t throw your lot in)
- The term “crowd” is mentioned over 100 times in the Bible, reference of large gathering of people.
- Often the crowd is incited to act or say a certain thing, and in so doing all join in as one voice.
- The crowd said to crucify Jesus, the crowd said to beat Paul in Ephesus.
- Often, the voice of the crowd typifies the majority consensus of those who are gathered.
- Have you ever been in a crowd where everybody says and does this and you are left to a decision?
- Many of God’s people rejected the voice of the crowd, and were rejected and persecuted for it.
In our pursuit of God’s voice, in our discerning of God’s voice we must be ruthless to guard our hearts.
WE MUST RENEW OUR MINDS
- In verse 2, Paul continues by saying “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.
- Another way of saying this is “become new by changing the way you think.” Paul says;
“so that you may discern what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
- Our thinking has power over our living. This is why the war is over what we believe.
- In order for us to discern God’s voice we must allow Him to change our thinking.
- OUR THOUGHTS = OUR ACTIONS, OUR REPETITIVE ACTIONS = OUR HABITS, OUR HABITS = OUR LIFESTYLE (WHO WE ARE TO PEOPLE).
- If we want to change who we are then we must get ahold of the influences in our life.
- Whatever/whoever is influencing us speaks into who we are. Jesus can re-program us.
- Influences – The word of God, The Spirit of God (prayer), the people of God…… Everything keeping us from these in our life will hold us back from change that must take place.
- If we are not being transformed than we will be conformed.
CONCLUSION
- Everything starts with the decision to completely surrender.
- God gives us clarity, not confusion. God gives us direction, not distraction.
- Let’s come and surrender to the Lord by offering Him our bodies as living sacrifices tonight.