Experiencing God Lesson 8
Week 5 part 2
- Review
- God Speaks
- This a controversial subject.
- If God speaks would that not be scripture?
- Cleary God still speaks.
- John 10:4 (NIV) — 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
- John 10:27 (NIV) — 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
- God takes scripture and applies it to our lives.
- We will study this more down below.
- God spoke in the Gospels
- John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word
- God Speaks Today
- How does God speak today?
- God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church other believers.
- God speaks to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
- The foundation for this is an intimate love relationship with God.
- Have you sensed God speaking.
- ________________________________-
- God Speaks
- God speaks through the Bible.
- To reveal Himself, His Purposes and His Ways.
- This has to be the most difficult part.
- How does God speak.
- How can I know God is speaking.
- Satan has a counterfeit
- How can it be “real” and personal.
- Be tuned into the fact that God is at work.
- Scripture will always be the final authority.
- It will override any other voice.
- God will apply scripture to your life.
- Let’s use the video example.
- Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) — 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
- If I was someone that used foul language. God would use this verse to “speak to my heart” about the language I was using.
- What if I complained a lot? “Let everything you say be good and helpful”.
- God could “bring to mind” (speak) the time you gave that waitress a hard time about your food order.
- Here’s the sequence
- You read God’s Word—the Bible.
- The Spirit of truth takes God’s Word and reveals truth.
- You adjust your life to God’s truth.
- You decide to stop using foul language.
- You stop complaining.
- You obey God.
- God works in and through you to accomplish His purposes.
- You become an encourager.
- Btw Encouragers are the greatest soul winners.
- What passage has God used to speak to you?
- If he hasn’t you need emergency heart surgery.
- Do you remember the passage about God’s names?
- The Banner of Lord?
- Exodus 17:15 (NLT) — 15 Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”).
- God encouraged me to be a banner holder.
- How do we Respond?
- Begin by meditating on the passage.
- Immerse yourself into its meaning.
- Adjust your life to its truth. (and to God)
- Then watch for ways God uses that truth.
- To reveal Himself, His Purposes and His Ways.
- God speaks through Prayer.
- A spiritual journal.
- When the Creator of the universe tells you something in your quiet time, it’s worth writing down!
- When I was in NC I was talking with someone that had meet Henry.
- He had such a command of scripture.
- I have no doubt its from this discipline.
- I have mentioned I want to level up my walk with God. This is one ingredient I am missing.
- God’s will and prayer.
- We so often approach prayer as a laundry list things we need.
- “Prayers”
- Can we change God’s mind about his will if we have enough faith?
- Prayer is not persuading God to do something he doesn’t want to do, but rather submitting your own desires to his will.
- However, this doesn’t mean prayer is powerless.
- God has willed chosen ordained to accomplish His work through prayer.
- God will do things when we pray that he will not do if we don’t pray—prayer doesn’t change God, but it does affect what God does.
- We so often approach prayer as a laundry list things we need.
- PRAYER IS A RELATIONSHIP TO A PERSON
- Prayer is two-way fellowship and communication with God.
- From the book: God doesn’t need your prayers, but He wants you to pray because of what God wants to do in and through your life as you pray.
- Through prayer God is revealing who He is. (I AM THAT I AM).
- What He is doing and He way of doing it.
- Praying in the Spirit
- As you pray. God will bring things to mind.
- Scripture – person – idea – sin or habit – hurt – problem.
- All of these are an encounter with God.
- This is God speaking to you.
- The Holy Spirit plays a major role in prayer.
- Romans 8:26–27 (NIV) — 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
- The Holy Spirit is connecting with our spirit and interceding in agreement with God’s will.
- Here is where faith comes in.
- You have to trust and believe that what God wants for you is what you want for you.
- The George Muller example.
- He sincerely sought God’s direction.
- He patiently waited on God until he had a word from Him.
- He looked to the Holy Spirit to teach him through the Word.
- Things that led to mistakes
- Lacking honesty of heart
- Lacking uprightness before God
- Impatience to wait for God
- Preferring the counsel of people over the declarations of Scripture
- Ready for the next level?
- A spiritual journal.
- Commit yourself to learning and hearing from God.
