Hear God Speak

Well we finished up with our "Hearing God" series and I thought I would post a few of the major points when it comes to hearing God. Sorry for the delay...

It started off with scripture from

 Luke 8:8 ...When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

The ability to hear is a big gift God has given us, and we should use this gift to recognize His voice.

We continued with John 10:27 "My sheep recognize my voice and follow me.”

And then we found ourselves in the book of Samuel Chapter 3, where Samuel is spoken to by God, yet Samuel doesn't recognize His voice. Do we ever find ourselves in the same situation where we don't recognize Gods voice? If so, maybe we're not communicating with Him enough. Going back to the scripture in John 10 it says "My sheep"; in these two words God is claiming us as His children, therefore God speaks to us because we are in the family of God. As children, no matter how old you are, we hear but sometimes choose not to listen. I'll touch on that more later. Now, as young children or spiritually young Christian we will have to learn how to recognize our Father's voice, but listening to God's voice also comes with some great promises of guidance and protection.

Proverbs 3:6 "Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, and everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track”

Psalm 32:8 “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you”

Here are some reasons why we may not be hearing God's voice:

1- Our prayer time is a one sided conversation.  We never give Him the chance to talk.

Psalms 46:10

2- Our lives are way too LOUD! We've let our lives become to hectic, we've picked up way to many responsibilities and we've shoved God into the corners of our lives.

3- We Doubt. When He speaks we wonder if it was really God, so we ignore it.

When it Comes to Hearing God we must have an open mind.
Luke 8:5  A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.” In this parable, the farmer represents God, the seed represents his Word, and the soil represents the four different kinds of responses you can have when God is trying to talk to you.

Responses: I used the game of dodgeball in explanation of how we respond to having a ball thrown at us. Yeah, you can get hit in the head and let it bounce off or you can be ready and accept the thrown ball. In the same way we can be ready, willing and eager to hear from God or we can just let it bounce off. This is very similar to the hard soil talked about in Luke 8 and even more like the closed mind. A closed mind will not hear God speak.

We also must take time to Listen.

Luke 8:6 “Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. This seed began to grow, but soon it withered and died for lack of moisture.”

If you don’t make time for God, you are not going to hear from God. You have to slow down and be quiet so you can hear Him. Are we taking time for the word of God to root into our lives or do we just run through the day and throw it in? If so do we expect to hear from God? 

Take time to have a daily quiet time: a time of prayer, scripture reading and journaling. Through keeping a journal write down some things you like in the scripture but also use this to write down the things God opens up to you.

Also take time with other believers in worship and bible study. You will also find encouragement and accountability.

When it comes to hearing God we must also Eliminate Distractions

Luke 8:7 “Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it.”

You can’t hear God when your mind is crowded with weeds; a few examples are: our thoughts, worries, fears, plans, or even if we’re plugged into the TV or ipod.

All of these distractions are what Jesus was referring to in Luke 8 when He talked about the seed falling in the weeds. So many of us hear God speak but have His voice choked out by the things in our lives.

How much effort does it take to grow weeds? None

Why do you get weeds in a garden? Neglect

Are we neglecting our time with God? If so, the weeds have started to grow up in our lives and affect our relationship with Him?

To hear God you must Cooperate

Luke 8:15 “The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit.”

Do we hear God’s will for our lives and do we “hear” Him or do we “listen” to Him with obedience and cooperation. I used the example of my 3 year old son. He hears me when I tell him to do something; whether or not he chooses to listen is something else. Sometimes I have to get his attention and ask if he’s “listening” to me. Wouldn’t it be nice if God would just step in front of us sometimes and ask if we’re listening to Him? I believe God wants us to cooperate before He has to get our attention in that way.

When you have an attitude of cooperation, you are going to hear from God. A willing mind is the good soil that we see in this verse.

Not the End of the World but plenty of opportunities to share the Gospel !

Yeah Saturday came and went like I figured it would. The thought of so many people being misled was sickening. I'm sure there's a load of people that have classified Christians as loony because of Harold Camping's false predictions. But here's the thing, we are to know the Word of God for ourselves also. Obviously these followers of Camping didn't read all the scripture. But what a chance we have to tell the truth, and the truth can only be found through God and the Word He's given us. Since this has been the talk about topic it has open the door up for us to share the Word of God with a lot of people in our everyday life. Most people have a little Bible knowledge and know "that no man know the hour". But do we use these opportunities to fill in the blanks, to share and answer the questions they do have? If so we need to be in the Word daily. Yeah we may not know it all, but being speechless is not where God wants us when it comes to sharing the Gospel. Scripture is a big part in a healthy relationship with God. Where are you when it comes to knowing the plans and promises God has for you? If you're not sure, the Word of God clearly tells us and God also has placed reliable spiritual advisers in our lives such as pastors and ministers.
Dig into God's Word today and grow closer to Him.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Matthew 4:4

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

   ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

John 8:31-32

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

God We Are Too Busy For You

I probably have your attention now. As Bro Wendell spoke from the pulpit this morning I looked out across the sanctuary from the sound board to notice an empty youth section. Yeah there were a couple students there and I'm so glad to see them there. But for it to be brought to my attention by a 3 year old that the majority of our youth weren't there was just heart breaking. What is it that we have in our lives that we forget about what day it is or we're willing to place it before God? Yet God is always there for us never placing anything before us and we can't even love Him the same.

"It's the end of the world....as we know it!"

Yeah, R.E.M. should have waited 'til 2011 to put the song out "The End Of the World As We Know It"

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Yeah a lot of people are panicked about May 21, 2011 being the end of the world. 

Well Greg Stier wrote a great blog on this subject. Check it out, I attached the link below.

http://www.dare2share.org/students/is-it-all-going-down-on-may-21st/

Check-Up

Well, today we had to bring Maddox for his 3 year old checkup. It started with him not wanting to get out of the car because he knew where he was at. Well, since this was a check up and he wouldn't be getting shots we told him that it was going to be alright that they were just going to check him. Thanks Doctors for making us liars! We distracted him while waiting until this kid came in and flew off the chain. This kid was screaming like he was being burnt alive. As for Maddox watching Thomas the Train on my phone, well that was a lost cause. He had all his attention on this kid flopping all over his dad screaming bloody murder. Even the dad commented on a phone call that his son was "flippin out." After watching this boy flop all over his dad and hang from the exit door handle they called us back. Well the episode in the waiting room didn't pump Maddox up. So there we go to checking temperature, height and weight, which didn't go good at all! I guess he thought this nurse was going to stick him with something. Well after those little things, she informs us that they will be pricking his finger to do some blood work (something they do on every yearly checkup). Well here it comes, the wrestling match with a 3 year old while the nurse draws blood from his finger. He's a strong little boy! Then it was the Doctors turn. All she wanted to do was check him out but Maddox made it clear to her that he did not want to be checked out any longer, so he hid. Well I put him on my lap and covered his face and told him he was still hiding and that Dad was going to check him out. First the heart and lungs, then the ears, etc..all being done by the Doctor while I covered his face to hide him. He thought it was Dad checking the whole time! Surprisingly, that part went really smooth and the doctor commented "In the 15 years that I've been a Doctor, that was the 1st time I've checked a patient like that." Hey, whatever works! Maddox walked out giving the doctor a high five ready to go eat at Chick-fil-A. That's our little man!

What if we could climb into our father's lap and look for shelter?
The thing is we can.
We can climb up into our heavenly Father's lap all the time to seek protection and seek His comfort.
2 Samuel 22:3-4
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom i find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.

Too many times we just run an hide when we face troubles. But try calling on the Lord, for scripture says he will rescue, protect and save you.

Thanks K-Love

Thursday night we went to Amite Baptist Church to see Building 429 perform. K-Love put on a free listener's appreciation concert. Building 429 brought songs from their new album; which is great, and rocked the house. All of us had a blast and then went and ate at IHOP. Here's a video of them performing one of their new hits "Where I Belong" and a classic hymn "I'll Fly Away."

Holden High Graduation

Tuesday night the Seniors took the stage at Abundant Life in Denham Springs. 45 received their diplomas and many scholarships were given out. Cynthia Kirkland, mistress of ceremonies opened the ceremony and Alexa Arnett and Kaity Addison gave the Senior Addresses, both recognizing the loss of Dyllan Herring, their fellow classmate. Many took home awards and were given scholarships to advance in their education. Oh, and I can't forget the shout out to Ryan Neal from the HBC youth group as he walked in. To sit by the Juniors and see them anticipate that this will be them next year is crazy. We have a lot of youth from our church walking next year and it's crazy to see them getting ready to be Seniors. It seems like yesterday I sat with Chelsey Lemaire at camp when she was just in Junior High, held Trey's hand as he left his mommie to go to camp, and watched Blake grow up from the little boy he was. Well I'll hold my tears till next year for another graduation. 

Congrats Class of 2011!