DREAMS A SOURCE OF HEARING

“[One may hear God’s voice] in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men…Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction…” –Job 33:14, 15

 

The Bible gives many accounts of God speaking to men and women through dreams.  He has never stopped using this method of speaking to people; however, the church has simply stopped listening.  Many people believe that their dreams are just a result of too much of one-kind-of-food, or another; nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is reawakening the body of Christ to one of God’s primary ways of communicating.

It may be helpful for you to write down your dreams in detail and note any emotions that are felt, any colors, time, location, etc.  Then ask the Lord what is He speaking to you.  As you wait upon the Lord, He will begin bring different things to your mind, and what the different aspects of the dream contents could mean. Another tool that is helpful is a good dream interpretation book.

Be prepared to listen when God speaks to you through a dream with a clear message, and a specific purpose.

Prayer—Lord, speak to me in the night season and teach me your ways, in Jesus Name. Amen.

SOW TO THE SPIRIT

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will reap.” –

Galatians 6:7

The phrase “Sow to the Spirit” means to consistently participate in activities that will eventually result in spiritual growth and development.  What you “sow to” depends upon the results that you want.  According to Scripture, if you sow to the flesh (your fallen nature);  you will reap results of the flesh.  For example, if you choose to get involved in a porn habit because it provides immediate pleasure and gratification; you will reap an eventual harvest of corruption (dissatisfaction with martial sex, bondage to sexual lust, and arrested relational development).  Or, if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap results in the spiritual realm.  For example, if you memorize Bible scriptures you will have an eventual harvest of spiritual strength and conduct.

Luke writes in Acts 2:41 - 47 the dynamic spiritual vitality of “Sowing to the Spirit.”  Approximately 3,000 people had just begun their spiritual journey in Christ and in verse 42 Luke describes how they “sowed to the Spirit” by continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and to prayer.  Furthermore, Luke emphasized that “sowing to the Spirit” is a consistent continuous action that one does to remain in spiritual vitality and fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God.

Prayer—Lord, I thank you that by faith I sow to the Spirit and that I reap eternal spiritual rewards, in Jesus Name. Amen.

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

But I say to you who hear; love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” –Luke

6:27

Most people have argued that the command to “love your enemies” is an extremely difficult command given by Jesus.  They say that it is not practical to follow, and just isn’t possible to put into practice. Theologians have debated that Jesus did not mean for ordinary people to practice this concept of loving your enemies; rather, that it is just and ideal.  However, in today’s society this command is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization.  The world is at unrest, people of many countries are rising up in civil protest against their governments who are charged with protecting them; but, in some instances are killing them.  The world is increasingly filled with anger, hatred and malice.  Brother rising up against brother.  So, the question is asked, “How do you love your enemies and defeat the system of hatred?”

You rise to the level of loving your enemies by understanding and embracing the fact that every individual is created in God’s image and that Jesus paid the same price for them as He did for you.  You are able to love because of God’s redemptive love is deep within your very being.  You cultivate this love by mediating on scriptures that teach of love; such as, I Corinthians 13, and by loving people because God loves them.  You do not repay evil for evil, but you “love our enemies,” and you demonstrate this love every opportunity that you can.  And finally, you “love our enemies,” because love has within itself a redemptive power.  Hating your enemy has no way to redeem or to transform them; in fact, hating tears down and it is destructive.  But, if you love your enemies you will discover that love is creative and it builds up.  So, love your enemies.

Prayer—Lord, forgive me for hating my enemies, and help me to demonstrate your love to my world around me, by doing acts of kindness, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

GLEAN IN YOUR OWN FIELD

“Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.”—Proverbs 19:20

There are times that you will hear God speaking to you through your spiritual leaders and fellow believers at your local church.  In the mobile communication of the world today, it is easy to dismiss our local church as a place to hear God speaking to us.  For many people, the local church is a place to serve God; but, they get so busy serving God that they forget that this is the one of the places where God has chosen for them to hear His voice.  At the flick of the wrist, you can go from source-to-source searching for a “fresh” word from God, or, in many countries of the world, you can search out the next “big” conference, the next speaker, etc. as a way to hear God.  However, God has placed in the church, in our field, spiritual leaders (apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teacher) to glean from.  They equip and edify the body of Christ.     

The book of Ruth demonstrates to us how an ordinary person heard God through the instructions of her family member.  Ruth was instructed by her mother-in-law to glean in a field that belonged to a fellow member of their family, Boaz.  Ruth’s obedience to glean in her family members field brought deliverance to her situation and established the royal bloodline through which Jesus was born.

Prayer—Lord, today I purpose in my heart to hear you speaking to me from those you have placed in my life.  Help me not be so busy serving that I forget to hear and follow your instructions to me, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

GOD'S STANDARD: NO SWEARING

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary

edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers…Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you…” – Ephesians 4:29, 30

My husband and I were eating at a restaurant when the conversation at a table near us became louder and louder.  We couldn’t help but notice that the conversation was filled with profanity.  These kinds of words are no longer a part of our vocabulary, so it was with difficulty that we were able to finish our meal, and listen to this vulgarity.  However, through this incident we began to become aware that the culture in which we live is beginning to become more and more accepting of profanity, and now I have heard that a reality television program is being developed for the expressed purpose of using profanity and vulgar language. 

            The moment that I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior I was instantly

            delivered from the use of drugs and alcohol, and I felt clean.  Not long after I accepted

            Christ, the Holy Spirit began to teach me through the Scriptures that using profanity was

not the way that God spoke, and that when I spoke like this my words were not edifying.  I wrote down II Corinthians 10:3 -5 on an index card, and every time I would use a curse

            word I would speak out loud these scriptures three times.  I wore out 3 index cards with

            these scriptures before my vocabulary began to change, and I was able to practice self-

            control.   The Holy Spirit taught me that God wants the opening of my lips to be for right

            things that will bring Him glory, and that He swearing is not His one of His

            characteristics.  Also, He taught me that He would help me to learn what He consider His

            right things—His standard.

            Prayer—Father, I ask that your Holy Spirit, my Helper, help me speak right, wholesome

            words, so that whatever I say will glorify your name, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

           

HEAR GOD IN YOUR DAILY ROUTINE

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is says to the churches.” – Revelations 2:29

Imagine God speaking to you as suddenly as He did the Samaritan woman at the well as recorded in John 4: 6 – 30.  Here we find a woman going about her daily routine of drawing water from a well when she encounters a man that destroys her routine, and changes her whole life.

Jesus came and crossed the barriers of cultural and religious prejudices that separated her from hearing the truth.  The destiny of this woman, along with the destinies of other men and women of her community, were changed when God revealed the Messiah to them during an ordinary daily routine of drawing water.

God willingly enters into our daily lives and relates to us as we go about our normal activities.  God relates to us in all things, whether it is washing the dishes, working at our jobs, caring for our children or other family members, going to the market, driving our vehicles, or farming our land, or whatever it might be.  He is the God who sent His Son Jesus to live with us and to share in our lives.     

Prayer—Lord thank you for entering into my daily life, open my heart and ears so that I can see and hear you clearly and distinctly, in Jesus Name, I pray.  Amen.

HEAR THE PROPHETIC VOICE IN A CRISIS

“Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many.” 

- Proverbs 4:10

During my childhood years, my mother would often remind my siblings and I to shut the door when we were running in and out of the house.  My mother is now in heaven, put I can recall her voice calling out, “shut the door…were you born in a barn?”  

The Bible tells us of a woman in 2 Kings 4:1 – 7 who was in a crisis situation in her life.  Her husband had died, and her two sons were about to be taken away from her because she could not pay her debts. She had no where to go, and no one had came to help her in her crisis except someone that she recognized heard from God, the prophet Elisha.  Elisha had asked the woman what was in her house that could be used as a seed for the answer to her crisis.  She replied that she had a jar of oil.  Elisha instructed the woman to borrow as many vessels as she could from everyone she knew.  Furthermore, she and her sons were to go into her house, shut the door and fill all of the jars.  Her container of oil flowed to fill all the jars, and then ceased flowing when the last jar was filled.  The abundance of oil that God supplied met her need in the paying of her debts.

The prophetic voice in her crisis situation told her to shut the door to her home.  We can only speculate as to why the prophet told her to shut the door.  But, it is possible that she was to shut the door to distractions and possible intrusions that could have gotten her to abandon the instructions given by the prophet.  To hear the voice of God in a crisis situation deliberately purpose in your heart to shut out the world’s noise and confusion.

 

Prayer—Lord, I purpose in my heart to shut out the outside influences in my life; so that, I can hear your instructions clearly and plainly, In Jesus Name.  Amen.      

HEAR GOD: KNOW YOUR ENEMY AND AVOID DECEPTION

“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith…” – I Peter 5:8, 9

In the Garden of Eden, God gave specific instructions to Adam and Eve as to what they could and could not do; what they could and could not eat.  The Bible indicates that God would come to Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening and visit with them.  Satan, God’s enemy, came to Eve and through deception he caused her to doubt the meaning of God’s instructions.  Adam and Eve chose to disbelieve the word of God and to believe the lie of Satan; as a result, spiritual death came upon all of humanity. 

It is important for you to understand that Satan continues to try to deceive people today; although he has been stripped of his power and authority, he continues to deceive people, and brings death to their hopes, dreams, and aspirations.  He will have no effect upon those who hear God and know that he is their enemy and to be resisted. 

Prayer—Lord, I thank you that you have reminded me that we have a common enemy, and today by your authority, and in your name I resist him in every circumstance in my life, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

BE STILL; HEAR; REFOCUS

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalms 46:10

A busy lifestyle is one of the reasons why a person does not hear the voice of God better.  He is speaking to us in a variety of ways, but often it’s drowned out amid all the turmoil of our daily lives. Our ego’s often push us into too many commitments and busyness that complicate our lives and drain us physically.  We make unnecessary commitments since it is easy to mistake the voice of flattery, for the voice of God.  Although God is constantly speaking to us, we often do not hear Him because of our constant activities.

In Psalms 146:10 “Be still,” means to stop all activity of talking, doing, and going.  “And know,” means to refocus on Him; stop trying to please everybody.  “That I am God,” speaks to us so that we can recognize the fact that we cannot be everywhere, be everything to everybody, and we are not as great as we or others may think that we are.  We can never be as great as He is.  I appreciate something a dear friend told me that the Lord had spoken to her, “Get over yourself.” 

Let’s “get over ourselves,” and return our focus to hearing Him. 

Prayer—Dear Lord, I ask you to help me put you as the center of all of my activities, and to give up the distractions in my life that exalt themselves above you, in Jesus Name, Amen.

THE LORD DELIGHTS TO HEAR YOUR VOICE

“…But the prayer of the upright is His delight.”  - Proverbs 15:8

The Lord longs to hear your voice.  The Song of Solomon describes the relationship of Jesus Christ with the Church, and the relationship of a husband and wife.  He says in Solomon 2:14 “…Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.”  In Hebrews 4:16 God is saying, come boldly to the throne of grace, into the very presence of God, so that mercy and grace can be found in your time of need.  Psalm 105: 1, 2 is a reminder to us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, and to come before His presence with singing. 

In the purity of the worship of God your eyes become focused upon Jesus, and you abandon your focus upon self to see Him lifted up.  You join your voice with the psalmist in saying to God, “How awesome are Your works!  Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.  All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name” (Psalm 68:3 – 4).  God delights in hearing your voice. 

            Prayer—Lord, all that is within me praises You today.  I celebrate You, for your

            goodness and loving kindness endures forever, in Jesus Name.  Amen

LET YOUR EARS HEAR

 “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” – Matthew 13:16

“Turning a deaf ear” is an expression that is used in the English language to express the thought that when a person desires to ignore what is being said that they will “turn a deaf ear.”   Millions of people have heard the gospel preached, but have grown “dull” in their hearing by turning a deaf ear.  Furthermore, people can begin to have a build-up of religious ideas and philosophies until they begin to believe that they have heard, and know all there is to know about the gospel; therefore, they no longer walk in love, in humility and have a teachable spirit.  They have “turned a deaf ear.” 

When one of my grandson’s was younger his parents noticed that he was becoming hard of hearing.  Through the course of time, and after much prayer he was taken to the doctor who determined that his ears were clogged with a build-up of wax.  The doctor irrigated his ears with warm water, but only a portion of the wax was removed, and his hearing had not improved significantly.  It wasn’t until a process named “candling” was used that the build-up of wax was removed and his hearing returned to normal.  The “candling” warmed up the build-up of wax for it to be easily removed.

Continue to allow the water of God’s Word wash over you every day, and ask Him to send the fire of the Holy Spirit to remove any “build-up” in your spiritual ears.

Prayer—Lord, I repent for turning a deaf ear to your word and to your spirit I ask you to forgive me.   Thank you for the water of your Word cleansing me in my relationship with you, and Father, will you send the fire of your Holy Spirit to remove any “build-up” of ideas and information that would hinder me from hearing you clearly, in Jesus Name. Amen.

HEARING IS A CHOICE

“See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” ─Isaiah 49:16

Today choose to hear what is good and what is true.  Our world is filled with news of famine, catastrophes, political unrest and wars.  If this is the only message that you hear then your heart will become hopeless and in despair.

Choose to hear God’s Word to you.  He speaks to you through His Word, and says to you that you are held in the palm of His hand.  You are not alone; your help comes from the Lord.

Prayer—Lord, today I choose to hear your good news, that I remember that you never leave me alone, and that you help me through the difficulties in life, in Jesus Name, Amen.

THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS THE NEWS OF THE DAY

“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.” ─Proverbs 8:17

My morning routine for years included watching the early morning news programs.  I would start with the local news and then move on to the national news.  However, one day several years ago, the Lord spoke lovingly to my heart showing me that I was spending more time seeking the world’s news rather than seeking Him.

We are living in a world with global information at our finger tips, but are we listening to what God has to say to us?

Prayer—Lord, I repent for not spending my time with You.  Help me Lord, to spend my time wisely seeking you, in Jesus Name, Amen.