August 16 - 21, 2010

Monday August 16, 2010
Are Your Ears Awake?
Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; John 16:12-15

Does God really talk to us? Can we really hear God's voice? We often doubt if we are hearing from God, until we learn to recognize the ways God speaks to us. Hearing God's voice is something we all long for and it's not hard to do? In fact, God wants you to hear His voice! He doesn't speak to us through a quiver in our liver or through vibes or mediums. Hearing the voice of God is as natural as hearing your best friend talk to you. What's more, we can hear Him every day and not just on special occasions or by chanting special incantations. He speaks to us in the natural moments of life. Do you want to hear God's voice? Then you must be ready to listen.

The Bible says this about God's Word: “Are you ears awake?”; “I still have things to tell you”, so I ask you again “Are your ears awake?” God is always speaking to you, but are you listening? We have been called to a one on one relationship with God. God wants to speak to us and even though we have the promise that “My sheep hear My voice,” too many believers do not have that intimate relationship with the Father, without this relationship believer’s are missing out on many of God’s blessings; the blessings that can fulfill the very desires of their heart. We do not have to search for His announcement all we have to do is listen for it. God speaks to us in many ways, He speaks to us through His word, through our thoughts, through conversations with others, through our circumstances and many other ways.

Do you want to hear God’s voice? That is the final question, God responds to willing heart. Over the next week we are going to be discussing more about how God speaks to us and how we can recognize His voice, so wake up your ears and listen.


Tuesday August 17, 2010
How Does the Spirit Speak?
John 15:17; John 12:49-50

One of the tragic losses in modern Christianity is the near-elimination of the Holy Spirit from the life and activity of many believers. Religion that is learned and formalized can function without the Holy Spirit; true spirituality cannot. In John 16:13, Jesus promised, "When the Spirit of truth has come He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to you." And again, in John 15:26 He said, "When the Helper comes whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." The word Jesus used for "Helper" has a rich and wonderful meaning in its Greek equivalent, parakletos, and was used in the ancient Olympic Games to identify those who accompanied a marathon runner by shouting encouragement to him. Here are seven scriptural ways the Holy Spirit wants to accompany our race and shout encouragement: The Holy Spirit bears witness directly to our spirit and leads us internally; He will lead us externally; He will speak to us in words and sentences; He will speak to us prophetically through others; He will give us specific revelation knowledge; He speaks through the written word of scripture and he always speaks to us in love.

THE VITAL QUESTION IS THIS: Are you experiencing the Holy Spirit's communication in all these ways? No matter where we are in our present walk with God, the Holy Spirit offers us far more than we are accepting. If our relationship with the Holy Spirit is not being enlarged and if we are able to remain comfortable with our limited contact with Him, then we have not fully encountered Him--either in Scripture or in Person.


Wednesday August 18, 2010
Lies & Distortion
1 John 4:1-4

Satan’s greatest weapon against humanity is the ability to speak into our thought life. He’s referred to as the Accuser. He spews lies and accusations constantly into our thoughts and minds. His primary strategy is simply this–to get you to agree with his accusations and lies. Maybe they are lies about God, our Father. Maybe they are lies about yourself, maybe how God sees you and loves you. Maybe they are lies about your spouse, your family, and your friends–whatever. The devil will constantly, relentlessly, viciously spew accusations into your thoughts to get you to agree with him, because that’s where his greatest power lies–the power of agreement. If he can get you to agree with him, then he’s got you. This was his key tactic against Jesus when he was being tempted in the wilderness. He was trying to get Jesus to agree with him. But, Jesus overcame the enemy by quoting scripture, by speaking a God thought, and rejecting a “me thought”.

It is absolutely imperative that we learn to here God’s voice and police our thoughts, take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). And, we must change the way we think and perceive things. Learn to hear the Voice of God. Learn to fight the good fight of faith (believing). Learn to police your thoughts and not just accept what comes into your mind. Guard your mind. When we know and recognize the Father’s voice, Satan’s lies and distortion of the truth have no effect on us.


Thursday August 19, 2010
The Spirit Voice: Enables, Speaks & Gives
Matthew 16-16-19, John 5:30; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13

The Spirit Voice enables us to hear God. Our spirit has been deadened by sin but the Holy Spirit awakens us to the voice of God and the things of the Spirit. Jesus knew that the disciples were getting the awakening to the voice of God when Peter declared that Jesus was the son of God, it was the voice of the Father that spoke to Peter. It the revelation to Peter that church would be built on Jesus Christ. Peter did not get this from his intellect but from the voice of the Spirit. The first work of the Spirit is to awaken us to the voice of God. If we belong to God we hear His Voice.

The Spirit Voice speaks the Word of God to us. In the creation the Spirit was hovering waiting on the voice of God to speak. We cannot come out of chaos until we hear the spoken Word of God. We must hear god to respond to him. Dr. Cho says, “Success comes by hearing and obeying the voice of God.” Jesus was a listener to the Spirit of God. He only did what he heard.

The Spirit Voice gives us revelation to understand what God has said. We must learn to understand what the Spirit is saying to us. Revelation is the work of the Spirit. Our soul can be educated but only the Spirit can give revelation. We can never understand God or the things of God by intellect alone.
By Pastor Rick Cooper


Friday August 20, 2010
Why People Do Not Hear God’s Voice
Ephesians 2:1-5; Matthew 13:9-17; Genesis 3:10; Luke 10:40-41

To hear God’s voice it takes a new birth. We do not hear because we are deadened to the voice of God, however through Christ’s sacrifice we can now hear the Spirit and what the Father is telling us. Many do not know that they can hear the Voice of God and are not taught that they can.

Fear keeps many from hearing the voice of God because they are afraid of what God might say to them. I used to be one of those, but guess what that stinking thing was straight from the pit of hell. What God has to say to me He says in love, there is never a harsh or vindictive tone. Yes, He has said some things that I may have not wanted to hear, but is was a way teaching me so that I could grow closer to Him.

Often we are too busy to stop and listen to what God is saying. There are even times we are so busy working for God and offering worship that we do not allow Him to speak. We have the Martha mentality. God does not want us to work for Him; He wants us to work with Him. To work with God we must hear and see what He is doing.

Does any of this sound familiar?


The Weekender August 21 - 22, 2010
4 Simple Step to Hearing What God Is Saying!
Habakkuk 2:1-3

Mark Virkler teaches in his book “How To Hear God’s Voice” four principles in hearing the voice of God. He takes these principles from Habakkuk 2:1-3.

Key #1 God’s voice in your heart often sounds like a flow of spon¬taneous thoughts.
Habakkuk knew the sound of God speaking to him (Hab. 2:2). Elijah described it as a still, small voice (I Kings 19:12). I had always listened for an inner audible voice. God’s voice comes as spontaneous thoughts, visions, feelings, or impres¬sions. Experience indicates that we perceive spirit-level communication as spon¬taneous thoughts, impressions and visions, and Scripture confirms this in many ways.

Key #2 Become still so you can sense God’s flow of thoughts and emo¬tions within. Habakkuk said, “I will stand on my guard post...” (Hab. 2:1). Habakkuk knew that to hear God’s quiet, inner, spontaneous thoughts, he had to first go to a quiet place and still his own thoughts and emotions. Psalm 46:10 encourages us to be still, and know that He is God. There is a deep inner knowing (spontaneous flow) in our spirits that each of us can experience when we quiet our flesh and our minds. If we are not still, we will sense only our own thoughts. To receive the pure word of God, it is very important that my heart be prop¬erly focused.

Key #3 As you pray, fix the eyes of your heart upon Jesus, seeing in the Spirit the dreams and visions of Almighty God. Habakkuk said, “I will keep watch to see,” and God said, “Record the vision” (Hab. 2:1,2). Habakkuk was actually looking for vision as he prayed. He opened the eyes of his heart, and looked into the spirit world to see what God wanted to show him. God has always spoken through dreams and visions, and He specifically said that they would come to those upon whom the Holy Spirit is poured out (Acts 2:1-4, 17). God gave us eyes in our heart to see in the spirit; the vision and movement of Almighty God. There is an active spirit world all around us, full of angels, demons, the Holy Spirit, the omnipres¬ent Father, and His omnipresent Son, Jesus. The only reasons for me not to see this reality are unbelief or lack of knowledge.

Key #4 Journaling, the writing out of your prayers and God’s answers, brings great freedom in hearing God’s voice. God told Habakkuk to record the vision (Hab. 2:2). This was not an isolated command. The Scriptures record many examples of individual’s prayers and God’s replies (e.g. the Psalms, many of the prophets, Revelation). Get a journal or a notebook and write down what you hear (If it is important enough for God to speak then it is important enough for us to write it down. You will be amazed when you journal. Doubt may hinder you at first, but throw it off, reminding yourself that it is a bib¬lical concept, and that God is present, speaking to His children.
From Mark Virkler’s book “How To Hear God’s Voice