EVERY CHRISTIAN CAN HEAR GOD!

John 10:3-5, 14, 16, 27

“I am the Good Shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known of mine...the sheep hear His voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out...they know His voice...they know not the voice of strangers...my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me....other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.”

INTRODUCTION

Have any of you had a fleeting thought about someone you have not thought of in a long time? Have any of you ever had an impression to do something for or say something to someone? Have any of you ever heard an inner voice telling you something? Have any of you had what is often referred to as an premonition about someone or something? Have you ever felt you were being told to do something or say something to someone?

There are three voices that speak to all of us: 1) The voice of God. 2) The voice of Satan. 3) Our Self thoughts. What we need to learn to do is to distinguish these voices.

The voice of God encourages us to obey His written Word. The voice of Satan tempts us to do something contrary to what we know is right. Our self thoughts are primarily ones that lead us to please our flesh.

The way we know the real or genuineness of any thing or person is familiarity. The more you see or hear something or someone, the more you are sure of the identity of that thing or person.

Illustration: Phone call from Laurel while I was teaching a class of servant leaders in China.

MAIN BODY

There are at least twenty four ways in Scripture that God speaks, but we will only mention four today and I will illustrate these by our most recent Far East Mission.
 

I. God Speaks to us Through Scripture

A. Illustration: According to Scripture, Paul attempted on one missionary journey to go East and North and the Scripture states that he was forbidden to do so but rather was directed the the Macedonia vision to go West.

B. Illustration: God drops the name of a nation in my spirit”. It took three years from the first time I first heard “India” in my spirit that I actually went on mission. But on the other hand, it only took two weeks after I heard in my spirit, the name of the nation of the “Philippines”.

II. God Speaks to us Through the Holy Spirit

A. Illustration: The Spirit spoke: “Don't go to the Philippines.”

III. God Speaks to us Through Circumstances and Events

A. Illustration: Email sent to the wrong address in India.

B. Illustration: My illness and death of my sister.

IV. God Speaks to us through Other Believers

A. Illustration: How God put together seven nations for training in Shillong by speaking to servant leaders in neighboring nations.

B. Illustration: How God closed and opened the door to China

CONCLUSION

Illustration: When was the last time you heard God?