You were given an amazing as well as mysterious promise by Jesus that as his follower, you can and ought to hear Gods voice. You respond and listen to him anytime he summons. To enable you go about Discerning the voice of God, you have to apply four filters to the word you shall hear.
The Number One Filter that helps us in voice of God discerning is the Bible. It constitutes the supreme source containing all the material which will enable us do so. We all have people that we could look up as being the models of how a person in constant conversation with God looks like. What is paramount about such people is their intimate knowledge of the Bible. This helps us in the translation of the unseen and invisible Gods world into our concrete and tangle world we live in.
To put it in another way, as Psalm 119.11 says, the word of almighty is hidden in his heart or treasured the word of most high. This verse can be identified as the core dimension in discerning Gods voice. This translates to mean that each time we read the Scripture, it is an opportunity to get some divine raw material. This raw material is what God will use to speak directly into our hearts. Each reading is an opportunity in investing in our inner treasure trove.
Number Two gives you the Bible as grounds upon which you will be given a litmus test about discerning Gods voice. It may seem similar to the first one to you but its difference can be found in that it is the stand of objectivity on which he or she will be held. Faith comes through hearing Christ. This means one will never hear anything from God that shall contradict what is written in the holy book.
Often, we get to hear Christians who claim they have heard from God about everything from addictive gambling tendencies to traits of bad relationships. This is often not the truth and when a person says God has told us to perform an act in contradiction of the wisdom in Scripture, the presumption should be it is not Gods spoken word.
The Third Filter determines that Gods voice is best discerned in a community. In Romans 12:2, Paul, in his admonition, is talking to a community, to a lot of people and not just the individual. It even emphasizes in the verse preceding that they ought to offer their bodies to God as living sacrifices. In other words, to discern the voice and will of God, we ought to do it collectively as a community.
John 10 tells you that Jesus is a shepherd and we are members of his flock of sheep. He identifies you as an individual sheep by name but also moves your entire flock as a group. This means the filter covers your individual discernment and also your communities.
Filter Number Four screams the importance attached to humility. God does not like proud people but will uplift humble people. This covers the sentiment of a verse slightly alarming but often repeated within the Bible. An ability to hear God fast develops into pride. This arises from the power that a fragile person can communicate with God directly infuses into such a person. A feeling of pride creeps into such a person steadily. Humility is the knowledge that even though Gods word can never be wrong, it does not mean our understanding is forever right.
The Number One Filter that helps us in voice of God discerning is the Bible. It constitutes the supreme source containing all the material which will enable us do so. We all have people that we could look up as being the models of how a person in constant conversation with God looks like. What is paramount about such people is their intimate knowledge of the Bible. This helps us in the translation of the unseen and invisible Gods world into our concrete and tangle world we live in.
To put it in another way, as Psalm 119.11 says, the word of almighty is hidden in his heart or treasured the word of most high. This verse can be identified as the core dimension in discerning Gods voice. This translates to mean that each time we read the Scripture, it is an opportunity to get some divine raw material. This raw material is what God will use to speak directly into our hearts. Each reading is an opportunity in investing in our inner treasure trove.
Number Two gives you the Bible as grounds upon which you will be given a litmus test about discerning Gods voice. It may seem similar to the first one to you but its difference can be found in that it is the stand of objectivity on which he or she will be held. Faith comes through hearing Christ. This means one will never hear anything from God that shall contradict what is written in the holy book.
Often, we get to hear Christians who claim they have heard from God about everything from addictive gambling tendencies to traits of bad relationships. This is often not the truth and when a person says God has told us to perform an act in contradiction of the wisdom in Scripture, the presumption should be it is not Gods spoken word.
The Third Filter determines that Gods voice is best discerned in a community. In Romans 12:2, Paul, in his admonition, is talking to a community, to a lot of people and not just the individual. It even emphasizes in the verse preceding that they ought to offer their bodies to God as living sacrifices. In other words, to discern the voice and will of God, we ought to do it collectively as a community.
John 10 tells you that Jesus is a shepherd and we are members of his flock of sheep. He identifies you as an individual sheep by name but also moves your entire flock as a group. This means the filter covers your individual discernment and also your communities.
Filter Number Four screams the importance attached to humility. God does not like proud people but will uplift humble people. This covers the sentiment of a verse slightly alarming but often repeated within the Bible. An ability to hear God fast develops into pride. This arises from the power that a fragile person can communicate with God directly infuses into such a person. A feeling of pride creeps into such a person steadily. Humility is the knowledge that even though Gods word can never be wrong, it does not mean our understanding is forever right.
About the Author:
Our class teaches that the Bible is the foundation for discerning the voice of God. For spiritual guidance, make sure you register online using this link http://www.livewithinlistenwithin.com/discerning-the-voice-of-god-services.html.
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