Listening to God

3 January 10

 

  1. Introduction:

·      New Year if full of  new opportunities and new challenges, new victories

·      Last year is gone – leave mistakes, failures, difficulties behind – It’s a new day!

·      Matt 4:4

 “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”

Word = 4487 = Rhema = utterance, something imparted personally

Could be a spoken word, quickened scripture, vision or prophetic picture

God is always speaking, always wanting to communicate

·         Lk 1:37  Words from God impart faith and empower us to fulfill them

When God speaks, He will empower you

 

  1. Busyness can be a sign of Spiritual Bareness:

Lk 10:38-42  Mary and Martha

a)  Martha made Jesus welcome in her house

b)  Mary made him welcome but also demonstrated hunger to learn and be mentored

·         Positioned to hear

·         Heard Jesus word first hand, received personal revelation

c)   Martha’s inner condition revealed by the words she spoke

·         Pressure of so many things she believed were necessary to do

·         Driven by the demand of unfinished tasks

·         Distracted = 4049 = to drag all around

                                                         i.      Distorted views – “Lord you don’t care”

                                                       ii.      Resentment – “My sister”

                                                      iii.      Loneliness – “Left me to serve alone”

                                                    iv.      Manipulation – “Tell her to help me”

 

3.      Listening to God is a choice:

·           Jesus personally responded to Martha when she focused upon Him

a)     Affirmed her value – “Martha, Martha”

b)     Exposed her heart condition – anxious – 3309 = to have destructing consequences

Troubled - 2349 = to be in confusion or turmoil

c)     Identifies personal priority – one thing is needed or required

d)     Affirms Mary’s choice – chosen = 1586 = to pick out, select as a priority

-  needed = 5532 = a necessity, requirement

·         Jesus own life was characterized by listening to the Father

·         Jesus modeled both listening and busyness

·         By listening to the Father He could prioritize and say ‘No’

·         John 11  Lazarus sick

·         Mk 1:35  Must move to another city

·         Listening leads to productive and fruitful service

·         God expects us to be productive – a productive life is God-centered not

      need-centered

·         So many believers are unnecessarily stressed and pressured by ‘demands’ of life and unable to focus, priorities and say no

·         Without Focus:

Ø  Pressured by people

Ø  Pressured by evil spirits

Ø  Pressured by urgency of tasks

 

4.      Practice Listening – Make it a Priority: 

·         It takes desire and also discipline to centre lif on the Lord

·         Matt 6:33  A Promise is given if we prioritize our lives on the Kingdom values – ‘all these things added to you’

 

Simple Keys:

i)        Quiet your soul  Mk 1:35

ii)       Focus your attention  Prov 2:2

iii)     Expect to hear from God  Matt 11:25

iv)    Meditate in what you hear  Ps 1:1  Keep a journal

v)     Act promptly on what you hear  Mk 24:24-25

 

During Jan – Feb begin the year with a season of fasting and prayer

Fasting sharpens spiritual sensitivity