Listening to God
3 January 10
· 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
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