Frequency - How do you hear God's Voice?
(John 10:3-5) “The gatekeeper opens the gate for
him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and
leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them,
and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never
follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not
recognize a stranger’s voice.”
(Proverbs 3:6 MSG) Listen for GOD's voice in
everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track.
Preparing to Hear
(Luke 8:8) “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Seed = God's Word
(Luke 8:5-8) “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As
he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and
the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants
withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew
up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came
up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this,
he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
1. The polluted heart.
It is polluted by stuff we do
to ourselves, and stuff
other people do to us.
You can't begin a new life
until you turn from the old life. This is called repentance.
(Luke 8:12) Those along the path are the ones who
hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so
that they may not believe and be saved.
(James 1:21 NLT) Get rid of all the filth and evil
in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts,
for it is strong enough to save your soul.
2. The distracted heart.
To hear God's voice, I must
turn down the world's volume.
(Luke 8:13 NLT) “The rocky soil represents those
who hear the message with joy. But like young plants in such soil, their roots
don't go very deep. They believe for a while, but they wilt when the hot winds
of testing blow.”
(Luke 10:39-40 AMP) And she had a sister named
Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching.
But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving.
3. The immature heart.
Real maturity can't happen by
ourselves. Maturity comes when we stop making excuses and start making
changes.
(Luke 8:14) “The seed that fell among weeds stands
for those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by life’s
worries, riches, and pleasures, and they don’t mature.”
(Hebrews 12:1-2 GW) Since we are
surrounded by so many examples {of faith}, we must get rid of everything that
slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies
ahead of us and never give up. We must focus on Jesus…
4.The prepared heart.
(Luke 8:15) But the seed on good soil stands for
those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by
persevering produce a crop.
✓ Repent which means to turn around.
✓ Refocus.
✓ Revive.
(2 Corinthians 7:1 MSG) Let’s make a clean break
with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's
make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.
God’s voice is clearest in a
prepared environment.
Chris Hodges, Church of the
Highlands
Video
https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/preparing-to-hear
Discussion
https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/files/groups/guides/8-6-17.pdf
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