Hearing The Voice

I found my self alone in a boat one summer evening during the waning stages of my illustrious yet short lived career as a part time bass tournament angler. This wasn't the norm in those days as most of the tournaments I fished were on a buddy system with two anglers combining their catch and competing as a team in one boat. Though this wasn't the norm it did prove to be a God ordained day because this was the day God would begin to teach me to hear his voice. Yes, God taught me to listen and more importantly "heed to" his voice during a Tuesday night fishing derby at my local lake.

The evening had gone according to plan, my partner had to cancel due to work and I was in the midst of getting skunked. I checked all my usual holes, scanned every super sneaky place I could think of and couldn't tell for certain that there was even a fish in this lake. Since I'm always of the persuasion that a bad day fishing beats almost anything else this side of glory I happily resorted to fishing and praying alone in my boat, just me and Jesus.

It was nearing the end of the evening when a weight and a knowledge came over me. Something that I didn't understand, yet. It was a since that I knew exactly where to go and what to do but was afraid to for no good reason I could tell. It was as if I don't go to this spot and cast this lure to this exact spot I would be failing God.

Where did that thought come from I wondered almost out loud? It didn't make any good sense to me. I had already fished that lure and it would never work in that spot. The lure needed a depth of at least 6 feet to work right and this spot was less than 3 feet deep. Not to mention it was covered in grass on the bottom and would fill the hooks of my lure with weeds in seconds. Never the less it persisted. Cast after fruitless cast my prayer time had been interrupted with my doubt and self reasoning.

Finally at 9;45pm with 15 minutes left in the derby I relented. My exact thought was "why not nothing else seems to be working."

As I idled my boat off plane and set my coarse to this backwater cove I convinced myself to try a different lure. I picked up my pole and readied my aim at the exact corner that had been on my mind all evening. I readied my cast and almost instantly my lure jerked back violently in my direction and the line in my real exploded in a jumble of twisted fishing line that looked exactly as its namesake implies, a birds nest. I sighed, shook my head and reached for the one. The one that had been on my mind for an hour now.

With little expectation of success I casted to my spot and began to reel. I made it less than one turn on the handle and felt that sweet tug every angler longs for. I wish I had an elaborate story of landing this large mouthed lady that has become a cornerstone of a large part of my ministry, but at this time in my life catching great fish had become common place. Before I could process what had just happened instinct took over and she was beside my boat submitted to the hook in her mouth.

As I leaned over the right side of the boat and reached my hand under her scaly, slimy, 4 pounds 7 ounce belly a near audible voice spoke to me. "Hear my word, and heed my word". Instantly I understood that the knowledge and the weight had come from God. I don't believe God was interested in helping me win a derby that night I believe he was interested in helping me with a far greater task, helping his people.

The lesson learned that night has helped me on multiple occasions to be led and used of God in ways I never could have dreamed about. God blessed me that night to instantly see and be able to hold in my hands the fruit of hearing and heeding to his voice.

There have been a few times since then that I have heard that near audible voice of guidance. But usually its that familiar weight and knowledge.

Its the same weight and knowledge most all of us have tried to ignore in a church service or other moment of ministry. That one that tells us to walk past a congregation and pray with someone, or to speak a word of faith or share with someone struggling in a sin about how we have overcame a similar situation. How many times during that struggle has someone else stood up and walked through the congregation to pray with that person you were supposed to pray with. The voice of God often appears I'm the form of a weight or burden on our hearts and a knowledge about what to do for it. You felt a weight a burden to pray for someone and had a knowledge about what to do with that burden; pray for them. too often we fight the voice of God in our lives and quench the spirit. When we see someone else moving to do what we should have done our burden instantly turns into conviction at the lost opportunity to be used of God.

This leads us to the second part of what God told me to due. "Heed his voice"

Hearing Gods voice is one that but let me tell you from experience heeding is a different level all together. God loves you with an unshakable unbreakable love, at the same time God doesn't care one iota about if something he ask you to do makes you uncomfortable. To be truly used of God your pride has to take a back seat or better yet just let it out of the car altogether because when God ask you to move pride becomes a backseat driver that will lead you to spiritual train wreck. God has never ask me to speak a word to a person that didn't damage my pride and make me feel uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed. If you don't believe God will make you uncomfortable and embarrassed go read the book of Ezekiel then return back to this page and put your seatbelt on because to be heed Gods voice is to often a bumpy ride.

I'm not saying you go out and act upon every schizophrenic voice that may pop into your head.

There are three types of voices that will race through our mind at any point in time. Our own voice of reason, the voice of Satan and the voice of God. Often these voices will appear closely aligned but learning to distinguish between them is the key to being used by God. Learn the difference because as T.F. Tenney wisely stated "Its a short trip from glory to goofy."

First lets deal with the voice of Satan because it is the most destructive voice. Our voice will destruct Gods plan, Gods voice will destruct our ego but the voice of Satan will destruct all that we are.

Here's the absolute number one rule that governs all other rules when hearing from God, Does it align with scripture?

God will never speak anything into your lives that contradict what has been written and recorded into the 66 books of our canonized Bible.

But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed, As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8-9

God will not speak to you anything that contradicts his written word. If it contradicts Gods word it didn't come from his voice but from the enemy of your soul. We must look no further than the garden to see the deception of the voice of Satan causing the fall of humanity. His words to Eve worked to undermine Gods authority and bring into question his motives toward the first family. The voice of Satan often works to convince us that Gods protection is actually a hinderance to our success. If there is a voice in your life causing you to question the word of God you must rebuke it and drive it away in prayer and consecration for it is the voice of Satan trying to cause you to stumble.

Second is our own voice of reason. It works to protect our flesh, it protects ego but destroys the work of God in your life.

I wish the only time I debated within myself what I felt led by God to due is that evening on the boat but many times I still spend too much time fighting an internal battle of wills with God. Unlike the voice of Satan which must be resisted at all points our own voice of reason within ourselves is necessary in everyday life. Its the voice that tells us not to quit our jobs every Monday morning, it helps us to navigate life choices and make decisions about what is best for us. Our reasoning does what its supposed to when it protects our wellbeing. To borrow a biblical term the voice of reason is your fleshes intercessor. It is necessary but too often will reason us out of being used by God because of it is only concerned with protecting flesh.

It is carnal reasoning that talks us out of praying for that person because it is first concerned with protecting itself. Carnal reasoning is destructive in this sense to the move of God in your life. Because it is the instinct of self preservation within us it runs contrary to the voice of God that pushes us outside of our comfort zones and into a place where he and he alone receives glory and honor. You can distinguish between the voice of God and that of your own reasoning by understanding if it builds my ego it me and not God.

The third voice in our lives is that still small beautiful voice of God.

I list the voice of God last because I want us to finish off on a high note, not because it is the third voice we hear. I've learned that in many situations when the spirit is moving and speaking the first voice I hear is the voice of God. Followed by my own reasoning that try's to find a way to accomplish what God said while protecting whatever self image I may be dealing with at that time. Followed by the voice of Satan who will try to pervert what God said into something that not only protects flesh but exalts flesh. Always remember no flesh glories in Gods presence. (1 Cor. 1:9)

To know if it was Gods voice in your spirit first determine does this word undermine or confirm what God has already said in the Bible. Its not that the Bible confines God into a box but it the deeps of the word of God are infinitely deeper that whatever depth we currently understand. No scripture is of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20) therefore God will not speak a secret that only you can understand. His voice will always confirm his word and will bring it into sharp focus.

Last I want to encourage you to act on what God is speaking to you. It will feel awkward and uncomfortable but if we will open our mouths wide he will fill it with his word. Ps 81:10. I have learned from experience that if I can overcome my own fear and self preservation and take the first few steps to obey God that without fail there is a Holy boldness that sweeps over me. But its always after i have taken that first faithful step into the unknown.

Once was a time that Voice and burden told me that if I will lay my hand on someone's head who was praying for the holy Ghost that God would dill them at my command. Not at my praying for them that took no faith but to command it out loud where everyone could hear it if it wasn't God I would be labeled a fraud by those without understanding or caring that I was just reaching for the supernatural. Never the less with thoughts of my day at the lake in the background of my mind I laid my hands upon their head and began to give the command. Just like the fish when I began to speak the power of God took over and my apprehension was replaced by a Godly boldness to proclaim Gods word.

According to the word of God and The name of Jesus Christ receive ye the Holy Ghost!

As the "T" in Ghost cleared my lips the power of God fell on them and they fell backwards speaking in an unknow tongue as the spirit gave them the utterance. Not by my power nor for my glory but by the power of the spirit of God.

Another example in hearing and heeding came during an alter service when a lady stood in front of me for prayer. Again a burden and a resolution. "If she will praise me right now I will answer her prayer." Now this may sound like a general statement from God but I knew exactly which prayer God was talking about. Her and her husband had struggled for years to have a child. That's not an easy word to skate around if God doesn't move I'll be labeled a false prophet and lose any credibility I have! Thankfully God reminded me that I didn't have any credibility to begin with, anything I am or that may come from my ministry is from God.

As I leaned in and whispered what God had said into her ear a shout of praise and faith erupted that shook the place. She had nothing to hold onto but Gods word and as it turns out that's all she needed. I'm happy to report she is the doting mother of a healthy baby boy today.

Not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the LORD!

These are two extraordinary testimonies of what God will do through someone that will hear and heed his word, but they are not the only. I've hesitated to write this article with these examples because I do not want anyone to think for a moment that I could be so arrogant as to try and glory in what God has done but that was the voice of my own reason. Again, self preservation. My intentions is to build your faith and to encourage you to step out on faith and let God work through you. We sometimes give Peter a hard way for looking at the waves around him but remember, he was the only one to get out of the boat!

And thus it is sometimes when we attempt to follow the voice of Jesus, we doubt and begin to sink. I've found that even in the moments I'm sinking I still find the outreached hand of the master to help me up, something no-one dwelling safely in the boat gets to experience. That's a relationship reserved for those that are willing to follow Jesus out of the boat.