Title: How Do You Hear From God? Meta: What do you say to a believer who comes to you and says, "How do you hear from God? How do you know when God is trying to talk to you?" First, we must clearly be reading our Bibles because it is through the lens of the Scripture that we test everything and through which God primarily speaks to His people. In this Ask Pastor Tim, he considers this question. Tags: prayer,hear,God,communication,Jesus Christ,Spirit,Bible,Jeremiah 29:13 1 00:00:01,675 --> 00:00:07,204 This question comes from Joshua. 2 00:00:07,205 --> 00:00:15,466 He asks this question, "How do you hear from God? 3 00:00:15,467 --> 00:00:21,784 How can you tell when He's trying to talk to you?" 4 00:00:22,999 --> 00:00:24,930 That struck out. 5 00:00:24,931 --> 00:00:28,565 "When He's trying to talk to you". 6 00:00:28,566 --> 00:00:31,512 I always cringe when people use terminology about the Lord 7 00:00:31,513 --> 00:00:34,378 that makes it sound like God tries to do something, 8 00:00:34,379 --> 00:00:37,536 but He's just not quite able. 9 00:00:37,537 --> 00:00:41,837 And I was thinking, in my own devotional reading over the last couple days 10 00:00:41,838 --> 00:00:47,129 I have been in the part in Acts where Peter is… 11 00:00:47,130 --> 00:00:50,794 you remember James was put to death by Herod. 12 00:00:50,795 --> 00:00:52,822 And Herod saw that it pleased the people 13 00:00:52,823 --> 00:00:59,355 and so he went and apprehended Peter and he threw him in there 14 00:00:59,356 --> 00:01:04,075 and he's got chains coming off of him and guards around him. 15 00:01:04,077 --> 00:01:09,998 And, I can tell you, when God means to wake Peter up, 16 00:01:09,999 --> 00:01:12,885 the angel kicked him in the side. 17 00:01:12,886 --> 00:01:14,473 He woke him up. 18 00:01:14,474 --> 00:01:17,653 God doesn’t just try to wake Peter up. He gets him up. 19 00:01:17,654 --> 00:01:21,740 And I thought too about Jonah. 20 00:01:21,741 --> 00:01:29,089 When God wants Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah goes to Nineveh. 21 00:01:29,090 --> 00:01:33,055 We do have a God who is quite capable 22 00:01:33,056 --> 00:01:36,977 of doing exactly that which he wants to do. 23 00:01:36,978 --> 00:01:41,250 But anyway, that’s not at the heart of this. 24 00:01:41,251 --> 00:01:42,559 “How do you hear from God? 25 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,559 How can you tell when He's trying to talk to you? 26 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,968 Is it just from reading His Word? 27 00:01:49,969 --> 00:01:59,463 Or does He actually speak to you in some way like everybody else talks to you? 28 00:01:59,464 --> 00:02:01,174 You may not hear Him audibly, 29 00:02:01,175 --> 00:02:07,039 but does He actually speak to you in some way like you would with other people? 30 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,458 I'm still new in being radical about Him 31 00:02:09,459 --> 00:02:12,708 and I really want to know how to communicate with Him. 32 00:02:12,709 --> 00:02:16,178 I know deep inside that I won't get anywhere in life 33 00:02:16,179 --> 00:02:20,778 nor be close and intimate with Him if there's no communication. 34 00:02:20,779 --> 00:02:25,554 I don't want to just be praying to Him and say what’s on my mind 35 00:02:25,555 --> 00:02:28,911 and not taking time to listen to what He has to say. 36 00:02:28,912 --> 00:02:32,127 Can you help me?” 37 00:02:33,492 --> 00:02:35,621 So what do say to a guy like that? 38 00:02:35,622 --> 00:02:36,830 He wants to hear from God. 39 00:02:36,831 --> 00:02:43,025 A guy comes along and he wants to hear from God. 40 00:02:43,454 --> 00:02:46,796 Now listen, we don't know him but let’s say, 41 00:02:46,797 --> 00:02:51,181 let’s give him every benefit of the doubt that he's genuinely converted, 42 00:02:51,182 --> 00:02:53,189 genuinely saved young man, 43 00:02:53,190 --> 00:02:57,729 he comes to you and he says, "How do I hear from God?" 44 00:02:57,730 --> 00:03:00,382 Is it just in Scripture or…? 45 00:03:00,383 --> 00:03:01,356 What do we tell him? 46 00:03:01,357 --> 00:03:05,757 How do you help a guy like that? 47 00:03:06,940 --> 00:03:12,200 I got to thinking…well OK, we need to think about… 48 00:03:12,201 --> 00:03:18,642 I think first we need to think about the ways biblically 49 00:03:18,643 --> 00:03:23,691 that we can verify that God speaks. 50 00:03:23,692 --> 00:03:34,040 Now, in what ways does God speak? 51 00:03:34,041 --> 00:03:39,806 Right here at the beginning, lets not get so uncomfortable 52 00:03:39,807 --> 00:03:42,664 with the dispensation that we're in. 53 00:03:42,665 --> 00:03:47,659 What I mean by that is, if God spoke in certain ways in the Old Testament 54 00:03:47,660 --> 00:03:50,394 and you just feel like He doesn’t speak that way anymore, 55 00:03:50,395 --> 00:03:52,849 or if He spoke to the apostles in a certain way, 56 00:03:52,850 --> 00:03:57,368 but you don't feel He speaks that way anymore, so-be-it. 57 00:03:57,369 --> 00:04:01,949 We’re not going to argue about that right now. 58 00:04:01,950 --> 00:04:08,328 But just what are the ways, at least at one time or another, God has spoken to men? 59 00:04:08,329 --> 00:04:10,699 How has He communicated to men? 60 00:04:10,700 --> 00:04:14,282 Let’s just throw the ways out. 61 00:04:14,283 --> 00:04:20,466 Dreams- yeah He communicated with Nebuchadnezzar by way of a dream. 62 00:04:20,468 --> 00:04:25,012 He communicated with Joseph by way of dreams. 63 00:04:25,013 --> 00:04:27,517 We could go on with that, but what are other ways? 64 00:04:27,518 --> 00:04:33,820 So in a dream, God can communicate in a dream. 65 00:04:33,821 --> 00:04:40,447 Prophets- yes, God communicated through prophets in times past. 66 00:04:40,448 --> 00:04:49,201 Hebrews 1:1. He spoke to our fathers through prophets. Yes. 67 00:04:49,202 --> 00:04:52,188 And we know that there even is such a thing as a New Testament prophet. 68 00:04:52,189 --> 00:04:54,780 Agabus was a New Testament prophet. 69 00:04:54,781 --> 00:04:57,082 We know that there were prophetesses. 70 00:04:57,083 --> 00:04:59,517 Wasn’t Anna a prophetesses in the New Testament? 71 00:04:59,518 --> 00:05:02,839 Weren’t the daughters of Philip? 72 00:05:03,406 --> 00:05:11,684 What other ways has God spoken? 73 00:05:11,693 --> 00:05:22,871 Through a burning bush- He audibly spoke to Moses out of a bush. 74 00:05:22,872 --> 00:05:29,261 What else? 75 00:05:29,262 --> 00:05:32,458 I mean, sometimes I don't think it was out of a bush, 76 00:05:32,459 --> 00:05:35,792 sometimes I just think it came out of the sky. 77 00:05:35,793 --> 00:05:39,193 Like Abraham, he's out under the night's sky and God's telling him, 78 00:05:39,194 --> 00:05:44,728 look, if you can count all those stars, you'll be able to count your offspring. 79 00:05:44,729 --> 00:05:49,633 Probably just came from above. 80 00:05:49,634 --> 00:05:56,292 Or Elijah-there was a whisper. 81 00:05:56,293 --> 00:05:59,499 What other ways has God spoken? 82 00:05:59,500 --> 00:06:04,885 Angels- God has sent angels to communicate, 83 00:06:04,886 --> 00:06:09,853 “He's risen.” 84 00:06:16,266 --> 00:06:23,081 He's used intermediaries like Moses, or angels again. 85 00:06:26,574 --> 00:06:32,839 The Bible. Well how come we haven’t thought of that one yet? 86 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:36,993 God has spoken to us through His Bible. 87 00:06:36,994 --> 00:06:39,122 We call it God's Word. 88 00:06:39,123 --> 00:06:43,988 All Scripture is God breathed. 89 00:06:43,989 --> 00:06:47,903 Yeah, holy men carried along by the Spirit. 90 00:06:47,904 --> 00:06:54,556 How else? 91 00:06:54,557 --> 00:07:01,175 Casting lots- God has communicated through that. 92 00:07:01,937 --> 00:07:09,218 Animals? I can think of a donkey. 93 00:07:10,177 --> 00:07:17,069 Through the Urim and Thummim? 94 00:07:17,070 --> 00:07:21,966 Do you even know what that is? 95 00:07:21,967 --> 00:07:31,113 What was it? You're nodding, yes, what was it? 96 00:07:52,433 --> 00:07:54,815 I don’t know if we know exactly what they were 97 00:07:54,816 --> 00:08:00,403 but they were on the priest garment. 98 00:08:00,404 --> 00:08:05,127 What does a lot look like? 99 00:08:12,691 --> 00:08:21,130 Not a lot, but a casting type of lot. 100 00:08:21,131 --> 00:08:24,782 What would it look like? 101 00:08:25,774 --> 00:08:31,099 How many of you have a picture of a dice in your mind, a die? 102 00:08:32,258 --> 00:08:35,174 We don't know what they looked like either. 103 00:08:35,174 --> 00:08:39,452 How else has God spoken? 104 00:08:39,453 --> 00:08:42,333 Through visions- and visions are different than dreams. 105 00:08:42,335 --> 00:08:45,476 Because remember what happened to Peter? 106 00:08:45,477 --> 00:08:47,004 The sheep came down from heaven. 107 00:08:47,005 --> 00:08:52,158 That’s different than being asleep and having a dream. 108 00:08:52,159 --> 00:09:03,414 How about in the past, in the past days, previous times, 109 00:09:03,415 --> 00:09:07,451 God spoke to us to our fathers through the prophets, 110 00:09:07,452 --> 00:09:16,107 but in these last days He's spoken to us by what? By the Son. 111 00:09:16,108 --> 00:09:19,375 Jesus Christ is…have you ever thought about that… 112 00:09:19,376 --> 00:09:23,785 Jesus Christ is the Word of God. 113 00:09:23,786 --> 00:09:28,238 Why would John use such risky terminology like that, “the Word”? 114 00:09:28,239 --> 00:09:30,996 Because words express. 115 00:09:30,997 --> 00:09:33,844 Jesus Christ is the radiance of the glory of God, 116 00:09:33,845 --> 00:09:35,560 the exact imprint of His nature. 117 00:09:35,561 --> 00:09:40,659 He came to declare God. 118 00:09:42,735 --> 00:09:45,489 How else? 119 00:09:47,143 --> 00:09:58,272 Theophany- so sometimes God, in human form, either as an angel of the Lord; 120 00:09:58,273 --> 00:10:05,346 I mean, we know that Abraham was visited by God. 121 00:10:05,347 --> 00:10:17,217 Jacob wrestled with somebody that was peculiarly much like God Himself. 122 00:10:17,218 --> 00:10:20,570 How about through creation? 123 00:10:20,571 --> 00:10:24,905 Have you ever heard that the heavens declare the handiwork of God? 124 00:10:24,906 --> 00:10:33,669 You have this idea of just this speech that’s poured out from day to day. 125 00:10:33,670 --> 00:10:39,503 “Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. 126 00:10:39,504 --> 00:10:43,455 There is no speech nor are there words whose voice is not heard. 127 00:10:43,456 --> 00:10:45,420 Their voice goes out through all the earth.” 128 00:10:45,421 --> 00:10:49,564 Who's voice? Well, the voice of the heavens. 129 00:10:49,565 --> 00:10:56,943 And we know that all of creation declares who God is. 130 00:10:56,944 --> 00:11:00,266 So much so that men are without excuse. 131 00:11:00,267 --> 00:11:03,312 We recognize that in Scripture. 132 00:11:03,313 --> 00:11:05,620 How about Providence? 133 00:11:05,621 --> 00:11:11,467 You think God can speak to us just by the things that happen? 134 00:11:11,468 --> 00:11:15,526 I mean can you think of just any thing that just happened in Scripture 135 00:11:15,527 --> 00:11:20,300 that somebody looked at and just recognized, "Wow, God is directing me” 136 00:11:20,301 --> 00:11:25,546 or “God is speaking to me”? 137 00:11:29,381 --> 00:11:41,817 The seventy years, they knew that from a prophet. 138 00:11:41,818 --> 00:11:48,144 What I'm looking for is providence that somebody just looked at the providence, 139 00:11:48,145 --> 00:11:51,605 aside from anything revealed by the prophets or in the Word of God, 140 00:11:51,606 --> 00:11:57,815 and they just looked at that providence and said, "Well, that's God". 141 00:11:57,816 --> 00:12:00,969 “God is doing this” or “God is directing me”. 142 00:12:00,970 --> 00:12:08,765 Just by the providence, just by the circumstance that they... 143 00:12:08,766 --> 00:12:12,994 The fleece, see there’s something. 144 00:12:12,995 --> 00:12:19,038 God communicated to him by whether is was wet or not wet. 145 00:12:19,039 --> 00:12:25,826 How about, I mean when you think about the storm that came upon Jonah. 146 00:12:25,827 --> 00:12:31,498 Jonah began to interpret lots of things about that storm. 147 00:12:31,499 --> 00:12:35,237 In fact, so much so that he said, "You guys just need to throw me over. 148 00:12:35,238 --> 00:12:39,750 I'm the problem, obviously. 149 00:12:39,751 --> 00:12:42,876 My God is the God of the land and the sea.” 150 00:12:42,877 --> 00:12:48,102 And they thought, "This is not good. Jonah, why have you done this?” 151 00:12:48,103 --> 00:12:50,129 What are some other things where people just looked 152 00:12:50,130 --> 00:12:55,561 and they saw in the providence of things? 153 00:12:55,989 --> 00:13:10,125 Esther and Mordecai- is God mentioned in Esther and Mordecai? 154 00:13:12,393 --> 00:13:16,947 I mean, there were things there. There definitely were things. 155 00:13:16,948 --> 00:13:19,573 I mean Mordecai could look at this and say, 156 00:13:19,574 --> 00:13:26,882 “You may have very likely been raised up for such an hour as this.” 157 00:13:26,883 --> 00:13:34,083 But definitely looking at circumstances. 158 00:13:40,501 --> 00:13:42,641 The heathen tried to read things into it, 159 00:13:42,642 --> 00:13:48,141 Paul never makes any comment on it. He just goes on. 160 00:13:48,142 --> 00:13:50,567 I'm trying to think, David. 161 00:13:50,568 --> 00:13:53,491 Is David interpreting certain things 162 00:13:53,492 --> 00:13:59,510 based on the circumstances that arise in his life? 163 00:14:00,606 --> 00:14:06,459 I mean, he definitely was told that the child would die. 164 00:14:06,468 --> 00:14:10,348 So he had a word from a prophet there. 165 00:14:10,349 --> 00:14:14,212 Was he able to interpret? 166 00:14:14,213 --> 00:14:25,365 Jesus said that the works that He did declared who He was. 167 00:14:36,481 --> 00:14:38,895 Right. I was thinking about that too. 168 00:14:38,896 --> 00:14:41,331 I was trying to draw from that. 169 00:14:41,332 --> 00:14:45,308 Are there things where David actually looked at some of that and said, 170 00:14:45,309 --> 00:14:50,532 "Okay, I can tell what God’s doing.”? 171 00:14:57,428 --> 00:14:59,534 He knew that he was the anointed of the Lord, 172 00:14:59,535 --> 00:15:07,620 he was going to leave it in God's hands as far as when God would exalt him. 173 00:15:08,540 --> 00:15:14,834 Anyway, there are many ways here. 174 00:15:20,548 --> 00:15:22,533 Really it was Nebuchadnezzar that said, 175 00:15:22,534 --> 00:15:24,719 “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing 176 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,351 and He does according to His will among the host of heaven 177 00:15:27,352 --> 00:15:29,043 and among the inhabitants of the earth 178 00:15:29,044 --> 00:15:32,462 and none can stay His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?’” 179 00:15:32,463 --> 00:15:36,738 I mean, it's like everything that happens in this world is scripted by the Lord. 180 00:15:36,739 --> 00:15:41,096 We have the circumstances speak about God. 181 00:15:41,097 --> 00:15:46,769 For us, a lot of times circumstances might be just an answered prayer. 182 00:15:46,770 --> 00:15:50,672 I mean God can speak to us by answering the prayer that we ask for. 183 00:15:50,673 --> 00:15:52,925 I mean what's He telling us? “I'm pleased with that. 184 00:15:52,926 --> 00:15:54,434 I'm pleased to give you that.” 185 00:15:54,435 --> 00:15:55,502 We can see that. 186 00:15:55,503 --> 00:15:57,610 We pray for something, God gives it to us. 187 00:15:57,611 --> 00:16:00,873 I mean, God speaks that way. 188 00:16:00,874 --> 00:16:03,654 We see the heavens, they declare things. 189 00:16:03,655 --> 00:16:05,431 The creation declares things. 190 00:16:05,432 --> 00:16:06,983 How about the Spirit itself? 191 00:16:06,984 --> 00:16:11,613 We’re told in Romans 8 that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit 192 00:16:11,614 --> 00:16:12,994 that we're children of God. 193 00:16:12,995 --> 00:16:20,197 Well, I think a lot of times the Spirit is working through the truth of Scripture. 194 00:16:20,198 --> 00:16:27,797 We have 1 Corinthians chapter 2 that talks about just that reality 195 00:16:27,798 --> 00:16:32,719 that the Spirit of God is taking the things of God and He's teaching us, 196 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:41,173 He's opening these things up, as far as revealing what these things mean. 197 00:16:41,174 --> 00:16:43,084 How about conscience? 198 00:16:43,085 --> 00:16:44,582 I mean conscience is another thing. 199 00:16:44,583 --> 00:16:47,081 God has obviously equipped us with a conscience. 200 00:16:47,082 --> 00:16:53,972 We read in John 16 about the Spirit who is going to convict men of sin. 201 00:16:53,973 --> 00:16:56,441 There's conviction, there's conscience. 202 00:16:56,442 --> 00:16:57,682 Men have consciences. 203 00:16:57,683 --> 00:17:03,667 We see in Romans chapter 2 they accuse or they excuse. 204 00:17:03,668 --> 00:17:06,198 God has designed that into men. 205 00:17:06,199 --> 00:17:09,636 Now, I recognize we need Scripture to enlighten that conscience. 206 00:17:09,637 --> 00:17:14,443 But we have all Scripture that is breathed out by God. 207 00:17:14,444 --> 00:17:16,500 Another way that you might think, and again, 208 00:17:16,501 --> 00:17:19,538 this plays together with Scripture. 209 00:17:19,539 --> 00:17:24,925 But we are told in Scripture that God raises up apostles and prophets 210 00:17:24,926 --> 00:17:26,816 and evangelist and pastors and teachers. 211 00:17:26,817 --> 00:17:29,037 So you have men that stand up and teach. 212 00:17:29,038 --> 00:17:34,009 Often times, God is speaking to us by how God moves that preacher 213 00:17:34,010 --> 00:17:38,060 to preach what he preaches from the verses that he preaches from. 214 00:17:38,061 --> 00:17:42,395 You have that kind of thing going on. 215 00:17:42,396 --> 00:17:44,403 So, here's the thing. 216 00:17:44,404 --> 00:17:48,333 The reason I go through all of those things is because, look, 217 00:17:48,334 --> 00:17:56,827 if we want to hear God's voice, where are we going to be listening? 218 00:17:56,828 --> 00:18:02,587 Well, we're going to be listening to the Word. 219 00:18:02,588 --> 00:18:06,174 And we're told to test everything. 220 00:18:06,175 --> 00:18:09,603 We're told to test the spirits. 221 00:18:09,604 --> 00:18:10,633 Well how do you do that? 222 00:18:10,634 --> 00:18:13,205 Well, Scripture… You know what? 223 00:18:13,206 --> 00:18:17,992 A prophet comes to me - I can test that prophet. 224 00:18:17,993 --> 00:18:20,044 Ultimately, Scripture is the authority. 225 00:18:20,045 --> 00:18:22,819 Ultimately, Scripture is that which I know to be God breathed. 226 00:18:22,820 --> 00:18:27,759 Why? Because Scripture itself is self-witnessing to the fact that it is God breathed. 227 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:28,760 I know this- 228 00:18:28,761 --> 00:18:32,540 I know that the Christ that's revealed in the Scriptures is the true Christ. 229 00:18:32,541 --> 00:18:35,840 I know He reveals God to me. I know He speaks to me. 230 00:18:35,841 --> 00:18:38,393 I know He speaks through the pages of Scripture. 231 00:18:38,394 --> 00:18:41,807 I know that His works speak to me through the pages of Scripture. 232 00:18:41,808 --> 00:18:46,087 I don't know about any other Christ that’s not the Christ of Scripture. 233 00:18:46,088 --> 00:18:49,120 You tell me about what Christ did and I can't find it in Scripture- 234 00:18:49,121 --> 00:18:52,096 I don't know if that's the true Christ or not. 235 00:18:52,097 --> 00:18:53,533 How do I tell a true prophet? 236 00:18:53,534 --> 00:18:54,936 Well, I test it by Scripture. 237 00:18:54,937 --> 00:18:56,672 How can I even know if a dream… 238 00:18:56,673 --> 00:19:00,953 you know the devil's pretty active in trying to imitate the things that God does. 239 00:19:00,954 --> 00:19:04,972 How do I know if a preacher preaches the Word of God? 240 00:19:04,973 --> 00:19:06,936 How do I know if he's speaking to me from God? 241 00:19:06,937 --> 00:19:08,367 Well, I test it by Scripture. 242 00:19:08,368 --> 00:19:10,012 How do I know if my dream’s right? 243 00:19:10,013 --> 00:19:13,270 I mean, if you’re going to grant that we might still have dreams today 244 00:19:13,271 --> 00:19:16,610 or a New Testament prophet might speak something, what do you do? 245 00:19:16,611 --> 00:19:18,559 Well, it all comes back to Scripture. 246 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:22,742 Not to say that God doesn’t speak through His Spirit, 247 00:19:22,743 --> 00:19:27,459 through moving us, convicting us, speaking to our conscience. 248 00:19:27,460 --> 00:19:31,060 But how? I mean what truth is going to be the standard 249 00:19:31,061 --> 00:19:33,521 by which the Spirit of God is going to convict us? 250 00:19:33,522 --> 00:19:34,811 Certainly, the Word of God. 251 00:19:34,812 --> 00:19:36,114 That is always the test. 252 00:19:36,115 --> 00:19:37,982 That’s where we come back to. 253 00:19:37,983 --> 00:19:40,935 So we want to be immersed in that. 254 00:19:40,936 --> 00:19:46,348 Now creation, even in creation, if I'm going to properly interpret creation, 255 00:19:46,349 --> 00:19:48,769 I need to be reflecting back on Scripture. 256 00:19:48,770 --> 00:19:51,644 Because I can recognize there's a Creator out there 257 00:19:51,645 --> 00:19:55,877 just by the fact that I look around at this created universe 258 00:19:55,878 --> 00:19:59,217 and I recognize, “Wow, there’s intelligence.” 259 00:19:59,218 --> 00:20:03,048 Brethren, I can tell you, these people that tout Intelligent Design, 260 00:20:03,049 --> 00:20:06,467 they really do God great dishonor. 261 00:20:06,468 --> 00:20:10,704 Because I’ll tell you, Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ created everything. 262 00:20:10,705 --> 00:20:13,464 It’s not just an Intelligent Designer. 263 00:20:13,465 --> 00:20:18,921 The Bible tells us who this Intelligent Designer is - it's the Lord Jesus Christ. 264 00:20:18,922 --> 00:20:22,427 It tells us lots of things about His greatness and His beauty 265 00:20:22,428 --> 00:20:26,100 and His glory and the fact that He is the Savior. 266 00:20:26,101 --> 00:20:31,722 If I'm coming to a young Christian and they're saying to me, 267 00:20:31,723 --> 00:20:37,621 "I want to hear from God. Is there any way besides Scripture?" 268 00:20:37,622 --> 00:20:45,440 Well, I would say this: You don't want to ignore Scripture, 269 00:20:45,441 --> 00:20:46,824 but Scripture is not all. 270 00:20:46,825 --> 00:20:49,799 You can have lost people that just sit and camp in Scripture. 271 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,180 They can read Scripture. 272 00:20:52,181 --> 00:20:56,324 But here’s the thing, here’s the thing that I have found. 273 00:20:56,325 --> 00:21:02,216 That, look, in true Christianity, 274 00:21:02,217 --> 00:21:06,368 there is a way that God communicates with His people that is intimate. 275 00:21:06,369 --> 00:21:10,534 There is fellowship on a sweet level. 276 00:21:10,535 --> 00:21:19,019 There is more about knowing God than just getting bare minimum facts from His Word. 277 00:21:19,020 --> 00:21:22,873 There is Him communicating His love, His delight. 278 00:21:22,874 --> 00:21:25,381 The Spirit of God just doesn’t bear witness. 279 00:21:25,382 --> 00:21:29,147 The Spirit of God causes us to cry out, “Abba Father”. 280 00:21:29,148 --> 00:21:33,723 There’s closeness, there’s intimacy, there’s family relation, 281 00:21:33,724 --> 00:21:36,960 there’s husband/wife relationship. 282 00:21:36,961 --> 00:21:40,838 We're betrothed to Christ. 283 00:21:40,839 --> 00:21:44,454 And the thing is, how is this to be had? 284 00:21:44,455 --> 00:21:47,859 How do we dive further in? 285 00:21:47,860 --> 00:21:53,504 I mean, if I want to hear His voice, not audibly, but I want to hear it. 286 00:21:53,505 --> 00:21:59,651 And I want to hear it more than just some dry time in the Word of God everyday. 287 00:21:59,652 --> 00:22:00,755 I want it to be rich. 288 00:22:00,756 --> 00:22:04,883 Well, for one thing, you’ve got to be in the Word. 289 00:22:04,884 --> 00:22:13,223 But if you're seeking, brethren, Scripture says that, in Jeremiah 29:13, 290 00:22:13,224 --> 00:22:15,229 “that you will seek me and you will find me 291 00:22:15,230 --> 00:22:17,845 when you seek me with all your heart.” 292 00:22:17,846 --> 00:22:24,831 And who is it that said that everybody has or everybody gets what they want? 293 00:22:24,832 --> 00:22:27,868 In other words, what you really desire, God will give to you. 294 00:22:27,869 --> 00:22:31,877 And if you really desire Him, He will give Himself to you. 295 00:22:31,878 --> 00:22:36,300 But a lot of our desire for Him can be measured 296 00:22:36,301 --> 00:22:41,211 by the amount of energy we are willing to put into seeking Him. 297 00:22:41,212 --> 00:22:46,410 And I can tell you this, that those who give themselves, 298 00:22:46,411 --> 00:22:52,909 not just to the Word, but to serious seeking of Him in prayer. 299 00:22:52,910 --> 00:22:56,997 And I mean, I mean more than casual praying. 300 00:22:56,998 --> 00:23:04,874 I mean you spend quality and quantity time with God speaking to Him. 301 00:23:04,875 --> 00:23:10,494 Thinking on His Word, having a Bible in hand. 302 00:23:10,495 --> 00:23:14,040 And just walking the fields, wherever you go, 303 00:23:14,041 --> 00:23:20,470 and spending time just speaking with Him and meditating on His Word. 304 00:23:20,471 --> 00:23:23,681 Seasons like we just came out of where you’re fasting. 305 00:23:23,682 --> 00:23:29,117 But seeking Him, regularly taking time, 306 00:23:29,118 --> 00:23:33,544 specifically when you’re putting everything else out of your life 307 00:23:33,545 --> 00:23:35,000 and you're going to be with Him. 308 00:23:35,001 --> 00:23:40,004 I'll tell you this. If you work at your relationship with God, 309 00:23:40,005 --> 00:23:42,791 and I mean you're pursuing it with a passion 310 00:23:42,792 --> 00:23:45,915 because you really want to hear Him and you want to find Him, 311 00:23:45,916 --> 00:23:48,237 you want manifestations... 312 00:23:48,238 --> 00:23:51,897 Look, all you have to do is read the biographies. 313 00:23:51,898 --> 00:23:54,128 You know there are Christian men and woman 314 00:23:54,129 --> 00:23:58,090 who have gone deeper than most everybody else. 315 00:23:58,091 --> 00:24:02,676 And if you look at their seeking after God, It's never casual. 316 00:24:02,677 --> 00:24:08,522 Those that have drank deepest from that cup of fellowship with God, 317 00:24:08,523 --> 00:24:12,357 they have given… isn’t it like any relationship? 318 00:24:12,358 --> 00:24:15,723 You'll never have a friendship unless you work at being a friend. 319 00:24:15,724 --> 00:24:18,434 You'll never have a good marriage unless you work at that marriage. 320 00:24:18,435 --> 00:24:25,682 You’re never going to have a deep relationship with God unless you nurture it. 321 00:24:25,683 --> 00:24:26,950 Just like a garden. 322 00:24:26,951 --> 00:24:30,899 I mean, you have to water that thing; you’ve got to put forth that effort. 323 00:24:30,900 --> 00:24:34,213 You say, “What?! You’re talking works?” 324 00:24:34,214 --> 00:24:36,957 I’m talking this- yes, when there is a relationship… 325 00:24:36,958 --> 00:24:38,782 I’m not talking about this is how you’re saved. 326 00:24:38,783 --> 00:24:41,324 We’re talking about going deep. 327 00:24:41,325 --> 00:24:45,414 We’re talking about hearing God speak to us in ways 328 00:24:45,415 --> 00:24:50,850 that lots of other people maybe perhaps don't know or know very infrequently. 329 00:24:50,851 --> 00:24:52,542 If you’re wanting to go deep, 330 00:24:52,543 --> 00:24:55,145 who is it that gets to ascend the hill of the Lord? 331 00:24:55,146 --> 00:24:59,922 Who is it that gets to dwell in the glory, 332 00:24:59,923 --> 00:25:05,281 I mean, just dwell in the Shekinah Glory where it so overwhelms your soul, 333 00:25:05,282 --> 00:25:09,795 where maybe, I mean, when you’re actually enjoying God 334 00:25:09,796 --> 00:25:13,888 in a way that it's just eclipsing the rest of this world, 335 00:25:13,889 --> 00:25:17,692 where you're feeling like I just want to be swept away into glory? 336 00:25:17,693 --> 00:25:19,093 How do you get there? 337 00:25:19,094 --> 00:25:22,202 Well, you get there through pursuing God. 338 00:25:22,203 --> 00:25:26,793 I mean, Scripture says to us that everyone who asks, receives; 339 00:25:26,794 --> 00:25:29,190 the one who seeks, finds. 340 00:25:29,191 --> 00:25:31,509 God wants to be sought. 341 00:25:31,510 --> 00:25:36,243 I not only could prove to you from Scripture that God wants you to see… 342 00:25:36,244 --> 00:25:38,711 it’s the glory of God to hide things. 343 00:25:38,712 --> 00:25:40,185 Have you ever read that? 344 00:25:40,186 --> 00:25:42,808 Well, it's the glory of God to hide not only truth, 345 00:25:42,809 --> 00:25:46,779 it's the glory of God to hide Himself. 346 00:25:46,780 --> 00:25:51,088 And He will be found by those who are desperate to find Him. 347 00:25:51,089 --> 00:25:53,395 Just like truth needs to be dug, 348 00:25:53,396 --> 00:25:57,334 you will find treasure if you dig for it. 349 00:25:57,335 --> 00:26:00,534 Listen, God is a treasure to be dug for. 350 00:26:00,535 --> 00:26:04,074 And He'll not be had cheaply. 351 00:26:04,075 --> 00:26:06,309 I mean His intimacy and His fellowship 352 00:26:06,310 --> 00:26:12,508 and His closest manifestations are not to be had casually and cheaply. 353 00:26:12,509 --> 00:26:16,150 And it's just true, I mean, look at the people in Scripture. 354 00:26:16,151 --> 00:26:18,535 Look at David. 355 00:26:18,536 --> 00:26:22,864 Do you not find David and you just see him, his prayer life, 356 00:26:22,865 --> 00:26:26,911 all you have to do is read the Psalms to know how his prayer life was. 357 00:26:26,912 --> 00:26:28,956 He panted after God! 358 00:26:28,957 --> 00:26:33,712 That’s not casual, that doesn’t lead to a casual life. 359 00:26:33,713 --> 00:26:40,210 I encourage you all. Just, seek the Lord. 360 00:26:40,211 --> 00:26:44,066 Seek the Lord, and it takes prayer, 361 00:26:44,067 --> 00:26:45,867 and it takes seeking His face. 362 00:26:45,868 --> 00:26:48,005 It takes meditation. 363 00:26:48,006 --> 00:26:54,249 Oh, there’s nothing like just getting in those places where you're undisturbed, 364 00:26:54,250 --> 00:27:00,294 and you can think on His person, on His Word, 365 00:27:00,295 --> 00:27:04,155 you can talk to Him, you can sing to Him. 366 00:27:04,156 --> 00:27:07,367 Just getting alone where you can sing to the Lord. 367 00:27:07,368 --> 00:27:08,857 Where you can talk to Him. 368 00:27:08,858 --> 00:27:10,232 Where you can open up the Word. 369 00:27:10,233 --> 00:27:12,481 Maybe you're memorizing some Scripture, 370 00:27:12,482 --> 00:27:14,010 and you're working through the words 371 00:27:14,011 --> 00:27:16,558 and you’re thinking what that teaches you about Christ 372 00:27:16,559 --> 00:27:20,047 or about His salvation, about the character of God. 373 00:27:20,048 --> 00:27:22,664 You’re just meditating on the person of God 374 00:27:22,665 --> 00:27:28,346 and communicating with that God who you're meditating with. 375 00:27:28,347 --> 00:27:33,068 If you're given to reading Scripture for 15 minutes a day 376 00:27:33,069 --> 00:27:36,035 and praying for 5 minutes a day 377 00:27:36,036 --> 00:27:40,557 and some it's like every other day, or every third day, 378 00:27:40,558 --> 00:27:44,744 you're not going to know that kind of life. 379 00:27:44,745 --> 00:27:46,820 But you can read somebody like Hudson Taylor 380 00:27:46,821 --> 00:27:50,988 and you find how just swept into glory… 381 00:27:50,989 --> 00:27:59,397 Somebody like Jonathan Edwards or his wife. Pessen, Edward Pessen. 382 00:27:59,398 --> 00:28:07,088 I mean, you just read some of these lives or even some people you know that are alive 383 00:28:07,089 --> 00:28:10,199 that have had tremendous experiences with God, 384 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:14,683 you'll never find that they deal with their relationship with God 385 00:28:14,684 --> 00:28:17,902 as though it's some cheap thing, some trivial thing. 386 00:28:17,903 --> 00:28:23,794 They take it dead serious, and it is THE PRIORITY in their life. 387 00:28:23,795 --> 00:28:26,116 I mean, second to none. 388 00:28:26,117 --> 00:28:28,535 I want more of God. 389 00:28:28,536 --> 00:28:33,923 If God's second, third, fourth on your list, 390 00:28:33,924 --> 00:28:38,433 you’re just not going to have what the people have that put Him first. 391 00:28:38,434 --> 00:28:44,433 And in fact, if you just regularly can live your life and without Him first, 392 00:28:44,434 --> 00:28:50,277 you know Jesus would call into question whether you can even be His disciple.