Hearing God in Faith

It takes faith to hear from God.

Hebrews 11 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God and that we must approach the Father believing first that he is and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.

For some, that’s a difficult concept to wrap their arms around. First that God is and second, that he rewards those who diligently seek him.

Faith is:

• Substance - its the fact that we can be confident that the things God promised we will experience
• Evidence - its the Holy Spirit conviction down on the inside that we know our God will watch over his word to perform it
• Witness - its the “good report” Hebrews 12 refers to. After all, our faith isn’t about what we can have or accomplish by using it...it is about having a message to pass on to the next generation. It’s the “so that...”

Faith will enable us to understand, see and hear what others cannot. Some may even mock or laugh at us while we step out in faith in this life. But be encouraged for many people laughed at great men and women of faith throughout history.

Maybe you’re ready to set sail and let God take you to new and greater places, but you don’t feel the wind of his presence pushing you. Don’t wait until you “feel” something...hoist your sails, pray and believe God. Be full of faith and watch his promises be fulfilled in your life TODAY!

Set your sails and watch God move. There’s a great cloud of witnesses watching with you.

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Hearing God in You

One of the top 3 questions I get asked on a regular basis is “How do I know that I am hearing God’s voice... What does it sound like?”

One thing I think I know about God’s voice in your life is that you must be open to change. Don’t expect what happened last week to occur the same way this week. God wants you totally dependent on Him...not His methods.

God’s principles remain the same forever...but his methods change.

Sometimes I feel like people are more concerned about HOW God speaks rather than what He is saying. In just a brief review of your Bible you will find God spoke through:

• His written Word
• Signs and wonders
• Nature
• Visions and dreams
• Angels
• Prophets and fellow saints
• Words...direct messages

As you look through the list, is there any method of communication that you are not open to receiving from God? As you grow in faith expect to hear God with fresh anointing and in new ways.

God is a communicator. He spoke life into the Earth and Heavens. Surely, he will speak to us in our time of need.

God has a reason for speaking. He cares about you and wants to see His plans produce fruit.

Listen for His voice this week. Really listen.


Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Hearing God in Fruit

The correlation between hearing God and seeing fruit in our lives is undeniable.

When God speaks, this is what he expects from us in return:

1. God expects our immediate and wholehearted response to his voice. If we’re not sure it was God it’s okay to ask for confirmation; but, once we have it, Instant Obedience is a Bible principle. (Matthew 4:21-22)
2. God wants us to have urgency about souls. Ask yourself, do I have compassion for the lost and hurting people in this world? (Matthew 9:36)
3. God speaks where we need more of his voice, where we are often weak or lacking. The Bible offers countless examples of when God spoke and how it directly related to a weakness of the hearer.

If the Kingdom of God is right thinking, peace and joy then let’s start the week by thinking right about hearing God’s voice and expecting results in our life.

When we hear God, it should change our belief system which will cause us to have intense focus on producing fruit for his kingdom. Believing releases God’s thoughts into our minds. Right believing shuts down temptations and detours in God’s plan for our life.

When the Word goes forth it will PRODUCE a RESULT. It will not return to God empty. (Isaiah 55:9-11).

Believe God and ACT immediately on His word.

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Hearing God in the New Testament

In the past, God spoke through the prophets but in these last days God is speaking to us through his son, sustaining all things by the power of his word. (Hebrews 1)

Two Greek words are used in the Bible to identify God’s words in the New Testament.

1. Logos is the Greek word identifying an expression, concept or thought.
2. Rhema is the Greek word referring to a personal, living or life giving word from God.

Many people want to hear God’s audible voice, but God longs for us to hear his voice through a rhema word. In fact, Jesus, in Matthew 4:4, states that men do not live on bread alone, but on every word (rhema) that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

The word “proceeds” is an active word. It indicates past, present and future. The Word proceeds as a fountain proceeds. If God ever spoke, He speaks today.

Hearing God’s voice through a rhema word is instructional to living an abundant life.

John 10 gives us a clear picture of what it means to follow the voice of God. Listening to God and following his voice is a continuing process. We must be listening and following God’s voice all week long so that our abundant life can be sustained (Hebrews 1:3 & John 10:10).

Our God, the creator of heaven and earth, the God of the old testament, God of the new testament is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has a NOW answer for every circumstance, problem, and situation we face.

God is speaking. Are you listening?

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Hearing God in the Old Testament

A newborn baby is cute, cuddly and full of potential.

What can one new birth do for the world?

God called Abraham and changed an entire people through him. God called Moses as a baby to free his chosen people. Samuel was called by God to establish the rule of Kings.

We need to teach our children to hear the voice of God.

When God speaks, he has a specific reason for communicating with us. I believe scripture reveals three areas God chooses to speak to us about.

1. God speaks so he can relate to us. We shouldn’t be surprised that God longs to connect and have relationship with us.
2. God speaks to assure us that he will meet our needs. God owns it all and he is our source so we do not need to worry.
3. Finally, God speaks to us about what we were created to do. He speaks to us about our purpose in life.

When we know who we are and why we are here, we are going to be much better at loving others.

Do you seek God as much as he’s seeking you?

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders

Does your hearing lead to doing?

Kingdom Living is hearing what God is saying to you and then doing it. As it says in the book of James, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Your foundation becomes solid when you base it on Jesus and come up higher in your daily walk with Him.

Consider the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. Jesus doesn’t teach us how to build our house in a storm free area. Instead, He teaches us to build our house on a foundation that can survive in the midst of a storm. His words are a guide to storm survival and obeying God with all our hearts.

I think most of us living in tornado alley know about storms. It seems every news channel routinely offers tornado survival tips and how best to prepare when a deadly storm hits.

How much more prepared should we be for the storms of life by building our foundation on the Rock of the Lord Jesus Christ! We’re to build our house on Kingdom Living principles…and strive to live in complete obedience to His Word.

It is easy to understand why Jesus begins many of His parables with the simple word, “listen.” He wants to show us how to plug into His power through a willing obedience in Him.

Build a strong foundation on His Word. Upon that rock, your house can weather any storm.

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Parable of the Banquet Table

Do you struggle with Kingdom Living? Is it hard to think right and live in peace and joy?

We all know that there are only two kingdoms. So, if I manage to yank myself out of the Kingdom of God with stinkin’ thinkin’...there’s only one other kingdom available for me. And I don’t want to spend one minute in the Kingdom of Darkness.

The Parable the Great Banquet is a parable of Kingdom Living. This parable suggests it is possible to have a feast at the banquet table in this life. Don't wait to celebrate and live a joy-filled life once you get to heaven, live a life of joy today! Jesus said, “I come that you might have life and that you may have it more abundantly.”

Are you living an abundant life? Really think about it. Abundant???

This parable should remind us that Christianity is not about what happens to you when you die, it is about the quality of your life on Earth. Better Outcomes!!!

We all need to LOSE THE EXCUSES we have for not living in the kingdom of God here on earth. Excuses are a condition of the heart, ask God to remove excuses of any kind from your vocabulary.

Enter His presence and understand who He is, what He says about you, and what He wants for you.

Let's think right and connect with one another at the banquet table of abundant living.

The Kingdom of God is within you!

Right thinking,

Pastor Steve

Yesterday Made Whole

Throughout scripture, God shows us the importance of looking back on yesterday through Memorial Stones. These are times in which we remember His blessings and miracles in our lives through His sacrifice and the sacrifice of others.

We celebrate Memorial Day in America with this same spirit of honor and reverence. It is a day of reflection as we gather as a nation and remember those who fought and died for the freedom of our country.

Remembering yesterday, in this sense, is a Godly thing because it seeks purely to honor God and others and doesn’t get bogged down in our own guilt and personal past sins.

Unfortunately, many in the church live in their yesterdays perhaps because they feel condemned and guilty from what they’ve done in the past. They refuse to let go of their mistakes and then spend their time dwelling on their personal failures.

God’s admonition to you is to stop dwelling on your yesterdays and dwell with Him in a place of peace today.

God is not in the condemnation business. He is in the redemption business. The past is the past…we need to leave it there. As Psalm 118 says, “this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

We also need to be careful in our memory of past successes. There's work to do today and talk of yesterday's good work has little to do with the task set before us today.

A box full of trophies is just a box full of trophies, isn't it? Do trophies really add to our sense of self worth?

Remember, "nows" quickly become yesterday and tomorrow is only a possibility.

Yesterday is only made whole by what you do today.

Dwell with the Lord today…and put your past at rest in Him. TODAY is the day the Lord has made.

Love,

Pastor Steve

Speaking or Talking?

What was the topic of daily conversation in Corinth?

We know from Paul's writings to the church that their talking was immature and caused division.

I wonder if conversations in Bixby are all that much different from Corinthian chatter.
Are we speaking life and building people up or are we speaking discouragement and tearing people down?

In Job 11, we gain insight into the content of talking compared to speaking. Talk will reduce men to silence. In dominating the conversation, the talker gives no hope, no light, no promise, no building up. It leaves people silent.

Secondly, the book of Job says talking is often filled with idle chatter. Maybe you're not talking about people or bringing others down, but if you’re not encouraging others through your words, then you’re not glorifying God. Idle talk is a step below superficial chit chat. Just think of what would be different in our lives, in our church, if we became a people who didn't participate in idle chatter?

Third, if we are talking, we will have trouble remembering what was said. Have you ever been on the phone with someone and when you hung up, you really couldn't remember what was discussed. This happens to me at the end of a busy, talk-filled day. If I can't remember the words of the day--there's a good chance I was talking more than speaking. Significant speaking is remembered!

Finally, talkers rarely encourage. If you come from a conversation and feel encouraged, then you've just been around someone who has spoken life and love into you. It’s how we should function as a church and people. The sounds of Speaking should fill our homes.

Parents, It is God's commandment for you to correct your children and that includes disciplining them with love in your words. It includes speaking life into your children and into the possibilities of who they are and what they will become. Speaking should be the rule for words in your home.

To determine if you’re speaking, before opening your mouth, ask yourself these two questions:

• Does this give life or death?
• Do I need to say it or do they need to hear it?

If we’re speaking life, then we’re thinking right…and if we’re thinking right then our words will be more in line with God's word. Our speech will give life to the hearer and maintain an attitude of thanks. It will produce love, the antidote to division, not destruction.

Saints, my encouragement to you…is to speak life and love throughout your day. Be sure to affirm to others what they mean to you… tell them what they're good at, encourage them to move toward the possibilities of what God has for them.

Also, begin to speak about what you want God to bring about in your life. God wants you to have an abundant life through kingdom living. Speak life into your marriage, speak life into your friendships, speak life into your finances...when you see trouble, begin to "call things that are not as though they are."

Speak the truth in love as we multiply the Kingdom in Bixby.

Love,

Pastor Steve