Hearing the Voice of God and Fulfilling God's Purpose for Your Life

118 Pages·2008·0.6 MB·English

Hearing the Voice of God
and Fulfilling God's Purpose
for Your Life

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me,”
John 10:27

“Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose
that prevails,” Proverbs 19:21

* Second Edition *

Eric Isaiah Gondwe

JesusWorkMinistry.com (Jesus Work Ministry),
Cambridge, MA, USA
Hearing the Voice of God and Fulfilling God’s Purpose for Your Life
Second Edition, 30th Revision/Update (September 21, 2008)
Copyright © 2008 by Eric Isaiah Gondwe

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission
of the copyright owner, except for excerpts and quotations in articles, reviews and
sermons. Copyright limitations apply also to ebook and download copies.

For permission to use this material outside copyright limits contact us through the World
Wide Web at:
JesusWorkMinistry.com or SpiritualWarfareDeliverance.com
(Both websites for Jesus Work Ministry).

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New Interna-
tional Version. Copyright© 1989-1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permis-
sion of International Bible Society.

Published by JesusWorkMinistry.com (Jesus Work Ministry)
Cambridge, MA, USA.
Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................1
Introduction - Hearing from God...................................................................1
1. How God Speaks to Us..............................................................................5
Different Ways God Speaks to us..................................................................5
1) Through Prayer..........................................................................................5
2) Through the Bible....................................................................................10
3) Through Inspired Books, other Literature and Multimedia.....................11
4) Through Wise Counsel............................................................................17
5) Through Circumstances and Opportunities.............................................18
6) Through Fellowship................................................................................21
7) Through Prophesy...................................................................................22
8) Through Visionary Leadings (including Through Visions)....................23
9) Through Dreams......................................................................................26
10) Through Inner Peace.............................................................................28
11) Through Fasting....................................................................................29
12) Through Testimonies.............................................................................39
13) Through Inborn (Natural) Gifts and Personality Attributes...................40
14) Through Spiritual (Newbirth) Imparted Gifts.......................................47
15) Through the Authoritative Voice...........................................................49
16) Through the Inner Voice and Affirmation.............................................50
2. Why the Different Ways God Speaks....................................................53
The Unique Way God Made Each of Us.....................................................53
The Unique Way God Wants to Relate with Each of Us.............................58
The Challenge is in the Flesh Not in the Different Ways............................59
3. The Importance of Listening to God......................................................61
It is the Only Way to Fulfill God’s Will......................................................61
No Bench Warmers, No Spectators in the Body of Christ...........................62
4. The Central Role of the Holy Spirit.......................................................65
The Holy Spirit Determines Our Walk with God........................................65
Fellowship with the Father and the Son Through the Holy Spirit...............67
The Sin Breaking Role of the Holy Spirit....................................................68
The Holy Spirit: The Only Source of Power...............................................68
The Holy Spirit Enables the Mind of Christ to Reign in Us........................71
5. Every Christian’s Work/Responsibility as a Disciple of Jesus............73
Every Christian’s Work/Responsibility as a Christian................................73
A. Every Christian’s work/responsibility in the Body of Christ..................75
B. Every Christian’s work/responsibility in the Harvest Field....................78
6. 80/20 Principle: Everything Permissible is not all Beneficial..............85
Everything Permissible is not all Beneficial -1 Corinthians 6:12................85
1. General areas and the 80/20 Principle.....................................................86
2. Spiritual areas and the 80/20 Principle....................................................86
3. Social areas and the 80/20 Principle........................................................86
4. Material areas and the 80/20 Principle.....................................................87
5. Physical health areas and the 80/20 Principle..........................................87
Living by the 80/20 Principle: More of less (20%), less of more (80%).....88
How to determine your critical or 20% areas in your life............................89
How to apply the 80/20 principle in your life..............................................90
Time wasters versus essential matters outside your life’s 20% areas..........92
7. Motivation and the Conditions for Fulfilling Your Calling................95
Our inborn desire to succeed: spiritually, socially, materially, physically...95
Christianity, the foundation for divine motivation and for true success......96
Right & wrong motives for success in spiritual areas, social, material, etc.97
Right perspective essential on required sacrifices in any area of pursuit...100
Sacrifices are mere strategic prerequisites in any area of pursuit..............101
Minor Strategic Sacrifices.........................................................................103
Major Strategic Sacrifices..........................................................................104
Book References........................................................................................109
Book Index.................................................................................................111
Introduction
Introduction - Hearing from God
This book shows:
(cid:57) The reality of God’s voice in our lives,
(cid:57) How we can be receptive enough to listen or to discern his
voice among the many voices that our hearts hear,
(cid:57) Why it is important to hear his voice in our lives in relation to:
a) our level of fulfillment of his will for our lives, b) our level
of protection from living a trial and error lifestyle, and c) our
level of protection from deceptive doctrines.

The Scriptures are packed with examples of people who had a close re-
lationship with God. The Bible illustrates how God leads us on an individual
level and on a corporate level.
The people spoke to him and heard him speak to them in words and
ways they understood it was him speaking. The presence of God was what
characterized people that submitted their lives to him.
For instance, Paul was full of God’s presence through the Holy Spirit in
his inner person. He was able to see the hand of God with him even in circum-
stances we would normally think God is absent.
In one situation Paul said, “Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jeru-
salem, not knowing what will happen to me there,” (Acts 20:22). A prophet
named Agubus told him what the Holy Spirit said would happen to him. “The
Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this
belt (Paul),’ ” (Acts 21:11).
Having heard this, his colleagues pleaded that he should not go. He re-
sponded, “I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the
name of the Lord Jesus,” (verse 13).
Paul lived as a mere instrument under the use of God. He was totally
possessed by the Holy Spirit and submitted to the authority of the Holy Spirit in
his life. We too can be led by the Spirit of God to effectively live as his instru-
ments.
In fact, God has made the presence of the Holy Spirit in a greater meas-
ure in the end times we’re living in. “In the last days, God says, ‘I will pour out
my Spirit on all people,’ ” (Acts 2:17).
All people refers to all believers as God’s word testifies. Our Lord Jesus
said that only his followers, that is, those born of the Spirit, can receive the
Spirit of God. The rest cannot receive him:
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Hearing the Voice of God and Fulfilling God’s Purpose for Your Life
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with
you for ever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and
will be in you,” (John 14: 16-17).
All believers therefore, have a privilege to personally ‘hear’ God
through his Spirit and to be led by him in their lives. “Those who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God,” (Romans 8:14).
As we increasingly learn to hear God’s voice, we also become increas-
ingly tuned to his program of our lives. Instead of trial and error, we are able to
precisely know or be confident of where, why, who with and what God wants to
do with us. We thus, are able to escape avoidable burdens and tragedies in our
lives and the lives of those entrusted to us.
It is a great mystery that God lives inside every one of us that are born
again. “Don’t you know that you yourself are God’s temple and that God’s
Spirit lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3: 16). “Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”
(1 Corinthians 6:19).
Hearing the ‘voice’ of the Holy Spirit and knowing it is him who has
spoken is determined by our closeness to God. It is like any other relationship -
the more time the partners spend with each other, the more they are able to
know each other. The relationship grows on close acquaintance.
God through his Spirit speaks to us in many ways. “God does speak -
now one way, now another - though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a
vision of the night... he may speak in the ears and terrify them with warnings, to
turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from
the pit... Oh a man may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in
his bones...” (Job 33: 14-18).
Our Lord frequently emphasized the importance of having ears to hear.
“He who has ears, let him hear,” (Matthew 11: 15; 13: 9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23;
7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
The same emphasis is made in the book of Revelation several times:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The
issue therefore is not on trying to find out whether or not God is speaking to us
through his Spirit. He is always saying something to each of us.
The main issue is: do we have ears to hear what he is saying? Physical
ears are not necessary for hearing from the spiritual realm. It is the spiritual ears
that matter.
If we cannot hear what his Spirit is saying to us on matters in our lives
then we’re labeled as spiritually deaf and blind:
“Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! Who is blind but my servant,
and deaf like the messenger I send? …You have seen many things, but have
paid no attention… This is a people plundered and looted…they have become
plunder with no one to rescue them,” (Isaiah 42: 18-22).
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Introduction
We’re admonished to enable our spiritual ears to be attentive to what
God’s Spirit is saying on matters in our lives and the people entrusted to us.
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1. How God Speaks to Us
Different Ways God Speaks to us
The following are among the major avenues God speaks to us:

1) Through prayer
2) Through the Bible
3) Through books, other types of literature, and multimedia
4) Through wise counsel (other people)
5) Through circumstances and opportunities
6) Through fellowship
7) Through prophecy
8) Through Visionary Leadings (including Through Visions)
9) Through dreams
10) Through inner peace
11) Through fasting
12) Through testimonies (past experiences - ours and others’)
13) Through inborn (natural) gifts and personality attributes
14) Through newbirth (spiritual) gifts or abilities
15) Through an authoritative voice
16) Through an inner voice and affirmation

1) Through Prayer
Prayer is basically us talking to God, just as reading the bible is God
talking to us. It is expressing our thoughts, desires, feelings, gratitude, praises,
disappointments, concerns, burdens, our inadequacy without him, etc. Through
prayer each of us believers has personal access to God. When we’re praying we
leave the earthly realm (spiritually, not physically) and we enter the heavenly
realm of God’s kingdom.
Prayer is also an avenue God uses to enable us, believers, to establish
our given authority on earth. Our given authority is in the area of fulfilling his
will on earth and extending his kingdom to all people on earth. Through prayer
we’re able to ask God, according to his written will in the bible, to fulfill matters
on earth he has burdened us with:
“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of
the earth your possession,” Psalm 2:8.
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Hearing the Voice of God and Fulfilling God’s Purpose for Your Life
“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you
will receive, and your joy will be complete,” John 16:24.
Through prayer, God desires us to ask him for things that he world like
to fulfill on earth and in our lives. Thus without asking God may result in him
not bringing to pass many things he’d planned to fulfill on earth and in our lives.
This is a profound gesture from God. The almighty, all-powerful God has
chosen not to impose his will on earth and opted to work with his children, us
believers, on many critical matters.
It could be that certain matters not yet fulfilled on earth and in our lives
are due to not having asked and cooperated with God in fulfilling them. In his
book titled, Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer: Earthly License
for Heavenly Interference, Myles Munroe shows how through prayer God has
placed us in such a central position in making a difference in this world.
God has given us the keys to his kingdom. “I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 16:19. This means that there’re certain places
and matters that unbelievers and Satan’s hosts cannot have access to in heaven.
It’s our Father’s house that only his children have access to. It carries with it
immense authority.
The whole verse in the passage reads: “I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,” Matthew 16:19.
(On what binding and loosing means according to the bible, please read
Chapter 2: Our Territory and Nature of Our Christian Authority in my book on
spiritual warfare, titled Major Spiritual Warfare Principles: Biblical Do’s and
Don’ts of Warfare. Some in the body of Christ recently began to assume it
implied binding and loosing evil spirits in geographical territories, in the
heavenly realms or the spirit world).
What a priestly privilege we have to have access to God’s heavenly
kingdom and stand for unbelievers by going to heaven (through prayer). We’re
able to petition their case of salvation for them with our spiritual keys of access
to his kingdom (that they don’t have yet).
The entire kingdom of God is on our side in bringing to pass in heaven
matters that we’ve appropriately agreed upon (bound) on earth. As we biblically
pursue such matters we’ll be able to see Satan’s works destroyed in our lives
and the lives of others we represent before God.
We also have access to God’s throne of grace for wisdom and every
provision for fulfilling our purposed callings. “Let us then approach the throne
of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help
us in our time of need,” Hebrews 4:16.
As we take time in our daily prayer devotion, it’s important to pause oc-
casionally to hear what God has to say on some matters. Prayer on a higher
level, is a two-way interaction, not just one party doing the talking and another
listening.
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