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

118 Pages·2008·0.6 MB·English
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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: - 1 - 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). 2 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. 3 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. - 5 - 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. 6

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