The Voice of God

255 Pages·2010·5.83 MB·English

by  Cindy Jacobs

P r a i s e F o r
T H E V O I C E O F G O D

Wherever I go I am asked, "How do you hear the voice of God?" In
this book, Cindy Jacobs shares the joys and pitfalls of learning to
hear God's voice. The Lord has appointed her as a prophet over
nations and kingdoms. Her zeal comes forth as if it were fire shut up
in her bones—fire flamed by the Holy Spirit of revival for this hour.
This is a much needed book.

ELIZABETH ALVES

PRESIDENT, INTERCESSORS INTERNATIONAL

God's voice is active today, but Christians must learn to rightly
discern it. In my 40 years of prophetic ministry I have found the
principles, truths and life experiences presented by Cindy Jacobs to
be biblical and true to the activity of the Holy Spirit. This book
should be required reading for every Christian.

DR. BILL HAMON

BISHOP, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, CHRISTIAN INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES

This should be required reading for every pastor in whose church
intercessors and prophets are arising. It should also be studied
carefully by any who feel led to respond to the Holy Spirit's
promptings in intercession and prophecy. I agree fully with
everything Cindy Jacobs says in The Voice of God.

JOHN LOREN SANDFORD
FOUNDER, ELIJAH HOUSE

When we started our church 34 years ago it seemed that we had all
kinds of unusual people coming in trying to prophesy. I felt like
throwing up my hands in dismay, but God gave me Hebrews 5:14,
"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those
who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both
good and evil" (KJV).

What Cindy Jacobs has brought in this book is strong meat, birthed
through her walk with God and her experiences with Him, through
her mistakes, through practice. It certainly helps us discern what is
spirit, what is truly of the Holy Spirit, and what is satanic.

I love this book. It's a winner!

MARILYN HICKEY

I have great admiration for Cindy Jacobs and the ministry God has
given her. She is a dynamic voice for the Kingdom in the world
today. Cindy speaks forth God's word and calls believers around the
world to powerful intercession, and to effectively and responsibly use
the gifts the Lord has given them.

P r a i s e F o r
T H E V O I C E O F G O D

DEE JEPSEN

DIRECTOR, WOMEN OF FAITH

Years ago the person who first convinced me by both word and deed
that our sovereign God could and would speak directly to His
children was my friend Cindy Jacobs. She taught me many
important truths that I had never learned in seminary. That is why
I am thrilled to see Cindy's dynamic ideas in this inspiring book,
The Voice of God. I cannot recommend it highly enough for Christian
leaders of whatever theological tradition.

C. PETER WAGNER

PRESIDENT, GLOBAL HARVEST MINISTRIES

Experiential insight, biblical teaching and practical application are
elements of Cindy Jacobs's newest book that make it one that will
answer questions many have had concerning the role and function of
the gift of prophecy in the church today. In her easy-to-understand
style, Cindy expresses several principles that will benefit those who
are just beginning to step out in their gifting as well as those who
are more mature in the prophetic ministry.

I have been blessed personally to receive God's expression of
encouragement through this choice vessel. Cindy is a unique gift to
the body of Christ, one whom God is using powerfully to impact His
people in this vital hour.

JANE HANSEN

INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, WOMEN'S AGLOW FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL

Filled with supernatural adventure and deep insight, this timely
book is essential reading for today's spiritual leader. The chapter on
spiritual protocol should be particularly helpful to pastors struggling
to govern wisely in the midst of the turbulent winds of revival.

JOHN DAWSON

DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL URBAN MISSIONS, YOUTH WITH A MISSION

With her first book on prayer and now with this dynamic book on
prophecy, Cindy Jacobs has done the Christian community a
wonderful service. I believe these truths will take us deeper into the
heart and ministry of God. This book has the gift of being simple
without being simplistic. Don't miss it!

BOBBYE BYERLY

U.S. NATIONAL BOARD PRESIDENT, WOMEN'S AGLOW FELLOWSHIP

INTERNATIONAL

I slept little the entire night in anticipation of dealing with a serious

P r a i s e F o r
T H E V O I C E O F G O D

ministry conflict later that morning. Minutes before confronting the
problem my secretary received a phone call. It was Cindy Jacobs
calling from between airline connections at an airport 1,500 miles
away. As her plane was landing, God had told her exactly what I
was about to face and had given her a passage of Scripture to give to
me confirming exactly what I was to do. The conflict was resolved in
ways I couldn't have imagined.

The Voice of God by Cindy Jacobs is for real. Although the subject of
the prophetic is sometimes confusing and often controversial, this
book provides an invaluable tool to help us understand God's ways of
speaking to and through His children in this, history's greatest hour
of harvest.

DICK EASTMAN

INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, EVERY HOME FOR CHRIST

The Voice of God is very timely, very instructive and very much
needed. Through it, Cindy Jacobs has done a great service to the
Body of Christ I believe her practical approach to the subject, her
backlog of rich personal experiences and her corrective words will
make The Voice of God a textbook manual for the whole Body of
Christ for many decades to come.

DICK MILLS

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THE VOICE OF GOD

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Cindy Jacobs

Regal Books

A Division of Gospel light
Ventura, California U.S.A.

Published by Regal Books
A Division of Gospel Light
Ventura, California, U.S.A.
Printed in U.S.A.

Regal Books is a ministry of Gospel Light, an evangelical Christian publisher dedicated to
serving the local church. We believe God's vision for Gospel Light is to provide church
leaders with biblical, user-friendly materials that will help them evangelize, disciple and
minister to children, youth and families.
It is our prayer that this Regal Book will help you discover biblical truth for your own life
and help you meet the needs of others. May God richly bless you.
For a free catalog of resources from Regal Books/Gospel Light please contact your
Christian supplier or call 1-800-4-GOSPEL.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from The New King James Version.
Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The following Bible versions are also used:
AMP. O.T.—From The Amplified Bible, Old Testament. Copyright © 1965, 1987 by The
Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission.
AMP. N.T.—Scripture quotations are taken from the Amplified New Testament, copyright ©
1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
KJV—King James Version. Authorized King James Version. Public domain.
NASB—Scripture taken from the New American Standard bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968,
1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
NIV—Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan
Publishing House. All rights reserved.

© Copyright 1995 by Cindy Jacobs
All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jacobs, Cindy.

The voice of God / Cindy Jacobs,

p. cm.

ISBN 0-8307-1773-0 (trade)
1. Prophecy—Christianity. 2. Spiritual warfare. I. Title.

BR115.P8J33 1995
234',13—dc20
95-9074
CIP

7 8 9 10 11 12 / 02 01 00 99 98 97

Rights for publishing this book in other languages are contracted by Gospel Literature
International (GLINT). GLINT also provides technical help for the adaptation, translation and
publishing of Bible study resources and books in scores of languages worldwide. For further
information, contact GLINT, P. O. Box 4060, Ontario, CA 91761-1003, U.S.A., or the publisher.

This book is lovingly dedicated

in memory
of my dad

Albert S. Johnson

August 28, 1923—July 5,1973

A Southern Baptist church planter

who taught me how to love God by the way he lived

CONTENTS

Foreword...............................................................................................11

Acknowledgments................................................................................15

Introduction..........................................................................................17

1
The Voice of God...........................................................................19
This book will not give you a specific formula describing
the prophetic call and the way to hear the Voice of God.
God's methods are unique. However, it will give you
some signposts to follow.

2
"But I Didn't Mean to Prophesy":
The Role of Prophetic Intercession.............................................35
Prophetic intercession is the ability to receive an
immediate prayer request from God and pray about it
in a divinely anointed utterance.

3
Camel's Hair and Wild Locusts:
Preparation for the Prophetic Gift..............................................55
God prepares those who will prophesy publicly or
through intercession in specific ways. One of the most
important characteristics is integrity—the Lord needs
trustworthy prophets and prophetesses to speak His
words.

4
"Is That You, God?":
Learning to Hear God's Voice.....................................................69
A person may receive a prophetic word from God in
several ways: person to person; God to a person
directly; through a dream or vision; by reading the
Word; and by hearing the song of the Lord.

5
Redemptive Prophecy...................................................................85
Redemptive prophecy is that which speaks to the
destiny of God for an individual in a life-bringing,
redemptive way.

6
Mentoring the Prophetic Gift.....................................................105
God is looking for fathers and mothers in the faith who
will be willing to pay the price to learn how to mentor
and parent the new generation of powerful leaders God
is raising across the world.

7
Spiritual Protocol........................................................................133

When prophecy within a church is handled properly,
and with correct spiritual protocol, the prophetic word
is a catalytic, powerful influence on the church.
Ministered incorrectly, it can cause enormous
confusion, even church splits.

8
Releasing the Prophetic Gift......................................................163
How do you know if and when to prophesy? You can
trust the Holy Spirit to give you a deep sense of His
presence and peace.

9
Dreams, Visions, Prophetic Styles and Gifts............................197
How a prophetic word is received from the Lord, as well
as the method used to deliver the message, are clues
used to identify the type of prophetic gift in which you
or someone else operates.

10 Warring in the Heavenlies.........................................................217

As an emphasis and understanding of prophetic people
comes to the forefront, we can see that God is
establishing servants in specific geographic regions to
prophesy and pray prophetically for their assigned
areas against the powers of darkness.

Appendix.............................................................................................245

Recommended Ministries..................................................................247

Recommended Reading......................................................................251

Foreword

■

The words "and God said to...," followed by the name of a human
being involved in the biblical record, are so common we are struck
with a double wonder.

The first is that the sovereign of the universe not only designs to

stoop so gently to communicate with His frail creatures, but also
that He is always so completely and fully in touch with the details of
each of their circumstances.

The second is that given the grandeur of His being and the

grace in His revealed nature, anyone would doubt His willingness
and regularity at doing that—speaking to each of us, personally.

That God today talks with His people is so basic to the Bible' s

promise and so abounding in the healthy and healing evidence of its
fruit among believers, it should never be doubted or rejected. But it
is. It is denied by those who fear that an uncontrolled access to or an
unpatrolled wall against such a warm, interactive relationship with
God might surrender the subject of "divine revelation" to unlimited,
hopelessly subjective definition. They fear, in short, that if anyone
can say, "God told me," then anyone can usurp the role of God, either
through intentional deception or innocent ignorance of His true
Word.

That is not an unjustified fear. The history of mankind is

littered with the carcasses of multitudes who have fallen prey to
such deception. From the time of the Fall of man until the most
recent headlines describing the destruction of a band of cultists,
either emotionally damaged or physically dead by reason of the
influence of an erratic "voice," the danger of deceptive "revelations"
has continued.

Still, the Lord Jesus Christ gave pointed instructions

encouraging our expecting to know an ongoing personal communion
with God. Even more than an "allowance" of this blessedness in
intimacy and confidential communication between the Father and

12
THE VOICE OF GOD

His redeemed children, Jesus promised it! And He gave the specific
terms upon which such interaction of a human with the Almighty
may be founded.

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is

he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My
Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him
(John 14:21).

A love for the Savior and a constancy of obedience in following

Him are both the touchstone and the wellspring from which any of
us may become candidates for "hearing" the Voice of God. The very
meaning of the words "I will manifest Myself clearly incorporate
personal interchange—as the old hymn says, "He walks with me,
and He talks with me."

Thus, the Bible encourages those who love and obey the living

Lord to expect to hear from Him. And further, as the writer of this
handbook on biblical prophesying elaborates, God often speaks to us
that He might speak through us. What follows is an effort at helping
us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, not only to expect to bear God's voice,
but also to recognize those occasions He may want us to speak to
others in His behalf. We are also helped to know how to go about
that without violating Scripture, sanity or just plain practical good
sense.

I see Cindy Jacobs as a trustworthy servant of the Body of

Christ. Though we have had few occasions to converse together, my
observations of her life and ministry over the years have distilled to
a conclusion: This lady walks with God and she hears from Him.

Besides the fact that her prayer life and intercession have

brought her to a place of insight into the ways of the Lord's speaking
with His people, I like the way she conducts herself in relating to
others the things God speaks to her for sharing or ministry. There is
a happy, yet holy, humanness in her style that defies the notion that
a person must be "mystical" to be in intimate touch with God.

My encounters with the writer of this practical guide to hearing

God and speaking His heart have evidenced a wisdom that remains
childlike, and a spiritual maturity that has remained unaffected—
untainted by airs of supernaturalistic pretentiousness or the "slick"
sophistication of professionalized piety. She doesn't hold herself
aloof, as though somehow beyond the kin of ordinary people, yet, she
neither reduces the preciously holy to its becoming the province of
casual or glib pretenders.

Prophesying—with the experience of dreams, visions and

hearing of "words" from God—is not a parlor game nor a marketable
skill to be acquired. But it is a promised resource the living God has

FOREWORD
13

offered each of us who (1) have been born again through the cross of
Christ, and (2) chosen to walk with Him in loving obedience.

'"And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see
visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My
menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My
Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy'" (Acts
2:17,18).

Thus has God spoken in His changeless, eternal Word of

absolute and conclusive authority—the holy Scriptures of the Bible.
And it is there we always find the guidelines and controls for
prophesying, as well as the plumb line and criteria for evaluating
the truth or trustworthiness of any "prophecies" or "words from the
Lord" in the Church today.

I think you'll find personal encouragement and spiritual insight

here. You'll read of people who have learned to trust God's Voice to
them, and remained sound in God's Word and sensible in serving
His people. And, with me, you'll find helpful pointers intended to
prod us to listen for and discern His dealing with us. We can learn
how He wants to use us in prophesying," not to elevate our egos or
establish our notoriety as prophets," but to help us serve the Church
of our dear Lord Jesus as encouragers, as uplifters to the fallen and
broken, and as edifiers to those for whom He gives us "a word in
season" to be "a word fitly spoken."

May the Holy Spirit draw your heart nearer to Christ with a

hunger to serve Him and His people in this pure way—as one who
loves Him, who walks with Him and who hears His tender voice of
caring—speaking love and truth to His own.

Jack W. Hayford, D.Litt.

Senior Pastor

The Church On The Way

Van Nuys, California

Acknowledgments

■

I want to first thank the Lord for helping me finish this book. It's
been tough. Writing a book is just plain hard work, but the end
result is extremely rewarding. My family has been just
extraordinary. I love you Mike, Mary and Daniel.

Some wonderful people helped me look good—people such as

Kyle Duncan, Gary Greig, Kim Bangs and Virginia Woodard. God
bless them. Kyle, thanks for your encouragement when I was
frustrated. Gary, your knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew was a big
addition to the book. To those at Regal who prayed me through, a
special blessing is waiting in heaven for you!

Thank you, Joy Anderson, for cleaning up the manuscript.

Thank you, Darla's friends, for helping with the index. Thanks also
to Becky, Lani, Sue, Beth and various others who would read it.
Thanks, Mom and Tom, for your work and love. Bernie, you cleaned
my house when I couldn't stand the way it looked. I love you for
that. Perry and Arlys, you kept me properly adjusted! Lorna, you've
been great.

John Sandford, your insights were very helpful. Thank you.

I also want to thank Peter Wagner for the many times I called

to get a point clarified and for giving me some great stories he could
have used in his books. Also, thanks to Doris for patiently faxing
information to me.

To all of my prayer partners, I am forever grateful to you for

seeing me through these days of writing. All of you know I'm a Type
A person and it's extremely hard for me to sit still long enough to
write a whole book. Kay Hoffman and Juana Soloarez have
especially prayed and fasted long hours.

Finally, to my pastor, Dutch Sheets, and the intercessors at

Springs Harvest Fellowship who prayed and stood with me, I love
you all. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.