How to Hear God’s Voice – Week 1, Day 4 – The Gospel Truth
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welcome to gospel truth celebrating the
good news of Jesus Christ the coming of
the savior of the world
Emmanuel God with us and now here’s
gospel truth Bible teacher Andrew
Wommack
welcome to our Thursday’s broadcast of
the gospel truth today I’m continuing to
teach about how to hear God’s voice I’ve
been teaching on this all week and we’ll
be going on this for a while but I tell
you I’ve already covered some really
really important things I have a
teaching on this I taught on this 16
years ago when I put out this series but
we’ve updated it I’ve got a new improved
version of how to hear God’s voice in
the last 16 years I’ve grown and matured
and and I just believe that there’s
things that I could share that would
help you to hear the voice of God I’ve
already been talking about some really
important things yesterday I was talking
about how that God is constantly
speaking in one of the verses that I’ve
used a lot is John chapter 10 verses 1
through 6 and I’ve been talking about
how Jesus said that his sheep do hear
his voice it’s not a question of do you
hear God’s voice we just don’t recognize
God’s voice and the point I was making
yesterday is that it are God’s voice
gets drowned out because of how plugged
into this world we are and all of the
other voices that we’re listening to you
know I shouldn’t have to make this point
but it it’s amazing to me how people
don’t recognize this that the culture
that we live in today and I’m in the
United States but this program is being
seen all around the world so it’s not
limited to the United States it’s true
all around the world that our culture
today is a secular culture it is not a
godly influence the vast majority I mean
vast majority over 90 percent of the
stuff that’s on television on radio on
the Internet
is totally ungodly and it’s presenting
ungodly values and things and these are
voices that drowned out this still small
voice that comes from God and so
yesterday I was talking about Psalms
46:10 how do we need to be still and
know that He is God we need downtime we
need time to where we can focus our
attention on God and just listen and God
is speaking to us
constantly but we aren’t listening
constantly and so those are some of the
things that I’ve already talked about
now I want to talk about probably the
most foundational way that God speaks to
us and you know this is kind of like a
pyramid I’m laying the the broad
foundation here and as we go up we get
more and more specific to where God can
tell you very specific things but he
speaks to us generally through the Word
of God and I know that a lot of people
aren’t excited about this they want to
hear how to hear an audible voice they
want to hear how to see a vision and do
all of these kind of things I’m not
going to spend a lot of time on talking
about those things because if you hear
an audible voice from God you’re going
to know that you’ve heard from God if
your donkey comes up and starts talking
to you the way it did Balaam you’re
going to know that you heard from God if
you see fire fall from heaven and all of
these spectacular signs you’re going to
know that this is God getting your
attention and so you don’t need a lot of
explanation about that but those kinds
of manifestations even though God can do
that and has done it and I believe he
can still do it today that is not
typical for instance God has never spoke
to me in an audible voice and yet I have
heard the voice of God hundreds of
thousands of times God has led me God
has spoken thanks to me giving me
direction it’s just awesome I mean God
speaks to me all of the time but I’ve
never heard an audible voice I’ve never
seen a vision with my eyes open I’m
talking about seeing it with my physical
eyes I see things I’ve prayed for people
before and I’ve seen their spine and
I’ve seen the third or the fourth
vertebra or something like this that
this is where the problem is I’ve seen
things but it’s a mental picture it’s
not I didn’t see it with my eyes the
Lord doesn’t use these dramatic
spectacular ways of speaking to us
primarily he can do it he has done it I
believe he will do it but it’s not the
primary way that God speaks to us and
the reason I believe that that is is
because Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 says
without faith
it’s impossible to please him God is a
God of faith he delights in doing things
in ways that it takes faith to perceive
that this is God speaking to us God
could have a bird come sit on your
shoulder and whisper in your ear and
talk in your ear and tell you everything
that you want to know he could write his
name in the clouds on the sky he could
have a dog walk up and talk to you and
tell you exactly what to do God can do
any of those things he has done
miraculous things in the past but it’s
going to be the exception rather than
the rule and again I’ve never had any of
those supernatural things and yet God
has spoken to me and I believe the
reason is because without faith it’s
impossible to please him in Matthew
chapter 8 there was a Centurion who
Jesus had a relationship with and he
knew him and this Centurion sent and
asked Jesus to come to his house because
his servant was sick so Jesus started to
his house but the Centurion sent another
messenger and interrupted and says Lord
I don’t need you to come into my house
you speak the word only and my servant
shall be healed
and Jesus stopped and it says he
marveled at this man’s faith and he says
truly I tell you that I have never seen
this great faith no not in Israel this
Roman soldier wasn’t a Jew he wasn’t in
the nation of Israel and Jesus said I’ve
never seen an Israelite one of God’s
chosen people who had this much faith
this Gentile had the greatest
manifestation of faith that he had seen
now contrast that in Matthew chapter 8
with John chapter 20 where after Jesus
was raised from the dead he appeared to
his disciples but Thomas one of the
twelve disciples wasn’t with them so the
other disciples told him that we’ve seen
Jesus he was risen from the dead he’s
alive and Thomas said unless I can see
with my eyes unless I can put my finger
into the print of the nails and thrust
my hand into his side I will not believe
that Jesus is risen from the dead
and then eight days later Jesus appeared
in John chapter 20 to his disciples in
this town
Thomas was with them and Jesus walked
right up to Thomas and said Thomas put
your finger into the print of the nails
and thrust your hand into my side and
don’t be faithless but believe and it
doesn’t say that Thomas ever did what he
said he was going to do he just when he
saw Jesus he fell on his knees and he
says my Lord and my god and Jesus
responded him by saying Thomas because
you saw you believed yeh rather blessed
are those who have not seen and yet have
believed and the reason I bring this up
is to say that this contrast to people
one says Lord your word is sufficient
give me a word and I receive and Jesus
says that’s the greatest faith I’ve ever
seen the other person says I’m not going
to believe until I have some physical
proof some physical sign manifestation I
can feel it I can touch it and Jesus
says that’s a puny faith and he says
there’s a greater blessing on those who
believe the word than those who have
some of this physical thing
so put all of this together that without
faith it’s impossible to please God
Hebrews 11:6 and I believe that the
number one way that God wants to speak
to us is not through the spectacular not
through things a bolt of lightning an
audible voice but he wants to speak to
us in our hearts and just simply through
the Word of God because it takes faith
to believe that and without faith it’s
impossible to please God God is a God of
faith and God wants to bring us up to
his level instead of him just coming
down to our level you know in the second
Peter chapter 1 Peter was talking about
that he had written these things down so
that after he was dead
the people would have these records and
he was trying to impress on them that
what I’ve spoken unto you isn’t just
fables for we have not followed
cunningly devised fables when we made
unto you the power and coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses
of his majesty and what he’s referring
to is that he’s saying that I
didn’t just make this stuff up these are
things I experienced I was a disciple of
Jesus I was with him and now he begins
to describe being on the Mount of
Transfiguration where Jesus literally
begin to radiate light and then a glory
caot cloud came over them they heard the
audible voice of God come out of this
cloud and say this is my beloved Son in
whom I’m well pleased and they saw Moses
and Elijah talking with Jesus about his
crucifixion would be which would be
coming up soon and so he goes on to say
in verse 17 for he received from God the
Father honor and glory when there came
such a voice to him from the excellent
glory this is my beloved Son in whom I
am well pleased and this voice which
came from heaven we heard when we were
with him in the holy mount now remember
the reason Peter said he was saying all
of these things he says I’m not telling
you something that I devised this isn’t
something I made up I have experienced
this I was there when I saw Jesus
literally glorified and radiates light
in this audible voice from God and the
reason he’s saying these things is to
impress on people that what I’m telling
you is not something I made up this is
stuff that I’ve seen I’ve experienced it
so he’s trying to give them confidence
that what I’m telling you is true that I
have lived this I’ve experienced this
this is true but then look at this he
says in verse 19 he says we have also a
more sure word of prophecy let me ask
you what could be more sure what could
be more steadfast stable more
authoritative then seeing Jesus radiate
light and a glory cloud and an audible
voice of God and see Moses had allied to
talk with Jesus what’s better than that
he goes on to say in verse 20 knowing
this first that no prophecy of the
scriptures of any private interpretation
what he’s saying is that the Word of God
is a more sure word of prophecy it is
more authoritative it is more accurate
than an audible voice from God a visible
manifestation than any of these things
man that is HUGE
when I first got turned on to the Lord I
was raised in the Baptist Church and I
praise God for the Baptist I got born
again when I was eight years old it kept
me from getting into a lot of the sin
and other things that people got into
but they taught me that miracles passed
away with the Apostles that God doesn’t
do miracles today and when I received
the baptism of the Holy Spirit and
became aware that God was still doing
miracles today man I got excited I
wanted to see I wanted to hear an
audible voice I wanted to see an angel I
wanted to have something visible I was
looking for these physical things that I
was told did not happen today I wanted
to have some kind of a supernatural
experience and the Lord took the very
things that I’ve shared with you today
that Centurions faith where Jesus said
that’s the greatest faith and then
contrasted it with Thomas’s faith where
he says this is a puny faith there’s a
greater blessing on those who believe
without seeing and then this verse where
it says that the Word of God is a more
sure word of prophecy and the Lord put
all of this together for me and he told
me he says Andrew if you keep pressing
in these areas you can have these
visible physical audible manifestations
and things like that but he says there’s
a greater faith involved in just
believing the word and did you know when
the Lord showed that to me I quit
praying for all of these supernatural
spectacular manifestations and I said
God I want to operate in faith I want to
honor you I believe the word I’m going
to take the word as being God’s voice to
me and I’m just going to believe what
the word says and did you know that God
speaks to me through the word and I
believe that this is the foundation this
is the bottom line this is the number
one way that God wants to speak to you
is through the Word of God
now I know that this is not what a lot
of people want to hear but let me just
ask you how is it working for you
seeking all these visions and dreams and
stuff
you can have things like that it’s not
that God will not do those things to you
but here’s the way I look at it why
would God give you something that is
outside of the Bible beyond the Bible
more specific than the Bible
if you aren’t even taking the
instruction that he’s already given us
in his word
it’s like he’s given us thousands
millions of words right here that people
have died to translate and to put into
our hands I mean there are people that
have given their life to deliver this
Bible to you there has been a tremendous
amount of effort over a history that has
gone into this and God has given us
these powerful words of God that are a
more sure word of prophecy than an
audible voice of visible manifestation
and if we don’t take heed to this and
act on this why should God give us
something else like this is the
foundation the way I look at this it’s
like you know if you have a football
game you have sidelines you have things
that are inbounds and out of bounds it
sets parameters and everything in that
game has to be between these sidelines
between these things the Bible gives us
parameters it sets the boundaries God
will never speak to us outside of what
the Word of God says now he can speak
things that are more specific like God I
used an example earlier this week how
God told me that I was going to lose the
pasture where I was keeping my horses
and then I needed to get a new place and
I did that and the very day that I had
to move my horses was the very day I had
already gotten another pasture and I was
going to move now that’s a small thing
but it’s specific I can’t find a
scripture that says you will have to
move your horses next Tuesday there’s
nothing that says that but there are
things in the Word of God that tell me
how to hear God’s voice like that and
God’s Word will set parameters like say
for instance if a person is just wanting
a very specific word from the Lord and
they’re saying oh you know they’ve got a
bad marriage and they’re praying about
it and if all you did was just go by
feelings and impressions and desires
that you have
there could be people that say man I’m
sick and tired of this marriage I think
I’ll dump this person and I’ll go get me
another one I think that’s the voice of
the Lord but you know I’m guarantee you
that that’s not the voice of the Lord
because it doesn’t fit the boundaries
that the Word of God gives God’s Word
gives us a template it gives us this
these boundaries it gives us these
parameters that everything that you say
God is speaking to you it has to conform
to this word he’ll never violate it and
there’s scriptures that say that God
hates divorce and of course there’s many
scriptures against adultery and
fornication and all things like this
there’s somebody might say well God told
me to just go get a new wife I guarantee
you that’s not God that told you to do
that because that doesn’t conform to the
word you know I had a student in our
Bible College who really disliked the
way I emphasized how important the word
is to hearing the voice of God they were
into just hearing specific directions
and being led by the spirit and they
constantly they loved me but they at the
same time criticized me over this and
said you’re too word minded you need to
let God lead you supernaturally and
anyway they had a dream one night and
came and told me about it and in this
dream they saw me landing on the beaches
of Normandy during World War two and the
beaches were just completely covered
with landmines and they said that the
Lord appeared and gave a map showing
where all the landmines were or you
could sit there and listen to the Lord
just speaking to you saying take take a
step to the right go two steps forward
and stuff and they said which would you
rather have and so anyway this woman
came to me and she says see this is you
you’re just following the map but I’ll
listen to this voice and God tells me
how to do and I don’t just go by what
the word says I’m constantly being led
by the voice of the Holy Spirit and she
thought that this was just a great
illustration of how she’s led by the
Spirit but I’m just lived by the word
but you know what really that
is a perfect illustration of what I’m
trying to get across that the word is
like a map and the Holy Spirit will also
speak to you but it’s not one or the
other it’s a combination of the two if
all you did was go by the map how do you
know you’re reading the map properly
maybe your starting point is wrong and
you could step on the land might be
blown up but if all you do is go by just
the voice of God speaking to you how do
you know that you’re hearing the right
voice because you could also think
things
Satan is also a spirit and Satan speaks
things to us and then there’s many
scriptural examples of people being
deceived thinking they heard from God
and it wasn’t truly God but when you put
the two together if you see the map and
then the voice of the Holy Spirit says
oh yes this is exactly where you are and
he’s confirming it you compare what the
Spirit is saying in your heart with what
the word is saying and you’ve got a
confirmation that just gives you a
confidence and an assurance that you
could never have by going only by the
map or only by a voice man I think that
that’s a great illustration and so I
take the Word of God
I’m not legalistic about it I let the
Lord speak to me through the word but
the word establishes the boundaries
God’s Word will never contradict the
voice of the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit
and the word
agreed perfectly and so what I do I take
the Word of God and as I’m reading the
Bible God speaks to me through the word
he just quickens scriptures to me just
like these verses that I’ve used today
I used Matthew chapter 8 John chapter 20
2nd Peter chapter 1 I could go back and
tell you the time that I was reading
these scriptures and that God spoke to
me and gave me specific direction about
how that it is better to just believe
the word than it is to have all of these
spectacular manifestations God the Holy
Spirit quicken this in my heart as I was
reading he connected these dots showed
these things and that was the voice of
God the Holy Spirit was speaking to me
through the Word of God and brothers and
sisters this is the foundation this is
the number one way it’s hard for me to
put a percentage on it but just Andy
ology I would I would say that 90% of
everything that God has ever spoken to
me he spoke to me through the word now
he may take a scripture and then apply
it to my situation and so it’s a
combination of the Holy Spirit revealing
this truth and applying it but it always
based on the word 90% or more probably
of every direction and everything that
God has ever given me has come through
the word and if you are seeking to hear
the voice of God but if you aren’t
taking the Word of God and studying it
and waiting on the Holy Spirit to make
that word become Rhema to you to come
alive to you and speak to you then you
are going to miss out on the most
dominant way that God speaks to you and
that’s powerful and this is precisely
why so many people watching this program
right now you don’t feel like God speaks
to you because you don’t spend much time
in the Word of God the word the Lord
speaks to you just this last week a
couple of days ago I was studying in
first Kings chapter one about David at
the end of his life and things and God
just showed me things through those
scriptures that apply to where I am
right now and he showed me some
adjustments that I needed to make in our
ministry and he spoke to me through
reading the scripture if I hadn’t have
been reading in first Kings chapter 1
and 2 I would not have gotten the
direction that God gave me God spoke to
me through the scripture it was the holy
spit quickening it wasn’t just reading
something and then me mechanically just
physically responding to saying oh I’ll
do this because David did this no I the
Lord quicken things to me and he gave me
understanding and insight through
reading the scripture when I read the
Bible it’s
just like God screaming at me through
the Bible he speaks to me through his
word and this is probably the most
general foundational way that we hear
the voice of God and this is powerful
I’m going to go on and talk about
getting very specific how you can be led
of God in specific things but you got to
start here why would God give you any
other revelation if you aren’t
appreciating and receiving the
revelation he’s already given in his
written word you know I’m out of time
today but we are going to continue on
this on my program tomorrow I encourage
you to listen in and also I encourage
you to get this teaching on how to hear
God’s voice it’s a brand new teaching
that I’ve got out on CD and DVD if you
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this will touch your heart and join me
again tomorrow as we continue the gospel
truth
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