Priscilla and Jerry Shirer join Matt and Laurie Crouch to discuss hearing the voice of God and how we can recognize that still-small voice. Listen in as Priscilla and Jerry Shirer explain what we can do to better hear the voice of God in our own lives.
the more you know God the more clearly
you can hear God
there was really nothing for me to write
down because it boiled down to Priscilla
it’s simple he said The more you know
him the more clearly you can hear him so
the reason why we go to the scriptures
the reason why we have quiet time the
reason why we fellowship with other
believers who are going to help us
remain encouraged in our faith is
because we’re just trying to get to know
God our guests are Jerry and Priscilla
Shire why is this subject matter
something that is
really important it is important because
this facet of our faith is what
separates our faith from every other
so-called faith on the face of the Earth
okay that our God Lives he’s alive and
he speaks to us we have an actual
relationship with him and that that’s so
casually thrown around this whole
relationship thing but what good is any
relationship if nobody’s talking to each
other if there’s no communication if
there’s not um a connectedness that is
ongoing and continual so this issue of
Discerning the voice of God first of all
believing that he does speak but second
of all trusting in the fact that as his
kids we have the privilege to actually
discern and just have a distinction of
his voice between all the other voices
that also want to get a word in edgewise
that’s something that really can change
and transform the trajectory of your
entire Christian experience okay let’s
let’s lay a little bit of the ground
rule in your in your world we’re you’re
our guest today you and Jerry uh Jerry
jump in anytime you want to you’re much
bigger than I am you can do that anytime
you want and you know you’re a miracle
worker that you got him on the
let me ask you a question in the
Priscilla Jerry world
yeah uh does God Speak audibly
does he only speak through his word does
he speak how how what are the different
ways that you certainly know of that God
speaks to you
um I’ve never heard the audible voice of
God babe have you gonna miss something I
have not no no not yet but I think there
is something internal yeah in you that
you that you feel the presence of God
and it lines up with scripture which
confirms okay this is what I’m hearing
that’s right so the holy spirit of God
illumines Scripture the book is alive
and he causes the the old presets of
scripture to have a now-ness and a
newness that applies and intersects with
our personal experience so as Jerry
mentioned the holy spirit in US confirms
and corroborates and connects with the
the word of God and causes it to
intersect with our experience so that
that verse that has something to do with
David and Goliath all of a sudden it’s
not about David and Goliath it actually
applies to what you’re facing right then
in your life and you understand it as a
directive straight straight from God and
then there’s the conviction you know the
conviction of the holy spirit that that
green light of ease and peace that says
go that that yellow light of warning and
uneasiness that says hold up a minute
till you get clarity and then that red
light that is a straight up no there’s
no peace there’s confusion there’s
dissension that’s the holy spirit’s way
of telling you no don’t go there there’s
a better yes for you if you’ll just wait
and be patient have you ever heard the
still small voice of the Lord in a
phrase and an impression what describes
some of what is in Discerning the voice
of God how how the Lord speaks or how
this conversation unfolds with you yes
well most of the time MO most of the
time God speaks to me through his word
it is exactly what I described it is
reading through a portion of scripture
and on that day it’s like the Holy
Spirit has taken out a highlighter and
has highlighted this verse you have seen
a million times before but on that day
it leaps up off the page and it grips
you that’s the only way I can really
describe it is that it grips you in the
depths of your soul and causes you to
pause for a moment because it seems to
be literally speaking to something
that’s happening in your life most of
the time that is the voice of God we
have discounted I think the power of
scripture because if we say we want to
hear from God and we never actually read
the love letter that he wrote to us we
don’t want to really hear from God and
we rarely will because the Canon of
scripture is not only it not only
provides the boundary into which
everything God says to us will fall
because he’ll never say anything that
manipulates the scriptures or his
character as revealed in the scriptures
so it not only gives us the boundary but
it also provides for us the number one
mechanism through which we have the
privilege to hear him in the first place
beautiful you know we’re discussing with
Priscilla Shire and and her not often
seen husband Jerry uh uh Jerry thank you
for being on by the way
all right I’m glad you’re here all right
now let me let me tell you
um a little bit about
the way a I believe the way the Lord has
communicated to me I have been sitting
uh or standing in a place before and
from one moment to the next
uh you know I I hate to be so secular
but remember that remember that that
moment in on TV back when we were kids
do you remember remember
um the I Dream of Jeannie where she’d
kind of do like that you know okay so uh
I have from one moment to the next I
mean this is like one heartbeat to the
next heartbeat I’m remembering some kind
of conversation that was a longer
conversation for instance and I felt
like that was something that got
communicated to me a big subject matter
communicated to me in a blink yeah so
what the voice of the Lord sometimes
feels like to me is like I’m remembering
a conversation not like I’m talking and
and going Hello Lord and he says well
hello Matthew it’s nice to have you here
with me today you know okay so I’ve
never had any kind of an experience like
that at all every time I felt like
volumes of information get communicated
in a in a in a snap of a finger and then
it just feels like you’re remembering
when we’re done with this conversation
today and we’re out of this studio we’ll
be able to remember this conversation
and we will be able to ultimately think
back on it that’s that is a way the Lord
has communicated I have heard
the still Small Voice say one word to me
or two words one time Hillsong Channel
um
[Music]
six months later the Hillsong channel
was on the air yeah okay uh we’re
sitting here today Lori and I
um you know have often heard the story
but just just because of what we’re
talking about and I wanted to set a
little bit of the stage and by the way
what a thrill to have you guys seriously
I mean it’s big it’s like I’ve known
your parents and I was like what’s the
matter with us man I mean so we met
actually at TD Jake’s church not long
ago that behind us and made us laugh
through the whole time I’m sorry for
that I was cutting up and the kids thank
you for sure thank you for that because
they were like okay when is this going
to be over
you realize you’re making fun of a TD
Jake service that’s okay it was
and just so that they wouldn’t freak out
I gave them a little money
kind of bribe okay anyway
uh so for me one
my mom and dad were working for somebody
else in the 60s
it was a TV station and after one very
successful night they were leaving the
parking lot and the Lord said I’ve
released you from your work here
now my parents believe it was almost
like one of these moments where you look
in the back seat make sure there’s
somebody not in the back seat but they
were in their car
and my dad
didn’t recall it as being an audible
voice but it might as well have been
because he looked at my mom and said
you’re not going to believe what the
Lord just said to me and she said no I
will he said the same thing to me he’s
released us from our work here
very very unique thing they quit that
job
I’m 11 years old my dad doesn’t go to
work anymore this is you know here in
Southern California in the early 70s
and then a few months later praying the
Lord said had to say these words somehow
because my dad heard call Angel Lerma it
was a gentleman that owned a TV station
here in SoCal
he called and he said to he said to
Angel he said I’m just calling you today
checking on your Channel
and there was a long pause on the phone
Paul I just came from the boardroom we
just had a board meeting just now we
just voted to sell this channel did you
know that
and he said no sir I didn’t know that
but based on that I’d like to come see
you by the end of that day there was a
deal worked out which was the birth of
TBN which was this channel here in Los
Angeles Channel 40. channels actually
changed now because of digital but that
was channel 40 back in the day
so here’s the here’s the thing we’re
sitting here today because of a couple
of
moments that the Lord was wanting to
communicate to someone to see if they
would respond to it okay so now 40
something years later we’re sitting here
there’s 31 television networks on the
air in 13 or 14 different languages and
we are literally ultimately uh now
communicating to the globe as we’re
sitting here okay yeah so if everyone
can
realize it’s kind of an important
subject that we’re talking about okay
okay and so if everybody moved on
something that God spoke to them there
it is you know take another generation
what would that become what exactly what
God had done if we would have obeyed at
that and we’ve had that we’ve had that
in our life I’m thinking about when we
first got married babe where you’ve had
these these moments where like you said
there is almost like a huge conversation
that has already happened and the wealth
of it download it just downloads to you
in an instant
um and one of those things happened when
we were married for our very first year
of marriage very first year what
happened
we were at a family reunion on my
father’s side of the family
and uh I remember one of my cousins said
Jerry do you realize that if you and
Priscilla don’t have any boys the
Chardonnay will die with you
I’m like and I looked around I’m like
wow
and at that moment I felt like Laura
said to me
Jerry you have nothing but boys wow and
so I looked at Priscilla and I told her
what I said you have nothing but boys we
have nothing but boys and I remember
when I first I was born Jackson a boy
uh the Second Son Jerry Jr a boy
and it was so funny the third child
everybody you know
oh the way she’s carrying it it’s a girl
it’s a girl I’m like no it’s not it’s a
boy and everybody asks me how confident
was I that I knew that it was a boy wow
and I told him years ago the Lord told
me I had nothing but boys because what
he’s doing
is starting a new generation wow of
Shire men wow and uh I remember being in
the delivery room and uh uh when when
when Jude was coming out and his head
was out uh I said oh I bet you a
thousand dollars
that’s a boy the doctor said we haven’t
seen everything yet I said if that’s a
girl she’s going to be with me for the
rest of her life that’s a boy
but you know what some of the details of
that that you have to know is that some
of the well most of the men in Jerry’s
Legacy
did not live well they didn’t honor God
they didn’t stay with their wives they
didn’t honor their kids nothing and so
in that moment where he felt like the
Lord said that to him he really felt
like the Lord was saying I’m doing this
on purpose I’m going to dinner I’m going
to change what it means to be a shire
man through this Legacy and he looked at
me just barely into our first year of
marriage and said we don’t have boys
God’s doing this on purpose and here we
are 18 years later with our three boys
and so we have high expectations that
God’s got a plan for them he does um and
you don’t have any plan for any more
kids we actually do not
you know she always says she always says
from this stage our youngest is Jude
because that’s as close as she can get
the Revelation because it is finished it
is finished
I’m lying right there
oh gosh okay so start us out on um
because I know so many people wonder oh
you know how can I hear God’s voice for
ourselves and I know trust it or trust
or trust it how can I trust God’s voice
when I do hear it is that really him is
it me is it yeah well let me let me just
start by putting a little Grace over
this entire situation the reality is
that sometimes
you do not know until hindsight that
what you heard was the voice of God
there you go and the reality is that
there is grace and mercy to cover our
missteps and that the Lord in his
graciousness toward us his knowledge of
our Frailty and our Humanity for the
Willing heart who desires to do his will
even when we make mistakes he allows
them to become our greatest teachers for
hearing him correctly in the future he
does not hold it against us because
we’ve misstepped along the way so
um just Grace for those of us yes who
have ever heard God wrong
and wish we could get it and get it
right one of the people I sort of
interviewed when I was first writing
that book many you know over a decade
ago now I interviewed Henry blackaby who
wrote Experiencing God yes and I you
know had my notebook out my pen I was
going to take a seminary class from
Henry blackody you know and I said how
do you know when you’re hearing God and
he gave me lots of incredible answers to
that question but really he summed it up
this way he said The more you know God
the more clearly you can hear God
there was really nothing for me to write
down because it boiled down to Priscilla
it’s simple he said The more you know
him the more clearly you can hear him so
the reason why we go to the scriptures
the reason why we have quiet time the
reason why we fellowship with other
believers who are going to help us
remain encouraged in our faith is
because we’re just trying to get to know
God when you know his character
when you know the nuances of what he
does say and what he wouldn’t say
because how he spoke to our forefathers
because of how he handled circumstances
previously with people in the scriptures
who were going through some of the same
scenarios we’re going through now when
you see his personality and his
character then you know when you hear
the voice of fear uh-uh that don’t sound
like my god when you hear the voice of
your ego Pride jealousy divisiveness
stepping in all of that stuff that in
our flesh is also trying to get a word
in edgewise we can quickly quickly
pinpoint the voice of a stranger because
if we know God the more clearly we can
discern and divide his voice from a
stranger okay now you talked about
seeking God’s provision and His
blessings on our life and then knowing
who what his character is talk about
that because I found that fascinating
yes so God’s blessing um and I believe
his Provisions are a corroboration of
his word to us so in other words while
in the Old Testament there were external
means as a primary way for to hear God
in the New Testament and now in this
time frame as well we have something
they didn’t have we have the Holy Spirit
so the primary way he has speak to us is
that he speaks to us has changed but his
goal hasn’t his goal is still for his
kids to hear his voice so he’s chosen
the holy spirit of God to be the the way
that we uh hear and know what it is that
his will is for our life but he still
uses external means his provision His
blessings his aligning of Providence
some people would call it luck or
coincidence no it’s the aligning of
God’s handiwork in our life to confirm
that what we’re sensing on the inside is
indeed how he’s aligning uh the
direction for our life to just FB Myers
a great Theologian put it this way when
a big 747 is getting ready to land on a
Runway well well the plane better not
just be looking for one light somewhere
to land better not just look for two
lights somewhere to land there better be
several lights that are that are
aligning a Runway so that that 747 7
knows exactly to relent the bigger the
decision that you have to make the more
you need to trust in the mercy of God’s
external confirmation that aligns for
you where to land that plane in your
life beautiful um and and so that’s
important that we have external
blessings provision coincidence that
really shows us the sovereignty of God
aligning I’ll give you an example I was
just telling you guys before we started
airing that I
that I started to to look at this
Discerning the voice of God book The
material that we’ve been privileged to
be able to develop Through The Years on
the topic and I just started you know
how the Lord puts layers of maturity on
a message the more you grow in him
aren’t we so grateful sure that he lets
us grow and mature and learn from our
mistakes and I thought I was just
starting to feel like you know it might
be time especially with the the video
series that we’ve done in regards to
this it was taped 11 years ago so it
kind of looks dated now and I thought we
might need to do something different
with that at some point this was going
to be my lazy year where I just kind of
sat down and didn’t write too much but
at the same time I started to sense that
on the inside maybe we need to do that
at some point one of my Publishers
called to say you know let’s redo the
Discerning the voice of God Bible study
then the publisher of this particular
book called and said hey you know what
maybe we’re going to put a reface this
and go ahead and freshen up the material
here in the new insights that the Lord
has given you so there were two things
two lights there that kind of
corroborated what I was already sensing
on the inside and then Matt Lloyd Crouch
called and said you know what Priscilla
we think that we would love to offer
this to to people who want to know how
to discern God’s leading that third
light wow was the confirmation for me
that what it was I was sensing on the
inside the Lord was very clearly clearly
giving me a light bulb to let me know
this would be his direction for me which
ultimately means that Discerning the
voice of God is a is on the heart of God
okay so I didn’t call your publisher
your publisher didn’t call us we didn’t
you know yeah there was nothing we are
yeah there was no person kind of trying
to stir that you know soup there a
number of years ago
when laws were different
um today
um if we’re hiring somebody here at
Trinity Broadcasting we can say by the
way you’re you know TBN is a Christian
organization might have noticed
um are you a Christian
we can say that that is but there if you
wind the hands of clock back about 30
years you couldn’t say that you couldn’t
make somebody tell you whether they were
a Christian or not in in the application
process it was a different rules
well my dad uh when he or in the early
days somebody called
and Trinity Broadcasting is you know
under the authorization of the Federal
Communications Commission we have
employees here that make sure we stay in
tune with those policies and procedures
and rules and all that kind of stuff we
have different sets of employees that do
Lighting and Sound and this and that but
my dad was of course the general manager
and and somebody called and my dad’s on
the phone Mr Crouch you have to be a
Christian to work at your Channel
he had the phone in his hand he went ye
and wanted to say yes and the Discerning
voice of God at that point was literally
he couldn’t say the word yes so he went
yeah
and tried to say Yes again and couldn’t
and he said hold second put the call on
hold and said you know just kind of went
what you know Lord
and he clicked the button back and went
well sir I suppose you don’t have to be
a Christian to work at our Channel but
you might want to be
uh you know much like if you were
applying for a Spanish language Channel
you might want to know how to speak
Spanish yeah and the guy went
well that makes a lot of sense okay I
get that uh oh by the way if he said yes
I was going to file uh you know against
your license at the Federal
Communications Commission
so my dad’s you know hit over the head
with a ball peen hammer from the Lord
that moment was that was God having a
conversation by literally not allowing
him to make a mistake and see here’s the
thing that I love about this story about
your dad and the story about your
parents at the very beginning of this
what I love is their willingness to not
push past those moments of restraint
when they sense the cat that that
warning that conviction to not put the
call on hold but then pick it back up
only to get that yes out that they
wanted that he wanted to get out and
that’s the problem with most of us that
rebellious streak that we all have that
when we sense that conviction that
warning don’t say that to your spouse
not right now that’s not the time to say
that to yourself you had to say the
spouse thing
yes you know when you’re in heat and
fellowship with your spouse and you you
know sometimes as wives we get ready
because we know what we’re going to say
it’s gonna shut this whole thing down
and we’re going to win this battle we
plan to win the battle and then we feel
that warning that conviction
that’s not that’s not going to be
healthy for the the longevity of your
marriage the question is when we sense
that well we push past it and say what
we want to say anyway yeah wow or will
we
submit to the leadership of the Holy
Spirit and the moment it might seem a
little bit uh limited to losing yeah it
might seem like your limit you’re losing
but really the outcome of obedience is
always freedom and victory yes and it’s
hard to see that from this perspective
but if you trust God if we trust God
then when we sense that conviction of
the Holy Spirit to not say this to not
buy this to not eat all of this to
restrain ourselves it’s because there’s
freedom and victory that he’s trying to
lead us to okay so I’m gonna personally
hold you to that when the butter cake is
is served a little bit later so there’s
this thing called butter cake
that both of you talked about okay we
ain’t gonna be talking about the holy
spirit
so when it comes to this kind of
Discerning the voice of God we’re
unpacking this all hour with Jerry and
Priscilla Shire
um I have a question let me let me just
let me let me say this one thing when it
pertains because I want to jump off of
something you’re saying about Mary
marriage
I was running one day and the Lord said
I didn’t call you
seemed to be pointing at me okay this is
like a Daydream this isn’t like you know
I mean it’s like you’re just trying to
just sound weird I’m not sounding weird
because I don’t want to sound weird uh
but it felt like the Lord was pointing
at me with one finger you know I didn’t
call you I called you and then he had
two fingers pointing and Lori was next
to me in this kind of Daydream yeah I
knew I was running and I was on the side
of the road and all that
came home and told her and and let me
tell you something that got more
important
the years later that this happened 20
years ago
because I’ve always loved her but the
idea that he didn’t call me he called me
I didn’t call you I called you and she’s
there so I wouldn’t be the me that God
sees without her and so that’s a good
man right there okay so ultimately I
have to remind him of that on it
honestly
she doesn’t I’ve always known that you
know so let me tell you bickering in
marriage pales to comparison of just
making this one statement if the Lord
said that to me and he did
or I felt you know again it wasn’t this
conversation then if I divorced her I
wouldn’t be divorcing her I’d be
divorcing my destiny
yeah now when in in light of that who
cares you know yeah what kind of what
kind of what kind of okay yeah yeah
let’s go there immediately so so the I
the idea that
um you know the voice of the Lord
changed my Dynamic about what marriage
was 20 years ago or so
uh I’m different yeah you know I’m
Different The Voice why is it important
to hear God because it changes you
change me why is it that’s right
let’s change you you know what it does
you know what it does yeah it ruins you
for church as usual oh hey it ruins you
yeah that regular Old Mundane Christian
Rita Versa day to keep the devil away
sit in church go because my mama went my
grandmother went this is what we do all
of that goes away okay because you’re
hungering for what you know you’ve
experienced before actually sensing the
voice of God his presence near you
listen sometimes hearing God is less
about having a specific word and more
about just The Nearness of his presence
just knowing that he’s near I’m talking
about where your physical body responds
to the presence of God there are times
when you know he’s near because he’s
omnipresent there are times where it he
manifests himself in a way where the
hair on the back of your neck stem kind
of fail Goosebumps yes and in those
moments once you start sensing The
Nearness of God in that way you’re
ruined for all just doing stuff because
it’s what you’re supposed to be doing
and you want more of that and I think
what a lot of people need to understand
and he also speaks through his silence
wow very much so you know I’m not saying
anything
you know think about the years in the
world where you know from the old to New
Testament he was just silent yeah
and his silence means stay still don’t
move I got you yeah does somebody your
size ever feel Goosebumps does that ever
happened to you ever
you know you know I’m gonna have
Goosebumps right now oh yeah hey hey hey
hey hey hey yeah how much time we have
left in the show they’re needing to get
out okay
um and by the way uh we’re gonna unpack
this so get right back into the subject
it’s an important subject matter even
the idea well the way the publisher and
all that kind of stuff this is a this is
on the heart of God right now this is
the people being dissatisfied with the
mundane yeah we are aren’t wanting to
hear God’s voice wanting to know you
know I don’t I mean you know not what to
to eat today yeah necessarily but
needing to know to help their kids yeah
to their jobs their you know in every
area of your life I believe God is
speaking or wants to speak or wants to
have a say yes and you know I want to
say too that just that sense of
dissatisfaction that that someone may be
feeling that we all feel when we’re
going to be launched into the next level
in our relationship with God sometimes
that dissatisfaction makes us so upset
and so frustrated because we just want
to know the answer we want to get to the
answer but the dissatisfaction itself is
a sign of God’s spirit working with us
absolutely and the satisfaction the
journey that it is going to lead you on
the lessons that are meant to be learned
they’re going to be learned because the
dissatisfaction sent you on a journey
the journey itself is not a waste of
time Discerning the voice of God is
never something you’re going to arrive
at it is never something you’re going to
be successful at it is going to be a
journey with God as you walk in The
rhythms of Grace you will be on your
deathbed still wanting to know whether
or not you have clearly heard the voice
of God because we are human wow he’s
mysterious he’s got it aren’t we glad
that he’s not just a big version of us I
don’t want God to just be a big me I
want God to be so far beyond my
imagination that I can never arrive at
the knowledge of him that I have to
constantly and consistently be growing
well because it takes faith it takes
Faith to say okay you know what that
that’s why I always say if we step out
in faith kind of no matter what it is
but if we walk in faith how can we ever
fail in that that’s right that’s right
if we’re believing that we’re doing what
God’s called us and we could have been
in our yeah yeah even when we’re when
we’re unsure and we’re unsteady in in
the book I list several of these but
I’ll tell you just a couple of them I
believe that he allows us to have the
mercy of confirmation I call them the
five M’s of hearing God when you sense
that God is imparting something upon you
impressing conviction
um uh just a a push towards something or
away from something ask him for the
mercy of confirmation he knows you’re
just a human he knows that you need to
make sure that his fingerprints are on
this assignment before you move forward
I believe that he honors the sincere
request of his children when they say
Lord would you just do something to
confirm not not because it’s the primary
way you speak I think you’re speaking
would you confirm that by some external
means to point me in the right direction
and then one of the other M’s is the
ministry of Eli do you remember the
little boy Samuel he had an older wiser
guy in his life named Eli who was the
one who pointed out to him that the
voice you’re hearing is the voice of God
you need to have a wiser more mature
believer in your life who you admire not
the car they drive the house they live
on live in in this success that they’ve
achieved but the ongoing conversational
relationship they have with God the
victory you’ve seen them experience in
your life you go to them and you say
here’s what I think the Lord is saying
would you pray through this with me
listen I’ve got those people in my life
the majority of the things that we have
done in ministry as a couple we have not
done I’m talking about big things that
would have marked our lives and our
children’s lives we have not done before
we have called people that we are
submitted to their Authority ask them
would they pray through and give us
their wise counsel before we took a step
so we’ve submitted ourselves to the
ministry of Eli we’ve got Eli’s in our
life okay we’re talking about Discerning
the voice of God we’re going to be
talking about it unpacking it with Jerry
and Priscilla are all hour long this
book why don’t you uh wind back and go
back to the original moment that you
started thinking about writing this book
what was happening in your life what was
going on how did this subject matter
start forming books for most people are
painful to write except Max Lucado who
says it’s easy which is not fair he’s
kind of different though that’s not even
yeah
and so most of us would would I’ve never
written a book probably won’t but the
idea it would be painful because it’s
hard for me to write a letter so this
this had to be a period of light in your
life where you were going to drill down
you were going to get into this why this
book why this subject matter when you
wrote it
specifically because of what your wife
described a few moments ago as a
dissatisfaction with my Christian life
the way it was wow I grew up in a
incredible wonderful Spirit-filled
environment where my father who started
the church that I still attend to this
day when I was one year old they have
been Faithfully pastoring for 40 years
and if anybody can preach the word of
God it is Tony Evans
he is one of the most gifted
communicators of God’s word and I was
talking to your wife earlier today and
telling her that
the reality is I had parents that lived
the thing I’m so grateful integrity and
character that’s what my parents had and
so I gleaned so much of what the word of
God was who it described God to be what
he did in the Old Testament in the New
Testament I knew all that
but felt dissatisfied because if he did
that for them then why am I not
experiencing that for me there was an
unrest in my heart I wanted more I
wanted to see and experience this God of
the Bible and it is that dissatisfaction
that sent me on a just a personal
Journey that connected me with people
who were in different streams of the
faith and instead of closing them out I
invited in what it is that God was
teaching them and the ways that he had
demonstrated himself to them and by just
listening and gleaning and inviting from
the breadth of the body of Christ I
began to realize that there is so much
more than our little box of our little
stream presents to us that there is more
that can be that doesn’t take away or
water down what we have but on the Firm
Foundation of where that God has already
laid in our life there are deeper depths
and there are higher Heights and so I
just started walking the journey and I’m
so grateful to the Lord because he um
honored my quest by again not allowing
me to be at a place where I’ve arrived
I’m in a place right now here I am at I
wrote that book I think when I was 31 or
32 here I am at 42 years old and I’m at
a place right now where I’m revisiting
this whole concept because I’m needing
to say Lord I’m at a place right now
where I feel like you’re silent or
either my heart’s hardened and I’m not
hearing so once again Lord I need to
retrain my spiritual ears I’m praying
and saying Lord would you heighten my
spiritual senses you know just like we
have five physical senses we’ve got
spiritual sentence Lord senses Lord I
Need My Radar to be up so that I can
detect your presence and hear your voice
and I’m going to need you to make my
detectors sensitive again Lord and I’m
entrusting that to your spirit so it’s
an ongoing
um thing that is born out of those
moments of unrest in our life with the
Lord the greatest gift ever it’s the
greatest gift it means there’s a new
level he wants to take you to so I’ve
been trying to keep myself from getting
frustrated by those moments right and
just go with God you know so then then
at some point though how is your life
different
how is your life better
after you hit that dissatisfaction Point
started writing this book what has
changed in the 10 years for you
personally because there could be
somebody viewing going you know this is
really too deep of a subject for me you
know I got kids to raise and I got two
jobs and I got this and that I don’t
have time to put into okay how can we
make sure everyone understands this book
the contents of this book the subject
matter of hearing God’s voice is
something that will change their life so
take your own Journey talk to us about
that
if we feel like our life is too big and
too filled with the busyness of kids or
business or life right now to be
concerned about this topic that this
seems so theoretical and sort of out
there
then those very reasons are the reasons
why I’m more than anything you need to
discern the voice of God okay all the
things that you love the most your
children your spouse your business your
ministry all the things that are closest
to you without guidance and leading from
the Holy Spirit without knowing what it
is that God wants you to do you will not
be able to handle those things I won’t
be able to handle those things correctly
we’ll miss out on some of the biggest
gifts and biggest surprises and biggest
Miracles that he wants to present to us
because most of those hinge on us
hearing a word and having faith enough
to step out on the journey just like
your parents got it let me tell you what
I’ve gained here’s what I’ve gained what
I’ve gained is that now at 42 years old
and I say this I say this uh you know
I’m stepping carefully when I say it but
at 42 years old there are very few
things
that the Lord could ask me to do that I
would not quickly and immediately step
out to do them because I have I have
such a track record with God now even
with my mistakes but I have such a track
record with God now and I think my
husband can attest to this but I’m one
of those people that if I sense the holy
spirit is calling me to do something
because of the track record of seeing
his faithfulness time and time again
step in for me when I stepped off what I
thought was a ledge and it didn’t look
like it was good but I had a word from
the Lord and it was confirmed in his
word and by leadership in my life so I
just went ahead and I did it anyway and
I watched him catch me and I watched him
take me to a place I never could have
gotten in my own giftings or my own
Talent or my own skill you watch him do
that enough times you get to the place
that when God asks you to do it again
you you can’t wait to step off the ledge
yeah another word okay let’s go I’m so
excited to see what’s next in the
journey so I get excited now about about
hearing a word from God I don’t allow
myself to become discouraged when I feel
like he’s silent I assume that that
means the last word I had stay with the
last word stay right there being
obedient to them do me a favor uh just
uh let’s let’s for somebody that still
is going
yeah that’s good for you folks that are
on television right you don’t know what
it’s like out here you know and all this
and and you know you’re all up there in
your suit and you’re all looking good
and smelling good and all that kind of
stuff it’s really rough out here think
of the people in you know foreign parts
of the world of Indonesia and and Africa
that are watching tonight they’re just
they’re struggling to get by okay what a
God talk to them yeah well yeah would it
happen think of think of them in in
regard to that and if you would look at
them and maybe pray for them Priscilla
let me just say this first of all and I
want to talk to those people please
I’m the youngest of three I grew up in a
single parent home
my mother had the sack groceries work
for tips only to put food on the table
but I remember nice I couldn’t sleep and
get up
I saw her praying on her knees
for her it was how bad she wanted it I
tell people all the time how the prayers
of one woman change the entire
generation wow
so yeah and so God speaks to us no
matter what ailments we have no matter
how devastating those seasons of Life
are where we feel like we are completely
overwhelmed we don’t have what it’s
going to take to sustain our current
needs and we’re wondering if God hears
we’re wondering whether or not our
prayers matter we’re wondering whether
or not he is ever going to speak into
and change and alter our circumstances
but one of the greatest gifts I think
from scripture is not his voice it’s not
what he can give us it’s just him yeah
seek Him He will disclose more and more
to you in terms of his will his plans
for your life his gifts His blessings
those are a benefit of just having him
and you need to know that he’ll never
leave you he will never forsake you no
matter how devastating things might
become and I know there are some very
real practical needs and so I want to
pray for those right now I want to pray
that the Lord will manifest himself to
you in a tangible way that will keep you
hope filled encourage and excited to
continue your relationship with the Lord
despite external circumstances Lord
Jesus I pray for my sister and brothers
all around the world I’m asking right
now in Jesus name that you would bring
encouragement you would replace
discouragement with encouragement Lord
I’m going to ask right now in Jesus name
that you would build up somebody’s faith
today by manifesting yourself in their
life Lord I’m asking you to speak to
them a still Small Voice Lord or let the
scriptures fall open to a page of of
your word Lord that is so evidently so
clearly for them that they will never
doubt again that they have not heard
from you and experienced you Lord I’m
asking that the church they attend would
be on fire with your spirit that every
time they and the others that go there
would walk through the door they would
have a tangible sense of your presence
with them Lord I pray that your word
would be alive I pray that the
assignment of the enemy against them
against their children against their
spouses Lord that those assignments
would be canceled and that they would
see those assignments replaced by um
Your Grace your love and your mercy
washing over them and their experience
Lord meet us speak to us Lord we need a
word from you and so we ask the Lord
that you would bring your word to your
people and speak clearly so that we can
hear
you thank you lift the veil from our
eyes thank you Lord
cause the veil that is over our ears the
hardness of our heart Lord to be
softened and to be removed so that we
have tender sensors that are able to
detect your presence we need you Lord
and so we ask you to speak it is in
Jesus name that we pray amen amen
beautiful wow
wow wow I love what you said about your
mama you know the need for God so many
of us we need something new in our life
we need God and and I think that
dissatisfaction leads us to a place of
seeking
you know and I think being a Seeker is
one of the greatest things that could
ever happen to us because there’s a lot
of people sitting in church that aren’t
seeking God anymore yeah but there’s a
lot of people out in the world that
haven’t found God yet God hasn’t found
them that are seeking you seek and
you’re going to find them that’s right
you know so I think that’s a that’s a
good thing if you’ve got children that
are seeking God you need to pray for
your kids that God brings that person or
something into their lives that that
draws them to God because I think that’s
a very open season of their life was
when they’re seeking God totally how do
you know
um so so I know that a lot of
um people want to hear God’s voice but
they won’t stop talking
right tell us how important my problems
stop talking
yeah we have turned prayer into this
one-way monologue where we’re just you
know just feeling like we have to feel
in the note of the silence any quiet
spaces we’ve just got to fill them in
with our next request or the next thing
that we want to say and you’re right we
don’t leave room for God to get a word
in edgewise but one of the authors that
I remember reading Bob Sorge I believe
his name is he said uh nothing happens
when I speak but when God speaks worlds
come into existence so why in the world
wouldn’t I want to leave time for him to
speak and what that practically looks
like is yes vocalize your prayers to him
I literally have kind of begun the habit
of even writing some down just writing
down what it is that I want to say to
the Lord yes we have the privilege of
bringing our needs and our requests to
him but there ought to be at some point
where you just pause and you say Okay
Lord is there anything you want to say
to me most of the time he’ll speak to us
just through his word through whatever
you’re reading in your Bible time that
day he knows how to match up what you’re
going to be reading today with what the
needs of your life or your future are
that you might not even be aware of yet
so in his word that is how most of the
time he speaks back to us but oftentimes
it’s just an impression it’s just a
Bible verse from that you learned in
Sunday school years ago all of a sudden
it comes back to your mind now take that
as God speaking to you or the name of a
friend you haven’t talked to in years
take that as God’s saying pray for this
friend right now those little
Impressions those little inklings you
know Deuteronomy chapter 30 says God’s
word is not so hard that you’ve got to
send someone above the heavens to go
find it for you or through the Seas to
go and get it for you God’s word is in
your own heart it’s in your it is as
close as your fingers tips all of that
stuff that we discount as our own ideas
oh that’s just coincident most of the
time for the believer for the one who is
seeking God’s will in his voice most of
the time that’s God’s word take it
seriously write it down ask him for
confirmation treasure his word and see
if he doesn’t show you how important and
palatable it is in terms of the
experience that he has planned for you
we are talking with Jerry and Priscilla
Shire Discerning the voice of God you
know what’s um
you know it it couldn’t be any more
important this subject matter I mean the
very fact that the four of us are
sitting in a studio
uh doing this broadcast is because
Discerning the voice of God came to Paul
and Jan Crouch 40 something years ago
and TBN is his thing this isn’t
something that the Crouch family built
this is something God did and and the
idea
um you know that’s why it’s almost
comical when people try to rise up
against something that God did it’s just
kind of kind of funny you know it can be
irritating for a season but it’s it’s
almost comical yeah uh because uh if we
thought that this ministry and as it is
now fully in its second generation we’re
up to us we quit it’s not up to us it’s
God’s thing and so we have that same
Firm Foundation of understanding and and
oftentimes people
will say well you know everything’s
different for you and everything’s
different for these smiling faces on on
television you don’t understand what’s
like you know in the real world and well
the problem is is uh the Crouch family
the Shire family and you know the Evans
Family were all just normal people till
we heard the voice of the Lord and then
that’s what changed if there is a
difference it’s because of his voice
there couldn’t be a more important
subject matter for you uh and Jerry I’m
circling back to you just for a second
because of what you said so it’s not an
economic thing it isn’t just you know uh
Executives that the Lord speaks to your
mama uh needed the voice of the Lord and
apparently was struggling in a single
family situation so it worked and it
worked for your mama yes you’re
absolutely right I remember her coming
home with her tips
and and it says she made forty dollars
in tips that day all right I remember
her taking out four dollars yeah you
know putting it to the side because that
was going to go into the offering plate
that’s an I mean I’m like Mom are you
kidding me whip you know the Lord would
understand
she goes no it’s just she goes it’s a
simple obedience so it had nothing to do
with that and then I remember her like I
said getting up early praying I remember
there were situations I was in off in
college that some of my boys and I we
would go do something and there was this
this thing in me like you know what
Jerry don’t go you know what no
that was the time my mom was praying for
me so she has kept me out of so much
situation through her prayers that’s why
I said the prayers had the prayers of
one woman change the generation I mean
still today it’s so funny our boys would
be like is Granny’s still praying she’ll
be in the prayer for 30 minutes I’m like
yep she’s still here praying I said
she’s praying for you guys so she’s
praying even for this next Generation
her grandchildren yeah yeah and so it’s
just great but yeah it is not an
economical thing it is it is a it is
something that you desire do you really
want it like I said she used to get up
early in the morning before the kids got
up on her niece praying for her children
praying for the day praying for whatever
so you know you make time for what you
want yeah and if you want to hear the
voice of God you got to make time for
him okay now we we the four of us
grew up in an environment where this
subject matter is normal yeah this on
this this is understood we get this
there are people that grew up in the
opposite polar opposite of that and they
don’t get it this book
you know it the title is Discerning the
voice of guard how to recognize when God
is speaking okay so there could be you
know why don’t you start with you know
just or speak to the people that are new
Christians they didn’t grow up they
don’t have no examples in their life of
this happening this isn’t normal and
sounds sounds like it’s not right that
we’re not right I think they sound a
little crazy
okay so uh just introduce the subject
matter if somebody just doesn’t quite
get it okay
so John 10 27 to me is the most concise
and comprehensive verse in scripture
about hearing God it is when Jesus says
my sheep hear my voice I know them and
they follow me
he says you got to be my sheep to hear
my voice so you said new Christians
Listen that relationship right there is
the the connector that allows you access
to the voice of God so so to me the
first step is actually believing that as
an adopted son or daughter grafted into
the family of God that you have the
capacity innately because you’re part of
the family to now hear the voice of God
it’s like um
when we were growing up in our house I
don’t know about you guys but we didn’t
have access to a whole lot of cable
television my parents didn’t get cable
they didn’t get you know whatever
DirecTV all that stuff we didn’t have
any of that stuff right and I I felt a
little mad about that I really wanted to
have more channels my parents chose that
we could really only watch The Cosby
Show on Thursdays at seven o’clock and
then a different world so it wasn’t
until we were we were getting ready to
get married I moved out I remember the
day I had the Cable Guy come over hook
up the cable and after he did all that
hooking up he said here’s the remote
control push the guide button and I
pushed the guide button and I had never
seen so many channels in my life on the
screen I had no idea all those channels
were there now all those channels didn’t
just get created
that day they had always been there it’s
just I didn’t have the right hook up so
that I could tap into them and bring
them and draw them down into my
experience the holy spirit is the hookup
when you place faith in Jesus Christ
Ephesians chapter 1 says the moment you
believe you receive the hookup the Holy
Spirit now you are able to draw down
Divine channels it’s not that you
created them no they were always there
God’s speaking he wants to reveal
himself now you have the the opportunity
to hear him so really the first step
especially if you grew up in an
environment where this concept is sort
of
um unique and different and new for you
it’s to believe that as a as a privilege
of being a son or a daughter you can
hear from God it is the deception of the
enemy to cause us to think we have to
have a seminary degree we have to have
some special hotline connection with God
like somebody we may admire that we as
regular men and women can’t hear from
God that’s what the enemy wants you to
think right he doesn’t want you to know
it’s your Birthright and so believing
that you can is the first step to hear
um we how much time do we have left we
got about four minutes
um uh why don’t why don’t you kind of
don’t get up from the set without saying
something that is in this book that’ll
help people uh and so just kind of start
giving your final thoughts in regard to
the subject matter and the fact that
this book is available right here right
now well
one of the most beautiful things about
hearing God that I enjoy reminding
myself of and that is that sometimes we
we want to know the will of God for us
we want to hear his voice but we’re a
little bit nervous about that because he
might actually call us to do something
we don’t want to do you know he might
actually send us somewhere that we don’t
want to be sent or he might actually
call us to a season that we don’t want
to we don’t really want to be single
anymore we don’t even we don’t really
want to be married anymore he might
actually impress upon us something we
don’t want and we’re nervous about that
so um one of the things I love about the
holy spirit’s work in us and this is in
regards to hearing God but his work in
US is to sanctify us sanctification is
the process by which we are molded into
the image of Jesus Christ it is the
process by which our mind changes our
Ambitions change our desires we start
wanting stuff we never thought we want
we stop wanting things we never thought
we’d ever not want to want to to
separate ourselves from all of a sudden
we find ourselves unnerved by jokes that
we used to laugh at or company we used
to keep it just doesn’t work for us
anymore that’s the work of the holy
spirit so in regards to Discerning the
voice of God if in anybody’s ever
concerned or afraid like I have been
that oh God might say to me something I
don’t want the Holy Spirit what he does
is turn your desires so that they are in
alignment with God’s will so you
actually want what it is that God wants
you to want that’s what I believe the
psalmist meant when he said that he
gives you the desires of your heart he
doesn’t give you what you want he
actually puts his Desires in your heart
and
use every available means to reach as
many individuals and families as
possible with the life-changing Gospel
of Jesus Christ thank you for helping
make the gospel of grace go around the
world
without you we couldn’t do it God bless
you