Who Are You Listening Too? (Part 2)

God has made every provision possible to communicate with us.  It is His greatest desire that we live in relationship with Him and communicate with Him.   Remember, it's not a matter as to whether or not God still speaks, it is a matter of, are we listening?  In this post I want to share with you how we can identify God's voice, and what some of the consequences are for failing to listen to God.

How Can We Identify God's Voice?

• His voice will be consistent with His Word.  Whatever He speaks in our hearts must match what He has spoken on the printed page.  If what you "think" God is telling you isn't consistent with what His Word says then it's unlikely God's voice.  You can be sure that God would not contradict His Word.
• His message will often conflict with human thinking.  Sometimes the Lord may require of
  
  us to do something that seems beyond our abilities.  But, He is faithful to enable us to do what He calls us to do.  Although His message won't conflict with His Word it very well could conflict with human reasoning.
• His voice will always challenge our faith. Because He wants us to grow in faith, God sometimes calls us to face our fears and trust Him more.  Allow God's voice to take you deeper in your faith.
• His voice is often quiet.  Instead of answering our prayers in dramatic ways, the Lord often speaks to our hearts quietly and unexpectedly in the normal course of the day.  It won't necessarily be in a loud and magnificent manner.  Be sure to listen to His still small voice. This takes a sensitive spirit that can hear God's Spirit.
• He always speaks specifically.  God wants you to know exactly what He is saying.  He never wants to leave you in the dark, but rather always bring you to the light.  When we listen carefully, we can expect God to speak in specific ways.

Consequences For Failing To Listen To God

I see six significant consequences for us when we don't listen to God.

• The world will draw us away from Him if we continually ignore His voice.
• We'll be easily deceived by all the other voices.
• We will make costly decisions based on human reasoning rather than divine guidance.
• We'll make choices that appeal to the flesh and give us what we want.
• Our decisions could cause us to forfeit God's best.
• We could suffer consequences that could affect us for years to come. 

Are you listening to the Lord and walking obediently before Him every day?  That is the only way to reap the greatest harvest in life now and receive eternal rewards in heaven.

-- Pastor Temple