How to hear the voice of God

I was asked recently on Reddit how I can hear the voice of the Lord . It's simple and it starts via the Bible and prayer. I'm not the best to address this, but I'll give it a shot. 

There have been many times while praying and reading the Bible that God has spoken to me. A verse stands out. It will either correct, encourage or teach me. The verse will speak directly to a certain sin, a particular circumstance in my life or I'll receive understanding about the passage. 

Also, I've learned to recognize the still,small voice that is mentioned in1 Kings 19:12. That voice never goes against what God has said in the Bible. I've audibly heard a Bible verse that perfectly fits that particular situation. I've also received words of wisdom to give to people. Also, there have been times God spoke to me directly and I felt great fear and reverence. His voice is irresistible. You cannot say NO to His voice, you just say YES and you do whatever He says.

God's voice is different from my inner voice. I also can hear the enemy talking to me. These voices all have different agendas. My inner voice is all about me, what I want and what I am thinking. 

I've also learned how to recognize the voice of the enemy. The voice of the enemy by any means necessary is trying to make me do anything that isn't Jesus related.  The enemy tries to influence me and make excuses and compromises. The enemy is trying to stop me from praying, reading the Bible and living out what God has commanded. 

The voice of God always points me in the right direction, always tells me the truth and things that are not contrary to the word of God. To hear his voice I'd start by praying for discernment and to learn how to discern between the Lord's voice, your inner voice, and the enemies voice. Jesus said in John 10:27 that His sheep hear His voice, He knows them, and they follow Him. In verse 28 is a wonderful promise as well. But I'll let you read it for yourself. 

3 tips to a better prayer life

I feel compelled to share something with you. May I give you 3 tips on a better prayer life? For the new believer, follow these steps so that you learn how to pray. For the seasoned believer, this should be a tune up and serve as a reminder. 

1) Set a time and place to pray. 

Always try to stay faithful to that time and place. Remember the enemy will do anything to stop you. 

2) Combine your prayer time with reading the Bible. Pray. Read. Pray. Repeat. The Bible will give you language to speak to God. Before you begin to read, ask God to speak to you through His word. As you're reading, if a verse stands out, pray about it. I'd also suggest highlighting or underlining the verse. Here is an example on how to pray a verse in the Bible. 

Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me." So I'd pray "Heavenly Father, your word says that I can do all things, not something's, but ALL things through Jesus Christ, who is my Lord and Savior. Lord, my strength comes from You. Thank you that I have your word and you cannot lie. In Jesus name, Amen."

3) Begin all your prayers with God and the pray inside-out or outside-in. This is also called praying in concentric circles. Imagine a circle with layers. At the center is the beginning of the circle. So to pray inside-out, begin by praying for yourself, then pray for your family, then your church etc. Or pray outside-in. Starting with praying for believers all over the world, praying for your country, and then your city etc. But above either of these circles, is God. Always start with Him. Pray in the this manner found in the Lords Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) 

So there you have it! 3 tips to a better prayer life . I want to remind you that after you addressed the Lord at the start of your prayer, you may begin to boldly approach the throne of grace to receive mercy on our time of help. You can supplicate, cast your cares, and give thanks. 

 

Prayer is like a love letter. It starts with addressing the one you love. When you look at the Lord's prayer, Jesus addresses His Father and the kingdom. After that, He asks for things. Once he has finished asking, Jesus ends the prayer once again giving praise, honor and glory to the God. 

Religion is only for the poor???

I began to think about how some people believe that Christianity, Jesus Christ and God are for the poor. For the poor to give them hope and something to live for. 

I can understand this point of view BUT, the Bible does speak about this. In James 2:5 the word says, "my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"

Jesus said in Matthew 19:23 "Verily, verily I see unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of Heaven." In other translations, the word says that it is very difficult for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus also said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3 " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

In the old testament, Zechariah 4:6 "Not by might not by power, but by My Spirit" says the Lord our God. Which leads to Acts 2:38 where Peter preached repentance and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. Also Luke 5:32, Jesus said that He didn't come for those who thought they were righteous, Jesus came to save sinners and call them to repentance. 

What I gather from all of this is this conclusion. Those who are spiritually poor and also those who are actually poor, they are rich in faith. Those whom rely on their might, their power, their influence, their brain power and physical strength, they are the ones who are spiritually poor and don't even realize it. They do not acknowledge God in their ways because they think that they are capable of doing it themselves. 

We are to depend on the Lord for everything. Salvation was initiated by God in the garden and He prophesied that He would send a savior to crush the head of the devil. So if a well off person wants to scoff at the faith of a poor person and says that they do not need God because of there wealth, they are the fool and the one who is poor. The poor person although being monetarily poor, they are rich in faith. 

Am I saying that people who are well off, are evil? No. Not all of them are like how I described. I'm sure there are wealthy folks who are believers and they use their finicial blessings to bless others, as it should be. But there are people who think that they do not need anything to do with religion because only poor people believe in God. Yes, yes poor people do believe in Jesus. 

Those who realize that they are spiritually poor and they are bankrupt before the Lord and they realize they need a savior. That Savior is Jesus Christ. In my experience and in my walk with the Lord, folks who are poor, are usually the most selfless people, the most kind and giving. 

But what upsets me is how someone would dare say that Jesus and religion is only for the poor. It is for everyone! Rich and poor alike, we all need Jesus. On this side of Heaven being poor is looked down on. But the Bible says that it is a good thing. In Romans 8:28 the word says "We know that ALL things work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."

Born of the Free (Galatians 4:31)

True followers of Christ are born again and are free from sin. 

So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman. - Galatians 4:31

Like Abraham, he had two sons. One born to a slave, one born to a free woman. 

Agar was the bondservant. Sarah was Abraham's wife, she was free. 

One son was the son of the flesh and one was the sons of promise.  

Believers are the children of promise. They are born of water and the Spirit. 

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. - John 3:5