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

listen to our announcer he can give 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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