How to hear God’s voice!

Luke 16: 27-31 says, “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ “But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Observation: Jesus is telling parables to his disciple and lays out something that almost seems to say, “You want miracles, but you don’t need them because you have the Word.” At the end of CH 16 he’s talking about Lazarus and the rich man. They both die. Rich man goes to hell, Lazarus (poor man) goes to heaven. Rich man asks that Lazarus return to earth to warn his family that if they too don’t believe in God they will end up in hell (he figures that if a dead man returns to earth, everyone would have to believe that!). God (as Abraham) tells Rich man that his family have the writings of Moses and the prophets (The Bible) and that should be enough to believe. Have you ever heard a friend say they are waiting to hear from God by “putting a fleece before God.” Judges 6:14-16 Gideon wanted a “sign” from God. Today, we too want signs from God. Why? Because our faith is not enough. We are the same as the rich man, we want a miracle to prove what God is saying is true. There is nothing wrong with a good ol’ fashion miracle, but Jesus himself was teaching his disciples that the Word (testimony) of God should be enough to believe.

Application: So how are we to know what God is asking of us just from his Word? Faith. God will speak to your heart, then you can use his Word to test what God is saying. If it aligns up, you’re probably good to go. If you are still not sure, ask another person you know who is hearing from God. They can give you wisdom. I think God speaks in 3 ways today: The Spirit in your heart, The Word, and other Godly people who are digging into God’s word and hear from him. So do you need to make a big decision and you are waiting for a “sign from above” but it’s not coming? Maybe God is wanting you to kick in your faith life. Trust in him, spend time with him, listen to him, and it’s hard to go wrong.

Prayer: God, let me live a life of FAITH that doesn’t always need the signs. Let me be in your word and trust you to lead me in every decision.