Receive And Do (Mt. 1:18-25; 2:13-15, 19-23) (Part 4)

SINCE FATHERS NEED TO BE ABLE TO TO HEAR AND OBEY THE VOICE OF GOD, WE MUST CULTIVATE THESE SKILLS.

Since you battle the sin nature, hearing and obeying God is never a “one and done” transaction.

How do you cultivate spiritual sensitivity?

• Be willing.  You must want to hear God speak to you and direct you.

• Be quiet.  It is interesting that God used dreams to get through to Joseph.  He was able to dream because he was asleep (profound, eh?).  When you are asleep, your body is at rest and your spirit is quiet.  Was Joseph so active that God could get through to him no other way?  It is hard to hear God's still, small voice when you are consistently hurried, worried or distracted.  It is hard to hear God's still, small voice amid an unrelentingly noisy world.  Read 1 Kin. 19:11-13.

• Be patient.  You might have to sit in silence a while or even a long while.  You might have to do this several times.  Mt. 7:7-8 > Keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. When you read the prophets, you regularly encounter this phrase: “The word of the Lord came to _____.”  Did it come randomly?  It is more likely that the prophets developed, as their number one skill, an ability to hear accurately and consistently.  For example, recall that Daniel spent 21 days seeking God for an answer (Dan. 10:8-14).

• Be obedient.  God doesn't speak just to speak.  He speaks because He wants something done in a certain way, at a certain time or place by a certain someone.  God has a bias toward action. If you won't follow through with what He says to you the first time, why should He keep on speaking?  Even if He does keep on speaking, what He expects from you – obedience – won't change.

• Be prepared.  God tends to speak to prepared hearts.  Always have access to a writing utensil and paper.  You don't want to “lose” what God said because you didn't write it down. Well, isn't God powerful enough to remind you later?  Don't make this about God's capability when it is really about your responsibility.

• Be accountable.  If you're going to act on what God says, then you had better know that it was God who spoke, and not some other voice.  Hearing from God can't always be a trial-and-error experiment.  There are some things you can't afford to be wrong about (Gen. 22:2).  People say, “Thus saith the Lord” frequently in our day and, sadly, much damage has been done.  Read Prov. 15:22; 24:6.  You don't go to the counselors to get God's Word but to submit it and receive wise advice, knowing you could be deceived (1 Cor. 14:29).