1. A Word About Food
2. What Fasting Is Not
3. What Fasting Is
4. Types of Fasting
5. Why Fast?
6. Some Biblical Principles on Fasting
7. Occasions For Fasting
8. What Will Be Your Response
9. Some Biblical References

Click here to download this resource.

For an entire month, sixty American students shared the Gospel in every way imaginable — street dramas, open-air campus meetings, video presentations, one-on-one conversations, and nightly meetings in the basement of the dilapidated Tandem Cinema on Recto Avenue.

On one particular afternoon thousands of students marched past us down to the president’s palace for their daily protest rally. On that day the riot police began getting aggressive, which precipitated a stampede in the opposite direction. I remember standing outside among the surging flood of students, pointing down the stairway and shouting, “It’s safe in here!” That was, perhaps, the most quickly assembled crowd in the history of modern campus ministries, another opportunity to share the Gospel with 400 student protesters.

Deborah and I stayed on for another month to disciple new believers. Twenty-six years later, we’re still there, though for the last three years we have split our time between Manila, Nashville, and many nations of the world, speaking as president of Every Nation Ministries.

From those first 165 U-Belt students who gave their lives to Christ have come thousands of missionaries, business leaders, political leaders, and campus ministers. Now there are over 40,000 Filipinos in over 4,000 discipleship groups in Manila. Every Nation missionaries have established forty new churches in the provinces of the Philippines. Hundreds of Filipinos missionaries and church planters have been sent throughout Southeast Asia.

If you’ve ever wondered why Every Nation Ministries is so focused on reaching college students, this is best reason I know.”

~ Steve Murrell ~

Steve Murrell is the President of the Every Nation Churches and Every Nation Ministries and the Co-founder of Victory Philippines.

Notes from Pastor Greg’s message:

Romans 8:26-27: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Romans 8:28-30: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

God’s Work:

1. God secures our relationship with Him by: interceding (Romans 8:26-27), intervening (Romans 8:28), insisting (Romans 8:29-30)
2. Trusting in God’s love turns: control -> security; fatalism -> involvement; free will -> now true; irresponsibility -> love

Let trust and love define your understanding of God.

Marriage Preparation Process

*thumbnail photo courtesy of Flickr user h.koppdelaney, copyright 2009*

(Official Press Release – Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jan. 17 2009)

In highly politicized times, prominent activist Shane Claiborne and artist and theologian Chris Haw are awakening the political imagination of Christians with Jesus for President, redefining “political” as “simply how we relate to the world.” “Amid all the buzz, we’re ready to turn off our TVs, pick up our Bibles, and reimagine the world,” Claiborne says.

“The church has fallen in love with the state and this love affair is killing the church’s imagination. Too often the patriotic values of pride and strength triumph over the spiritual virtues of humility, gentleness and sacrificial love,” Claiborne says. Christian discipleship is politically and social engaged, but in a way that confounds and transcends parties. “It’s easy to have political views—that’s what politicians do. But it’s much harder to embody a political alternative—that’s what saints do.”

Publishers Weekly awarded Jesus for President a starred review, calling it “the must-read election-year book for Christian Americans. Claiborne emerges as an affable, intelligent, humorous prophet of his generation, calling people out of business-as-usual in a corrupt world and back to the radically different social order of the biblical God.”

Weaving Claiborne’s stories with Haw’s thorough research, Jesus for President encourages a new kind of campaign, a different kind of party, and a different kind of commander in chief, casting a vision for what the Christian Church could look like if it placed its faith in Jesus, instead of American institutions.

Claiborne, a well-known leader in the “New Monastic” movement, who inspired thousands through his first book, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical (February 2006), teamed with Haw and designers SharpSeven on Jesus for President, which features a creative four-color art and design.

Besides its provocative essays, the comprehensive retelling of biblical stories examines the political realities of God’s people in Jesus’ time and in the “Hebrew Scriptures” (The Old Testament)—followed by creative ideas on modern-day living that makes an impact in the world at large. “Jesus is forming a new kind of people, a different kind of party, whose peculiar politics are embodied in who we are. The church is a people called out of the world to embody a social alternative that the world cannot know on its own terms,” Claiborne says.

Recognizing God’s Voice

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Saviour and my God.

By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.  ~ Psalm 42: 5-6a, 8 ~

Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.  ~ Ephesians 5:10 ~

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life, instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.  ~ Ephesians 5:15-19 ~

How to Recognize God’s Voice

- God’s voice always agrees with scripture – not necessarily your interpretation  (Acts 10)

- God’s voice may contradict friends’ opinions (Acts 21:10-12, 20:22-23)

- God’s voice has a consistent character – does not nag or whine or argue (Rev 12:10)

- God’s voice bears good fruit, if adhered to (Gal 5:22-23)

- God’s voice is different than our voice  (Isaiah 55:8-9)

- God’s voice is easy to reject – starts with his basic words (Luke 6)

Are you a Mary or a Martha?

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”  But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.  ~ Luke 10:38-42 ~

We Recognize the Voice of Our Friends…

…so if God is a friend, we should be able to recognize His voice too!

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you my friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  ~ John 15:15 ~

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.  ~ John 14:21 ~

1. “teach you all things” ~ John 14:26

2. “remind you of everything I have said to you” ~ John 14:26

3. “testify about me” ~ John 15:26

4. “tell you what is yet to come” ~ John 16:13

…and more!  Listen to the podcast to hear the message from Sunday, May 16!

Walking with God Part III – Barriers To Hearing

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice”. John 10:1-4

“For God does speak – now one way, now another – though man may not perceive it” Job 33:14

Some want to hear God so they can become prosperous, some want to hear God so they can be successful in life, and some – they want to hear so they can know the will of God and do it.

“Find out what pleases the Lord Eph 5:10

How does God communicate with us?

• Through the bible,
• Through the Holy Spirit (teach, remind, testify, guide & tell
• Impressions, audible voice, people, experiences, dreams, visions,
• Angels, (Heb 13:2) , Acts 10:3,

Basic Hindrances…

Don’t believe he can (unbelief)

Don’t think he wants too (rejection)

White noise (distractions – 3 other voices)

Immaturity

Disobedience

Self Sufficiency – (pride)

Three essential characteristics for hearing the Voice of God

1. Availability:

Mark 1:32-35

Duet 4:29 Those who find him are those who seek him with all their heart.

2. Willingness:

“My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me, IF any man is willing to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself”  John 7:16-17

“And remember, it is a message to obey, not just listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself.” James 1:22

“As for Phillip, an angel of the lord said to him, “Go south down the dessert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he did……… Acts 8:26-27,

3. Humility

“When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses ? Numb 12:6-8

“Now Moses was more humble than any other person on earth” Numb 12:3

“Do not be afraid Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them” Dan 10:12

Hos 10:12 “plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for NOW is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you”

Walking With God… the basics

Long before humanity was created in the earth, God desired to have a family of children who would share in His nature and who would express the glory of His character. He began this process by creating Adam and Eve and placing them in a beautiful garden where they would be given the opportunity to live peaceably while learning responsibility. And each day, God came to them and would walk with them and talk with them in the cool of the day. His desire was for Adam and Eve to get to know Him as their Creator, their God and their Friend.

As we are so painfully aware, the disobedience of Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. With sin came death, suffering, violence and a thousand other woes. All seemed at a loss. But God, in His wisdom, had already prepared a plan to buy back the loss of our relationship with the sacrifice of His own Son. It took thousands of years and a long process of gradual revelation as He prepared the world to receive the truth of His love for us, but at just the right time, Jesus came into the world.

The kind of life that Jesus lived while here on this earth is an example to each of us as to just what God is looking for. Jesus lived a life of peace. He loved and blessed others, even those who hated Him. He did good, healing the sick miraculously and driving demons from the minds and bodies of those who were tormented by them. Most of all, He lived in perfect harmony with God the Father. He prayed to God. He talked about God’s Word with others. He listened to God speak back to Him.

Finally, in perfect obedience, Jesus was willing to lay down His life in behalf of everyone else to pay the price of death for our disobedience. His death and resurrection bring us forgiveness and allow us to participate in the life that He now offers all who are willing to receive, a life that is just what God had planned from the beginning: being His children and walking daily in fellowship with Him.

Throughout history there have been numerous people who have walked with God. One of the first recorded stories is about a man named Enoch (Genesis 5). There is very little said about Enoch in the Bible, but what is said is significant. He had his first child, Methuselah, when he was sixty five years old. And after the birth of his son, he walked with God three hundred years, having other children along the way. Then one day, God simply took Enoch from this life and from this world — he could not be found because God took him away.

Some of the encouraging aspects of the life of Enoch are that he was a man of responsibilities, just like we are, yet he managed those responsibilities without losing sight of his spiritual need for God. He was a father of at least four children (sons and daughters imply at least two of each), but he did not let family demands pull him away from serving God. And he served God without a Bible. He did not have a full printed revelation to guide his daily steps. Still he lived in such a way that God was very pleased with his life.

Another man who walked with God early on was Noah (Genesis 6). Noah lived in a generation in which it seemed that everything had gone downhill — and it had. Violence had increased to the point that it filled the earth. Sexual promiscuity was rampant. But Noah did not allow the wickedness of those around him to distract him from serving God. He was not a follower of God in name only. Rather, Noah walked with God and God walked with him. They had a relationship that was so important to God that He refused to destroy the whole earth without giving Noah a chance to save his family by building an ark. Noah’s obedience did save not only his life and the lives of his family members but also the hope of future generations.

Finally, a third example of someone who had a relationship with God was David (1 Samuel 16 and following). It is important to realize that long before the prophet Samuel poured the oil over David’s heads to anoint him as king, God had already referred to David as someone who was a man after God’s own heart (13:4). There was something about David, even as a very young man, that God liked. David possessed qualities of honesty, diligence and a heart that loved to worship God. The many songs that he wrote are an evidence of this, and his willingness to let God be the one that fought his battles evidenced David’s faith that God really was his Shepherd. Even after David sinned with Uriah’s wife, his cry of repentance was that God would not take His Holy Spirit from David and that God would restore the joy of salvation back into David’s life. His walk with God was more important than the kingdom.

There are many other examples of people who have walked with God. They are found not only in the Bible but in the many books and biographies of church history. But it is not enough for us to simply look in awe at the wonderful relationship someone else had with God. We must pursue God for ourselves. We must walk with God daily, or we have missed the message each of these people would try to tell us.

Questions that might run through your mind are, “What are some of the components of walking with God? How do I get started in my walk with God? How do I grow in my walk with God?” Let’s begin answering these questions with the very basics.

Step One
 – Before beginning a walk with God, you must get to know Him. There is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ the Son of God. God set it up this way, and nothing you or I can do will change it. Jesus is our Savior, and He is also our example. As such, we must repent of our sins, telling God we are not only sorry for breaking His laws but also that we wish to turn away from the life we have lived. Then, we ask God to forgive us of all the things we have ever done which have been contrary to His way of living. After we ask forgiveness, we simply believe that He is Truthful when He says that He will forgive us (1 John 1:9). Then, we confess that we believe that He is the Son of God, that God raised Him from the dead, and that He is now the King of our lives.

Step Two -
After you have come to know God through Jesus, you must realize that this is the beginning of a new relationship in your life. Like any relationship, there is much to learn about this new Person. At first you may be a bit hesitant to open up and share freely because of a fear of being rejected. That’s ok. God made you, and He understands how you feel. He is committed to a long term relationship with you. Let us look at how God views you before going any further.

1. First of all, you are forgiven. God does not keep looking at you remembering what you did to Him. He will not bring up your past to accuse you or make you feel guilty. You really are forgiven, and the sins you committed are forgotten.

2. Second, you are clean. As 1 John says, you have been cleansed from all of your unrighteousness. Picture yourself as someone wearing a very dirty, filthy and smelly robe. God not only comes to you and says, “I forgive you for getting yourself dirty,” but He also says, “Let me change your garment!” He takes off your old dirty robe and puts on you a brand new (still has the tag on it) white robe. You are clean again!

3. Third, you are righteous. You are not just made clean from the bad, but God actually makes you righteous. He does not leave you with an empty gaping hole where He took out the sin. He fills you with His love, His peace, His goodness. You are a different person than before you knew God.

4. Next, you are accepted. No one else may know how much rejection you have faced in your own life. Rejection is very, very painful. Sometimes the people closest to us hurt us the most with cutting words or even physical abuse. God will never do that to you in this relationship. He has made a one hundred percent commitment to you. He opens His arms wide to embrace you. The proof of His acceptance of you is the great price He paid to win you back — the death of His Son Jesus. You never need fear rejection from God because of that price.

5. Fifth, you are free. God does not forgive you and clean you up only to leave you bound in chains that would keep you captive to sin. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus liberate us from sin. You have a new power working within you that will prompt you not only to want good things but also give you the strength, courage and willpower to do them.

6. Sixth, the life that is ahead of you is filled with purpose, because God views you as a partner in the great work He is doing in the universe. He does not merely point you to the bleachers to watch the game, He intends for you to put on your uniform and get involved. He has a key play with your name on it.

7. Finally, God views you ultimately as His child. Romans 8:14-17 describe you as being a joint heir with Jesus Christ in God’s family. All that God has to offer is yours as His child. He wants you to believe that. He wants you to experience that. This is what walking with God is all about.

Step Three
- Knowing how God views you will help you in your willingness to open up to God with your own heart and life. It’s always easier to be open with someone whom you know really, truly loves you. But commitment in any relationship is a two way street. If you want to walk with God, you must be committed to Him. The way you express your love for God is by obeying Him. Jesus said, “The one who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me” (John 14:21).

Since we show our love for God by obeying Him, we have to learn what His commands are. This is really very simple to do. Start by reading the Bible, especially the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), in a translation that you can clearly understand. As you read, you will be able to learn firsthand what Jesus said to His followers two thousand years ago. Jesus’ main concern was not to teach people how to make money or how to amass material wealth. He came, in His own words, to give us life, abundant life (John 10:10). This abundant life is one in which love governs our actions and thoughts. We learn to forgive instead of strike back. We learn to care for the needs of others instead of being selfish. Jesus even teaches us how to communicate with God.

Sometimes you may be faced with a choice, and you may not understand exactly what it is that God wants you to do in the situation. In such times, we have to learn to listen to the voice of God as He speaks to us inwardly by the Holy Spirit. Now everyone has a lot of thoughts and ideas that go through our head on any given day. How do you tell which is God’s Spirit? The more you read God’s Word, the more you will be able to distinguish His voice when He speaks to you through the Holy Spirit. If you hear a voice telling you to retaliate in anger at someone who is hurting you, but you have just read Jesus’ words when he said to love you enemies and do good to those who hurt you, you can quickly realize that the voice you hear is not God’s Spirit. If in the same situation you hear a voice saying that you should pray for the person, you can realize that this is God’s Spirit speaking to you a specific direction for you to obey right then.

Obedience is really the central part of our walk with God. Without obedience, we cannot walk with Him at all. When we do obey His commands, His richest blessings become a natural part of our lives. His life becomes our life, and the peace, joy, love, exuberance and hope which only Jesus can give will fill our lives.

Step Four
- One of the first things you will naturally want to do after you begin walking with God is to share the joy of your experiences with others. You do this mainly in two ways. The first way is to tell those who have not yet met Jesus. Many people in the world have been approached by others who are offering them some type of religion, even religion in the name of Jesus. What is often misunderstood is that following Jesus is not a dead religion. He is alive! If you can convey to others the hope, joy and peace you have found by showing them love and kindness, you will be sowing seeds of righteousness that God can bring to fulfillment. Don’t worry if people who have not yet met Jesus do not understand your excitement. Just focus on being consistent and faithful in your walk with God, and the life you have within you will be clear to them.

The second way of sharing your joy is to meet regularly with others who also are walking with God. The camaraderie and fellowship that comes from sitting down with another believer or a group of believers and talking about God, His Word and what He is doing in our lives is unmatched. When you do this, you have an opportunity to see how other believers handle problems. You can learn from the more mature believers. You can be an encouragement to the younger believers. And best of all, you can worship God together freely. Jesus Himself made this statement about how special it is for more than one person to be in His presence: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there with them” (Matthew 18:20). If there are no other believers in your city, then use the telephone, the Internet or pen and paper to communicate with another Christian. Remember that a stream that is dammed up becomes stagnant over time. We want our walk with God to be fresh, real and living.

By following these simple steps, you will be on your way to a lifelong walk with God. I speak a blessing upon you in your walk, that you will be encouraged, that you will know the right paths and that you will remain devoted to Jesus, the One who loves you most.

John Elderidge

Hearing God’s Voice

By Katie Reding

The “art” of hearing God’s voice is so misunderstood, so overcomplicated.

We are in a RELATIONSHIP with God, he isn’t some distant far off creature, he is my Daddy, my comforter, encourager, lover, friend, and husband, it’s a relationship of based on LOVE. Love is the core of how we relate with Jesus. If he could get you to understand one thing about him, it would be that he LOVES you.

In a marriage relationship, the key is communication! A two-way conversation, where we express our emotions, thoughts, concerns, silly ideas, desires, needs, wants, and remind the other person of things. It’s the same with Jesus, we are in a relationship with him first and foremost, and he longs to hear all these things from us, as well as speak TO US.

WHY does he want to speak?

Jesus LOVES US with a love far greater than we can even imagine, I asked God for a personal revelation of the cross- showed me that he sent his son to die on the cross because he wanted TO TALK TO ME. I am so sinful in nature, and he is so holy holy holy that we wouldn’t have been able to communicate, he had to send Jesus to bridge the gap between us.

Exodus 34:14 (NLT) “You must worship no other gods but only the Lord, for he is a God who is PASSIONATE about his relationship with you.”

Passionate is a strong word. He is madly, sold out in love with us, there is no other place he would rather be is with us, speaking to us. We have a right to be with him, he has made us worthy.

Why does God want to speak to me?

He wants to encourage me, confirm things in me, guide me, heal me, and show me things in my life that I can’t see.

He doesn’t require us to “do” anything; he just wants to BE with me.

WHO can hear God’s voice?

Anyone can hear his voice. Not reserved for pastors, leaders, super spiritual people, we are all the same. But the key is that some of us have walked with Jesus for a longer time, some of us cry out to God to hear his voice, some ask to hear God, some GIVE HIM THE TIME to speak.

John 10:27 (MSG) “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

We are his sheep once we are a follower of Jesus, we can hear his voice the bible says, and we follow him because we can hear him. How can we follow where Jesus is leading us if we can’t hear him?

The more time you spend with a person the more you will recognize their voice. The longer you know a person, the better you recognize their voice. Eg: My mom, I know her voice, I could pick it out in a crowd because I Spend time with her, I know what her voice sounds like, I am familiar with it.

It’s a growing process, a practiced thing. Hearing his voice doesn’t happen always immediately, it’s an art, that yes we can practice and need to practice on a DAILY basis.

John 10:4 (NLT) “After he gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they KNOW his voice.”

We need to KNOW God’s voice, and then we can follow him

WHEN does God want to speak to us?

On a daily basis. Not just on Sundays, when we feel extra spiritual, on good days, bad days, on missions, home group meetings. NO ALL the time. Yes he does speak special things to gatherings of people, as he promises in the bible when 2 or more are gathered there he is with them. ANY TIME WE CHOOSE TO LISTEN he will speak.

HOW does God speak to us?

Others, Bible, his creation, circumstances, our conscious (He made us- so he made our conscious- that reminder in the back of our heads is often God speaking to us), and through impressions of the Holy Spirit which I am focusing on. (This can be things like visions, emotion expressed, phrases, words etc)

Humans speak with vocal chords and it generates thoughts and images in our heads when we hear them- God works in the same way minus the vocal chords. The Holy Spirit will just drop a picture, word, phrase, emotion into your spirit.

WHAT does his voice sound like?

Sense of authority, brings peace, Never contradict the Bible, love, never cuts you down (he does correct us- but its done in his love), may not immediately understand what he saying to you- write it down he reveals things at a later time often.

It’s such a beautiful thing to sit before the Lord, your Daddy and hear what is on his heart for you. He knows exactly what you need to hear at that exact moment. So intimate- once we practice it often. The creator of the universe longs to pour out his heart to you. (Crazy love book- Francis Chan- He tells the story of his aunt Clara. She had a place where she would always go and “be with Jesus”. She simply had to walk by her room and she would start crying- because she would see the spot where she would kneel by her bed and meet Jesus. She had such intimate times with Jesus, she longed for the next morning when she could do it again. God longs to have intimate moments with us like this.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY?

We are responsible to “get with” Jesus. Spend that time with him

1) Psalm 47:10? (NLT) “Be still and know that I am God

We must quiet ourselves, quiet your spirit, it looks different for everyone, lie or site, stand whatever. Just get to a quiet place (go to your room close the door says the bible) I like to close my eyes to focus better on what he is saying.

Turn off all the distractions, cell phones, (we need to be serious about this), and give God his deserved time. Don’t put him on a time limit.

2) God desires a humble and contrite spirit the bible says. Repentance is like a sweet perfume that draws Jesus towards us. Ask Jesus is there anything in me that offends you? Any sin that is cutting me off from you? In the bible it says our sins have cut us off from God. Clear the air- get rid of anything -unforgivness whatever it is blocking you.

3) Silence other voices. As believers we have the authority to silence the voice of Satan. In the name of Jesus leave, be quiet. Do this so you don’t get his lies mixed up with God’s great truth. (James 4:7-8)

4) Ask God to silence you imagination and your thoughts. He made you, so he made EVERY part of you, he can silence your thoughts that may distract or confuse you.  (2 Cor 10:5)

He is a rewarder of those who WAIT PATIENTLY ON HIM. Often we have to sit for a while- quiet ourselves, and wait. He loves to just BE with us, don’t rush him. It breaks his heart when we sit for 5 min get up and leave too early and he says “wait wait I just wanted to spend a little time with you, I have so much to tell you, please spend a little longer with me. Everything else can wait.”

5) Its a FIGHT. PRESS IN. Isaiah 48:16 (NLT) “…. Come closer and listen…”

Psalm 125:4 (NLT) “O Lord do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in TUNE with you.” We need to get on the same channel that God is speaking on. Do this by getting rid of sin, and keeping your spirit awake.

1 Kings 19:12 God came in a “gentle whisper” wont be audible, it will be quiet we have to press in to hear.

6) If you get distracted- ask him the question again

7) Wait patiently

8) Have faith- Go with what he lays on your heart first. Often I doubt the first thing he speaks to me. If we continue to doubt we will never move to a place of believing God is speaking to us. Have boldness, often that first thought is God.  (Mark 11:24, James 1:5-7)

Don’t stifle the spirit. 1 Thes 5:19-22 This is as simple as ignoring our conscious for long enough, we drown out the voice of the Lord.

Eg. for me I had to watch what I was putting in my body, the music I was listening to, and the movies I was watching. We can DULL our spirits!!!

Keep your spirits sharp- For those of us who have the gift of Tongues, be sure to use the gift. Paul writes in 1 Cor 14:2 ; “that if you speak in tongues, you will be speaking to God.”

9) Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?? Jesus told his disciples that before they could go do anything that they were to wait for the Holy Spirit.  Why? Paul explains it best..

“No one can know a persons thoughts except that persons own spirit, and no one can know Gods thoughts except Gods own spirit. And we have received Gods spirit (not the worlds spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” 1 Cor 2:11-12

The Promise..

“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” Luke 24:49

“And I (Jesus) will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26

Bonus – Pay it forward; when you realize God not only speaks to you, he will speak through you. He will give you insights, thoughts, and inspiration for others around you. The Holy Spirit has gifts He wants to give away (that’s what you do with gifts, you get to be the conduit!). He knows what his children need – and he longs for them to know Him, know his love for them.  So, he gives gifts (words of knowledge, words of wisdom, discernment, healing, miracles, ie; whatever they most need at that moment, so they may come to experience Gods tangible love.

Why is it important to listen ? not only will you be encouraged, comforted, you can be Jesus to another person who has yet to taste his goodness. You can communicate to them what God is thinking about them ! You can be the means by which God can save, heal, speak, deliver, bring freedom, encouragement, comfort, (even loving correction if directed), to someone who was where you were not that long ago.   Bible calls it being an “ambassador” of Jesus.

Now that’s cool…

Walking with God – Learning H2 ‘hear’ God…  Part I

by Brant Reding

Navigating life on this planet is not easy, it requires a myriad of daily decisions, what to do, where to go, how to do it.  If your like me, you make lots of BAD decisions, I am really good at making bad decisions that I later regret.  However, for those of us that have decided God has a better way, we begin to find out he wants to help us make good decisions, all the time.  He will speak to us, guide us, help us. Why does he do this ?  Is he simply a really nice cosmic GPS system for life ?

Gods Motive..

God desires is to ‘walk’ with us (as he did with Adam & Eve), He longs that we know him as well as he knows us, intimately.  Because he cares for us, He wants to lead, guide, help, encourage and teach us. In short, he wants an authentic growing relationship with us.   And as with any relationship,  communication is the foundation. How silly to say I have a growing relationship with my friends or wife, but we never communicate!

God Communicates – he desires to ‘speak’ to us.

“the Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my fathers household and my native land and who spoke to me..” Gen 24:7

“God spoke to moses ‘as a man speaks with his friend”  Exodus 33:11

In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah ? He asked. The Lord said, ‘God up.’ David asked, ‘Where shall I go?’ ‘To Hebron’, the Lord answered” 2 Sam 2:1

The  Promise..

I (God) will instruct you says the lord and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress” Psm 32:8

When he was a young boy, the prophet Samuel heard the voice of God, but didn’t recognize it until he was instructed by Eli, the chief priest (1 Samuel 3:1-10). Gideon witnessed an appearance of God, but he still doubted what he had seen and heard, even to the extent of asking for three signs (Judges chapter 6, especially verses17-22, 36-40).

How can we know when we are hearing the voice of God?

“I assure you, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! For a shepherd enters through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice. John 10:1-4

Question : Do you want Jesus to lead ? He CAN’T lead a sheep that is not willing to follow,  !

Hearing God is a Learned skill…

Baby Lambs are different than grown sheep. Learning to hear God is like learning H2 play an instrument.. You desire to play, but you have to gain the skills over time and with continued practice. (Samuel needed instruction from Eli to discern Gods voice). God speaks in many ways. It takes patience, instruction, obedience.

What does God speak to us about ?

He communicates his love, our value to him, His identity. This starts to rebuild our true worth, gives us our true identity & security

He communicates to instruct us, train us, so we can ‘mature’

He communicates direction/guidance for ourselves and for others (remember Jonah)

Some common ways God talks to us:

His Word - 2 Tim 3:16-17

In order to actually “hear” from God, we have to know some things about God’s character. We have to develop an understanding of who God is, and the way he does things. Fortunately for us, all that information is available in the Bible. The Book teaches us what God is like, his heart towards us, his instructions/expectations he has for us, and most specifically, how he expects us to treat other people, H2 live. It’s like learning the basic music scales before playing the concert

Other People Many times God will use other people to try to get through to us. It’s possible for God to use anyone at any time, but I find more messages coming from people who are practicing Christians than non-practicing ones. (Prov is full of examples, plus Eph 4)

Our Circumstances - Acts 16:6-7, Jer 32:7-8

Sometimes the only way God can teach us something is to allow circumstances in our life to lead us to and through the very thing we need to discover. This can be providential guidance – some good, some hard, even some bad experiences, God will speak through.

The Still Small Voice – 
Most of the time God uses a tiny voice inside us to let us know when we’re not on the right path. It is the holy spirit ;

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26).

Some people call it “the voice of peace.” Whenever we’re contemplating something and we don’t have peace about it, it’s a very good idea to stop and carefully look at the options. There’s a reason you don’t feel peace about it.

The Actual Voice Sometimes we’re able to “hear” something in our spirit that sounds to us like an actual audible voice. Or all of a sudden, you just know you heard something. Pay attention to those occasions because it is very likely God trying to tell you something.

Watch for deception: (Read Num 22).   We all have an invisible enemy, the thief Jesus warned about in John 10 – he comes to deceive, lie, rob, steal, kill and destroy. In fact Jesus warned that many will get fooled because of the subtle ways of this “angel of light”. Protection:  Whatever God says, or leads will ALWAYS be confirmed by His word. God has another safety net; God places us in his body the ‘church’ (people on journey following Jesus together).

Angels, visions, dreams, personal prophecy, signs, fleeces – These should CONFIRM your direction, not dictate it.

When God Talks, Shut Up, Listen and respond !

There are no notes for this week, but feel free to listen to the podcast!

- What is Fasting?

- Types of Fasting

- Why Should I Fast?

- Biblical Principles on Fasting

- Occasions for Fasting

Click on the link to read more: Fasting Basics

- Why You Should Fast

- How to Fast Safely

- How to Adequately Prepare Yourself

- How to Make this Spiritual Exercise all it can be

- How to Break a Fast

Click on the link to access this guide for yourself: Personal Guide to Fasting and Prayer

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek
my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

The benefits of fasting are many and varied. Isaiah 58 alone, outlines at least six
benefits: victory over spiritual forces, health and healing, answered prayer, guidance,
power over sin, and anointing for ministry.

There is a difference, however, between benefits and reasons. Benefits refer to God’s
response to our fasting, but reasons refer to our initial motive. It is tempting to focus on
the benefits of fasting and miss the main reason for fasting: to draw near to God.

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and
weeping and mourning.” Joel 2:12

Richard Foster is to the point: “If our fasting is not unto God, we have failed. Physical
benefits, success in prayer, the enduring with power, spiritual insights — these must
never replace God as the center of our fasting.”

Fasting is an act of starving our flesh, that we might hunger for God. Our motive is to
express that He is the bread that satisfies our hunger, and the water that quenches our
thirst (John 6:35).

So as you enter into this time of fasting, use this as an opportunity to receive more of
who God is.

Click here for the booklet that includes suggestions and guidelines for Every Nation’s 2010 nationwide fast.

Click on the link below for notes from this message:

Straight Up Truths about Prayer

Click on the link below for notes from this message:

The Power of Corporate Prayer

Click on the link below for notes from this message:

Sept. 13 – Friends of Discouragement

- Spiritual Realities

- Generational Iniquity

Click on the link to access this power-packed resource: Unlocking Spiritual Truths 3

- The Nature of Man

- Godly Sex and Sexuality

Click on the link for a resource that addresses what God’s Word has to say about these topics: Unlocking Spiritual Truths 2

- Your Personal Destiny

- Healing, Discipleship, and the Law

Click on the link to access Unlocking Spiritual Truths 1

Teaching Notes – August 16, 2009

- The Doctrine of Christ

- Repentance and Faith

- Baptism

- Resurrection

- Eternal Judgment

Click on the link to access this concise summary of God’s Word: God’s Solid Foundations

- Who is God?

- God’s Inner Heart and Nature

- God the Father

Click on the link to access this resource: Introduction to God

Verses used:
Brant: Jeremiah 29:13-14, Matthew 6:16-18, Psalm 51:16-17, Isaiah 58:6

Speakers: Pastor Brant Reding, Jenny Kornfeld

Verses to read:

Jenny: Psalm 84:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, Luke 19:24-26
Brant: Luke 4:1,14, 2 Corinthians 5:9, Isaiah 40:27-39, 1 Tim 4:7, Psalm 1, Matthew 5:13-16, 6:16, 6:16-18, Jeremiah 29:13,14