God speaking today

Messages for October 2018: Our Month of Divine Lights

Message for Sunday 7^th October, 2018

Theme: Hearing and Following the voice of God.

Topic: God speaking today

Introduction: If you ask most people in Church today what they find to be their greatest frustration, they would tell you what would sum up to either of two things namely that they are not getting answers to their prayers and secondly they cannot hear God for themselves. As a matter of fact, the struggle with sin has been at the head of the crisis of man since his fall from grace through Adam’s sin. However, it has been over two thousand years since the restoration of man to glory was realized through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So why are people still so far away from God? The answer to this question is the ignorance of man. This is why God has named this month our Month of divine lights. In Jn.1:4-5, we learn that in Christ Jesus was life and that the life was the light of men. The word translated light here is knowledge. I believe it is knowledge acquired through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. This is why we are looking at this theme this month. The revelation of the Holy Spirit is given to us by God speaking to us. See 2Tim.3:16 and 2Pet.1:19-21.

Does God still speak today? The answer to this question is yes for the following reasons:

1.     God spoke in the past and He has said that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Thus if He spoke in the past and He does not change as he said in Malachi 3:6, then He is still speaking today. See Heb.13:8.

2.     The bible is replete with examples of God speaking to people and things. In Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth through speaking to them. See Gen.1:1-3; Ps.33:6, 9.

·     When God wanted to destroy the earth during the time of Noah, He spoke to Noah about it for 100 years preceding the event. The rest is history. See Gen.5:32; 6:5-8, 17-22; 7:6 and Jer.22:29.

·    God spoke to Abraham in a vision concerning the slavery of his descendants in Egypt after his demise and that the slavery would last four hundred years. This came to pass as He spoke and even Joseph his great grandson believed the revelation and made the Children of Israel promise to go with his bones when the time came. True to God’s word, this came to pass as we all know. See Gen.15:13-18; 50:25; Exod.13:19; Jos.24:32 and Heb.11:22.

·       God spoke to Moses and the children of Israel.

·    God spoke to prophets of old like Samuel, Daniel, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah etc. He spoke to some face to face by audible voice and visions. He spoke to others through planting ideas in their minds, some he spoke to by anointing them to carry out great feats on impulse. Neh.7:5; Jer.1:4-5, 1Sam.3:21 and Dan.2:19; 5:11-12.    

·    God spoke to the early Church fathers through the Ministry of the Holy Spirit who spoke to them through the inner witness or His still small voice or even dreams and visions. Acts 2:2-4; 9:1-6; 11-16; 10:1-6; 9-20.

·      The entire book of Revelation is the encounter of John the beloved with God who spoke to Him face to face, by angelic visitation and by multiple visits to heaven and visions. Rev.1:1-3

3.     The reality of God speaking to people today is shown in the fruit of Churches being planted by His servants around the world. In Acts 2 during his preaching, Apostle Peter quoted the prophecy of prophet Joel saying that in these last days in which we live now, God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh resulting in mighty works for God on earth. So God will keep speaking to us forever. See Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 2:16-21.

To whom does God speak today? Everything and every person depending on their positioning. Everything obeys Him without question, but man has to be willing to obey him and do it. When man submits his will to God, he is said to be living the crucified life [Gal.2:20]. This is the kind of person God wants to speak to always and use to bless others and glorify himself on earth. See Jer.22:29, Ge.3:9-15; Hab.2:1-3; Jn.10:27 and Acts 13:1-3.

By positioning I mean a commitment to God through the new birth experience and total submission to God. Your submission is proven by your prompt and consistent obedience to him. To attain to this would require mind renewal on your part so that you can have the mind set of God and truly be united to Him. The means by which you renew your mind is the day and night meditation on the word of God. See Rm.12:1-2; Jos.1:8; Ps.1:1-3; 1Tim.4:13-16 etc.

Does God want to speak to you? The answer to this question is also affirmative. Yes God wants to speak to you always. He said so in His word and has proven it over time. He speaks to all both young and old, big and small, everyone can hear God so you too can hear him because He wants to speak to you. See 1Sam.3:10-11, Ps.32:8; Jer.33:3; Hab.2:1-3; Jn.10:27-29; Jn.16:13; Acts 16:6-9 and Rm.8:14, 16.

How does God speak to man? God speaks to man the same way He has been speaking through multitude of means as follows:

1.     The audible voice: This is the case where God speaks to someone audibly just like you hear another person speaking to you. This method is not really popular with God because the enemy may fake it as it is not coming from the spirit of the man. Any other person can speak to a person from outside. 1Sam.3:8-11

2.     The inner witness: This is the inner witness of the Holy Spirit within us assuring us with His peace as we receive a signal from him in our hearts. This is not the same as the authoritative inner voice of the Holy Spirit. It presents mostly in ideas that cannot be shaken off. Rm.8:14, 16

3.     Still small voice: This is the quiet nudging of the Holy Spirit leading us in a certain direction that would turn out to be to our advantage eventually. 1Kngs.19:11-12

4.     Dreams: Most places where the bible refers to dreams, they are called visions of the night or night vision. See Job 33:14-18, Mt.1:18-24 and Acts16:9-10

The list goes on and we will continue on Wednesday God willing. Meanwhile, there is someone reading this blog now wondering how God could speak to him or her because they are yet to belong to God’s family through the new birth experience. If you wish to hear God and be led by Him, you can say the following prayer out loud in faith and you will be born again and receive unhindered access to His voice:

Heavenly Father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name! Amen.

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