To Hear God You Must Cooperate

The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit.” Luke 8:15 (GNT)

"You need to be able to say, "God, I'm willing to do whatever you want me to do. Even if it seems scary or unusual or hard, I'm going to do it.""

God speaks to people who decide in advance to do what he tells them to do, not those who say, “God, tell me what to do and then I’ll decide if I want to do it.” When you have an attitude of cooperation, you are going to hear from God. A willing mind is the good soil that we see in today’s verse.

You need to be able to say, “God, I’m willing to do whatever you want me to do. Even if it seems scary or unusual or hard, I’m going to do it, and I’m going to keep at it until I bear fruit.”

How do you bear fruit? Luke 8:14 says it takes persistence. But it takes more than that. In the next verse, Luke 8:15, Jesus says this, “they listen to God’s words and cling to them and steadily spread them to others who also soon believe” (LB).

One of the ways to bear fruit is to pass it on. Teach somebody else. That is the secret of growth. Whatever you learn, as soon as you learn it, pass it on to someone. Whoever teaches, grows the most -- because when you teach you show that you’ve not only heard it, but you’ve incorporated it and can communicate it to others.

Why Is It Essential To Hear God?

My sheep recognize my voice and follow me.” John 10:27 (NLT)

A lot of people think it’s not so important to hear from God. But you should not be satisfied with that attitude. You need to be hearing from God on a daily basis. Why? There are three reasons why it’s absolutely vital for you to be able to hear directly from God.

1. It proves you’re in God’s family. When you are tuned in to God and hear from him, it confirms your relationship. Because God talks to his children. John 10:27 says, “My sheep recognize my voice and follow me” (NLT).
   
   Just as parents talk to all their children, God talks to all of his kids. He doesn’t just single out the pastors or the missionaries, or those who have been Christians the longest. He talks to all believers, whether they are mature or immature.
   
   And just as children recognize their parents’ voices, we should be able to recognize God’s voice. Now babies don’t instantly know their parents’ voices, but as they grow, they naturally begin to recognize mom or dad’s voice and can hear it anywhere. It’s the same with us. As we grow spiritually, it becomes easier to hear God.
2. It protects you from mistakes. If you listen to God, you’ll make fewer mistakes because you’ll hear him warning you in advance. Proverbs 3:6 says, “Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, and everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track” (MSG).
   
   Notice the verse didn’t say just in church; it says, “in everything you do, and everywhere you go.” I couldn’t count the number of times God has saved me from wasting time, wasting money and wasting energy because I listened to him.
3. It produces success in life. This is not the kind of success the world talks about where you’re famous and filthy rich. This is God’s definition of success – being exactly who God made you to be so that your life can have meaning.
   
   “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8 NLT). Did you know that the best pathway for your life is different than the best pathway for someone else’s life? And if you try to follow somebody else’s pathway you’re life will be filled with problems.
   
   God has a customized pathway for you, and if you follow it you will succeed.

by Jon Walker

But God Is Our Deliverer

But God untied the death ropes and raised him up. Death was no match for him. Acts 2:24 (MSG)

"Each time we face a "God, what's the plan here" moment, we can know that we're also nearing the "but God" moment, where we'll see our story unfolding for God's glory and for his good plans for us."

In moments of despair, confusion, or darkness, it’s only natural to wonder if God is paying attention. In honesty, sometimes you want to ask, “Hey, God is there any kind of plan here?” Or, “God, do you realize what’s about to happen—to me?”

That’s when we need to cling to a “but God” faith, where we believe things may look bad, but God is working it for good. “But God untied the death ropes and raised him up.”

Sometimes our deliverance comes immediately after the “but God;” sometimes it is years before we see the end of the sentence that God is writing with our lives.

But that doesn’t mean God has abandoned our story.

God uses the time before “but God” to develop in us a certainty in his sovereignty and grace.

We may be hard pressed on every side, but God keeps us from being crush; perplexed, but God lifts us from the pits of despair; persecuted, but God stands by our side; struck down, but God makes us indestructible by filling us with his incorruptible Spirit. (2 Corinthians 4)

Each time we face a “God, what’s the plan here” moment, we can know that we’re also nearing

the “but God” moment, where we’ll see our story unfolding for God’s glory and for his good plans for us. (Jeremiah 29; Romans 8:28)

As we wait, Jesus changes us. We no longer see the need to know how we’ll be delivered. We come to know that, no matter how the story ends, it includes the phrase, “but God is our Deliverer.” (2 Samuel 22:2)

by Jon Walker

God's Will or Your Will?

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68–69 (NIV)

"God wants you to decide in advance, trusting him and believing that his will is the best plan for your life."

Even if we don’t understand God’s plan, we need to respond to his direction. In fact, when we don’t understand God’s plan, it is even more important to do exactly what he directs us to do.

Often, God asks us to make the choice to do his will before we know the specific details of his plan. That’s because part of God’s plan is to develop in us a trust of his character and his benevolence.

But this is where many of us get into a battle of wills with God, wanting him to reveal his plan to us first and only then will we decide whether or not to do what he tells us to do.

But that’s not the way it works. God wants you to decide in advance, trusting him and believing that his will is the best plan for your life, believing that he will strengthen you to do all that he asks you to do.

One reason God doesn’t give you the full picture of his plans for your life is that you may be overwhelmed by what you see. For instance, it may appear impossible for you to complete everything he plans for you during this Decade of Destiny. But that’s the point—there’s no way you can fulfill your mission without God empowering you.

Peter was in a constant battle with Jesus over what to do, but he also realized that there was no one else to trust but the Holy One of God, the Word of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ.

Do you still think there is someone else to go to find out what direction to take? Perhaps you still believe you know best? Tell God, “I don’t know that I’m willing to step out in faith without first knowing everything that’s going to happen, but I’m willing to be made willing.”

by Jon Walker

Grow in Faith by Being Faithful

"Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” John 16:22 (NIV) Do you find that some days you’re staring at your circumstances and making faithless judgments about the things you see? I know I struggle with believing the biblical truth that God is present in all circumstances, particularly when it is a no-good-dirty-rotten day. Jesus, on the other hand, was certain about the reality of God and certain about God’s presence in his life. Think about this: Heading into a crisis that would cost him his life, Jesus was so certain of God’s presence that, during the Last Supper, not one of his disciples discerned the gravity of the circumstances! Jesus was confident that God was not only present, but also working through the circumstances. And, yes, later that evening Jesus began sweating blood from the strain of it all, but he still remained confident that the Father was there and aware. He trusted God was working things out. We, too, can be certain that God is working in our lives. We develop this radical faith when we learn to trust in God’s character, when we decide, in faith, that God is who he says he is and that he will do what he says he will do. We come to know that God is faithful when we do the things he tells us to do and then see that he did come through on his promises. In other words, we grow in faith by being faithful. We trust Jesus and see that he is real, and that makes us trust him even more.

by: Jon Walker

We May Suffer Even When Obedient

“If any of you want to come with me,” he told them, “you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34 (TEV)

When we suffer, we can cling to the truth that God is not surprised. We do not suffer outside the sovereignty and power of God.

We can rest in his promise that he has our best interest at heart and so, when suffering and rejection come, we can obediently trust that our suffering is not an accident but a necessity used by God to lovingly squeeze the things out of us that we might otherwise ignore or excuse -- the sin, disobedience, and apathy that we like to think isn’t so bad.

And this is why Jesus so often addresses the weary and brokenhearted (see Matthew 11:28-30). In a sense, ‘Come to me if you are desperate because only desperate men and women are willing to suffer for my cause.’

They alone understand God will give them “treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I, the Lord, the God of Israel call you by your name.” (Isaiah 45:3 HCSB)

Consider this: The cross did not just happen to Jesus; it was part of his purpose for coming to earth. Suffering does not just happen upon you; God uses it to help you fulfill the purpose for your life.

You may face suffering even as you walk obediently into this decade of destiny. Don’t let it distract you; instead, let it drive you deeper into the heart of God. Even if you can’t see the work of God’s hand, place your faith in the loving and good nature of God.

by Jon Walker

God Meant It for Good

You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result. Genesis 50:20 (NASB)

Joseph’s life was anything but peaceful. He was sold into slavery by jealous brothers and thrown into prison on false charges. Yet, he remained free of bitterness or regret and saw God as the “Great Engineer” behind even the worst of circumstances. 

In a final confrontation with his brothers, he graciously noted, “You meant it for bad; God meant it for good.”

“God meant it for good” says:

You can accept the past. No sin, no action, no choice on your part is too big for God to handle or too big to be worked out for good (Romans 8:28). Just ask Joseph! Better yet, ask his brothers who ended up relying on him for their survival.

You can embrace the present. There’s no need to play the “what if” game. The past is forgiven and gone, and the future is in God’s omnipotent hands; so you’re free to focus on the present: “Wherever you are, be all there,” says Jim Elliot. God wants you in the present because that’s where his grace will flow.

You can look expectantly toward the future. Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Walking in the Spirit, you can live life to the fullest, without fear of making mistakes that take you out of God’s control. Even when things appear to be terrible, you can trust that God is still working out his divine plan for your life.

         
by Jon Walker