HEARING FROM GOD

As a Christian, in our journey with God, one of the things we must learn to do is knowing how to hear from God: identifying how God deals with us or communicates with you which may be specific for you.  This particular skill is important if we are going to walk effectively with God.

 

For me, this is one thing that I have sort to grow in during several seasons of my life, and I pray not to outgrow this because I just think there is always a better experience when it comes to God.

Why is this important?

A documented event in the bible captures some answers to this  question.

 

There was a young prophet who was sent by God to the then king of Israel, King Jeroboam. The king had begun to engage in things that were against God, as he built shrines for pagan gods and even bowed down to them.

All these were heat breaking  to God which caused Him to send  this young prophet to the King.

 

 ”At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. 2 Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.” (New Living Translation, 1King 13:1)

 

God actually proved that this prophet was not just making things up by adding a sign:

3 ”That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”

4 When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. 5 At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.”  (New Living Translation, 1King 13:3-4)

 

This was a proof that this young prophet was sent from God. So this confirms the fact that he was truly hearing from God and his journey actually originated from God.

Meanwhile, God gave him instructions that were to guide his journey, which he followed until another prophet, an older one, intersected him, claiming that an angel of God has appeared to change the instruction:

11 ”As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons[a] came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. 12 The old prophet asked them, “Which way did he go?” So they showed their father[b] which road the man of God had taken. 13 “Quick, saddle the donkey,” the old man said. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.14 Then he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “Yes, I am,” he replied.15 Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.”16 “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. 17 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”18 But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. 19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.” (New Living Translation, 1King 13:11-19)

 

At this juncture, the young prophet was misled and this costed him not only his ministry but his life.

20” Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet. 21 He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 22 You came back to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.”

23 After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him, 24 and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. 25 People who passed by saw the body lying in the road and the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported it in Bethel, where the old prophet lived.” (New Living Translation, 1King 13:20-25)

 

Lessons from this event

1. It is important to learn how to hear from God.

2. It is important that we always check with God for any message anyone claims to come from God to us.

3. We must constantly trust God to help us to be aligned with Him, so that we can pick lying spirits.

4. We can truly be guided.

5. No one is above being misled, so our confidence should not be in man but in God.

 

Downsides of not hearing God

1. We will get easily swayed  or derailed.

2. We may be so derailed that we may not find your way back.

3. It can even cost one their life.

 

How can we build that ability to hear from God?

1. Through study of the word.

2. Through prayer.

3. Through meditation and expectation that we will actually hear him speak.

 

Honestly, sometimes it can look like a waste of time wanting to hear from God, but it would always be worth it in the end.

 

Love & Peace.