HOW TO HEAR FROM GOD! Top Lessons from 2011

Hearing from God is key to walking in God's design and purposes for our life.


Obviously, as a pastor, it's essential that I walk in the confidence that God is leading and directing me, our elders, and the vision of Lifehouse. Since God's plans are not always as clear as reading a roadmap, it is critical that we know how to hear from God. In 2011, we hit up against some obstacles in the course of leading the church that required that I, and the elders, hear from God. So, how do we do it (you know, hear from God)?

Here's as straight-forward a process as I know in hearing from God and discerning His will and plans for life and His Church:

1. Pray Daily. We can't expect God to lead if we're not regularly discuss life and matters with Him.
2. Dedicate and commit our days and ways to Him. Surrender our daily activity to God.
3. Read the Bible Daily. God leads and directs through His Word. As we read, study, meditate, memorize, and apply the Bible, it becomes alive in our hearts. God can speak directly through us reading His Word, and most often does.
4. Repentance. Clear disobedience to God will hinder His guidance and our sensitivity to His leadership in our hearts. Once we get sin out of the way, then we are more apt to hear the quiet voice of God.
5. Fasting and Prayer. There are times when I/ we need to quiet ourselves and the other appetites in our life, leverage them to focus on God, and seeking God by laying aside other distractions. During times when we most need to hear from God for the church, I set aside a day or days to fast and pray, and at times I invite the elders and even the pastoral team to join in. We pray for God to speak to us, direct us, and guide our decision making.
6. Confession and Reflection. During fasting and prayer, I have a 3-step process to hearing from God and discerning His direction: 1st- repeat and ask God to reveal any hidden sin that might be hindering His will in my life or the church; 2nd- lay down "our" agenda for God's plans, and I ask God if the direction we were planning to go is truly His desire; 3rd- ask, "is there a door that God has opened that I/ we have not walked through, so that is why He has not opened another?" At times, God opens a door, but since it's not the door we wanted or expected, we don't walk through. Meanwhile, God desires obedience. And He won't open another door, because He's waiting for our submission and obedience to His desires.
7. Confirmation. God will only confirm His desires through others- whether it's simple encouragement or a prophetic word or counsel. These words are never directional but ONLY conformational. We only listen if they match what God has already spoken into our hearts. If not we tuck them away, like Mary (mother of Jesus) did when she "pondered them in her heart."
8. Live Obediently. There are times when we don't necessarily hear a direction from God. What do we do in those moments? We do all of the above, then we trust and obey God, and follow Proverbs 3:5-6, and trust that God will direct our thoughts, decision-making, and actions. We believe that God does order our steps.

I could probably write a blog about each of these. If I get strong feedback, I will! Let me know.

ASK YOURSELF: 

How can I adjust my disciplines to clearly hear God's desires and will for my life?

In what area of my life do I need to trust and obey God and follow through on what He has already spoken?