THE SPEAKING VOICE OF GOD

One has to wonder what the actual audible voice of God sounds like. I know in my own life what I have ‘heard’ or maybe the better word to use would be what I have understood to be God speaking came to me from deep within, however as I ponder on those moments I would have to say that they were not so much audible as they were impressions registered in me the undeniable voice of God. My natural ears did not pick up any sound yet the essence of what transpired resonated the character of Someone far beyond the portals of this earthly realm.
To be sure there are today, those without a doubt who have heard the ‘audible’ literal voice of God and scripture would bear witness of this, recorded in many instances in the Old and New Testaments that we would know; not only that God speaks to us in ways that we can understand what He is trying to communicate with us but also as a record and testimony. Not only does He speak but the words that God speaks are freighted with intention and authority in the performance of His will and with detailed purpose for individual people as well as nations and people groups.
With this idea in mind I was made very aware of this truth recently from one of those ‘take it for granted scriptures’ which I had read hundreds of time before but suddenly it seemed to have been highlighted with a spiritual marker and its obvious meaning became much more apparent in my heart.
In Genesis 1:3 it says, “And God said let there be light, and there was light.”Or if I put it in my own words I would say, ‘and God said let there be light and it was so!’
THINK OF THAT STATEMENT FOR A MINUTE, and God said; God more than likely spoke with an audible voice to the darkness and chaos and by the power of His words alone, light appeared. Here’s the epiphany of that moment for me; in this whole universe only One person and One voice brought into being everything that we see, hear, touch and experience, therefore it is only as that Voice spoke then or when that Voice speaks today that will effect and achieve eternal and powerful changes in the world or the lives of people saved and unsaved. It is the creative all powerful ‘voice’ (or word) that creates and brings transformation, is there any other voices out there that we might have missed?
You might be saying well yes of course we all know that, OK but this is the point that I want to underscore here. Why it is then when we are confronted with a situation or crisis whether in our lives or in the lives of others that we can be so bold as to pray things and declare things out of our own strength, thinking that our words will affect any kind of change. Yes of course we all believe that prayer is the right thing to do in times like that, but deep down inside, some of us might be willing to admit that the prayer even though we are taught to pray had no sense of God’s power or anointing in it. It may have been prayed or spoken with much passion and emotion however there just didn’t seem to be any divine connection or witness in it.
I believe we have all experienced this kind of disconnect, even though the words are right and true and even though in our own hearts we are believing God for the answer as we look to Him we are left feeling the lack of virtue or unction. Welcome to the Club of Unanswered Prayers.
The bottom line is, if I do not pray or speak the words of God there can be no transforming power to change one iota of anything, period. Ouch! ( This is the Biblical pattern, however, keep in mind that God is sovereign and He will do whatever He wants as He sees fit.)
From where did we get the notion that we could of our own intellect, resource and reasoning speak into the atmosphere or into any situation and reap the results of whatever ‘one’ says will come to pass. Again as I have said in previous post, this is the indoctrination of the last thirty years by the ‘hyper faith’ folks who believe because they heard the testimony of a miraculous move or touch of God in someone else’s life or may have thought that any scriptural promise can now become the ‘commodity ’on the trading block in an open market ready for the taking by anyone rehearsing a spiritual mantra of words without having heard ‘The Voice’ of Him who speaks light and life. In essence the mindset being perpetuated in many Christians across the land has preconditioned them to automatically believe that they have the faith to encompass whatever they want when they want it. They also tend to believe, God cannot but comply seeing that He is so impressed with their dynamic faith and is bound by their ability to quote a scripture. Where is our sensitivity to God’s will, timing and purpose in these matters?
Disappointment is the usual feeling we get when we fail to ‘get’ our request answered. I for one have had my share of unanswered prayer. I am right now going through some type of transition as I realize the futility of praying or speaking out of my own head or even out of legitimate, genuine need or desire. Please hear me, I believe we should pray about all things, we are often caught off guard in difficult situations where all we can say is ‘Help me Lord’ and at times it works and God hears us but then we are left wondering why He heard one prayer and not this one over here that we really needed an answer for, like yesterday.
Some things are just not explainable, call them a mystery or whatever but the results remain the same, God has not chosen to answer this prayer yet, you could call this the Philippians prayer “be anxious for nothing but in ‘everything’ with prayer and supplication let your request be made known to God.”(Phil. 4:6)(My emphasis)
We are not always able to articulate a specific request nor cognisant of what that answer will look like. At times we are basically crying out to God for help, any help will do and He is faithful to provide for us what we need for the moment in terms of grace, comfort and wisdom for the interim but not necessarily answering the details of our specific petition. It is at this juncture that many of God’s people struggle with the faith issue. We pray and in God’s divine wisdom He chooses to meet our needs or answers our prayers contrary to the specific instructions we gave Him, imagine that , the nerve for God to do something different than what we are asking for.
For decades we have heard popular Bible teachers tell us that faith is a ‘power’ to unlock health success and money. Or faith is the key, just believe and the doors will open before you. If that is the case then let us look at Romans 10:17 which teach “So faith comes from hearing and hearing from a word of Christ.”(NASB) The context of this scripture refers to our salvation, having heard the message of the Gospel, yet in truth, we heard more than just words at the moment we responded to God’s invitation. God ‘gave’ us faith as those words broke through to our hearts to see Jesus as our Savior and our hearts heard something we had never known before; the Voice of God.( Romans 10:14,18 ;Col. 1:5,6)
This ‘hearing’ mentioned in the above scriptures is what Jesus Himself made reference to in the Gospel of John many times as Jesus spoke of only saying those things He ‘heard His Father say and only did what He saw His Father do.’ (John 8:28; 5:19; 5:30; 12:49) Jesus exemplified for us the Son who walked out an obedient life never diverting from His Father will. Could it be that as Jesus spent all those hours alone on a regular daily basis, His Father opened up to Him the details of His day and what and how Jesus would meet every need the Father brought His way getting the heavenly download as He spent time in communion with His Father.
Another reference of ‘hearing’ is found in the book of Galatians as Paul is giving the Church some corrective measures. What had begun purely as a work of grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit had at this point been reduced to manmade legalistic efforts by some to gain the favor and ear of God. In chapter 3:2 of Galatians we read:”… did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the HEARING with faith.” (My emphasis)
Again in verse 5 of chapter 3 we read “Does He then who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you do it by the works of the Law or by the HEARING with faith.”(My emphasis)
I hope that the clarity and the consistency of what is being said here are registering inside of you. We read earlier faith comes, faith comes, and faith comes, but by what? By hearing, hearing what? The word of God the Bible, or the Word of God which is Jesus, what we hear is only steadfast and sure depending on Who is saying it. If God is speaking then darkness gives way to light if I am speaking nothing moves but my tongue, no matter how sincere and compassionate we maybe. Words alone cannot just be ‘quoted’ or shouted or even declared boldly, they must have the backing of Heaven behind them to impact lives and change circumstances. We are not depositories of great faith we have all been given a measure but when it comes to moving mountains we will need to hear that ‘rhema’ now forthtelling, voice of God to do the impossible.
We can say that that person prayed such and such and it came to pass, well that person either heard God and it came to pass or they did not hear God and God just happened to be in the process of working out those same details or God in His goodness is honoring a prayer for the person on the receiving end or the giving end but the bottom line is still; it falls within the parameters of His will and purpose for this individual. Could it be that just maybe God had already deposited a word of faith in the hearts of those who claim to be the source of faith but are more accurately the recipients of a ‘God faith’, we need to realize that God is very gracious and generous.
Let’s look at another well known Bible verse in regards to prayer found in 1 John 5: 14,15 which teaches “This is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us and we know that if He hears us that we have the petition that we ask of Him.” Some would venture to say that whatever they ask is according to God’s will because they are Christian and have the mind of Christ in all areas. OK then if that is the case, then all their prayers should get answered right away. However in all reality and with a little intellectual honesty that is not the case for the rest of us. So often we find ourselves with the same attitude as Peter, barging in to any and circumstances wielding our swords at anything that moves. Though we did not hear God’s ‘voice’ in anyway giving us direction or insight about the matter, we assume because we ‘CAN’ pray and QUOTE God’s word that this is tantamount or equivalent to God’s ‘voice’ or green light of approval in our pronouncement that it is done or we have prayed according to God’s will .
When do we get to the place of being more cautious, to not blurt out religious phrases and scriptures because they seem to be the right and proper thing to do? King Saul took it upon himself to offer a sacrifice which was not his place as King because he thought it was the right thing to do at the time, which wreaked terrible consequences for his own future. We need to realize, yes others are listening and yes they maybe expecting us to pray some great prayer of healing when in humility before God I should be asking Him what His will in this situation and not assume that healing and victory for all is meant to be now or complete. My so called prayer of ‘faith’ over people may have adverse affect on them if my declarations of their healings originate in me and do not come to pass.
What is more offensive is when some of these ‘super faith’ people resort to blaming others for their ‘lack of faith’ though they themselves have missed hearing from God, which in turn cause people to go away confused and feeling guilty for not being healed after being prayed for without results.
Are we really so powerful, so able, are we more interested in what God wants or are we more interested in getting our way and our results. Could it be that what we want more than God’s will and purpose is our own. Is it possible that ‘selfish ambition’ blinds us to the fact that God is not our ‘personal genie in a bottle’ who exist to wait on us hand and foot. I believe the evangelical charismatic Church as a whole in North America is being wrongly influenced in regards to who they are as ‘believers in Christ.’ The thrust of many messages that seem to be picking up momentum is that believers have an inherent ‘godlike’ power and authority that is not biblical. As in previous post this is a set up to lure unsuspecting believers out from a dependence on Christ alone, into a self assured confidence in their own ability to perform the miraculous drawing from their own internal power source. It’s a trap for many who presume to know God yet have not ‘learned’ Him or His ways, in fact they really don’t want to know God, they desire a source of power or a supply to tap into. There is a mixture of self- confidence and a self- reliance that reaches out for a spirituality not taught in scripture. A spirituality that has not been tempered in the ‘fires’ of a true fear of God nor apprehended or conformed to the ‘yolk’ of rest and obedience of Christ.
The test will reveal that we came out of the ‘secret place’ of His Presence and spoke the word we ‘heard’ which in turn met the need of the moment, yet without striving in ourselves to muster up a confidence or a faith that does not originate in us, but only in Him.
One indicator of our substance and maturity in Christ will be the moment we can utter and abide in the same words Jesus did ‘I can only say those things I hear my Father say and can only do those things I see my Father do. This is the secret place of power and authority because it’s in this place that we will learn to hear the ‘Voice’ of God and walk right down the center of His will.
Faith is ‘conceived’ in us when we ‘hear’ a word from God. That ‘faith’ produces assurance that we have secured the petition we desire of God. We are at rest in the confidence that we heard from God and not out of our own personal wishes.
Jesus in the Garden asked if the cup of suffering could be bypassed, out of His humanity He prayed a request to His Father out of His personal desire to avert the cross and the agony ahead. However His love to do what His Father had asked of Him burned more intensely than His human ‘self preservation.’
‘Thy will be done’ is a prayer of faith contrary to popular teaching, these are also the words of faith that are at rest in the will and purpose of God from believers who have come to know the goodness of their God. They may sound to some as weak and passive yet they are birthed from the ‘womb’ of security in the all encompassing love and refuge of Christ.
THE SPEAKING VOICE OF GOD

One has to wonder what the actual audible voice of God sounds like. I know in my own life what I have ‘heard’ or maybe the better word to use would be what I have understood to be God speaking came to me from deep within, however as I ponder on those moments I would have to say that they were not so much audible as they were impressions registered in me the undeniable voice of God. My natural ears did not pick up any sound yet the essence of what transpired resonated the character of Someone far beyond the portals of this earthly realm.
To be sure there are today, those without a doubt who have heard the ‘audible’ literal voice of God and scripture would bear witness of this, recorded in many instances in the Old and New Testaments that we would know; not only that God speaks to us in ways that we can understand what He is trying to communicate with us but also as a record and testimony. Not only does He speak but the words that God speaks are freighted with intention and authority in the performance of His will and with detailed purpose for individual people as well as nations and people groups.
With this idea in mind I was made very aware of this truth recently from one of those ‘take it for granted scriptures’ which I had read hundreds of time before but suddenly it seemed to have been highlighted with a spiritual marker and its obvious meaning became much more apparent in my heart.
In Genesis 1:3 it says, “And God said let there be light, and there was light.”Or if I put it in my own words I would say, ‘and God said let there be light and it was so!’
THINK OF THAT STATEMENT FOR A MINUTE, and God said; God more than likely spoke with an audible voice to the darkness and chaos and by the power of His words alone, light appeared. Here’s the epiphany of that moment for me; in this whole universe only One person and One voice brought into being everything that we see, hear, touch and experience, therefore it is only as that Voice spoke then or when that Voice speaks today that will effect and achieve eternal and powerful changes in the world or the lives of people saved and unsaved. It is the creative all powerful ‘voice’ (or word) that creates and brings transformation, is there any other voices out there that we might have missed?
You might be saying well yes of course we all know that, OK but this is the point that I want to underscore here. Why it is then when we are confronted with a situation or crisis whether in our lives or in the lives of others that we can be so bold as to pray things and declare things out of our own strength, thinking that our words will affect any kind of change. Yes of course we all believe that prayer is the right thing to do in times like that, but deep down inside, some of us might be willing to admit that the prayer even though we are taught to pray had no sense of God’s power or anointing in it. It may have been prayed or spoken with much passion and emotion however there just didn’t seem to be any divine connection or witness in it.
I believe we have all experienced this kind of disconnect, even though the words are right and true and even though in our own hearts we are believing God for the answer as we look to Him we are left feeling the lack of virtue or unction. Welcome to the Club of Unanswered Prayers.
The bottom line is, if I do not pray or speak the words of God there can be no transforming power to change one iota of anything, period. Ouch! ( This is the Biblical pattern, however, keep in mind that God is sovereign and He will do whatever He wants as He sees fit.)
From where did we get the notion that we could of our own intellect, resource and reasoning speak into the atmosphere or into any situation and reap the results of whatever ‘one’ says will come to pass. Again as I have said in previous post, this is the indoctrination of the last thirty years by the ‘hyper faith’ folks who believe because they heard the testimony of a miraculous move or touch of God in someone else’s life or may have thought that any scriptural promise can now become the ‘commodity ’on the trading block in an open market ready for the taking by anyone rehearsing a spiritual mantra of words without having heard ‘The Voice’ of Him who speaks light and life. In essence the mindset being perpetuated in many Christians across the land has preconditioned them to automatically believe that they have the faith to encompass whatever they want when they want it. They also tend to believe, God cannot but comply seeing that He is so impressed with their dynamic faith and is bound by their ability to quote a scripture. Where is our sensitivity to God’s will, timing and purpose in these matters?
Disappointment is the usual feeling we get when we fail to ‘get’ our request answered. I for one have had my share of unanswered prayer. I am right now going through some type of transition as I realize the futility of praying or speaking out of my own head or even out of legitimate, genuine need or desire. Please hear me, I believe we should pray about all things, we are often caught off guard in difficult situations where all we can say is ‘Help me Lord’ and at times it works and God hears us but then we are left wondering why He heard one prayer and not this one over here that we really needed an answer for, like yesterday.
Some things are just not explainable, call them a mystery or whatever but the results remain the same, God has not chosen to answer this prayer yet, you could call this the Philippians prayer “be anxious for nothing but in ‘everything’ with prayer and supplication let your request be made known to God.”(Phil. 4:6)(My emphasis)
We are not always able to articulate a specific request nor cognisant of what that answer will look like. At times we are basically crying out to God for help, any help will do and He is faithful to provide for us what we need for the moment in terms of grace, comfort and wisdom for the interim but not necessarily answering the details of our specific petition. It is at this juncture that many of God’s people struggle with the faith issue. We pray and in God’s divine wisdom He chooses to meet our needs or answers our prayers contrary to the specific instructions we gave Him, imagine that , the nerve for God to do something different than what we are asking for.
For decades we have heard popular Bible teachers tell us that faith is a ‘power’ to unlock health success and money. Or faith is the key, just believe and the doors will open before you. If that is the case then let us look at Romans 10:17 which teach “So faith comes from hearing and hearing from a word of Christ.”(NASB) The context of this scripture refers to our salvation, having heard the message of the Gospel, yet in truth, we heard more than just words at the moment we responded to God’s invitation. God ‘gave’ us faith as those words broke through to our hearts to see Jesus as our Savior and our hearts heard something we had never known before; the Voice of God.( Romans 10:14,18 ;Col. 1:5,6)
This ‘hearing’ mentioned in the above scriptures is what Jesus Himself made reference to in the Gospel of John many times as Jesus spoke of only saying those things He ‘heard His Father say and only did what He saw His Father do.’ (John 8:28; 5:19; 5:30; 12:49) Jesus exemplified for us the Son who walked out an obedient life never diverting from His Father will. Could it be that as Jesus spent all those hours alone on a regular daily basis, His Father opened up to Him the details of His day and what and how Jesus would meet every need the Father brought His way getting the heavenly download as He spent time in communion with His Father.
Another reference of ‘hearing’ is found in the book of Galatians as Paul is giving the Church some corrective measures. What had begun purely as a work of grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit had at this point been reduced to manmade legalistic efforts by some to gain the favor and ear of God. In chapter 3:2 of Galatians we read:”… did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the HEARING with faith.” (My emphasis)
Again in verse 5 of chapter 3 we read “Does He then who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you do it by the works of the Law or by the HEARING with faith.”(My emphasis)
I hope that the clarity and the consistency of what is being said here are registering inside of you. We read earlier faith comes, faith comes, and faith comes, but by what? By hearing, hearing what? The word of God the Bible, or the Word of God which is Jesus, what we hear is only steadfast and sure depending on Who is saying it. If God is speaking then darkness gives way to light if I am speaking nothing moves but my tongue, no matter how sincere and compassionate we maybe. Words alone cannot just be ‘quoted’ or shouted or even declared boldly, they must have the backing of Heaven behind them to impact lives and change circumstances. We are not depositories of great faith we have all been given a measure but when it comes to moving mountains we will need to hear that ‘rhema’ now forthtelling, voice of God to do the impossible.
We can say that that person prayed such and such and it came to pass, well that person either heard God and it came to pass or they did not hear God and God just happened to be in the process of working out those same details or God in His goodness is honoring a prayer for the person on the receiving end or the giving end but the bottom line is still; it falls within the parameters of His will and purpose for this individual. Could it be that just maybe God had already deposited a word of faith in the hearts of those who claim to be the source of faith but are more accurately the recipients of a ‘God faith’, we need to realize that God is very gracious and generous.
Let’s look at another well known Bible verse in regards to prayer found in 1 John 5: 14,15 which teaches “This is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us and we know that if He hears us that we have the petition that we ask of Him.” Some would venture to say that whatever they ask is according to God’s will because they are Christian and have the mind of Christ in all areas. OK then if that is the case, then all their prayers should get answered right away. However in all reality and with a little intellectual honesty that is not the case for the rest of us. So often we find ourselves with the same attitude as Peter, barging in to any and circumstances wielding our swords at anything that moves. Though we did not hear God’s ‘voice’ in anyway giving us direction or insight about the matter, we assume because we ‘CAN’ pray and QUOTE God’s word that this is tantamount or equivalent to God’s ‘voice’ or green light of approval in our pronouncement that it is done or we have prayed according to God’s will .
When do we get to the place of being more cautious, to not blurt out religious phrases and scriptures because they seem to be the right and proper thing to do? King Saul took it upon himself to offer a sacrifice which was not his place as King because he thought it was the right thing to do at the time, which wreaked terrible consequences for his own future. We need to realize, yes others are listening and yes they maybe expecting us to pray some great prayer of healing when in humility before God I should be asking Him what His will in this situation and not assume that healing and victory for all is meant to be now or complete. My so called prayer of ‘faith’ over people may have adverse affect on them if my declarations of their healings originate in me and do not come to pass.
What is more offensive is when some of these ‘super faith’ people resort to blaming others for their ‘lack of faith’ though they themselves have missed hearing from God, which in turn cause people to go away confused and feeling guilty for not being healed after being prayed for without results.
Are we really so powerful, so able, are we more interested in what God wants or are we more interested in getting our way and our results. Could it be that what we want more than God’s will and purpose is our own. Is it possible that ‘selfish ambition’ blinds us to the fact that God is not our ‘personal genie in a bottle’ who exist to wait on us hand and foot. I believe the evangelical charismatic Church as a whole in North America is being wrongly influenced in regards to who they are as ‘believers in Christ.’ The thrust of many messages that seem to be picking up momentum is that believers have an inherent ‘godlike’ power and authority that is not biblical. As in previous post this is a set up to lure unsuspecting believers out from a dependence on Christ alone, into a self assured confidence in their own ability to perform the miraculous drawing from their own internal power source. It’s a trap for many who presume to know God yet have not ‘learned’ Him or His ways, in fact they really don’t want to know God, they desire a source of power or a supply to tap into. There is a mixture of self- confidence and a self- reliance that reaches out for a spirituality not taught in scripture. A spirituality that has not been tempered in the ‘fires’ of a true fear of God nor apprehended or conformed to the ‘yolk’ of rest and obedience of Christ.
The test will reveal that we came out of the ‘secret place’ of His Presence and spoke the word we ‘heard’ which in turn met the need of the moment, yet without striving in ourselves to muster up a confidence or a faith that does not originate in us, but only in Him.
One indicator of our substance and maturity in Christ will be the moment we can utter and abide in the same words Jesus did ‘I can only say those things I hear my Father say and can only do those things I see my Father do. This is the secret place of power and authority because it’s in this place that we will learn to hear the ‘Voice’ of God and walk right down the center of His will.
Faith is ‘conceived’ in us when we ‘hear’ a word from God. That ‘faith’ produces assurance that we have secured the petition we desire of God. We are at rest in the confidence that we heard from God and not out of our own personal wishes.
Jesus in the Garden asked if the cup of suffering could be bypassed, out of His humanity He prayed a request to His Father out of His personal desire to avert the cross and the agony ahead. However His love to do what His Father had asked of Him burned more intensely than His human ‘self preservation.’
‘Thy will be done’ is a prayer of faith contrary to popular teaching, these are also the words of faith that are at rest in the will and purpose of God from believers who have come to know the goodness of their God. They may sound to some as weak and passive yet they are birthed from the ‘womb’ of security in the all encompassing love and refuge of Christ.
THE SPEAKING VOICE OF GOD

One has to wonder what the actual audible voice of God sounds like. I know in my own life what I have ‘heard’ or maybe the better word to use would be what I have understood to be God speaking came to me from deep within, however as I ponder on those moments I would have to say that they were not so much audible as they were impressions registered in me the undeniable voice of God. My natural ears did not pick up any sound yet the essence of what transpired resonated the character of Someone far beyond the portals of this earthly realm.
To be sure there are today, those without a doubt who have heard the ‘audible’ literal voice of God and scripture would bear witness of this, recorded in many instances in the Old and New Testaments that we would know; not only that God speaks to us in ways that we can understand what He is trying to communicate with us but also as a record and testimony. Not only does He speak but the words that God speaks are freighted with intention and authority in the performance of His will and with detailed purpose for individual people as well as nations and people groups.
With this idea in mind I was made very aware of this truth recently from one of those ‘take it for granted scriptures’ which I had read hundreds of time before but suddenly it seemed to have been highlighted with a spiritual marker and its obvious meaning became much more apparent in my heart.
In Genesis 1:3 it says, “And God said let there be light, and there was light.”Or if I put it in my own words I would say, ‘and God said let there be light and it was so!’
THINK OF THAT STATEMENT FOR A MINUTE, and God said; God more than likely spoke with an audible voice to the darkness and chaos and by the power of His words alone, light appeared. Here’s the epiphany of that moment for me; in this whole universe only One person and One voice brought into being everything that we see, hear, touch and experience, therefore it is only as that Voice spoke then or when that Voice speaks today that will effect and achieve eternal and powerful changes in the world or the lives of people saved and unsaved. It is the creative all powerful ‘voice’ (or word) that creates and brings transformation, is there any other voices out there that we might have missed?
You might be saying well yes of course we all know that, OK but this is the point that I want to underscore here. Why it is then when we are confronted with a situation or crisis whether in our lives or in the lives of others that we can be so bold as to pray things and declare things out of our own strength, thinking that our words will affect any kind of change. Yes of course we all believe that prayer is the right thing to do in times like that, but deep down inside, some of us might be willing to admit that the prayer even though we are taught to pray had no sense of God’s power or anointing in it. It may have been prayed or spoken with much passion and emotion however there just didn’t seem to be any divine connection or witness in it.
I believe we have all experienced this kind of disconnect, even though the words are right and true and even though in our own hearts we are believing God for the answer as we look to Him we are left feeling the lack of virtue or unction. Welcome to the Club of Unanswered Prayers.
The bottom line is, if I do not pray or speak the words of God there can be no transforming power to change one iota of anything, period. Ouch! ( This is the Biblical pattern, however, keep in mind that God is sovereign and He will do whatever He wants as He sees fit.)
From where did we get the notion that we could of our own intellect, resource and reasoning speak into the atmosphere or into any situation and reap the results of whatever ‘one’ says will come to pass. Again as I have said in previous post, this is the indoctrination of the last thirty years by the ‘hyper faith’ folks who believe because they heard the testimony of a miraculous move or touch of God in someone else’s life or may have thought that any scriptural promise can now become the ‘commodity ’on the trading block in an open market ready for the taking by anyone rehearsing a spiritual mantra of words without having heard ‘The Voice’ of Him who speaks light and life. In essence the mindset being perpetuated in many Christians across the land has preconditioned them to automatically believe that they have the faith to encompass whatever they want when they want it. They also tend to believe, God cannot but comply seeing that He is so impressed with their dynamic faith and is bound by their ability to quote a scripture. Where is our sensitivity to God’s will, timing and purpose in these matters?
Disappointment is the usual feeling we get when we fail to ‘get’ our request answered. I for one have had my share of unanswered prayer. I am right now going through some type of transition as I realize the futility of praying or speaking out of my own head or even out of legitimate, genuine need or desire. Please hear me, I believe we should pray about all things, we are often caught off guard in difficult situations where all we can say is ‘Help me Lord’ and at times it works and God hears us but then we are left wondering why He heard one prayer and not this one over here that we really needed an answer for, like yesterday.
Some things are just not explainable, call them a mystery or whatever but the results remain the same, God has not chosen to answer this prayer yet, you could call this the Philippians prayer “be anxious for nothing but in ‘everything’ with prayer and supplication let your request be made known to God.”(Phil. 4:6)(My emphasis)
We are not always able to articulate a specific request nor cognisant of what that answer will look like. At times we are basically crying out to God for help, any help will do and He is faithful to provide for us what we need for the moment in terms of grace, comfort and wisdom for the interim but not necessarily answering the details of our specific petition. It is at this juncture that many of God’s people struggle with the faith issue. We pray and in God’s divine wisdom He chooses to meet our needs or answers our prayers contrary to the specific instructions we gave Him, imagine that , the nerve for God to do something different than what we are asking for.
For decades we have heard popular Bible teachers tell us that faith is a ‘power’ to unlock health success and money. Or faith is the key, just believe and the doors will open before you. If that is the case then let us look at Romans 10:17 which teach “So faith comes from hearing and hearing from a word of Christ.”(NASB) The context of this scripture refers to our salvation, having heard the message of the Gospel, yet in truth, we heard more than just words at the moment we responded to God’s invitation. God ‘gave’ us faith as those words broke through to our hearts to see Jesus as our Savior and our hearts heard something we had never known before; the Voice of God.( Romans 10:14,18 ;Col. 1:5,6)
This ‘hearing’ mentioned in the above scriptures is what Jesus Himself made reference to in the Gospel of John many times as Jesus spoke of only saying those things He ‘heard His Father say and only did what He saw His Father do.’ (John 8:28; 5:19; 5:30; 12:49) Jesus exemplified for us the Son who walked out an obedient life never diverting from His Father will. Could it be that as Jesus spent all those hours alone on a regular daily basis, His Father opened up to Him the details of His day and what and how Jesus would meet every need the Father brought His way getting the heavenly download as He spent time in communion with His Father.
Another reference of ‘hearing’ is found in the book of Galatians as Paul is giving the Church some corrective measures. What had begun purely as a work of grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit had at this point been reduced to manmade legalistic efforts by some to gain the favor and ear of God. In chapter 3:2 of Galatians we read:”… did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the HEARING with faith.” (My emphasis)
Again in verse 5 of chapter 3 we read “Does He then who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you do it by the works of the Law or by the HEARING with faith.”(My emphasis)
I hope that the clarity and the consistency of what is being said here are registering inside of you. We read earlier faith comes, faith comes, and faith comes, but by what? By hearing, hearing what? The word of God the Bible, or the Word of God which is Jesus, what we hear is only steadfast and sure depending on Who is saying it. If God is speaking then darkness gives way to light if I am speaking nothing moves but my tongue, no matter how sincere and compassionate we maybe. Words alone cannot just be ‘quoted’ or shouted or even declared boldly, they must have the backing of Heaven behind them to impact lives and change circumstances. We are not depositories of great faith we have all been given a measure but when it comes to moving mountains we will need to hear that ‘rhema’ now forthtelling, voice of God to do the impossible.
We can say that that person prayed such and such and it came to pass, well that person either heard God and it came to pass or they did not hear God and God just happened to be in the process of working out those same details or God in His goodness is honoring a prayer for the person on the receiving end or the giving end but the bottom line is still; it falls within the parameters of His will and purpose for this individual. Could it be that just maybe God had already deposited a word of faith in the hearts of those who claim to be the source of faith but are more accurately the recipients of a ‘God faith’, we need to realize that God is very gracious and generous.
Let’s look at another well known Bible verse in regards to prayer found in 1 John 5: 14,15 which teaches “This is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us and we know that if He hears us that we have the petition that we ask of Him.” Some would venture to say that whatever they ask is according to God’s will because they are Christian and have the mind of Christ in all areas. OK then if that is the case, then all their prayers should get answered right away. However in all reality and with a little intellectual honesty that is not the case for the rest of us. So often we find ourselves with the same attitude as Peter, barging in to any and circumstances wielding our swords at anything that moves. Though we did not hear God’s ‘voice’ in anyway giving us direction or insight about the matter, we assume because we ‘CAN’ pray and QUOTE God’s word that this is tantamount or equivalent to God’s ‘voice’ or green light of approval in our pronouncement that it is done or we have prayed according to God’s will .
When do we get to the place of being more cautious, to not blurt out religious phrases and scriptures because they seem to be the right and proper thing to do? King Saul took it upon himself to offer a sacrifice which was not his place as King because he thought it was the right thing to do at the time, which wreaked terrible consequences for his own future. We need to realize, yes others are listening and yes they maybe expecting us to pray some great prayer of healing when in humility before God I should be asking Him what His will in this situation and not assume that healing and victory for all is meant to be now or complete. My so called prayer of ‘faith’ over people may have adverse affect on them if my declarations of their healings originate in me and do not come to pass.
What is more offensive is when some of these ‘super faith’ people resort to blaming others for their ‘lack of faith’ though they themselves have missed hearing from God, which in turn cause people to go away confused and feeling guilty for not being healed after being prayed for without results.
Are we really so powerful, so able, are we more interested in what God wants or are we more interested in getting our way and our results. Could it be that what we want more than God’s will and purpose is our own. Is it possible that ‘selfish ambition’ blinds us to the fact that God is not our ‘personal genie in a bottle’ who exist to wait on us hand and foot. I believe the evangelical charismatic Church as a whole in North America is being wrongly influenced in regards to who they are as ‘believers in Christ.’ The thrust of many messages that seem to be picking up momentum is that believers have an inherent ‘godlike’ power and authority that is not biblical. As in previous post this is a set up to lure unsuspecting believers out from a dependence on Christ alone, into a self assured confidence in their own ability to perform the miraculous drawing from their own internal power source. It’s a trap for many who presume to know God yet have not ‘learned’ Him or His ways, in fact they really don’t want to know God, they desire a source of power or a supply to tap into. There is a mixture of self- confidence and a self- reliance that reaches out for a spirituality not taught in scripture. A spirituality that has not been tempered in the ‘fires’ of a true fear of God nor apprehended or conformed to the ‘yolk’ of rest and obedience of Christ.
The test will reveal that we came out of the ‘secret place’ of His Presence and spoke the word we ‘heard’ which in turn met the need of the moment, yet without striving in ourselves to muster up a confidence or a faith that does not originate in us, but only in Him.
One indicator of our substance and maturity in Christ will be the moment we can utter and abide in the same words Jesus did ‘I can only say those things I hear my Father say and can only do those things I see my Father do. This is the secret place of power and authority because it’s in this place that we will learn to hear the ‘Voice’ of God and walk right down the center of His will.
Faith is ‘conceived’ in us when we ‘hear’ a word from God. That ‘faith’ produces assurance that we have secured the petition we desire of God. We are at rest in the confidence that we heard from God and not out of our own personal wishes.
Jesus in the Garden asked if the cup of suffering could be bypassed, out of His humanity He prayed a request to His Father out of His personal desire to avert the cross and the agony ahead. However His love to do what His Father had asked of Him burned more intensely than His human ‘self preservation.’
‘Thy will be done’ is a prayer of faith contrary to popular teaching, these are also the words of faith that are at rest in the will and purpose of God from believers who have come to know the goodness of their God. They may sound to some as weak and passive yet they are birthed from the ‘womb’ of security in the all encompassing love and refuge of Christ.