How to Hear the Voice of God in the Details of Life (part 3):

You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body.

8.16.2020

Review

It is more important than ever today to know the voice of God.

There are challenges now and in our future that we have never navigated in this way. The world is changing.

Romans 8:14-16 (NKJV)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Proverbs 20:27 (NKJV)

The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.

One great desire that I have had since I’ve known Jesus is to know how to correctly hear the voice of God.

August 2

Judges 6 – Gideon was called by God to lead Israel into battle, and Gideon “put out a fleece,” that is, he looked to circumstances to confirm what God was saying to him.

The only time I have ever done that I missed God’s plan completely! I was 22-23 years old. It was a great life lesson.

God’s leading is often unreasonable, because it doesn’t make sense to the natural mind.

God will lead you to do something now that will set you up for something in your future that is coming and that you don’t know about.

August 9 – Last week

1. There are two ways we receive direction from God – General Guidance and Specific Guidance.

Logos and Rhema

General Guidance – Logos – the sum total of all of the expressions of God

Specific Guidance: Rhema – When the Holy Spirit quickens a thought to your spirit, and gives you specific direction about a situation or issue in life.

John 16:13-15 (NKJV)

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

2. You cannot hear the voice of God if you neglect the Word of God!

If you’re not walking in the general guidance of the Word, in the areas that you KNOW about, then you’ll not be in position to receive more specific guidance from the Lord.

So, for instance, I know to tithe and give, but I don’t do it, and I run into a financial hard place, and then ask God to meet my needs, is He going to give me specific guidance? Not until I repent and obey the Logos! You don’t have the Holy Spirit speak the Rhema specifically very much at all until you get committed!

Today…

What I am going to share today is fundamental, basic stuff if you are going to walk with God and keep the flesh under control.

If you want to live independent of the circumstances you face, and maintain a life of peace and joy, then what I am sharing today is a MUST to know.

Philippians 4:11 (A.S.Way)

I have learned in whatever condition I am, to be independent of circumstances. I am schooled to bear the depths of poverty, I am schooled to bear abundance. In life as a whole and all its circumstances, I have mastered the secret of living – How to be the same amidst repletion and starvation, amidst abundance and privation. I am equal to every lot through the help of Him who gives me inward strength.

This is how I have sought to live my entire adult life…

3. We are spirit, soul, and body.

 

We are created to commune with God, and to hear His voice.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – NLT

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

We are spirit beings, we possess a soul, and we live in a physical body.

Spirit

The part of your person that relates to God; your conscience, intuition, the inner knowing that you have; a gut sense; all of this comes from the spirit of man and is deeper than thought.

 

Soul

The part of your person that relates to the world around you. The predominant voice of your soul is reason. The soul is made up of three parts – intellect, emotion, will.

The combination of the spirit of man in a human body created the soul.

 

Genesis 2:7 (NLT)

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

Genesis 2:7 (KJV)

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

 

Body

The “earth suit” that you live in. The primary voice of the body is feelings. It is the seat of the 5 senses.

 

When Adam was first created, his spirit flowed in harmony with God. His soul was in harmony with his spirit and was the servant of his spirit life. His body was in harmony with the earth from which it came.

 

His entire being flowed in complete agreement and harmony, each part complementing the other.

The deepest, most eternal part of you, is your spirit nature.

You are a spirit being made in God’s image to fellowship with Him.

Do you think of yourself as spirit first?

Or do you consider first of all your appearance, your weight, your muscles, or lack of them?

Or do you think of your intelligence, your pedigree (the family you’re from), or your educational background first.

Or do you think, first of all, of your skills and abilities, your wealth, or lack of it?

Or do you think of your ethnicity first of all?

A spiritually minded person will think of spiritual things first.

The first thing we should think of is our relationship with Jesus, and how that relationship related us to life in general!

Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT)

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like ourselves. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Image – Hebrew

Strong’s #6754 Tselem – to shade, a phantom, illusion, resemblance, a representative figure

 

Likeness – Hebrew

Strong’s # 1823 Demuwth – resemblance, model, shape similitude, manner

 

John 4:24 (NLT)

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

 

Psalm 8:4-5 (NKJV)

What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.

 

Angels – Hebrew – Elohim – God

 

Genesis 2:7 (NLT)

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

 

Formed – Hebrew (Strong’s #3335) – Yatsar – to mold into form, especially as a potter, to squeeze into shape.

Man – Hebrew (Strong’s #120) Adam – ruddy

 

Dust – Hebrew (Strong’s # 6053) Aphar – dust, clay, earth, mud

 

Ground – Hebrew (Strong’s #127) – Adamah – soil. Redness, earth, ground.

Our food comes from the soil, because God made our bodies from the soil.

 

Our spirit is the unseen part of us that gives us life.

James 2:26 (NKJV)

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

The main difference between mankind and animals is the spirit nature of man.

The problem of evolution is that we are made on a higher level than animals, and for that matter any other form of life.

We were made to walk with God.

 

References to the human spirit:

Job 32:8 (NLT)

But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent.

 

Proverbs 20:27 (NKJV)

The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.

 

Romans 8:16 (NKJV)

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

Romans 1:9 (NKJV)

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers

Philippians 3:3 (NKJV)

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh

2 Corinthians 4:16 (NKJV)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

 

2 Corinthians 5:1 (NLT)

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.

If you concentrate on the physical more than the spiritual, you will become more and more disappointed, and will not handle aging well.

 

2 Corinthians 5:2-8 (NLT)

We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

Philippians 1:22-24 (NKJV)

But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

1 Corinthians 9:27 (NKJV)

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

2 Peter 1:13-14 (NKJV)

Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, 14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

1 Peter 3:4 (NKJV)

rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Luke 16:19-31 (NLT)

Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22 Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. 24 The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ 25 But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ 27 Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ 30 The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.'”

Matthew 17:1-3 (NLT)

Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.

So, I am an eternal spirit being, I have or possess a soul, and I live in a physical body.

When God speaks to us, He speaks by the Holy Spirit in our human spirit.

Begin now to think of yourself as a spirit-being living in a body. Think of yourself as a spirit-being before thinking of yourself as having a mind (education,skills) or a body (physical appearance).

Thinking of ourselves first of all as a spirit made in God’s image will put us in a position to hear more clearly the voice of God.

Example of living with spiritual things first to overcome wrong thoughts and feelings: I started a church and turned it over to someone else after two years, and started to travel in ministry.

My mind kept telling me that I missed God leaving Tulsa and moving back to the Carolinas.

I felt defeated and that my best days were behind me, and I was only 32-33 years old.

To combat the thoughts and feelings, I forced my mind to think on several scriptures.

Psalms 138:8 (NKJV)

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Proverbs 4:18 (NKJV)

But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV)

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Romans 8:37 (NKJV)

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Action Points:

1. Make yourself available to hear God speak by obeying His Word moment by moment.

2. We are spirit beings created to walk and talk with God!

3. Take some time to get quiet and meditate the Word of God, and then listen to what God says through His Word within you.