Tag: hearing gods voice

Hearing God

On By josephbarlowIn JournalLeave a comment

Romans 10:17 KJV
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

There’s something about that first time you hear the good news. When someone finally explains it to you and you actually get it. Understanding has come. Something is being revealed to you. It’s actually more than just the person who is speaking to you or the preacher you heard. There’s another voice coming through. Someone’s knockin’ at the door; the door of your heart. Someone wants in.

Matthew 16:15
15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,
but by my Father in heaven.

Somehow through this process of Jesus spending time with His disciples and Peter pondering all these things, somehow in all of that God ministered to Peter. Somehow Peter heard God. Somehow he got a revelation from heaven. Jesus said that he didn’t get it from a man.

God is speaking to you too. He loves you and He wants you to hear His voice. He wants you to know Him. He wants you to be close to Him. He wants to be able to make your life into an amazing beautiful work of art. He wants to draw you close to Him. Then through you He wants others to be drawn close to Him.

Revelation 3:20 says:
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Sounds like He’s seeking you, the question is are you willing to be found by Him? Are you willing to seek Him too?

Jeremiah 29:13 says
“And ye shall seek me, and find me,
when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”  

If you seek Him it won’t be long before there’s a collision between the two of you. And what a glorious thing that will be. He loves you. Let Him find you.

Living Free From The Fear Of Death

On By josephbarlowIn Politics, TeachingLeave a comment

A FEW WEEKS AGO I SPOKE AT CHURCH ABOUT LIVING WITHOUT FEAR OF DEATH. I THOUGHT I WOULD UNFOLD A FEW THOUGHTS FOR YOU HERE THAT MIGHT HELP:

I GAVE MY LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST WHEN I WAS 11 YEARS OLD, I GOT FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AT AGE 13, BUT BECAUSE OF BAD THEOLOGY AND LACK OF TEACHING THERE WAS A VOID IN MY LIFE. YOU SEE I HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD. I PRAYED REGULARLY, GOT INTO THE WORD NOT AS REGULAR, WENT TO CHURCH AS MUCH AS I COULD, I WAS FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT AND HAD WONDERFUL THINGS HAPPENING IN MY LIFE, EVEN HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD ON OCCASION AND ALSO AS I JOURNALED,  BUT I KNEW NOTHING OF ANY ETERNAL ASSURANCE. I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING WHEN I DIED. WHEN I WAS 19 I BEGAN TO HEAR THE WORD PREACHED ON A REGULAR BASIS. IN MY OLD CHURCH THEY WOULD READ THE SCRIPTURES BUT NO ONE HAD ANY REAL UNDERSTANDING OF THEM. AT THE NEW CHURCH THERE WAS TEACHING COMING FROM THE PULPIT THAT REALLY MADE ME COME ALIVE. I FOUND OUT THAT FOR A CHRISTIAN, A CHILD OF GOD, HEAVEN IS PROMISED. ITS NOT A ‘WAIT AND SEE’ PROPOSITION. I WAS ASTOUNDED, REALLY AMAZED; NOT ONLY DID I GET THIS GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, BUT I GOT TO GO TO HEAVEN TOO.

KNOWING WHERE YOU’RE GOING

ONCE YOU KNOW YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION, YOU’RE NOT JUST HOPING NOW, BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS TAUGHT IT TO YOU INTERNALLY THEN YOU COME INTO A PLACE WHERE A BASE FEAR, A PRIMORDIAL FEAR CAN BE RELEASED. THE FEAR OF DEATH IS A HAUNTING THING. BUT WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT’S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DEATH’S DOOR THEN IT DOESN’T LOOK SO DAUNTING.

NOW SELF-PRESERVATION IS A BASE INSTINCT. WE HAVE A NATURAL, BUILT-IN TENDENCY TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO STAY ALIVE. THIS IS GOOD AND WONDERFUL. BUT THE FEAR OF DEATH GIVES PLACE TO SOME RATIONAL FEARS AND SOME IRRATIONAL.

WHY SO AFRAID?

MOST PEOPLE ONLY KNOW WHAT THEY CAN SEE WITH THEIR PHYSICAL EYES. HEAVEN IS NOT A REALITY TO THEM SO THEY MUST HANG ON TO THE ONLY REALITY THEY KNOW. DEATH IS A DOOR WAY THAT LEADS TO ETERNITY. OBVIOUSLY ITS A PRETTY BIG QUESTION: DID YOU GET YOUR ETERNAL ACCOMMODATIONS WORKED OUT? IF YOU DIDN’T THERE IS A DEFAULT BUT ITS NOT HEAVEN. IF YOU HAVEN’T CHOSEN JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOUR AND GIVEN THE LORDSHIP OF YOUR LIFE OVER TO HIM THEN I RECOMMEND YOU DO. IF YOU HAVEN’T, YOU HAVE GREAT REASON TO FEAR DEATH, BECAUSE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DEATH’S DOOR IS ETERNAL JUDGMENT. BUT IF YOU’VE GOT THIS ETERNITY QUESTION WORKED OUT THEN DEATH SHOULD BE AVOIDED BUT NOT FEARED.