Hearing the Voice of God – Walking In Power with Nate Ortiz

Hey everyone, I want to talk to you today about hearing the voice of God.

So when I was a kid and I grew up, I'd hear preaches often talk about heard God speak

to me.

I heard God audibly, I was praying, God spoke this to me.

Now I was used to wonder, what does that really sound like?

And maybe some of you might be in that place where you hear people talking about certain

aspects of their faith.

And they said, well, I was praying and I heard God.

I want to talk more specifically what that can look like in your life.

I truly believe God is always speaking to us, but are we always listening?

I think one of the big misconceptions that we feel like we have to hear from God, it looks

like us in a church seat listening to the preacher or in a church setting or we're praying

on our bedside or whatever that looks like.

But I really believe that God is always in communion with us and Scripture supports

that.

That when we draw near to God, he draws near to us.

And I think when we wake up in the morning or we go to church, it's like we feel like

all right, I got my fill of God today.

I consumed his word.

But now I'm going to go on about my day and I'm kind of keeping my arms length.

God moving in your life is never a convenient.

It's never just when you want it, how you want it and it looks like you want it to look.

When you are really hearing the voice of God, it takes an element of discipline and

action.

So, when I think about the time that God has spoken to me in my life, it's always look

different, but there are some key consistencies with it.

When I think of the times I've heard God, the one thing that he always speaks to me is

that God never really points to me in the directs says, this is what you're going to do and

this is the direction you're heading, Nate and all those things really, God will speak

to me and say, it's not this and it's not this.

And I think God does that to me specifically because it requires me to trust a much more

than I can sometimes even believe.

And it's like, oh my gosh, God, I trust you.

I believe you.

I will do anything.

Just tell me where to go.

But God knows my heart.

He knows.

I said, well, if I told Nate to go here, he would do it.

He would go there.

But there's an element of saying, do you trust me enough for me to say it's not what's

in your hands.

It's not what you see, but it's over here in this path that you can't see.

I'm saying, well, God, is that the path?

I know it's not these things, but is it that?

And that's how God speaks to me.

And I've learned this over time because when he speaks to me that way, it requires action

with me.

God may speak to you in different ways.

I can tell you, you might be out driving your car and you know, a song on the radio and

a thought comes into your head.

And he's like, man, was that a God thought?

Here's what I want to encourage you with.

The only way you really know of God is speaking to you as you act on the thought that has come

to you.

God will never ask you to do something that's outside of the scripture, outside of his

word.

But God will allow you to feel the confirmation when you step out and do that.

And it only comes at that time where you say, Lord, throughout my day, you can interrupt

it.

Not just when I give you this time, but says, Lord, anytime that you can reach, you know,

you can use my life to be a blessing to others.

And it's the most common question, right?

Just how do I know God is speaking to me?

It comes when you are responding in obedience.

When you are saying, Lord, I want to do it right away, that action.

So when you respond, when you respond to obedience, respond in action.

You will have more confidence when God is speaking to you throughout your day.

So when you have those moments, like, is that God?

Is it not act upon it?

Be obedient upon it and see what God speaks to you.

The second way that I think that we hear from God is that we have to read His word.

Many times we feel like we just want God to speak to us, like, name, bolt in the sky

or he just bring something to us.

But there's a element of us having to say, God, speak to me through your word.

What can I read that will speak to me?

It'll be for me in the day.

What maybe I don't see it right now, but maybe I go throughout my day, throughout my week.

And your word is speaking to me because of the very situation I'm going in.

I believe that God can lead you in your devotionals and your quiet time with him that it's

going to show you these are the areas that you need to focus on.

This is where I'm speaking to you.

You're reading passage of Scripture about peace because you're going to need the peace

that only I can give.

God might give you passages about joy and it might be going through difficult times

and says, this is the kind of joy that you need to experience and reach towards.

So I want to tell you that hearing the voice of God, I think it's one of the most important

things we can do as believers.

And so when you act and when you say, Lord, speaking to your scriptures, that's what we

begin to experience him more and more and more.

And I think the third place that we can hear God's voice is through people.

Sometimes people will share things to us.

They may not even know the significance of what they shared or why they shared it.

But God knows anytime you get that feeling of like maybe that was a word for me, you

write it down somewhere, put it in your Bible, put it in your phone or a journal, whatever

it might be.

But what can you do to reflect upon what God has been speaking to you?

Many times our lives where God will speak something to us or you feel like you have something

for your life, but you're not really sure.

Here's what I will tell you.

Write down.

I mean, I'd be for that moment, but it may be for later.

But God is always speaking to us.

And when we are listening and when we are listening, not just when we're speaking, it's

God's time, but we say, God, anytime, you can speak to me.

We're listening.

He will be faithful to come through.

He will be faithful to say, this is where I want you to go.

So I'd like you to do it, but you have to act, be obedient on it.

We have to confirm with Scripture.

And I also think that we people around us who will help guide us in that.

I encourage you today whether it's quiet time, whether it might be learned to hear the

voice of God, read the word, meditate upon his word, let it really be inside you and

not just something you read, but he forgot.

Because when you learn to hear the voice of God, you'll be amazed how much your confidence

will grow in the Lord.

You will be in your own faith journey.

How much more assured you will be that you are walking in the right direction, you know,

in strident with God and who he's called you to be.

I encourage you grow in this practice of hearing the voice of God, acting upon it, let it

be confirmed with Scripture, and also let you be encouraged by the people who are around

you.

You're blessing upon you and all that you're doing in your faith journey that you will

see God will be a mighty way in your life.