2 Words in 1

 

The Rain Nourishes the Earth

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,” Isaiah 55:10.

“Do you see the rain coming down? Do you see the atmosphere change when the rain is falling down upon the earth?

It comes down and nourishes the earth. It causes things to grow, and splendor to come and spread her wings. Without the rain the ground would surely dry up.

But I tell you that the same is true of My Word. For My Word nourishes and gives strength. Without it you would surely become like the waste places of the earth.

But I see another work about My people.

I see them feeding upon other things.

I see them feeding upon the depravity of man.

I see them watching movies that are not good for their soul.

I see them carried away by other philosophies and religions.

You then will have the rain but it will be like the acid rain that falls in many industrialized cities and things begin to rot and fall apart.

But if you choose to be nourished and cleansed then feed upon my word. For it will cause you to grow. It will spread its roots down deep. For you will be like the trees that gather around the rivers in Lebanon.

For those trees became a beautiful place in the temple of Solomon. They were nourished by my rivers. ”

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Going Deeper Into Hearing God’s Voice

When we read articles and accounts of how one might be able to hear God’s voice, I believe that there are still some things we need to learn.

We understand from scripture that God can speak to us in a still, small voice, as we read the account in 1 Kings 19:12.

“After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing,” 1 Kings 19:12.

We have the example of Elijah when he had run to the cave, and how the LORD was not heard in the earthquake, or the fire, or any of the other natural forces in nature. He came to realize the still, small voice that spoke to him then was true.

We also know from the word that we His people hear His voice, and because of this, we follow after Him. But having said this, how can we be certain that the voice that we are hearing is His?

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me,” John 10:27.

We are told that we can hear God’s voice plainly, as this is substantiated in scripture in several places. If this is the case, then why do many people struggle with not being certain about these things?

If we go further in our inquiry about these things, we can ask if it is possible for the enemy to speak in a “still small, voice.” It’s important to know that the enemy comes to condemn and to fill us full of guilt and fear.

So when we hear words like, “You should have known better, why did you make that mistake?” This isn’t the voice of the LORD. And yet, we have the account of the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, and how he heard the voice of God:

“As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, LORD?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the LORD said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, LORD.” And the LORD said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,” Acts 9:3-11.

I was thinking how I might explain to others how one would definitely know the voice of the LORD and be certain about it. For one thing, I have noticed that when the anointing comes and you experience the “touch” of the Holy Spirit come upon you, you can know for certain that this signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit.

When words come at this time, one can be assured that they are coming from God. And yet, I believe that there are other times when the anointing has not come, but a voice ever so deep and clear, speaks to us.

However, one cannot be totally certain about this as well. This is true partly because we have our own thoughts and the voice from our parents or past that speaks to us. This voice may say, “Now slow down, you’re driving too fast, be careful.”

And actually, the enemy himself, also comes and he might say, “Hurry up, make a quick decision now, you don’t have much time left

God doesn’t rush us, nor does He try to get us to hurry up. Rather He wants us to slow down, trust Him, and allow His Spirit to guide us.

The premise of discerning between our own self talk and knowing when it is the LORD’s voice is paramount. I brought up how we can know when the LORD is speaking that His voice is gentle and loving, as contrasted with a voice that instills fear and guilt from the enemy.

But there are times when even these differences can leave us wondering. For it is also true that God’s voice will also “urge” or certainly “warn” us about things, and at these times, His voice may not be as gentle as it is at other times.

One can be certain that the Holy Spirit is speaking to us when we sense His presence, or we are in-filled with the anointing. The enemy cannot reproduce the anointing, nor can we ourselves.

But then we may ask, “What if the Holy Spirit is speaking, but we don’t sense His anointing – how then, can we be assured of knowing?’ This is when one needs practice and experience in developing a discerning ear.

Not many of us can hear the audible voice of God speaking to us. However, within us, He has hollowed out a place deep within our hearts where His voice can be heard. Of course, our own hearts can betray us, and we can be deceived because of this.

There have been some things that I’ve prayed that I could somehow express in words to you about how to know the difference between your own voice and that of God’s, and I believe that I have an example that will prove to be helpful.

When we are going about our life there are always things that come to our minds and our thoughts like words. Our minds are like a screen that shows various words and phrases that are constantly bombarding our thought patterns. These words and thoughts are from our own minds and souls, if you will.

But at times, during the day, or throughout the night, a deeper phrase, a word, or a voice, comes, and it isn’t scattered, or disorganized, as our own thoughts and minds are. At these times, we sense deep within, that God is indeed speaking to us. We somehow “know” that what is being said is not “us,” but it is God.

Now one cannot make something like this into a technical thing, and of course each person is different, and God speaks to each of His children differently. My intent here, is really to get at the origin of how we hear from God, and then to develop a way of “knowing” when it is Him, not our own self, and also not, the voice of the enemy.

Find the time to devote yourselves to prayer and reading His word daily. And then when an important decision comes up, you can be more assured in knowing what God’s guidance is in the matter. And yet circumstances may not be readily seen for what you should do. Even when our best counselors and friends tell us what we should do, their guidance may be flawed.

“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; so that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty. My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi, Like the torrents of wadis which vanish, which are turbid because of ice and into which the snow melts. When they become waterless, they are silent, when it is hot, they vanish from their place. The paths of their course wind along, tey go up into nothing and perish,” Job 6:14-18.

When it gets right down to it, each person has to learn how to distinguish these things himself. No one can reach down into your spirit and help you each moment during the day, whether God is speaking to you then or not.

A child learns how to crawl first and then in time, finds out how to walk. As they get older, one learns how to run, and develops a type of discipline to keep their body conditioned and in shape. The same is true spiritually in learning how to distinguish the voice of the LORD.

Amen.

 

Selah,
~ Stephen Hanson

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Stephen Hanson of In His Truth Ministries came to the LORD is a special way in 1975 and has prophesied regularly since. In these end-time birthing pangs we are reminded that judgment must first begin with the household of God. Will we be prepared and ready?

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