Monday, October 10, 2016

Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer

Image Credit: Sarah Diniz Outeiro - Public Domain Image - via Freely Photos

Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks

We have started a new Bible study at church on Wednesday nights. We are studying Discerning the Voice of God (How to Recognize When God Speaks) by Priscilla Shirer. The following is a short summary of our study.

One of the very first things Priscilla wants us to know is that to hear Him, we must be His true sheep and He must be our true Shepherd.

If we want to hear God speak, then we must expect to hear Him. We must also wait patiently for Him to speak.

Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord. – Psalm 27:14

For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay. – Habakkuk 2:3

If we are expecting and waiting to hear from the Lord, then we must also be willing to obey His voice when He speaks to us.

Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine. – Exodus 19:5

As we blatantly ignore and disobey God, we build a callous around our spiritual ears so that we don’t hear the voice of God. He knows if we are pure in our desire to do what He says. – Priscilla Shirer

We must expect His voice, wait for His voice, be willing to obey His voice, and we must listen for His voice.

Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. – Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

After expecting, waiting, obeying, and listening to hear from God, we must have faith in what He says.

Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. – Hebrews 10:22

This has been a short summary of the first week of our six week study. Priscilla Shirer is a gifted Bible teacher. She digs much deeper in her book study, Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks. I encourage you to grab a copy and go through it yourself or with a small group.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study series here.

The leader kit which includes the videos is available here.