[1]

From
GOD
BAYPORT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
482 Middle Road, Bayport
Invites you to Join Us
SATURDAY, January 26th, 2013
9am -3pm
For our 4th Annual
Wonderful Womens New Years Conference
$13 Per person includes conference, refreshments and lunch
For Tickets call:
Church Oce 631-472-0770 or
Jann Sanicola 631-626-1263
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Hearing
Special Guest Speaker:
Joanna Fruhauf,
President of Gracious Vine Ministry
Worship & Music by
Gracious Vine Worship Band
www.GraciousVine.com
[2]
HEARING
From GOD
www.GraciousVine.com Joanna Fruhauf
What is Sound? How does it Impact
us? How is it used?
Before we talk about what it means to hear from God, lets
talk a little bit about sound itself. Have you thought about
sound? Sound is created by sound waves that move at
different velocities. Whether long wave lengths producing
low frequencies or short wave lengths producing high
frequencies. There are nearly an infinite amount of
frequencies, of which we humans only hear a portion. Dogs
can hear much higher frequencies, hence their own whistle,
and elephants, hear much lower frequencies. Sound waves
are used in a variety of unique applications., ie. Ultra sound
technology, in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals,
weapons on the battlefield, and even as a surgical blade.
We are constantly hearing things, much of the sound
around us is accidental and unpleasant. We spend our
days suppressing and fighting against sounds that are
overwhelmingly confusing, or bothersome. We are
unconsciously not listening to much of our surroundings or
those around us. We sort and prioritize what we want to
hear, making our hearing selective, and focus greater on
those things of particular appeal and importance to us.
Do you remember in 2001 after the twin towers fell, how
strangely quiet the skies were without airplane rumbles in
the atmosphere. Or what about in the Northeast in 2003
when the entire northeastern grid blacked out. There was
no sound, but voice and wind and cars. Even at home, the
gentle hum of the refrigerator, the air conditioners or fans,
pool pumps, no TV, no radio, no phones. It was bizarre and
eery.
SOUND effects us in 4 major ways:
Physiologically - Heart Rates, blood pressure, breathing,
brain waves and hormonally, physically helping or hurting
Psychologically - emotions, moods, restful, anxiety,
Movies loaded with music to impact your emotions
Cognitively - intake of sound is limited and can only be
understood in small bandwidths, processing, sorting and
prioritizing sounds can cause an increase or decrease in
productivity depending on sound environments
Behaviorally - sound impact our behavior, driving,
purchasing, eating and functionality ie., stores, business
lobbies, doctors offices, restaurants, work environments,
etc.
Hearing from God can impact all these areas in our lives,
affecting the outcome of our situations and spiritually
changing us
a Note about Music - it is one of the most powerful
sounds man is influenced by.
Hearing music evokes emotions, whether its from
musical instruments or with lyrics. Even the screeching of
tires eects us as we brace for an impact. Stores use
music to inuence the pace at which people shop or the
tables turn over rate in a restaurant.
Doctors oces usually have gently, soft playing music,
to drop the heart rate and create a patience in the patient.
Music and lyrics are used to express emotions and evoke
them. Certain songs cant be heard without crying, or
causing patriotism to rise up, or get our blood pumping.
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[3]
GOD DOES NOT SPEAK THROUGH...
enchanters, zodiac,
witchcraft, sorcery,
astrology, seances, palm
readers, fortune tellers,
tarot card readers,
levitation, ouija boards,
magic 8 balls, crystal balls
birth signs, Psychics,
telepathy, clairvoyance,
hypnosis, superstitions,
spirit guides, mediums,
auras, angels, horoscopes,
tea leaves
automatic handwriting, table
tipping, talismans, charms,
dream catchers, incantations,
spells, amulets, potions,
pendulum diagnosis or trance
diagnosis, second sight,
metal science, birth stones.
The Bible CLEARLY forbids
these practices!
Romans
10:17
Jeremiah
33:3
John
16:13
James
1:26,27
Romans
12:1,2
Luke
11:28
1 John
1:7
Yes and No - thats helpful right?
Hearing the voice of God is going to
inuenced by a variety of diering factors
in each persons life. There will be times
that God uses any of the above ways, and
other times he wont use any. And there are
times that a sound coming in any one of
those ways is NOT God. Too many people
thing that EVERY DREAM has a meaning,
or that EVERY person that speaks a WORD
in the name of the Lord is truly from GOD
or that every chill that makes their hand
stand on end is caused by GOD. We need
to be a discerning people. Not easily
manipulated by whims, emotions, or
others.
There are dierent LEVELS of hearing,
based on our faithfulness to Obey and be
in close proximity with our lives, actions,
attitudes and agendas.
When you read in John 12, just after
the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus
while speaking with the people that
crowded Him said, Father, glorify You
name! Then a voice came from Heaven,
I have gloried it, and will glorify it again.
The crowd that was there and heard it
said it had thundered; others said an
angel had spoken to HIM. Jesus said,
This voice was for your benet, not mine.
Certainly the benet was more aptly
discerned by the disciple John who heard
the voices words and knew it was God,
hence the inclusion in the gospel. Three
dierent levels of understanding the sound,
I believe based on their proximity to
Jesus.
Another story is that of the young boy
Samuel as he was being brought up in the
house of the Lord, by the priest Eli ( 1Sam
3). He was a young boy, learning the ways
of God as he watched his mentors and
studied the scriptures and served them
obediently. Eventually, God during the
night called out to Samuel. It took several
times for Samuel to answer the Lord
directly. The rst two times he ran to
obediently serve his mentor. Eli also didnt
get it at rst, but nally instructed Samuel
to respond directly to God.
Here are some common faithful
ways God talks to us:
His Word
In order to actually "hear" from
God, we have to know some things
about God's character. We have to
develop an understanding of who
God is, and the way he does
things. Fortunately for us, all that
information is available in the
Bible..
Our Circumstances
Sometimes the only way God can
teach us something is to allow
circumstances in our life to lead us
to and through the very thing we
need to discover.
The Still Small Voice
Most of the time God uses a tiny
voice inside us to let us know when
we're not on the right path.
Whenever we're contemplating
something and we don't have
peace about it, it's a very good idea
to stop and carefully look at the
options.
The Audible Voice
Sometimes we're able to "hear"
something in our spirit that sounds
to us like an actual audible voice.
Or all of a sudden, you just know
you heard something. Pay attention
to those occasions because it is
very likely God trying to tell you
something.
Rev
3:22
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HEAR FROM GOD ?
How does a Christian hear from the Lord? Is it a rolling thunder, a small quiet whisper? Is it an impression, a
vision? A dream, a sensation? A feeling with goosebumps? Is it someone else with a THUS SAITH THE LORD?
[4]
WHY is it we want to HEAR from
GOD?
Hearing from God is an encounter with
HIM, and an encounter with HIM
changes US!It comforts, it heals, It
leads, It protects, It corrects us, it
trains us to be more like Him!
Each encounter with Jesus through the
scriptures, whether He was instructing
His disciples, teaching the multitudes,
rebuking the errors of generations,
exercising His dominion over demons,
bodies or life and death, HE was
speaking LIFE into desperate
situations, arming what was
righteous, and giving direction for a
path ahead!
Different situations people heard from
Jesus
An ostracized Woman at a well, heard
Him say that he was the source of living
water and that He was the Messiah
An adulterous woman found him on her
face and heard him say, Daughter
where are your accusers, neither do I
condemn you, Go and sin no more.
A chronically ill woman heard him
pronounce her faith had healed her,
Mary the sister of Martha, heard Jesus
say it was Ok for her to stay and learn
from him in the midst of preparations.
A demon possessed woman hears
Jesus call her a daughter of Abraham,
she was someone who needed to be
redeemed and set free from the grips of
her demons. He valued her and wanted
her to receive that which He came to
deliver.
The grief stricken and lamenting Mary,
the brother of Lazarus, heard Jesus
say that He was the resurrection and
the Life and saw Life restored
Maybe You find yourself in those same
situations,
Ostracized, ashamed of your past,
your present -
Maybe you have been crippled by
thoughts, fears, mental or physical
sickness for years now -
Maybe you are so hungry for Jesus
all you want to do is sit and learn, but
you are made to feel irresponsible or
lazy for doing so
Perhaps, you are grief stricken by a
loss so overwhelming that you cant
seem to move forward, loss of a
loved one, a job, an environment, a
relationship, a dream, an unrealized
expectation of someone or something
in life?
MY SHEEP Hear MY Voice....
Discerning the Voice of God
from all others.
WHAT OTHERS?
We need to realize that the
voice of God competes with
our own imaginations, evil
hearts, selfish justifying
agendas, ambitions and
actions. Additionally, the
enemy of our soul and a host
of worldly distractions.
Be a doer of the
word, not a hearer
only!
When Jesus Spoke:
Blind eyes were opened,
dead were raised to life
lepers were cleansed, the
captive demonized was set free,
the deaf hear, the lame walk, the
mute speak, demons recoiled
and ed, Satan ed
men walked on water, water
transformed into wine, storms
were calmed,
arrogances sequestered, the
proud-humbled, the humbled
exalted, the poor made rich,
arguments were stopped, sin
exposed, forgiveness granted,
the hungry were satised, the
thirsty were quenched,
The Kingdom of God was
brought near & made known,
heavy hearts were elated, grief
dissipated, fears vanquished,
weary given rest, hearts
revealed, brokenness mended,
relationships restored.
This is what the Word of God
Produces in our lives. This is the
encounter we desire, this is why
we want to Hear from God!
[5]
Primarily, GOD SPEAKS through the
Scriptures, which Jesus came to fulll
from the rst word to the last. In
reading through the scriptures from
Genesis to Revelation there is a
singular theme of Redemption by
Grace through faith in Gods Provision,
Jesus. There are two commandments
that fulll all the others, Love God, Love
others!
There is a very simple plan by which we
can live at the very outset, and most
distant borders of knowing God. The
more intimately aware of who God is
and the closer we draw to His presence
the more keenly aware of His purposes
and His plans for our lives. This
produces trust in Him when we dont
see, hear or understand what is going
on. It is a maturing walk. One where
there is no substitute for time,
discipline and experience.

Some times we hear God in a still small
voice like Elijah. Not the thunder, not
the wind, just a whisper. Somewhat
internally. It can be very similar to our
own natural intuition, emotions, or
discernment of a
situation. Because it is
uncertain, there are
three things to
keep in mind.
We must
always judge
what we think
God may be
telling us by what
He has certainly told us in His
Word, the Bible. God will never
contradict His eternal Word.
We should always be humble when it
comes to the idea of God speaking to
us. We can never completely trust our
ability to hear from God by this inner
voice accurately. It is easy for us to
add something to what God has said,
or to stop listening, or to misapply
what He has said, or to think that it
was God when it was ourselves or
something else. It is far better to say
and think, I think theLORD told
me . . . than to talk and think as if you
hear God perfectly.
No one should feel unspiritual
because they think God does not
speak to them the way He seems to
others. If you really want God to
speak to you, and to speak to you the
best way, get into Gods Word, the
Bible! We know He has spoken there!
Why is learning to discern God
voice so vital? Because their are a lot
of counterfeit and conicting voices
that would seek to distract and destroy
our walk of faith. Internal and External.
CONSIDER: Eve in the Garden
confronted by the Serpents beguiling
wisdom and oer of a better reality.
CONSIDER: the Prophet
commanded by God to go
speak on His behalf with the
strictest instructions not to
stop, stay or eat with
ANYONE, only to be
deceived by another
that it GOD said it was
ok...and then He was
killed by a Lion.
CONSIDER: King Saul who was
instructed by the word of God through
a prophet not to spare any of the
enemy, but kill everything, Yet his greed
and self-righteous justication with a
sacrice to God but He was eventually
dethroned. (1 Sam 15)
SOUND UNIQUELY USED
Read, Pray, Obey
& Fellowship
YOU CAN HEAR HIM!
RBAD study and
learn the vords God
has already spoken.
ILROUGL ILB
sisIB YOU viII
COMB IO KXOv
GOD`s LBARI,
IiKBs 8 DisIiKBs,
CLARACIBR 8
AIIRisUIBs.
IRAYBR simple,honest
con\ersations vith God.
sLARB YOUR LBARI
viIL GOD AXD AsK
lOR ILB
UXDBRsIAXDiXG Ol
vLO LB is As YOU
RBAD AsOUI LiM.
ILB LOIY sIiRiI
viII DiRBCI 8
iXsIRUCI YOU
lBIIOvsLiI Get
together vith other
Lelie\ers.
ILBRB is XO sBIIBR
IIACB lOR sAsiC
COUXsBI,
BXCOURAGBMBXI AXD
LBII viIL ILB
IRACIiCB Ol OUR lAiIL
ILAX viIL OILBRs
ILAI sBIiBVB.
OsBY 1ust DO iI.
OsBDiBXCB AXD
lAiILlUIXBss IO
vLAI YOU AIRBADY
LAVB IBARXBD AXD
KXOv is RiGLI, is
ILB liRsI sIBI IO
LBARiXG MORB AXD
MORB ILB VOiCB Ol
GOD.
[6]
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division
of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning
the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
1 Kings 19:11-13 And he said, Go out and stand on the
mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by,
and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke
in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in
the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire,
but the Lord was not in the
fire. And after the fire the
sound of a low whisper.
And when Elijah heard it,
he wrapped his face in his
cloak and went out and
stood at the entrance of the
cave. And behold, there
came a voice to him and
said, What are you doing
here, Elijah?
John 8:47 Whoever is of
God hears the words of
God. The reason why you
do not hear them is that
you are not of God.
John 16:13 When the
Spirit of truth comes, he
will guide you into all the
truth, for he will not speak
on his own authority, but
whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you
the things that are to come.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and
for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work.
Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell
you great and hidden things that you have not known.
James 1:26-27 But be doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a
hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who
looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ...
Isaiah 30:21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you,
saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the
right or when you turn to the left.
Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern
what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect.
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and
bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus his Son
cleanses us from all sin.
Acts 16:6-10 And they went
through the region of Phrygia and
Galatia, having been forbidden by
the Holy Spirit to speak the word in
Asia. And when they had come up
to Mysia, they attempted to go into
Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did
not allow them. So, passing by
Mysia, they went down to Troas.
And a vision appeared to Paul in
the night: a man of Macedonia was
standing there, urging him and
saying, Come over to Macedonia
and help us. And when Paul had
seen the vision, immediately we
sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had
called us to preach the gospel to them.
Luke 11:28 But he said, Blessed rather are those who hear
the word of God and keep it!
Isaiah 30:19-22 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in
Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be
gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he
hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the
bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your
Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall
see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind
you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to
the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile
your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated
metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You
will say to them, Be gone!
Hebrews 1:1-5 Long ago, at many times and in many ways,
God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last
days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed
the heir of all things, through whom also he created the
world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact
imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the
word of his power.