Barnabas Bulletin ~ 0143
DO YOU HAVE A DIVINE CONNECTION?
Recently I was impressed again of the importance of every Christian having a divine connection with God. By this I mean that it is vital in these days that we know the voice of God in our lives. What He says makes all the difference! What He says to us is true, and it is exactly right for us. I have learned that whatever God speaks to us and asks of us, we can do. He never asks us to do what we are unable to do. It is that divine connection that gives us faith to please God day by day. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (“rhema” – “present tense ‘now’ word of God”) of God” (Romans 10:17).
When God speaks to us, things happen in the spirit realm. In Biblical terms it gives us an open heaven whereby we can hear from God in a real way. Whenever God speaks to us we need to respond in a practical way; we have to show God that we believe it is Him that is speaking to us by responding to doing whatever it is that He has asked of us. There will be no fulfilling of what God speaks until we demonstrate our obedience to Him. A few years back God spoke these words to me: “Every great man and woman of the Bible started off as a total unknown nobody, until one event happened in the life of them all. They all heard the voice of God and obeyed what He said.” That really is the only thing that separates us from those who know not God. Christianity is more than having a Bible knowledge of God; it is about a personal, daily relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit. We know He is alive today because He speaks to us! His sheep know His voice (John 10)!
It is a sad fact that today many Christians are doubting the voice of God. We have often been taught to be careful; “you might be listening to the wrong voice,” etc. Those comments are true, but we also need to be pressing through until we are satisfied that we do recognize when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us (He is the Voice of God). Instead of our thinking and saying, “What if I have got it wrong?” we should be declaring “But what if I have got it right?” How will we know it is God Who is speaking to us if all we do is question and “commit it to prayer.” I have discovered that we have to do more than simply “pray about it.” There has to be a responsive action so that we are experiencing that divine connection and seeing the God-factor coming through. The voice of God will always line-up with the principles of Scripture!
IT WORKS!
For more than 13 years Jean and I have lived by faith without asking people to support us (because the Lord told us not to raise a financial support base, and that He would show us what He could do for us). Our walk and journey of faith has been the most secure, exciting and wonderful years of our lives as we have seen God provide again and again and again. I have been around the world a number of times and not once have we had to cancel a trip because the money did not come in. The GFM Ministry has expanded from 55 to 110 countries in that time. Multiplied thousands of free books, free Bible Correspondence Course Lessons and E-Mail Ministry have all been provided for as a result of obeying the voice of God. Every month every bill is paid ~ Praise to the Lord! It is so illogical that we marvel at the goodness of the Lord. It is a proof that we did hear correctly and we are living in the reality of Philippians 4:19 ~ “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” When we do things God’s way we see God’s provision. When you know you have a divine connection there is no need to be begging and asking others to give you money “for the work of the Lord.” Listen to the voice of God today, know you have a divine connection and be committed to doing whatever He asks you (John 2:5). It is all very simple, really ~ it is a matter of trusting God (as a result of hearing His voice) more than natural reasoning and logic, and watching God being God in whatever He has spoken to us to do.
LEARN FROM SAMUEL
One of the chapters in the Bible that has helped me to learn some principles on how God speaks is 1 Samuel 3. There was very little revelation (voice) of God at that time because Eli the priest was not hearing the voice of God. Things changed when God spoke to young Samuel. Notice it was not until the fourth time that Samuel connected the voice as being the voice of God. But in each of the three times before that, he responded in a practical way because he thought the voice was that of Eli. Once the connection was made, and he discerned the difference, God poured out His heart to Samuel. Something happened in the spiritual realm because God was again able to reveal Himself to the people through the man who had that divine connection. “And all Israel knew . . . that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord” (1 Samuel 3:20). Samuel went on to become a great man because he was connected with the voice of God. I encourage you to study this chapter more, so you can get the benefits of hearing the voice of God to you.
Today God desires that you and I know the joys and realities of having a divine connection in our lives through our ability to know how and when He is speaking to us. Our spiritual growth, maturity, effectiveness and fruitfulness in the purposes of God are all directly proportional to how we recognize and discern the voice of God to us ~ and what we do with what we hear! God Bless You! ~ Rodney W. Francis.
Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 3; John 10 Acts 22:14-15.
Please Pray This Prayer:
“Father, I come to You in the precious name of my Lord Jesus and ask You to help me to listen to and recognize the ways You talk to me. Help me to be more sensitive to You so that I can perceive and discern when You are speaking to me. I want to do Your will fully, and realize that it can only happen as I have a divine connection with You. Thank You, Lord, that You hear and answer the cries of our heart, and long to commune with us as Your friends. Speak to me today I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry, , New Zealand. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.