UNDERSTANDING GOD VOICE
HOW TO UNDERSTAND GOD VOICE AS AN INTERCESSOR
God’s will can be known through His voice. God’s will connote God’s purpose, His plan and expectation in man’s life. It is the blue print about a man’s goal. It is what God desire a man to do and accomplish. This also embraces man’s aspiration and overall counsel of God which is in line with the scripture until a man operates in God’s location, divine, allocation and provision will not be supplied. The Bible says “I will instruct you” (Psalm 32:8), if man allow God His promise to command or direct him to where blessings are will be done. Some only allow Him to instruct, they do not wait for Him to teach them on how to go about it and others after they have started operating, will not allow Him to guide them, they become master over their own life.
Understanding God’s will and recognizing His voices is very paramount in our life.
God often uses voices to tell us something we must not forget. He uses His voice also to speak to us when we badly need His intervention. For many people He uses voices to call them into the ministry and to define the kind of work He wants them to do. God’s word came to us clearly without any doubt. If He calls you into the ministry, you will know, then another thing is to be called, but another thing is to recognize your core assignment, are you called to be evangelist, missionary, pastor, prophet, apostle etc.
God also speaks to people to re-assure them of His protection and help when they are facing much persecution and danger (Act 23:11) “but the following might the Lord stood by him and said; Be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also beer witness at Rome).
God voice can give us direction toward His will through the following means.
i. THE INNER VOICE
The inner voice is perceived deep in the heart.
ii. Is noiseless. It resembles a spiritual signal very much. It differs from spiritual signals in the sense that definite words are stated in the heart; each word used in the inner voice is remembered. The voice will come into you heart calmly but men need a quite soul to receive inner voice.
b. OUTER VOICE: (Deuteronomy 4:12)
God at times shows His will to us in external loud voices when God speaks through the outer voice you hear Him with your physical ears. In Act 9:4-7) God spoke to Saul of Tarsus through an outer voice. Paul heard the answered by the same voice. It is possible for people around you to equally hear the voice.
AUDIBLE VOICE (1 Samuel 3:3 – 10, 9:15)
This kind of voice sounds audible. You hear it clearly from outside you. You are surprised that no one around you heard the voice. The reason you heard it done is because you hear it with the ears of the spirit and not with your physical ears. God may use this method in an urgent situation, for example, where He wants you to leave a company of people who are about to be judged with a physical misfortune. Most people hear this voice in the ear, but some hear it somewhere around the head. It is usually brief, guide and firm. At times it says something like “fear not’. It may also be something like “get up and pray”.
Voice has to be properly tested to be sure that they come from God. If this is a desperate to hear voice, the person will easily hear the voice of demons. An intensely prayerful life increases the frequency of hearing God voices.
It is essential that we understand that it is not only the voice of God that could speak to us. Satan and his agents (demons) as speaks as well as human flesh and if we are not careful we might take his voice as the voice of God. There are parameters through which we can differentiate the voice of God from other voices especially the voice of the devil.
When God speaks to you through an audible voice it allow for patience. A voice that come to you and tell you to do certain thing with urgency way not actually be the voice of God.
Also, the voice of God does allow you to substantiate or confirm His saying through other view. Any voice that speaks to you and disallows you from even discussing it with other is demonic.
The voice of God is always in consonance or conformity with the Bible/scripture. Any voice that speaks to direct you into something in variance with the scripture should be rejected.
This call for awareness of the proliferation of fake pastors, prophets, apostles, and evangelist and other men of God who says when God has not say, the scripture emphasis this in Bible book of Jeremiah 23:29 – 30, specifically warned this ministers e.g especially the prophet who claims to hear the voice of God when He has not spoken to them, God say’s, is not my word like a fire? Says the Lord. And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces, vs 30, therefore behold, I am against the prophets, says the LORD “who steal my words everyone from his neighbor. Vs 31. Behold, I am against the prophets, says the LORD, “who use their tongues and says, He says, vs 32, Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams, says the LORD, and tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them. Therefore at all, says the LORD. SO, BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHECY?
HINDRANCES TO HEARING GOD VOICE
There are many reasons while most of us cannot recognize God voice. This includes the following the following:
a. Rush in Prayer
This is one of the causes why many of us cannot recognize God voice, the reason, is that we rush in prayer, and rush out prayer, what I meant here is that we talk to God as if we are talking to man, we do not give God that due reverence, if example, you wake up in the morning and you are about going to work, your bag is already on your shoulder, and want to communicate with God, if you cannot pray, what you will says, God understand, I was once a victim of this circumstance, tell me, have you communicated with God, have you listen to Him? The answer is no. so for us to listen to God we need to have patience and have that strong desire to listen to God.
b. Lack of concentration: Communication with God need absolute concentration, avoid distraction when praying James 1:5
c. Not waiting upon God,
When we wait upon God, revelation will come Daniel 2:17 – 19
d. Spiritual immaturity (Samuel 3: )
e. Not well acquainted with the father Lord John 10:22
f. Being in haste after waiting upon God
STEPS of understanding God voice/ will
Steps to knowing God’s will
· Look for a quiet place to be alone
· Spend time worshiping God
· Request for God’s mercy over your life
· Promise God that you will obey if he guide
· Be calm and quiet before him
· If you are uncertain yet, then ask him to reconfirm his word to you
Things you must know about understanding God’s will
· God is interested revealing His purpose /plan /will to us
· God may not reveal it to us until we have prayed
· God’s will for us are not to be debated whether to be followed or not. It comes as a command and not as a suggestion
· God’s will in most cases will be different from human view, opinion or reasoning.
· In following God’s will man come across some challenges? Those challenges on the way are not a proof that are not God’s will but it only shows that they are.
· The devil always fight against everyone that he knows wish and desire to obey God’s will.
· Obedience to God’s will, will lead to breakthrough, promotion and prosperity to the man that discover it and for many that are connected with it
· Man has it part to play in other to enforce the fulfillments of God’s will to this life.
· The best and standard of God’s will is discovery through the scripture.
THE WAYS OF VISION
(1 Corin. 2:9-15, ps. 103:7, Job 33:14-19, Dan 10:2-8, Gen. 37:5-11)
Through various types of vision and dreams your spirit can fathom mysteries hidden in heaven and earth about God’s plan and expectation over issues. By period of fasting and prayer. Vision and dreams involve pictures that are visible to the person’s spirit man.
God through the holy spirit can reveal His will to man by the way of vision through this medium.
a. SPIRITUAL VISION: if you close your eyes immediately after watching a passionate drama on the TV, you are likely to still see a picture of the drama even when your eyes are closed. The drama leaves a strong impression in your mind and your minds keep working on it while your eyes are closed. A spiritual vision is like this imagination of your mind spiritual visions differs fro your imagination because the former is not dependent on your environment, in fact what is spirit sees usually has no relationship with what is happening around you. It is also different from imagination of your mind in the sense that you cannot control what you are seeing. Spiritual visions depend largely on the state of your spirit man. Sometimes during a prolonged fast the spiritual vision is so strong that you see angels almost physically. You can identify them, know whether they real enough for you to touch them
b. TRANCE: - This is another powerful weapon through which God reveals his intention to His children. Trances are not frequent or daily occurrences. Sometimes a trance happens as if you are half asleep, half awake. Most trance are short but occasionally they could they could be long during a trance you are not conscious of your immediate environment; you could describe it as you would have, if were physically there. God has used trance to correct men from taking some deadly decision and if they heed the warning. Their life is preserved. We need to know that it is not all man who has opportunity to receive trance.
c. DREAMS (JOB 33:14-18):- A dream may be said to be a kind of vision, because it also has to do with the experience of seeing pictures that could show us the will of God. Dreams occur only when the person is asleep . God has used a combination of dreams and other methods to show his children and especially missionary, his purpose on life partners, careers, type of ministries, location of mission of field etc., through dreams God has warned and saved many from untimely death and unnecessary misfortunes. We will give emphasis to dreams not primarily because it is important but more because it affects more people than any other kind of vision. Dreams can be of different kinds
i. PERFECT DREAM: (Gen. 20:2-20, Mat. 2:19-22,Act 16:9, Mat. 1:20-21)
A perfect dream can be called a vision of the night in a perfect dream, you do not need any interpretations, and everything is just as real. They are no parables: it’s often a plan talk dreams. All the characters in a perfect dream will be plain to you. If God appeals to you, you will now that God appeared to you. Secrets in real life you do not know will be made plain. For example, Sarah being Abraham’s wife was very plain to Abimelech. God not only warned him but also spelt out what he has to do to live. When you wake up from a perfect dream, you are very happy or extremely disturbed. If God decides to show you his will through a perfect dream, it becomes important to obey God promptly
ii. PARABE DREAMS( Daniel 4:19-25, gen. 41:14-35,40:7-23)
Most people experience parable dreams. They are usually full of parables and figures of speech and are often subject to different interpretations. If the interpretation is very accurate a parable dream becomes as good as a perfect dream.
You are advice to take parable very serious if the following happen.
· When you remember the dream clearly
· When you wake up from a parable dream with a disturbance in your spirit.
· When the dream takes place towards your waking time
· When you forcefully wake up from a dream
· When the dream is repeated within a short period
· When the parable in the dream seems to portray very serious and emergency matters.
For instance, in Benin, a woman dreamt and her husband died in an accident. The husband was to travel the same day. She leaded with him not to travel. He insisted and did. He died eight kilometers way from Benin within the next two hours after the hot argument with his wife.
iii. BUSINESS DREAMS: Ecclesiastes 5:4
A business dream is a dream of the mind which is inspire by the activity of the day. It is always characterized by showing too many different issues many being forgotten on waking up and the rest not making sense. It often occurs close to the time we retire to sleep. It may be God’s way of telling you that you are allowing external and worldly things into your heart.
iv. DEMONIC DREAMS
Occasionally dreams that are inspire by demon or dreams in which satanic attack is experience. God allow this for some reason, which may include revealing to us what some agents of darkness are doing against us.
Devil also inspires some dreams when they occurs should be aggressively counter through serious prayer and confession as well as pleading the blood of Jesus to reject satanic devices and agenda. Dreams such as seeing oneself swimming in arriver, flying in the air, passing through dark tunnels and forest, climbing mountain treating in the dreams, having sexual intercourse, being chased by dog, snake, masquerade, gunmen etc are all dangerous dream. Learn to violently reject the plan of devil against your life. When this kind of dream is frequent, it shows that you need the life when this kind of dream is frequent; it shows that you need the assistance of a man with higher anointing for deliverance.
d. OPEN VISITATION
Sometimes angel appears to a person in full physical form. This isn’t a frequent occurrence. God can send an angel to any of his child to disclose to him about his will and purpose. It is usually spectacular but is not necessarily superior to other forms of being led by God.
In all the ways of knowing God’s will through vision, it is worthy of note that we realize the following.
· Any revelation or vision which gives a direction which is in variance or non conformity to what the scripture direct should be rejected. The bible is the standard.
· If you expect God to reveal His mind to you on my decision especially related to mission operation, you are advice to consecrate yourself through prayer and fasting.
· Do not joke with your prayer before sleep. Be aggressive against satanic forces.
Watch your lifestyles. Holy living frightens and paralyses the devil
· Be careful of who you disclose your dream and vision to.
UNDERSTNDING GOD’S WAY OF SPIRITUAL SIGNAL AS AN INTERSESSOR
We know that a man is made up of spirit, soul and body. Whoever gives priority to his soul will relate to the mental realm, whereas a man that emphasizes his body will relate primarily to the physical. But whoever understands the principles of emphasizing his spirit man will relate more easily with the spirit realm. Relating to the spirit realm draws one close to God and the person against the devil.
Spiritual signal are wordless means through which God speaks and gives us his direction. We should not only trust God to Speak out loudly to us before we understand his will on every issue, our understanding of this spiritual signal will enable us take the right direction on time.
God can use any of these spiritual signal to direct us a right
a. CONSCIENCE (Act 23:1)
This is otherwise refers to as judging signal. God has put in every man the signal that either accuses or excuses our motives, actions and reactions to things. When we become born again our conscience becomes more sensitive and stronger and we fed our heart more with God’s word, easily through the conscience we can far thorn whether our action are right or wrong. If any man follows his conscience diligently, he will live a godly life, following ones conscience will save him from many ungodly intentions, actions and reactions.
One requires a tender and a submissive heart in order to follow one’s conscience effectively. We need to know that a clear conscience increases your prayer confidence and facilitates ones breakthrough (Isaiah 59:1-2)
BURDEN
This is also refers to as the empathy signal. The deep sense of complete association with another person’s need or problem is a signal of burden. It brings you into such empathy with person and his situation that you give anything within your power to resolve it. As a mission man, the burden you have about some people or a particular tribe or situation is a signal that God want you to work for their liberation. In a number of cases when God gives a persona burden for a project he tends to send the person to labour directly for project.
More importantly, there is the need to know that a patient laboring spirit is the secret of getting God’s will in response to a burden and the laboring spirit helps the person to bear the sacrifice required to implement the desired victory . the burden keeps the man waiting on God, watching the situation and working out the solution.
INSPIRATION
This is called the idea signal. Inspiration can come to a man with excellent spirit, it arouse in form of a divine idea as to a particular condition, that this could be an answer to a long standing problem. Inspiration helps to know how to convert an idea into it productive and profitable.
INTUITION
This is knowing signal. A spiritual intuition can know a truth that does not sound reasonable. The more you strengthen your inner man the clear and more accurate your intuition will be. You will just have knowledge about some things without deep reasoning.
INWARD WITNESS
This is the confirmatory signal. The most valid way of knowing that you are born again is when the holy Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God. The physical manifestation of this witness is usually peace in your inward man. In fact, one of the most important principles of knowing and getting God’s will is following the rule of God’s peace. You are strongly advice not to get involved in anything that threatens or reduces your inner peace. When you are about to take a decision on your mission work and you discover that you begins to feel trouble in your inner man, it is better you wait to reconfirm such decision properly
IMPRESSION
This is a called the human relations signal in which case you are able to read human mind and know what likely be their action or reaction towards a matter. The ability to receive impression signal about individual trails and potentials will help missionary leaders achieve much is delegating responsibility.
WHAT TO AVOID AS AN INTERSESOR IN MAKING A successful prayer
all believers must pray(luke 18:1) it get more closer to God: to strengthen his spirit man . For a person called by God to intercede; prayer is an assignment, a commission and a mandate. There must be a sense of responsibility as accountability because you are God’s vessel to accomplish purpose birthed in prayer.
To totally give yourself into prayer you must avoid these things.
1. Neglect of Worship: Edification, prayer and the word. Do not be a champion intercessor at the expense of your own personal time and interest.
2. Distraction: Be on alert, when the enemy is arranging a busy schedule for you to steal your prayer time, be wise. Clothes that need washing can wait, whatever that will take the place of your quite time should be avoided.
3. Secret sin: Do avoid secret sins, all forms of sin deter a behavior in God’s presence, such immoralities include sexual immoralities, envy, and all kinds of unspoken words, silent sins, gossips etc. (gal 5:16-20)
4. Unforgiving Heart: Avoid this, because it hindered the move of God in ones life. Make sure, you do not harbor the spirit of unforgiveness. Love your neighbor, do not hold onto the matter that will provoke you to anger, express your feelings.
5. Avoid criticism:- This is dangerous as an intercessor, never you criticize anyone, most especially do not criticize ministers among you, whatever you say in secret against a minister e.g. prophet, pastor. God is always with them, allow God to judge them. Aaron and Mariam is an example who were against Moses, what happen to them, God descend curses on them while the woman became a leprosed. so as an intercessor , do not criticize others,
6. Unwholesome relationship: People who draws you into flesh so much that you never feel like praying after enjoying their fellowship must not be your regular friend else you shall lose your ministry.
7. Stress on your body :Always take good care of yourself if you are sick, weak or depresses, do exercise , eat balance diet, fasts, with wisdom and avoid over work that breakdown your health.
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