In today’s message, Pastor Carl taught about God’s desire that we hear Him and live in a way that we get direction and guidance. There is a great tragedy of a godless Christianity all over the world and it is diametrically opposed to the promise of Jesus that it is better that we leave. God wants us to live in a way that Holy Spirit is the presence of God in our entire lives.
Teaching from 1 Samuel 3 we talked about how young Samuel lived near the presence of God yet still was not able to discern His voice. In this passage we learned to be real with where we are at with God and admit we don’t hear Him like we need to. Even though they were not having encounters they kept the lamp burning, expecting God to speak.
Young Samuel did not know the voice of God but he was with Eli, a trusted elder who helped him learn to hear and obey God. This shows how important relationships are in the Body of Christ. We need to be in community so we can hear what God is speaking and know how to respond.
God is creating a moment of divine discontent. In quoting Scott McKnight he called this a sacred moment. A point in time where God is calling us to be with Him. But this sacred moment is grievous in that we have come to a place where we don’t hear Him like we need to. To quote McKnight, “Fasting is the natural, inevitable response of a person to a grievous sacred moment in life.” So we are going to spend the next 21 days stoking our hunger for God’s voice.
You can click here to learn more about fasting in general.
You can download our guide each week from this link.
As yo move though the week, read 1 John 1 each day and ask God to give us a relationship with Jesus by the Spirit that John had. Meditate on the following questions:
Do I know God like He wants me to know Him?
Would my life be easier if I had divine wisdom and direction?
What areas of my life am I working in my own flesh where I desperately need the voice of God?