Keys To Hearing God’s Voice

 This past Sunday as a part of my message, I spoke about keys to hearing the voice of God.  Let me list them for you here and unpack them a bit.

 1. Obey and live out what you already know to be right.

 Someone has said: ‘we don’t need more and better sermons, we simply need to live out what we have already heard.’ Now, you will get more sermons, and hopefully they will get even better (working on that all the time), but why would God reveal more truth to us, when we have yet to live out what He has already revealed? Years ago, a young man in our congregation was playing on a local high school football team. When I asked the coach how the young player was doing, he said, ‘he would be fine if he would only listen and do as I say. I tried him out at carrying the ball and told him to run right and he runs left, I told him to run up the middle and he runs right, so now I don’t tell him anything and choose not to play him.’ The young player had potential but it was never realized on the gridiron because he chose not to listen to and carry out what the coach had revealed.

Some have asked me how do they know if something is God’s will? If it is a right thing and a biblical thing, then it is never wrong to do the right thing. We don’t need to sit and pray about God’s will concerning a tug we feel to go and be kind to our neighbor. It is right and biblical.

2. Read God’s Word Daily.

I cannot stress this enough. Many at LFC are doing their daily journaling / devotions and learning what God sounds like and what is important to Him and how He feels about issues of life. His Word is our examiner, balancer, and challenger and is used to align us to His heart. But you must read it, note it and think deeply about what God is saying to you.

 Psalm 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.  (NIV)

3. Respond to the Prompting of God and the themes that consistently are brought to your attention.

Consider if God was nudging you about an attitude you keep harboring. The next day a close friend (who is also a believer) says, ‘ you know you attitude lately has really been poor.’ That Sunday you come to church and hear me address attitudes. It is pretty easy to understand that you should respond to an attitude adjustment. Again, it is a right thing and biblical – so go for it.

4. Be Still before God and listen to His voice.
Invite God to search your heart and speak to you.

 Psalm 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God. (NIV)

God speaks to those who do what is right, respond to promptings that are right, allow the scriptures to their guide and welcome the Lord’s voice. I still wonder what that young football player might have done had he been willing to listen to his coach and welcome the coaches voice into his football playing. Unfortunately we never were able to know. 

I Samuel 3:10
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  (NIV)

Spend moments throughout the day allowing God to speak to you. 

I believe that these four steps will calibrate your heart or hearing the voice of God.
There is also one last thing for you to consider. 

5. Ask God how much He loves you?

This is something that a professor in college taught me years ago. By being still and asking God the questions of, do you love me Lord and how much do you love me, caused me to clarify the manner in which God would speak to me. Go ahead and ask Him.

God desires to speak to you and direct your life if you desire to listen and obey.

May we obey God and stand ready to hear His voice,

Pastor Bernie

Sharing My Heart

I hope this week is going well for you. I am excited about this Sunday and praying for you and all who will be with us.

Two things that I want to share this week:

First: Renewed and transformed: On February 26^th, we will baptize people at LFC. I felt I needed to remind some of you that have known the Lord awhile or recently said ‘Yes’ to Jesus, that we are encouraged and commanded to follow Jesus in waters of baptism. Water baptism is the way a person makes a public declaration of having received forgiveness of sins, new life and a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection. By being baptized you are proclaiming to others that Jesus is the Savior and Lord of your life, that you are a follower of His and that you are a part of the family of God. While it is not necessary for salvation, it demonstrates submission to God. We immerse at Lompoc Foursquare Church, because we believe Scripture shows that Jesus modeled that for us as the way to publicly acknowledge our faith in Him. Baptism is a tremendous landmark, for each person being baptized as well as for our church family to watch and celebrate. Each baptism is a reminder of the birth of a ‘new person in Christ! It is like celebrating a birthday! We will do it at 4:30 pm in the Sanctuary. I invite you to be baptized if you have not been and also for those who have, to come and celebrate the moment with others. There will be a common meal (pot luck) following, so bring a main dish and a side dish to share. We welcome you all. No sermon or long service, just communion, prayer and baptisms.

Infant Christening
Some denominations choose to christen infants. While we recognize the right of other churches to practice infant christening, we understand Scripture to teach that only professing believers qualify for baptism. Baptism does not make you a believer; rather it shows that you already believe. We do infant and child dedications at other times throughout the year.

 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19

 “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4

 “And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” I Peter 3:21

 Second: It came in over my scanner. I have one in my office at church. I don’t have it on all the time, but when it is on, it allows me to pray for others in need and also for those first responders who are going out to help others in need. The call was simple: Unresponsive male’ and then they gave the location. He was not dead, just unresponsive. When the fire department arrived they began to work on him, gather information, medications and so forth. After a few minutes the ambulance arrived and they transported the gentlemen to the hospital. As far as I know, he still lives. The call reminded me of this: ‘How many unresponsive Christians are there?’  All through the bible, God interrupts people and asks them to go, do, give, believe, build, cross and more, and in all of it, there is a response that God expects.

Hearing or over-hearing the Word of God and the Word of God through His Spirit is still very much our task.  God cannot make us responsive. He can garner our attention, He can move people into our lives to nudge us, but ultimately there are two options: respond or be unresponsive. In our response we can say ‘Yes’ to the Lord or ‘No’ to his call. But in unresponsive we simply choose to allow lethargy to set in. Like a 9-1-1 call of ‘unresponsive Christian.’ At first exposure, what we hear may sound like more noise in our already busy lives. But we need to listen and trust and obey. Amazing things will happen on the other side of ‘Yes.’ Our prayer for one another is that the Word of God that we read and the Word of God that we hear through the Holy Spirit, will be listened too and affirmed with a resounding yes. That His word will change our hearts; create realignment of priorities, and a reshaping of life.

 Unresponsive people become fruitless.

One of the most interesting miracles that Jesus did was cursing a fig tree that wasn’t producing fruit. What if we had the courage to do that to our own areas of unresponsiveness?  What if we identify things within our lives that aren’t producing fruit?  Let us respond with open ears, willing hearts and a resounding ‘Yes’ to all that God is asking of us. This past Sunday as I was greeting families following service, children were coming down from upstairs with a craft in their hand. It was on the parable of the seed and the sower. They had sand in one section, weeks in another, hard rocks in one and a picture of a bird in another. In summary, one student told me that it means that we need to have our hearts open, so God’s truth can get into our heart and grow. YES, it is exactly what we need.

This is my prayer for you and me.

Speak Lord, for we are listening and we will obey,

Pastor Bernie

Trust in the Lord

As I was doing my devotions this morning, the following piece of Psalm 25 leaped off the page and into my heart.

In you, LORD my God,
   I put my trust.

 ² I trust in you;
   do not let me be put to shame,
   nor let my enemies triumph over me.
³ No one who hopes in you
   will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
   who are treacherous without cause.

 ⁴ Show me your ways, LORD,
   teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are God my Savior,
   and my hope is in you all day long.
⁶ Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
   for they are from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth
   and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
   for you, LORD, are good.

I trust in YOU. In that trust there is hope and the relience that God will show us the way. It is not trust with the absence of belief and it is not trust with the absence of a desire to folllow and obey.

Obedience to God is the manifestation of our trust.

Guide us, teach us, You are God my Savior and my hope is fixed on you all day long.

The Psalmist had a God-awareness even while he went about his day, he was still fixed on the hope of God in his heart. He knew the Lord was good.

Prayer: Lord, help me to trust in you and set my hope on you. Help me to not be put to shame by the enemies of my life, even myself (I can be my own worse enemy) Thank you for your great mercy and love. Amen.

A Call to Leaders ( and you too)!

John Maxwell has said that ‘everything rises and falls on leadership.’ When leaders refuse to lead much is lost. A great loss of course is that of mentoring the next set or generation of leaders. In 1776, the colonists in the British American Colonies were so unhappy, that they formed a Continental Congress which suggested declaring theirIndependencefromGreat Britain. 56 men signed the document, and publicly announced that they were declaring treason onGreat Britain. Pretty bold. Most of them lost their families and many lost their fortunes, largely because of that decision and the decisions that followed. One bold leader was John Hancock whose name is now synonymous with a signature itself. Some leaders collaborate (like I do) others attempt to gain consensus and leads from the group (nothing wrong with that in certain circumstances) but sometimes there is call for clear and bold leadership. It is the moment in which the leader says, ‘no more meetings, no more work shops, no more consultants, no more negotiations, I am declaring independence and I am making this decision.’ I am not saying that being an engaging and collaborative leader somehow makes us weak or ineffective. I am saying that in the name of being open, engaging, and collaborative, leaders, in many cases have lost their ability to be bold, make a decision and take a stand. Someone has to say, there is a preferable future ahead. Steve Jobs said that ‘innovation distinguishes a leader from a follower,’ and ‘if you only do what you know you can do, you never do very much.’ It was Jobs who could see the future and not only be a revolutionary leader but he inspired others to be bold as well. Someone has to say, ‘it is time for a new direction, a new strategy, its time for something bold. Recently while coaching a leader and helping him navigate a current situation in his organization, we realized just how stuck they were. The leaders in his organization have simply resigned that status quo and maintenance are their new reality. Change is needed and I am coaching this leader to move toward boldness. A steady diet of boldness will crush people. While salt enhances flavor, too much salt doesn’t. Boldness is a part of your leadership toolbox but not the only tool you grab. As with most things in leadership and life, the answer lies in a balance, not in the extremes. Bold leadership begins by looking inward. What ‘self leadership’ do you need to take in your own life? Finances, family, health, skills, character or relationships? Boldness requires us to do, think, or decide something other than the status quo. Great leaders think and dream something beyond what everyone else is thinking and dreaming.

If boldness was common practice it would not set itself apart or even create a darker font on the page, it would be normal. Being a leader isn’t easy work and for certain when you are out front there is always a big target on your back. If you have been called to lead, then lead and with integrity and clear vision and with all your heart, encourage, persuade and influence others to follow.

People are looking to you – yes you! Each one of us is a leader since we all influence someone else.  How are you leading? Where are you leading others? Are you able to encourage others towards a preferable future?  God will help you. Be courageous, the Lord is with you.

Joshua 1:7

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

Let us lead,

Pastor Bernie

 

Places and Attitudes

I am sure that in your life, you could name some places where you have lived and done life. For example, there might be a place you could mark by naming it ‘triumph’ or ‘victory’ and there might be some you could name, ‘struggle’ or ‘defeat.’ Those names and others could be used to mark experiences as they have been modeled for us in scripture. Some places were named for attitudes too. Like quarreling, grumbling, disobedience and more. In this journal reading from the other day, I was reminded of how we live and act really do mark places and seasons in our lives.

 SCRIPTURE

Exodus 17:2 – 4
So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?” But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”  Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

OBSERVATION

Being a leader, like Moses, means you are following your leader, God and dealing with followers, people. Some of the people follow well, others not so much. Some realize you are following God and want to follow God too, others not so much. This story took place in Massah, (means testing) and Meribah (quarreling) and were named for the attitudes of the followers of Moses. It is where the children ofIsraelgrumbled against Moses and tested the Lord. The lack of earthly provision tested their hearts. Thirsty and tired, they began looking back atEgypt’s provisions of food and water. The past hardships and slavery appeared easier than the present struggle. The musical writer, Jackson Brown wrote: “We forget about the losses and exaggerate the wins!” Israel was ungrateful for the deliverance God brought so much so, that grumbling followed them, even to the point of Moses being threatened to be stoned to death by his people. Who said leadership was easy?

In Exodus 17: 5 – 9, Moses questions God in his frustration. His question was, “What am I to do with these people?”  The Lord instructed Moses to strike a rock to provide water for the murmuring hearts. The people were just about a week out from being delivered by God fromEgyptand already they are complaining. How quickly we can forget the benefits of the Lord.

APPLICATION

As a leader (church, business, parenting), you will be tested. My trust in God during seasons of change, leading God’s people through their desert experiences is not an easy assignment. There will be times of discouragement, frustration and in these times there will even be the questioning of God’s call or purpose on our lives. But we must not chime in with the complaining and grumbling. We must rise above it. The Lord will provide and He has not left us, even when people are reading with willing arms to throw stones. His grace in the circumstances of turmoil, grumbling and upheaval will prevail.

The same stones that people will want to throw upon us may be the stone the Lord uses to bring His miracle.

 

Genesis 50:20

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (NIV)

 

People may be frustrated and murmur against us, but we must never take it personal. They may be grumbling against our God and we need to help guide them to truth. In our leadership we must see beyond what others see and hear beyond what others hear. Our faith must rise up beyond the doubts of others.

 

We must develop a confidence and trust in God’s plan beyond what others are experiencing.

The insults and ‘stones’ will come our way. And God can turn the potential of stoning into the stone of provision. The very thing that looks dark around us may become the very thing God uses to open eyes to see Jesus’ provision. From dark to light. From doubt to faith. From stoning to the stone of provision. God can

PRAYER

Dear God, help me and all leaders who serve you, to realize our assignment and not to forsake you, even in the midst of murmuring and grumbling followers. May your voice be louder than theirs and may our eyes see You and your plan above the evidence in front of us. Have the places in which we live be named for our faith, acceptance, love and care rather than for negativity and doubt. In the places of our Massah and Meribah, may we witness Your miraculous and gracious provisions. Enhance our discernment and wisdom, to see what may be meant for harm can be used for Your greater purpose. May our lives shine for you and shine brightly. In Jesus Name, Amen

I am so grateful that many of you are doing your daily devotions and feeding your souls. Keep it up, I am proud of you.

See you soon,

Pastor Bernie