Day 19 – Conviction vs. Condemnation

WEEK THREE FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS GOODNESS

This past Wednesday night’s service for me personally was one of the most important messages I’ve shared in years… I was sharing with our church about

“Re-Discovering Grace.” The presence of God was so amazing and at times very tangible. As I was sharing I realized that so many believers are battling condemnation and understanding the difference between conviction and condemnation.

Please remember this… It’s critical to our approaching God…ALL METHODS OF DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD MUST BE SEEN THROUGH THE FILTER OF THE GOODNESS AND GREATNESS AND THE GLORY OF GOD!

Our tendency to relate to God based on our elevation of ourselves.

There are two major enemies of our faith and they are condemnation and lack of understanding the Word of God. Either we don’t know what the Word of God or we don’t really understand it. As a result we don’t recognize who we are in Christ.

God said, “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.” Hos 4:6 NLT

Conviction moves us to look at what God offers and challenges us to know this infinite, loving and almighty heavenly Father.

If we don’t have the right knowledge of the power of God’s grace, we will be severely hindered in reaching our full potential as mature followers of Jesus Christ.

Then there is condemnation. It may surprise you, but do you know that if you love and you want to please Him, you are a great target for condemnation? This is because even though you want to please God, you are human and will never perfectly obey Him in all areas of your life, at all times.

We have weaknesses and sometimes we give in to those temptations. We make mistakes, or we sin, and then the enemy accuses us and we feel condemned. If you are not firmly grounded in an understanding of God’s grace and the New Covenant, guilt and shame will take the joy, and therefore the strength from your relationship with God.

Conviction moves us to hunger for more of God. God speaks to us by giving us an ever–deepening conviction and awareness of His presence in our daily lives. He not only wants us to listen so He can tell us what to do, but He also wants us to listen so we know what not to do. This is His conviction.

Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit indwell us and convict us of sin,

John 16:7-10 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; NIV

When the Holy Spirit convicts us, we see just how desperately we need God. God doesn’t convict us of our sins to expose us and make us feel bad. Instead, He wants to make us feel desperate for Him, realizing we have no confidence in ourselves.

“Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin. And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God.” Oswald Chambers

Conviction moves us to look at what God offers and challenges us to know this infinite, loving and almighty heavenly Father.

The Holy Spirit speaks to our conscience to convict us of any sin and gives us a disposition toward righteousness. His conviction is intended to convince us to repent, which means to turn and go in the right tended to convince us to repent, which means to turn and go in the right direction rather than the wrong one.

This is so important for many believers to learn… God Speaks Through Conviction.

In other words, if we are behaving in a way that is not pleasing to Him, we must be willing to make an adjustment in our lives. If we don’t, our hearts become hardened. Hardened hearts are the result of ignoring the Holy Spirit’s conviction of right and wrong. The more hardhearted we become, the more difficult it is for us to quickly hear and promptly obey the Lord.

Condemnation is shame-based and accuses us in our character.

If I am angry at someone, bitterness can grow in my heart. If, however, I allow the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to quickly prompt me to forgive, I can receive grace to move on and hear the Lord speak accurately.

I can depend on God to convict me to do what is right. God loves to transform people. It is a promise in His Word. He said that He would take our stony and unnaturally hardened hearts out and instead give us a heart of flesh, a heart that is sensitive to the touch of our God.

Conviction vs condemnation
Condemnation is shame-based and accuses us in our character.

Conviction arouses hope. It moves us beyond failure and causes us to want to know God more fully and deeply. It is about a specific sin, rather than a general accusation of character.

Oh this is another point so important to understand… The devil condemns us, but God convicts us.

Condemnation brings doubt, fear, unbelief and hopelessness. Satan condemns us to bring us down and destroy our faith.

God convicts us to restore us to righteousness and faith. He always corrects us to build us up, and His conviction always brings hope and a way of escape.

It is so important to discern the truth and know the difference between conviction and condemnation. If you respond to the Lord’s conviction, you will be lifted up and out of sin; however, condemnation only makes you feel bad about yourself. It is healthy and normal to feel guilty when we are initially convicted of sin; but, if we keep feeling guilty after we have repented, it is spiritually unhealthy.

We could sum it up this way—conviction is our friend. It is God speaking to us about His limits, providing protection for us. Satan’s goal through condemnation is to bring us into bondage—bondage to shame and false guilt.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Rom 8:1 NLT

– Pastor Sam Hinn

Day 17 – His Goodness is so overwhelming – It needs space!

WEEK THREE FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS GOODNESS

– DAY 17 | creating more space for HIS GOODNESS

We are but a few days away from the end of this 21 Day Daniel Fast. I am so proud of you, whether you fasted the entire fast or did a partial fast. God has greater things for you…But let’s remain steadfast and ramp up our prayer and worship before God because “goodness” is going to overflow your life! But the enemy has no desire to see that happen, so he’s going to fight you like…you know what to keep you from God’s goodness…But I don’t think so!

When you get up in the morning, your number one priority should be to get in the right mind-set for your day. Focus first on what’s right about God, and see everything else through that filter. And remember, it’s not about what you do. It’s about who God is!

Remember yesterday we talked about how all methods of drawing closer to God must be seen through the filter of the goodness and greatness and the glory of God!

You Are Child of God… The Lord’s Prayer starts with “Our Father,” and that you have to remind yourself that you are a child of God and that all your sins are forgiven (John 1:12; 1 John 2:2).

You Have Eternal Life… You have to know that you are going to heaven and have eternal life through Jesus (Romans 5:21).

You Have Favor of God… You have to know that you have the favor of God and that God is for you (Romans 8:31).

Now let’s continue creating more space for God and His goodness in your life.

The next two words in the Lord’s Prayer are “in heaven.” Heaven speaks to the greatness of God and the greatness of His power within all who believe in Him. We have to remember that God is on the throne and with Him “all things are possible”

“Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” Mark 10:27 NLT

ALL THE POWER OF HEAVEN… Jesus has all authority (Matthew 28:18), and as a child of God, all the power of heaven is at your disposal. Think about this, that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives within you (Romans 8:11).

So with Jesus inside you, you can face anything! You can have faith that will move mountains if you will only believe (Matthew 17:20). So believe in God for the supernatural and know that He will work all things in accordance with His will (Romans 8:28).

Bring all your cares, problems, trials, and pain to the Lord and believe Him for great things (1 Peter 5:7). Believe in your heart, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

GOD GIVES YOU PEACE AND JOY, NOT FOR ACHIEVING BUT FOR BELIEVING!

Remember this important truth… God says He gives us peace and joy in believing, not in achieving. No matter what you are going through, trust God and you can experience His joy and peace. He gives that to us as we trust in Him. Most people think that the only joy is when the prayer is answered or their circumstance is changed. Not true—it’s every day as you walk with God.

When you get up in the morning, your number one priority should be to get in the right mind-set for your day. Focus first on what’s right about God, and see everything else through that filter. And remember, it’s not about what you do. It’s about who God is!

The only way you’re going to consistently enjoy your relationship with God, the only way you’re going to really have this incredible supernatural life full of peace and joy, is not if you obey God perfectly, but if you truly believe and focus on how much He loves you. When you walk with God and focus on His love for you! It’s not about your love for God…It’s never been about that… That’s called walking in the grace of God. More tomorrow…

Re-Awaken Our Hearts to Your Goodness, Greatness and Glory, Oh God!

– Pastor Sam Hinn

Day 16 – Rediscovering The Goodness Of God

WEEK THREE FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS GOODNESS

It’s time to ramp up this last week of the Daniel Fast and believe God for His goodness.

Week one, we created space for God’s Presence. Week two, we created space for God’s Voice and now as we come in for a landing. The Focus this week is Creating Space For God’s Goodness… The cry of my heart is that this week we will “Rediscover” God’s Grace…

Too many people allow themselves to be restrained and limited by the closed box of human opinion and traditions. But God is calling for a new breed of people to break out of the mold of religion and traditions made by men. People who are not afraid to step out of the boat onto the water with Jesus; a people whose eyes are fixed on Him and not on the storm. If we are going to impact this world for God, then we must stay desperate for all that God has for us and we must be willing to change when He deals with us.

Some of the most amazing things have taken place over these past two weeks as we’ve been praying and fasting. I believe we’ve entered into a time of rediscovering God’s Grace and His goodness.

Spiritual Disciplines such as fasting, prayer, and studying God’s Word will “Re-Awaken” and fuel our passion for God. But to enjoy those benefits long term we must first make sure we have the right mind-set for how we approach prayer, fasting, reading and studying God’s Word… and all the methods of drawing closer to God.

This is critical to our approach… ALL METHODS OF DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD MUST BE SEEN THROUGH THE FILTER OF THE GOODNESS AND GREATNESS AND THE GLORY OF GOD!

In today’s world and modern culture, and even in the church circles at times, the word “grace” has lost its power and become a commonplace. We use the word for everything. We give grace. We say that people have grace. We shave grace periods on our credit cards payments…Grace. Grace. Grace.

Grace is the very foundation of our walk with God. This may seem a little basic to you but I promise you, it’s critical that we rediscover the foundational work of God’s grace in our lives.

One way to understand the grace of God is this…The grace of God is the practical working of the goodness of God in life of the believer.

So how does that change the way you relate to God? The truth is, ever though we understand the freedom grace brings, we have more of a tendency to relate to God based on our elevation of ourselves. But God wants our relationship with Him to be based on how He views us, and He views us through the complete work of His Son. When we trust and rest in the complete work of Jesus Christ, we walk in grace!

START YOUR DAY WITH THE RIGHT MIND-SET… 

Having the right kind of mind-set requires intentionality. We have to be aware that our natural human instinct when we wake up each day will be to gravitate towards everything we think is wrong with our lives…

So we have to be intentional about setting our focus with the right perspective before we start moving forward with our day. Here is an option to begin your day that I believe can change your life!

Do this whether you’re having a good day or tough day… Every day direct you attention to God in a concentrated way. The first thing you do is make sure you focus on the goodness, greatness, and glory of God.

Focusing every day on these three attributes of God will give you a complete picture or filter of His grace.

The model for this is the first line of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9,

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” (Matt 6:9 NIV)

I’ve also noticed that nearly every prayer the apostle Paul prayed for the New Testament churches follows this same pattern as well.

 All methods of drawing closer to god must be seen through the filter of the goodness and greatness and the glory of god!

The Lord’s Prayer starts with “Our Father.” You have to remind yourself that you are a child of God and that all your sins are forgiven (John 1:12; 1 John 2:2).

You have to know that you are going to heaven and have eternal life through Jesus (Romans 5:21). You have to know that you have the favor of God and that God is for you (Romans 8:31). You need to remind yourself every day that your real home is not here on earth but in heaven (1 John 2:17). Your life on earth is so temporary, but your life with your heavenly Father is forever (Colossians 3:1-3).

Thank God for who He is and for all He has done for you. But it doesn’t stop there. Tomorrow I will go deeper into this great truth that will change the way you approach God. This week create space for God’s goodness because it’s just the beginning!

I love you guys with all my heart and I am believing for greater things for you!

– Pastor Sam Hinn

Days 13 & 14: Voices Believers Must Ignore

WEEK TWO FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS VOICE

– DAY 13 & 14 | VOICES believers must IGNORE

Many of us are full of the Holy Spirit, but we are not walking in the power of the Holy Spirit in the assignment God has for our lives. If we not alert, we will continue to confuse God’s voice with the voice of crowd or with other voices.

Over the years I have come to understand that the voices we hear are not all negative… some of them may be shouting to you about good things. But unless we are tuned in and can hear clearly, we may end up saying yes to the good but miss what is God. And when we miss what God has in mind for us, we miss out on the very purpose or assignment He has called us to fulfill.

I often wonder what would have happened if Jesus had listened to the voice of the crowd more than the voice of His heavenly Father. Could He have settled for a very good cause, because the voices wanted more healing, more deliverance, and more blessings.

But Jesus primary purpose in His earthly ministry was NOT to heal the sick, or to cast out demons but to preach the kingdom of God to a lost humanity. Jesus knew that with so much need everywhere, He had to hear the voice of His Father or He could have mistakenly chosen what was good instead of what’s God!

That’s exactly what will happen in our lives if we are not tuned in to God and hearing His voice over the voice of the crowd.

We may end up saying YES to good but miss what is God! 

The voice of crowd cannot answer the question, “Why are you here?” When you hear the voice of God, you begin to understand His purpose and assignment and what you’re all about. And then you can begin to prioritize your life around your assignment… This is one of the most freeing places you’ll ever come to know, it just uncomplicates life.

If we are not careful, we will confuse God’s voice with the voices of the crowd or with the voices like, the voice of worry, the voice of guilt, the voice of need, the voice of ambition, the voice of pressure, the voice of success, or the voice of failure.

Some other voices to watch out for and should always be ignored….

The Voice Of Pride…

Pride occurs the moment man steals from God His right to determine the difference between right and wrong, good and bad…as well as true and false.

The Voice Of Fear…

Faith is energized by dreaming about the future, while fear gains its strength from rehearsing the past…

The Voice Of Yesterday…

You are either a prisoner of your past or a Pioneer of your future…

The Voice Of Insecurity…

Your true identity is rooted within the pages of God’s written Word…

The Voice Of Doubt…

Regardless of what you’re going through, remember, God’s Word is always true.

Doubt Is The Tool the enemy uses To Destroy God’s Timing In Your Life!

Doubt is the enemy assignment to throw you off the faith course. The thrill of victory or the agony of defeat occurs in your mind long before it ever occurs in your life.

The Voice Of Self…

The greatest giant you will ever face is yourself. We all need to deal with our weakness today or you will have to face a greater giant tomorrow. (Gal 5:13-17)

 The Voice Of Offense…

Offense occurs the moment you attempt to answer the circumstances of your life from a perspective that is other than God’s.

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. NKJV

Psalm 119:165 Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.

Mark 4:18-19 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

REMEMBER THIS…  

… When God put your two eyeballs in your head; He put them in the front of your head so you would look forwards and not backwards at your past.

… When God attached your two ears to your cranium, He attached them facing forward so you can hear the promises of God that are ahead of you; rather than listen to the voices of the past. He wants you to focus forward.

… When God attached your arms to your body, He put them so it’s easier to reach forward than it is to reach backward. Because He wants you reaching forward, helping other people out.

… When God put your two feet on your ankles, He attached them facing forward, He wants you to walk forward in faith and not backward in fear.

In fact, in your entire anatomy, there’s only one part of your body facing your past.  They don’t call it “the behind” for nothing. There’s some stuff in your life you really need to leave behind. Don’t let your past doubts, your past guilt keep you from moving forward in faith.

Pastor Sam Hinn 

Day 12 – Greater Alignment

WEEK TWO FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS VOICE

Matt 17:17-21 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” NKJV

I want to go a little further today in my blog from yesterday about “Alignment.” In this story when Jesus was talking with his disciples about the little boy, he Jesus was telling them the problem was not the demon; the problem was unbelief.

The first thing He said was, “O faithless and perverse generation.” That might seem a bit hard, but Jesus wasn’t being mean. This is so important to understand…

 

He used two distinctive words that described the root cause of their unbelief: by “faithless” He meant they were too disconnected from God, and “perverse” meant instead that they were too connected to the world.

 

He used two distinctive words that described the root cause of their unbelief: by “faithless” He meant they were too disconnected from God, and “perverse” meant instead that they were too connected to the world.

The disciples were too gunked up! Today, things haven’t changed much… People are too disconnected from God and too connected to the world and its distractions, the result is always unbelief.

What are distractions? Distractions are those things that keep you in bondage to what isn’t important!

So instead of walking in faith, we walk in unbelief, and God’s kingdom doesn’t manifest with power. What’s the answer? Prayer and Fasting!

Jesus didn’t tell His boys just to pray. He said to pray and fast. Both were necessary, because prayer connects us to God and fasting disconnects us from the world.

So together, they bring us into greater alignment with heaven. When you pray and fast, the first thing that comes out is not the “demon” or the problem but what comes out is the unbelief…the real problem!

Fasting deals with the root cause of unbelief. The demon’s coming out, or
whatever miracle you need, is just a by-product of your believing in God and walking in faith.

When you come into alignment with God, you begin to see His perfect will done in your life, as God has already established it in heaven. God’s kingdom and power start to manifest in your earth, and that’s when you get to the point where, as Jesus said, you can speak to the mountain that’s been causing you so much pain and see it cast into the sea (Mark 11:23)

But to come into this level of alignment with Him so you can see those results, you will need to pray and fast.

Fasting really is not about trying to get miracles and breakthroughs from God…

It is about aligning yourself with God and what He already wants. We don’t fast to get God to change something. We fast so that we are changed and come into a greater level of faith.

God has already given us everything we need for living a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). We actually don’t need to get anything from God; we just need to learn how to walk in what He gave us when we got saved.

There’s another very important thing I want to point out. When the disciples were faced with this crisis, because of their unbelief, or misalignment, they were unprepared to deal with the challenge at hand. But when Jesus was faced with the crisis, He didn’t have to stop and go on a quick three-day fast to solve the problem. He was already in such alignment with His Father in heaven that He knew what the Father’s will was.

Fasting aligns you with God and prepares you before the crisis even hits.

Jesus was basically telling the disciples, “You need to pray and fast before you encounter the crisis.” He was saying that prayer and fasting are part of our preparation as believers to destroy the words of the Evil One.

Prayer and fasting should be proactive, not reactive.

Through fasting we shut down our natural man so the spiritual man can rise up! Re-Awaken My Heart is about starving our unbelief and feeding our faith. We move our earth into alignment with God’s heaven where now anything can happen and “all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

– Sam Hinn

Day 11 – Alignment

WEEK TWO FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS VOICE

An easy way to describe the kingdom of God is to say it’s wherever the rule and reign of Jesus are established. In heaven God’s rule and reign are
always perfectly established. But to see it demonstrated on earth, we must allow Him to align us with His will as it is in heaven.

Agreement with God brings us to the place “where we say, “Yes, Lord. It is for Your glory that I live, I want Your will to be done in my life above all else.”

Alignment by God is the place where He begins to put things in order so that His kingdom can come into our lives. God begins to bring His power and reveal to us what His perfect will is so we can start moving forward with a clear and precise direction.

Alignment is the place where we are positioned by coming into agreement with God.

Fasting brings us into greater alignment with God in a way that prayer alone cannot. And it takes regular seasons of prayer and fasting to stay in alignment with God’s perfect will.

In the Book of Acts we see the apostles fasting regularly, and many crucial God-directed moments came when they were fasting.

One day Jesus went up a mountain (called the Mount of Transfiguration) to pray, and He took Peter, James, and John with Him… (Matthew 17)

While there, Jesus was transformed into His glorified state, and Peter, James, and John had a front-row seat. These guys had walked with Jesus every day, eaten meals with Him, and listened to Him teach. They were already convinced that He was the Messiah. But then they saw Jesus in a glorified state-what a mind-blowing experience!

As incredible as that was, Jesus did not allow them to just soak in their mountaintop experience. He quickly got their minds focused on kingdom business and got them moving down the mountain.

The disciples didn’t know it, but a man in desperate need was waiting for them at the bottom of the mountain. This should serve as a reminder to us that our encounters with the glory and presence of God are intended not only to bless us but to fire us up to go out and make a difference by reaching out with compassion to people who are lost and hurting.

The man they encountered was a father in need of a breakthrough for his family….

Matt 17:14-16 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” NLT

This man’s son was epileptic and, by some of the language used here, it would appear he was suicidal too. The phrase the father used, “falls
into” something, was a euphemism of that day to describe suicide attempts. No doubt this father was desperate. He loved his son, and I’m sure the pain he felt was overwhelming.

This man knelt humbly before Jesus, shared with Him the pain of what his son was going through, and also told Jesus of his efforts to get help. The man had brought his son to some of Jesus’ disciples and they were not able to cast the demon out.

Pay close attention to Jesus’ response, and to the dialogue that takes place
with His disciples afterward:

Matt 17:17-21 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”  18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” NKJV

When the disciples came privately to Jesus and asked, “Why could we not cast the demon out?” in a word, Jesus told them it was because of their unbelief. This is the root problem for us as well. We want to experience the supernatural power of God and see Him move, but we, too, like the disciples in this story, sometimes operate in unbelief.

The power of God is available to you, as it was to this boy. The problem was not the demon…the problem was unbelief. So Jesus addressed the unbelief.

Every moment of everyday voices are whispering, speaking and then screaming at us. It’s estimated that you have 65,000 thoughts everyday, and for some the majority of those thoughts are negative and until we recognize the voices that speak to us we will not be able to fight them effectively. 

It’s time to let go of your Doubts and Unbelief… Regardless of what you’re going through, remember, God’s Word is always true.

TODAY IS ABOUT YOU LETTING GO OF UNBELIEF…   

Unbelief it’s a great enemy of God’s dream for your life, limits your potential, it causes procrastination, and causes you to miss God’s best for you life.

James 1:6-8 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. NLT

Here is the truth…

Before God can use you in a powerful way, you’ve got to give up the doubt and unbelief.

– Sam Hinn

Day 10 – Place Yourself in a position to Hear

WEEK TWO FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS VOICE

The Bible says that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are given a deposit of the Holy Spirit as a promise of what is yet to come. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives helps us to hear clearly. With the Holy Spirit living inside of us, He will guide us to pray and hear from God according to His will.

The Bible says the Holy Spirit not only helps us to pray, but helps us to discern what God is revealing to us.

“For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.” 1 Cor 2:10-11 NLT

With the Holy Spirit, we receive the help we need to pray and to discern what our heavenly Father is saying to us. We know that God is sovereign. He speaks in different ways at different times. Our faith must always be in God and not in a certain method.

Learning to discern God’s voice takes effort on our part. We can get so involved in the affairs of this natural world that we forget to listen. The Lord wants us to take the time to listen as we open our hearts to hear. He wants us to become increasingly familiar with His voice as our relationship deepens with Him.

The more often we meet with God in prayer and talk to Him about the concerns on our heart, the clearer His voice becomes.

The Bible instructs us to make a concerted effort to spend time with the lord, as a result placing ourselves in a position to hear from Him.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. NKJV

We can’t make demands on God, but we can ask, seek and knock, and the Bible promises that God will open the door. God will reveal Himself to those who humbly seek Him.

God wants us to acknowledge Him in our lives…

Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. NKJV

What does it mean to acknowledge? The Webster’s dictionary tells us it is to admit the existence, reality, or truth of or express gratitude for.

The Bible says the Holy Spirit not only helps us to pray, but helps us to discern what God is revealing to us.

If we acknowledge a friend, we talk to him, express our appreciation for him, and recognize his presence in our lives. Imagine your friends not acknowledging your presence when you are together. You try to talk to them, and they completely ignore you.

In fact, they talk right over you as if you were not even there. That’s how we treat the Lord if we are not acknowledging Him moment by moment in our lives. If we are not recognizing God’s presence in our daily lives, it is little wonder we are having trouble hearing from Him.

Matt 3:16-17 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” NLT

Jesus did not begin His ministry until he heard the voice of His Father. Before we do anything in our life, ministry, calling, business… We must be sure that we hear the voice of the Father before we do anything.

God wants to remove every obstacle in our lives that hinder His voice.

1 Kings 19:11-13 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” NLT

God wanted to speak to Elijah, so He first sent basic forces that obeyed His command.

The wind, earthquake, fire were not sent to inform him or instruct him. God sent the strong wind to break everything in the way that could stop Elijah from hearing the voice of God. Than an earthquake to shake loose any obstruction. The fire was sent to burn away any blockage left from the wind or the earthquake. All these came to Elijah to prepare him to hear the still small voice of God. Are you positioning yourself to hear God’s voice? 

– Pastor Sam Hinn

Day 9 – Jesus created space for His Father to fill

WEEK TWO FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS VOICE

Jesus often went away to a deserted place where He could pray and hear the voice of His Father.

Luke 4:42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. NLT

We need to do the same thing, because there are many powerful and intimate experiences with God that we will only enjoy in a “isolated place.”

God is sovereign. He speaks in different ways at different times. Our faith must always be in God and not in a certain method.

… I want to challenge you and encourage you that this week you create space for God through seeking Him and hearing His voice.

Job 33:14 For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. NLT

The Bible gives us many clues to hearing God’s voice. But our ears must be tuned to Him. The Lord has many ways of speaking to us. He may use the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, His Word, prayer, circumstances or other people.

The Lord may speak to us in dreams, visions or even by His audible voice; however, don’t expect God’s audible voice to be the common way He will speak!

Jesus promised that if we listen to Him closely, we will receive more and more from Him. He said….

Mark 4:24 And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you — and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. AMP

When we take the time to listen carefully, we can know the difference between His voice and all the other voices that do not match the character of God, His nature and the history of how He has led others before us.

Jesus urges us to learn to listen like sheep…

John 10:5 They will never [on any account] follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers or recognize their call. AMP

Since we are His children, His voice becomes familiar to us as we develop a relationship with Him.

When we pray, we engage ourselves in conversation with God, and God responds.

God is sovereign. He speaks in different ways at different times. Our faith must always be in God and not in a certain method.

We have to cultivate a friendship with God.

You are in a lifetime walk with the Creator of the universe, and hearing His voice is a skill to be learned over time.

Jesus told His disciples one day that sheep follow the shepherd…

John 10:4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. NLT

How did they know his voice? Because they had learned from experience to trust the voice of their shepherd… To hear God’s voice clearly, we must have a growing love relationship with God and trust Him, it’s that simple. The better we get to know God, the better we will recognize His voice.

God’s Word is full of examples of common and ordinary people who heard the voice of a mighty God who spoke to them. The end result was lives that were changed.

• …Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden.
• …Noah heard God tell him to build an ark on dry ground. His obedience resulted in his family being spared the most destructive flood in all of history.
• …God told Abram after he was ninety years of age to change his name and prophesied to him that he would be a father of many nations.
• …The Lord startled Moses at a flaming bush in the desert when He called him to deliver the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt.
• …God advised Joshua to be strong and courageous, and gave David fresh strategies for each battle against his enemies.
• …Nehemiah was directed to build a wall, and God told Jonah to preach in the city of Nineveh.
• …The Lord told Mary she will be the mother of Jesus, and revealed to the elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth that they would have a son named John.
• …God affirmed Jesus at His baptism through a voice from heaven, and Paul was totally transformed by the Lord’s voice on the Damascus Road.
• …God spoke to Peter about reaching out to the Gentiles through a vision of a sheet filled with unclean animals, and he instructed John to write the book of Revelation on the island of Patmos.

Men and women of the Bible heard God’s voice in times past, and those who listen continue to hear as God reveals Himself and makes Himself known throughout the ages.

God delights in revealing Himself to us. He promises to answer if we call on Him.

Jer 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ NKJV

When we pray, we engage ourselves in conversation with God, and God responds.

– Sam Hinn

Sunday, Jan. 15 – 2012: A Word Of The Lord

This is one of the strongest Word’s that the Lord has ever given me.

Sunday, January 15 – 2012: Ricardo Sanchez had just finished leading us in worship and here is what the Lord said:

“I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying, I don’t want to date anymore, we’ve dated for a long time and I’ve been so faithful to you, but I want a commitment. I want you to commit to Me. Will you marry Me… will you be My bride. I don’t want the same relationship we’ve had for years, when we have been on dates, you’ve called Me in good and bad times, but you’ve never fully committed to Me.” ‘I hear the voice of the Lord saying,’ “I don’t want to date anymore, I want you to commit your life. I want a fresh commitment. This journey is together… not just when it’s convenient with Me. Will you commit to Me, to a relationship with Me? More than just date nights when we got out to eat on Sunday, Wednesday or special events… No, will you commit to Me every single day. I’m yours and you are Mine. You’ve been married to your job and your social things and activities, you’ve committed to so many things…But I’ve not yet heard you make a commitment to Me. Will you be My bride and will you commit to this relationship?”

My response was, ‘I say yes Jesus. I say yes. I make a deep commitment Lord to You, I don’t want to date anymore either. I want a relationship that exceeds anything in my life. I want a deeper commitment to you than any other commitment. Take our hearts Lord in total abandonment, we are all in Lord, we won’t play it safe!‘… I pray that you’ll make a commitment, if you’ve not done so yet!

Love you all so much…

– Sam Hinn

Day 8 – Keep The Fire Burning!

WEEK TWO FOCUS… CREATING SPACE FOR HIS voice

Week #2 is now underway and we have begun making space for God’s voice in our lives.  But how do we do this? We begin by keeping the Fire of God burning in our lives! The Word of God repeats over and again, the importance of maintaining a spiritual fire. The Word of God warns the believer, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”

1 Thess 5:19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; NIV

We all want to be on fire for God. How do we do it? By following the strategies for keeping the fire burning.

1. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A “FIRE-PLACE”

2 Tim 1:6 That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination]. AMP

Paul exhorts the young pastor Timothy “to stir up the gift of God that is in you.” We all know that a fireplace equals a safe place to have a fire. It’s a place where you can put logs together and they share each others heat.

Believers need a place where their passion can burn brightly, where their passion is encouraged, and where the passion of one person, can enflame the passion of another.

The church is Gods gift of a fireplace to passionate Christians.

2. FOCUS YOUR FIRE

Rom 10:2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. NLT

Paul here is talking about the Jews who had yet to receive Christ. They had a passion for God, but it was misdirected.

Believers need a place where their passion can burn brightly, where their passion is encouraged, and where the passion of one person, can enflame the passion of another.

One thing that I have noticed about passionate Christians is they like to have their hands in a lot of pies. The problem is when passion is spread thin it does not make a great difference anywhere. We need to focus our fire in a way that it makes a greatest impact and influence.

3. FIRE CONSUMES: You will have to wrestle with weariness…

Whether we like it or not, the fire God has placed in us and as God uses us to make a difference in this world, we are consumed.

David makes it clear in, Ps 119:139 My zeal has consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words. NKJV

Passion like fire consumes, so we as Christians need to fight the weariness that results from God given passion.

The word of God gives a clue as to the cure in,

Isa 40:30-31 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. NKJV

4. FIRE NEEDS TO BE STOKED FROM TIME TO TIME.

The Habit of Re-evaluation: This is the simple practice of stopping at the end of our work and recognizing the value of your accomplishments. At the end of each day, the completion of each assignment, take a moment to look at what you have accomplished before attending to the next task.

Thank God for giving you the creativity and strength to accomplish your work in His name.

5. FIRE CHANGES ITS SURROUNDINGS

Determine that passion makes a difference. A Christian without passion is like a river without water. Passion energizes the Christian life. Passion gives us additional focus in life. Without the passion of God in our lives we will lead dull and draining existence.

Passion is one of the ways that God empowers our lives.

Romans 12:11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; NKJV

“Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.” NLT

6. CONNECT WITH PASSIONATE PEOPLE

Fire needs to be fed in order to keep growing. If it is true that people affect how we live and walk, then it is true that if we spend time with people who are passionate about the Lord, it will cause our hearts to grow brighter.

Paul reminded his young apprentice Timothy about the power of people to affect his own flame.

2 Tim.1:5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. NKJV

7. PRAY FOR PASSION

God’s fire is a gift: 2 Tim 1:6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. NLT

How would Timothy do this? Prayer!

Col 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; NKJV

Earnestly, fervently, and vigilantly; these words speak of passion. Anything worthwhile, any good thought, any inspiration for songs, poems, music, any concern for people comes from this. PRAYER

Have you lost your passion for God? Have you stopped burning brightly for him?
Prayer and Fasting are the keys to restoring passion in your life.

– Sam Hinn