How to Hear God’s Voice
Abide in Me | Part 3 | January 21, 2024
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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. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my beloved Son, on You my favor rests.” Matthew 3:16–17
I am the beloved Daughter/Son of God
His favor rests on me
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you obey My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:9–10, NKJV
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you obey My commandments, you will [be] abiding in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments [by] abiding in His love. John 15:9–10, NKJV
I am the beloved Daughter/Son of God
His favor rests on me
The Great Lie
I am what I DO
I am what others SAY
I am what I HAVE
“The word ‘listen’ in Latin is audire. If we listen with great attention, it’s called obaudire, and that’s where the word ‘obedience’ comes from. Jesus is the obedient one, totally open to the love of God.
―Henri Nouwen, A Spirituality of Living
And to the degree that we are closed, we are surdus. That is the Latin word for ‘deaf.’ The more ‘deaf’ we get, the more absurdus we become. An absurd life is precisely a life in which we no longer listen and are constantly distracted by all sorts of voices and lose touch with the truth that we are the beloved.”
―Henri Nouwen, A Spirituality of Living
Can I move from a life of absurdity to a life of listening to the voice of God?
One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names... Luke 6:12–16, NLT
Communion | Community | Ministry
Communion
“Cease striving, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10, NASB
Community
Confess your faults to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16, NLT
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’” C.S. Lewis.
Ministry
“Blessed are those who are poor and recognize their need for him, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:3–4
“When I first began serving our friends without homes, I was struck by how purely human I felt. ‘There is no difference between this person I'm offering a warm cup of soup and me.’ I've come to realize that what I experienced was the presence of God⏤clearer and stronger than I had ever experienced before. They blessed me! It's like I'm receiving a blessing from God Himself. I stand in those moments and say, ‘Jesus is here!’ It's a such privilege to be in ministry with Him.” ―Mike Moore
Communion | Community | Ministry
I am the beloved Daughter/Son of God
His favor rests on me