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 Hearing the Voice of God and Fulfilling God's Purpose for Your Life (book by Eric Gondwe)
15. THROUGH THE AUTHORITATIVE VOICE This is another form of an inner witness. However, it’s unique in its authoritative nature. It is direct and firm, sometimes as if spoken loudly by someone from outside. The voice can also be external like Moses used to hear from God (Numbers 12:8). One’s thoughts and attention are arrested on the heaviness of the voice. Although it is authoritative great peace and joy always accompany it. Even if it is a rebuke or caution. 16. THROUGH THE INNER VOICE AND AFFIRMATION The Holy Spirit lives inside every one of us born again. “Don’t you know that you yourself are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? ( 1 Corinthians 3: 16). “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). In her book, Listening Prayer, Mary Swope says, “Since we know that God dwells within us, isn’t it reasonable to expect him to speak to us from within? This makes hearing a matter of spirit communion - from God’s Spirit to our spirit. The need to hear an “audible voice” therefore, is eliminated. God can speak audibly if he so desires, but most guidance from God comes from within and not by a voice that others could hear or that a cassette tape could record.” The inner voice of God is audible from within. We now can act according to the directions of his Spirit. Since the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one it means we have God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit living in us. God the Son can now carry out his plans for building his church through us. We begin to operate under instructions from him just as he also operated under instructions from his Father while on earth. He said , “By myself, I can do nothing ; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just,” (John 5:30; 5:19; 8:28) We can be able to judge situations not according to men’s wisdom but according to what we have heard from the Spirit of God. His Spirit will always tell us what to do or say in a particular situation. For as long as we daily submit to his leadership we will be merely saying and doing what we have heard from him. And our judgment will be just, no matter how contrary it is to human wisdom . The inner voice of God to believers who have “ears to hear what the Spirit is saying” is so real yet difficult to define. It is not usually an audible voice like “I want you to go and work in Jerusalem” or “Rachel will be your wife.” Neither is it an emotion or feeling, though they can accompany it. Rather, it is usually a push, a conviction and inspiration inside us. The more we submit to God’s leading from within we can ‘hear’ more clearly this push, conviction and inspiration. For instance, in the voyage to Rome, Paul said, “Men, I see our voyage is going to be disastrous,” (Acts 27:10). He did not see with his physical eyes but he could sense from within him that trouble was looming. He had a conviction and perception that something strange was going to happen. God spoke to him and because of his sensitivity to his leading Paul was able to perceive the 'voice’ of God from within. We are like radios. There are three stations we can tune to: 1) channel flesh, 2) channel Holy Spirit, and 3) channel evil spirit. Most people tune their lives to channel flesh. They receive signals from their hearts, full of their own ways and desires. Their decisions are based on what they feel, want and how circumstances will enable them to obtain their desires. Such people live self centered and self ruled lives instead of God centered and Holy Spirit ruled lives. The signals they receive from their own hearts, based on their upbringing, personalities, education, status, culture and so on are transmitted in their words and actions. Their words and actions are packed with self-direction, perceptions and limitations. More content available in the Second Edition of the book: Click here to acquire it Book on hearing from God: Hearing the Voice of God and Fulfilling God's Purpose for Your Life © 2008 Eric Gondwe
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