FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Faith Essentials

more time you spend with God, the easier it will be to recognize His voice. Although you may not hear Him audibly, God still speaks. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Listen carefully for His “words.” And, with the Spirit’s help, apply the following stipulations. Make sure it’s His voice you are hearing— You have a target on your back when you get serious about your prayer life. The believer’s soul enemies on this fallen planet, the world , the flesh , and the devil , arise with “voices” of their own to distract and derail. I can say from experience that such assaults typically begin in the mind—especially when you sit down to pray. That’s why, with the help of the Spirit, we must heed the command of the apostle Paul, “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God . . . taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Implementing military language, Paul commands us to mentally take as prisoner and incarcerate any thoughts that stand in opposition to God and the message He desires to communicate. Take it a step further by speaking directly against the soul enemies and carnal ideas though the command of faith—aka authoritative prayer. The authority of Jesus, which you possess by way of the His shed blood and the Spirit’s indwelling in your life, provides grounds for such intercession. God will not reveal anything to His children that stands in opposition to His Word and His will. Act upon the message you receive— Remember that Jesus’ sheep not only hear Him, but follow Him as well. His half-brother James said, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers, who delude themselves” (James 1:22). Providing his own illustration for this command, he talked about the man who saw himself in the mirror, then walked away and immediately forgot what he looked like (James 1:23,24). Even in our worldly, secular society, it’s still acceptable, even fashionable to hear God’s message. Hollywood has even gotten in on

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