12 FOUNDATION STONES - CLASS 4A HOW TO RECEIVE PROPHECIES HEARING FROM HEAVEN, PART 1.2 ------------------------------------------ Section 3: God Speaks Today ------------------------------------------ > Why the Living Word is needed We have a permanent, written record of God's unchangeable Words in the Bible, but God is still speaking today, through prophecies, visions, and signs. These current messages from the Lord are His "Living Word." You may ask, "Why isn't reading the Bible enough? Why can't we just get our answers from the recorded, printed Word?" Yes, you should get as many answers from the recorded Word as you can, but where the printed Word doesn't go far enough to answer your specific needs, the Lord has given His Word through prophecy as a further way of finding His direction. The written Word gives you the fundamentals, the basics, but often the Lord wants to give you specifics for your particular situation through speaking to you directly in prophecy. > Counsel for today The basic principles of the written Word do apply. However, there is much counsel needed that will not be found specifically in the Bible. Therefore, the Lord is offering you this priceless gift of speaking to you directly about your own individual situation. The Lord wants to speak to us to guide and encourage us. He promises, Isaiah 30:21 - Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it." > Prophecy will not contradict the written Word A prophecy that is truly inspired by the Lord will not contradict the written recorded Word of God in the Bible, though it may fill in "gaps" in our understanding. The Word is the measurement, the standard by which it should be judged. (We'll discuss more about this in the next class.) ------------------------------------------ > Testimonies: How God speaks today! ------------------------------------------ Listen to the voice of God Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965, Nobel Prize winner, missionary doctor in Cameroon and French Equatorial Africa [now called Gabon]) was a great musician and doctor who went to Africa to be a missionary and help the sick. One time he was traveling up a river with a boat loaded with supplies for a hospital he had built. As they were traveling he noticed a big tree had fallen in the water. If they hit it, the boat could sink and they would drown. After his visit to the hospital, Albert returned back down the river. It was late at night and very dark. He warned the men not to go too near the bank of the river but to stay out closer toward the middle. Suddenly the Lord gave Albert a check in the Spirit that they were getting too close to the shore. All the men said they weren't and that it was fine where they were, so Albert sat down again. I guess they know best, he thought. After all, they go up and down this river all the time and their eyes are trained to see into the dark forest. My eyes are not as good as theirs! Suddenly the Lord spoke again to Albert's heart, this time with a much stronger warning. You need to obey Me or you'll all drown! Albert jumped up and commanded the men to instantly move the boat farther out to the middle of the river. They had no sooner obeyed than suddenly they saw the huge, dark mass of a giant tree that had fallen in the water. Had they not turned aside at that instant the boat would have rammed it and sunk! The faith of a child! From Mary Hearing from the Lord is so thrilling that even the young kids like it and are excited about it, praise the Lord! One of our kids wears a brace for her teeth, which she has to take out every time she eats, and one day she misplaced it. We looked everywhere but could not find it. She suggested we get together and hear from the Lord about it. I felt that was brave of her, and I wondered if she was really ready to hear what I thought the Lord wanted to say about her not being so faithful with her things. I did not expect to get anything myself, since it was such a specific question, and I have had a hard time believing that I could receive specific answers from the Lord. - Others, yes, but not me. But lo and behold, I got, "With the orange peels, in the garbage can." I didn't share it at first, because it was just so unbelievable, so I waited for others to share what they had received. No one else received anything though, so I said, "This sounds crazy, but I got ‘With the orange peels, in the garbage can.'" My daughter looked - and there it was! He gives direct answers! Music and prophecy Music definitely is a vehicle for getting in the Spirit! Look at this verse about Elisha, who, when he was asked to hear from the Lord, said, "Bring me a minstrel" (2 Kings 3:15). The verse goes on to say, "Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him." Here's another verse concerning music and getting songs in prophecy, as it says that certain musicians would actually prophesy with their musical instruments: "Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals" (1 Chronicles 25:1). ------------------------------------------ Section 4: How To Hear From God in Prophecy ------------------------------------------ > How to hear from the Lord Find a quiet place. Begin your time with the Lord by praising Him and/or by reading His Word. Then, either ask the Lord a specific question or just generally ask Him what He wants to tell you. Closing your eyes will help eliminate distractions. Be still and focus your mind on the Lord. Concentrate on Him. Sometimes the Lord may speak by bringing to mind a verse or passage from the Bible. He brings it to life or He applies it to a particular situation or decision you are faced with. If He reminds you of something like this while you are praying, then look it up and read it right then, asking the Lord to help you apply it. Sometimes the Lord may speak a new message that you've never heard before. The words will probably not be audible, but a "still, small voice" in your mind. Speak or write down or record what you get, then the Lord will give you more. By recording what He has given you, it shows the Lord your faith that you believe it is from Him. Then He'll give you more. Try not to think, analyze, or judge the message as it is coming; just accept it and thank God for it. Some messages are short; some are lengthy. Sometimes, instead of words, the Lord will give you a picture or vision. > Have faith and create a vacuum! You can bring this section to life by using a radio to illustrate the principle of turning on the switch and receiving the message. This section is enlarged upon in the Study Notes book in the Mountain Streams article "Faith." You have to have faith. When you ask the Lord for an answer, expect an answer, and take the first thing that comes. If you really believe and ask the Lord, and you want to hear or see, you won't be disappointed! In the air right now all around us, there are radio waves. But until you turn on this little switch on the radio, you're not going to hear them. You have to open a channel, an electric circuit. God's Spirit is like a broadcasting station broadcasting all the time. All you have to do is throw the switch and tune in! You have to believe when you when you ask the Lord to speak to you, that the first words that come into your mind and the first things you see are from the Lord, and go on from there. You must begin to speak (or write down) that Scripture or phrase He gives you. - And then He'll give you more! > Recognizing God's voice 1 King 19:9,11–12 - And there he [Elijah] went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the Word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" … (11) Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; (12) and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. God speaks in a still, small voice. It doesn't have to be with an audible voice. It can just be in a still, small voice that you feel inside of you. Sometimes it's not even words, but just an impression that you have. God doesn't always communicate in words; He can just give you a feeling or a picture or an idea. As you continue to study His Word in faith, letting it fill your heart and mind, the more your ability will grow to recognize His still, small voice when you ask Him to speak to you. John 10:27a - My sheep hear My Voice. For more advice on how to hear from Heaven, see "Ground Rules" (page 10) "Getting Started" (page 18) and "Basic Operating Instructions" (page 32) in the Hearing from Heaven (Get Activated!) booklet. (end)