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A few weeks ago, when we were at the ranch, we dug into the prophetic word about wilderness. This prophecy was released through tongue and interpretation last October.
I believe this word was given to us about a year in advance and we are now approaching the prophesied wilderness.
I will go further into one section of this prophecy today. But first, let me read the whole thing.
Prophetic Word About Wilderness
There is a time that’s coming, says the Lord. I am teaching you to follow My voice because we are about to go through a wilderness you have not walked into.
Do not be afraid. Do not be alarmed. For this is the path I have set before you. Know this: My Word does light up the path. Stay close to My voice, stay close to My Word, and you will stay on the path of protection.
My Word does not change based on circumstances. I meant every Word that I have written down. The Word gives life to you, to your mortal bodies, yes you know. But it also gives life to those around you.
The Lord says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. You cannot separate me from My Word. Test everything that you do, every circumstance, every prophecy, test it against My Word and you will see that I am true.
For the path is narrow, says the Lord. You are not perfect, but do not misstep. Do not tease me, says the Lord. Obey quickly. For I have an abundant life for you, says the Lord.
You will be protected because I am greater. Be still and know that I am God. My Word is true and it will come to pass. Trust in Me. Trust in Me, says the Lord.
The Path of Protection
There are so many elements of this prophesy that we need in order to thrive in the season we’re approaching. Here’s the one I will hone in on today:
“Stay close to My voice, stay close to My Word, and you will stay on the path of protection.”
Apparently, there is a path of protection—this echos everyone’s favorite scripture on God’s protection, Psalm 91.
Have you noticed that the protection so beautifully described in Psalm 91 has conditions? Take a look at these verses:
Psalms 91:1 NLT – Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This is verse one, and it describes who this promise of protection is for. Did you catch it? This is for those who have chosen to live in the shelter of the Most High.
That is colorful language and may go right over the heads of those of you who are not poetic. So, let me make it plainly.
This promise of protection is for those who refuse to leave the Lord’s side. They are so close to Him that they would constantly be in His shadow if there were one.
We get more clarification nine verses down:
Psalms 91:9 NLT – If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,
IF you make the Lord your refuge, THEN you will have His divine protection.
Or, as the prophetic word said, “Stay close to My voice, stay close to My Word, and you will stay on the path of protection.”
God’s Voice vs God’s Word
Don’t you find it interesting that the Lord said both “stay close to my voice” and “stay close to my Word”? Apparently, they are not the same thing.
The voice of God versus the Word of God is what I want to focus on today. Is there a difference?
Let me start by making a few statements that might stir you up a bit. I am doing this on purpose to get you thinking.
The scriptures are not a substitute for hearing the voice of God.
The Bible is not a replacement for the voice of God.
Some people say, “I don’t need to hear the voice of God because everything I need is in scripture.”
Then there are those on the other side who say, “I don’t need to study the scriptures because I hear the voice of God.”
Can I present a third option to you?
What if God intended for His voice and the scriptures to work together, in tandem, to help you out?
The voice of God has its purpose in our lives. The scriptures have their purpose in our lives. We need both working together.
To help you understand how they are different, I will give you four purposes of scripture and four purposes of the voice of God. I recommend writing these down.
4 Purposes of Scripture
Let’s start with the four purposes of scripture. These are listed for us in 2nd Timothy.
II Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Let’s break these down.
1. Profitable for Doctrine (Teaching)
This one is easy to understand. The scriptures are a teaching tool. They reveal to us what is true.
You experience this purpose of scripture every time you hear a sermon at NoLimits, and every time you open the Bible at home.
Did you know there was a time in American history when the Bible was the only textbook used in school? It truly is the only teaching resource you need to thrive in life.
2. Reproof (Testing/Proving)
Echoing another part of the wilderness prophecy, “Test everything that you do, every circumstance, every prophecy, test it against My Word, and you will see that I am true.”
This is absolutely one of the primary functions of scripture. We can test every single thing we hear or do against the Word of God. If it confirmed, it’s true. If the scriptures don’t back it up, it’s a lie.
If you want to know why kids ministry looks so different here at NoLimits, this is why.
We did kids ministry like everyone else for well over a decade. It all changed when I was walking into our kids room one Sunday after church and the Lord said, “Where did you learn to do kids ministry this way?”
I knew my answer sucked before I even gave it, “Because that’s what everyone else does.” The Lord didn’t have to say anything else.
This prompted me to go on a search in scripture. I went through the entire New Testament looking for an example of the way America does kids ministry.
Do you know what I found? Nothing. No direction for kids ministry. No example. Nothing. Apparently, there was no such thing as “kids ministry” in the early church.
What we do have is an example of Jesus welcoming kids to be a part of what He was doing with the adults. Apparently the kids were right there with their parents while Jesus was teaching.
We also have an example of people getting upset because they thought the kids were being a distraction. Jesus wasn’t very happy with those who allowed themselves to be frustrated with the kids.
Mark 10:14-15 NLT – He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
He was basically telling them to stop being a grouchy adult and become more like a child. Otherwise, they should not exepect to enter the kingdom of God.
This is a firm correction for some of you. Receive it with joy because it is key for you to receive the fullness of God. This is an area you need to adjust to experience God’s fullness.
My wife and I have five kids. Our oldest is 9 and our youngest is 2. I used to get really flustered when our kids were noisy, whether they were fussing, crying, or having a good time.
I remember watching my older kids remain completely unbothered by their crying sibling. They didn’t get flustered. They just kept on smiling and enjoying whatever they were doing.
I would watch that over and over and think, “How do they do that? How can they be more mature about this than I am?”
They taught me. My own kids taught me that you don’t have to be flustered over a child that is having a hard time. You can remain completely unbothered and patient and kind.
This isn’t to say that we allow our kids to carry on. Absolutely not. You can probably tell by how my kids behave on Sundays that we don’t allow a chaotic home. We wouldn’t survive.
Five kids later, we’ve learned that around their 2nd birthday, they are old enough to understand discipline and learn how to conduct themselves.
They will still have outbursts as they learn to control their behavior and emotions. You are likely to see Beth carrying out one of our kids one of these Sundays.
They are still learning, and we are still teaching. But let me tell you, it’s a whole lot easier to teach them to control their behavior now that I don’t get frustrated with them.
I know it’s been tough on many of you to transition to not having a nursery. But this is a necessary step for us to fulfill an assignment God has on this house.
We are leaders paving the way for families to be restored.
We live in a culture where children are pushed aside and families are segregated into their little corners. That’s not God’s design for the church.
All of this leads us to the third purpose of scripture:
3. Correction (Straightening, Restoring)
God is straightening up His church. He is putting us back on track. He is pruning off the dead branches. Everything we’ve been doing that doesn’t bear good fruit is being cut off.
God is restoring His design of authority. He has set an order for everything and nothing works outside that order.
The elders and deacons have authority over the function of the church, not a single CEO pastor. And not even a vote of the congregation. Lord, help us.
The husband has authority over his wife, and together, they have authority over their children. The church cannot fulfill this role; it is up to the parents to raise their children.
The church can fill the gap for orphans, and it should. But that’s not what has been going on.
In America, capable parents have delegated the spiritual training of their child to the church. It doesn’t work.
I recently heard from a parent who went to a church for years that didn’t have a separate kids’ ministry. She griped and complained to God about it until one day, He responded, “It is not the church’s responsibility to raise your children.”
Parents, you must get this if you want your children to thrive.
You are the one God has equipped to train your children.
Be fully convinced that God has already given you everything you need.
Your kids will learn how to conduct themselves in the body of Christ, but it’s up to you to teach them. I can’t do that for you. It’s up to you. They are waiting for you to show them the way.
This is why we don’t separate the kids from their parents here at NoLimits Church.
Kids being trained in real time by their parents during our services will have a much greater impact than the best kids ministry. Why? Because that’s how God designed it.
See what I mean? Scripture is a great force of correction. It makes crooked things straight. It restores the ruins back to their former beauty.
Are you mad, or are you still with me? Mad or not, here’s what’s happening right now:
4. Instruction in Righteousness = Training for Godliness
You are in an intense training session with the Word of God. Reminds me of when Darla used to be my personal trainer. She’d make me keep going until I was on the verge of puking.
Physical training isn’t very fun, and neither is training for godliness. Scripture has this way of exposing your wrong thinking, calling you out for being prideful, and the list goes on.
It’s painful as the Word of God prunes us. It doesn’t only prune off the dead branches, but it just prunes us in general so that we can bear more fruit.
It pushes us to our limits, not to make us puke, but to relieve us of ourselves so we can experience the goodness of God, which knows no limits.
The Word of God is alive and powerful. It’s so powerful that we have a hard time comprehending that God gave us even more. He gave us His voice.
We’re examining the difference between the Word of God and the Voice of God. Now that you know the four purposes of scripture, let’s examine the four purposes of the voice of God.
4 Purposes of the Voice of God
1. Direction/Leading
The Bible doesn’t contain specific instructions for your life. It would be great if there was a book of Kade that outlined all of the life decisions I needed to make. But, there’s not.
That’s where the Voice of God comes into play. Take a look at how Jesus explains this:
John 16:13 NLT – When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
Isn’t that wonderful? Not only does the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth, but He will even tell you of things to come so you know what you need to do right now.
Here’s an example of this in scripture:
Acts 16:6 NLT – Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.
The Word of God tells us to preach the gospel. The Voice of God tells us where to preach the gospel.
This is awesome. Are you seeing how the Word of God and the Voice of God go hand-in-hand? They are not the same thing, but they work together so beautifully.
Let’s take a look at the second purpose of the Voice of God:
2. Assurance/Bearing Witness
You know how you can be floundering in a decision, not sure if you made the right call, but when you get confirmation from a spouse or close friend, it makes all the difference?
That’s how the Voice of God works. It gives you an inward assurance when you are over the mark, when you are on the right path. The Holy Spirit bears witness with your spirit.
Here is one of the most beautiful applications of this:
Romans 8:16 NLT – For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Here’s another great example:
Romans 9:1 NLT – With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.
When you speak the absolute truth, it’s almost guaranteed that there will be someone who doesn’t like it and opposes you. But no problem, because the Holy Spirit gives you assurance.
That’s been my life for the last four years. As I deliver these messages Sunday after Sunday, I know that I am speaking with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.
There was even a season where the Holy Spirit would not allow Beth to confirm it. I would get in the car after service and wait for her to tell me I said the right thing. She said nothing.
This hurt my feelings a bit. As my wife, I thought I needed her confirmation. But the Holy Spirit wouldn’t allow it. I cannot look to anyone except the Holy Spirit for confirmation.
If I needed approval from people to speak for God, I would end up speaking things that people want to hear. I would become part of the wrong side of end time prophecy.
Thank the Lord, He made sure Beth was unimpressed so that I wouldn’t rely on her approval. Now, I can echo the words of the Apostle Paul:
1 Corinthians 2:13 NLT– When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
Aren’t you thankful I am not bringing you a bunch of worthless human wisdom each Sunday?
Before we move on to the next one, let me give you one last example of how we get assurance from the Voice of God.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 NLT – For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true.
Aren’t you thankful for His Voice giving you assurance when you hear the truth? You sense it in your spirit. It hits different than the other things you hear.
Here’s the next purpose of His Voice:
3. Relationship
It’s through the Voice of God that we experience an intimate relationship with God. He becomes Abba Father and friend. Here’s how the Apostle Paul explains it:
2 Corinthians 13:14 NLT – May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
The fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Doesn’t that sound amazing?
Fellowship is kind of a churchy word, so let me explain. This is more than a casual meeting. It’s an intimate ongoing relationship.
One word used to describe it is intercourse. That word might be uncomfortable, but it really helps us understand.
Husband and wife experience an intimacy with each other that far surpasses every other relationship in their lives. The Holy Spirit offers you an even greater level of intimacy.
A surface level, far-off relationship with God was never His desire or intention. He wants to be right in the middle of everything you are doing. He wants to hear about your passions and desires. He wants to help you fulfill those visions in your heart.
God wants to partner with you in this life. He wants to resource you. He wants to give you His wisdom. He wants to commune with you. It’s never a bother when you call Him. He is always right there, eager to hear what you have to say.
This is one of the purposes of the Voice of God, to nurture an intimate relationship with you. Isn’t that wonderful?
Let’s take a look at the fourth purpose:
4. Helping Others
The Voice of God wants to flow through you to help others. First Corinthians chapter twelve calls this prophecy, tongue and interpretation, word of wisdom and word of knowledge.
All of these spiritual gifts carry the purpose of helping others. The voice of God is made known to us so that we can make it known to others.
Countless times, I’ve witnessed people come to NoLimits for the first time and receive a prophetic word that changes the course of their life.
That was the Voice of God flowing through Beth or whomever to help others. Combined with it was the Holy Spirit bearing witness with their spirit so they knew it was the truth.
The Voice of God is amazing! The Word of God is amazing! They work together, hand-in-hand. They are always in agreement.
One cannot be substituted for another. The scriptures have their purpose, and the Voice of God has it’s purpose. We need both.
Can you see it now? Clear as day.
Now, you want to know what the Voice of God sounds like, don’t you? We all know how to read the Word of God, but most struggle to hear the Voice of God.
He’s talking to you. So I’ll help you tune in to what He is saying by revealing four ways God speaks.
4 Ways God Speaks
1. Dreams/Visions
Many Christians consider this taboo. If that’s you, you might as well get over it because there are many examples in scripture of God speaking through dreams and visions.
I’m not going to take time to go through those. If you are not convinced that God speaks this way, do yourself a favor and look up all the times God spoke through dreams and visions.
This is one of the primary ways God speaks to me, through both dreams and visions. You now what dreams are. They happen when you are asleep.
Visions are more complicated to explain. They happen when you are awake and are like a picture you see in your mind. You could liken it to imagination that comes from God.
It takes quite a bit of mental energy to use your imagination. But when a vision occurs, it comes without mental effort.
That’s one of the easiest ways to determine if it is a vision or something you are dreaming up. Were you sitting there thinking about it, or did it just kindof drop out of heaven?
When Beth and I are searching for a new home, the Lord gives me a vision when we are at the right place. He has done it three times.
We’ll look at house after house after house. Once we get to the right place, as soon as I walk in the front door, I see the future of our family there in a really brief vision.
It’s nothing dramatic either. Light doesn’t shine down from heaven. The angels don’t sing. Something just drops into my imagination from the Lord and in my spirit, I know it’s Him.
The Lord directs me through visions a lot, especially when ministering to others.
I remember a time when a lady came up for deliverance. I began to pray in the spirit as I waited for direction from the Lord on what needed to happen for her to experience freedom.
In a brief vision, I saw an older lady that looked similar to the lady standing in front of me. It looked like it could be her mom. So I said, “Tell me about your mom.”
She said, “I knew you would ask me that.” So, this served as confirmation that the Lord was at work. It also revealed how she needed to forgive her mom before deliverance could take place. She did just that and was delivered by the power of Jesus Christ.
I am so thankful for visions, especially now that I have learned to receive them. I used to reject them because I thought it was something I dreamed up.
Talk about pride. Thankfully, I realized I wasn’t that smart. The Lord also gives me dreams quite a bit.
The first dream I had from the Lord was the most important dream of my life. When I was a high school senior, I dreamed of Beth walking down the aisle in a white wedding dress.
As soon as I woke up, I knew it was the Lord revealing who to choose as my wife. Here we are today, married 17 years. The Lord knew exactly what He was talking about. I am a blessed man!
To solve the curiosity of those who are doing the math to figure out how old I am, I just turned 36. Yes, I’m young. But I don’t despise my youth, and I won’t let you do it either.
God has called me to be an Apostle to the church. I don’t know why He chose me so young, but that’s not for me to figure out. My job is to stir up the spiritual gift He’s given me for your benefit.
I could tell you other dreams, but I don’t want to take the time today. What you need to remember most about dreams is to write them down and refer back to them often.
God uses dreams to confirm you are on the right path and to tell you of things to come. Sometimes the story is told over multiple dreams and a wide span of time.
If you don’t write them down and refer back to them, you’ll miss what God is trying to tell you.
Let’s look at another way God speaks.
2. Audible Voice
I’ve never experienced this one, but I know its true because we have several examples in scripture.
The Apostle Paul heard an audible voice that said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Then, he and the Lord went on to have an actual conversation. We know this was not in his head because the people around him also heard the voice.
It seems like God reserves this one for drastic measures. But because it is confirmed with scripture, when someone says God spoke to them audibly, I don’t try to talk them out of it.
Here’s another way God speaks:
3. Spiritual Gifts
These are all found in First Corinthians chapter twelve. If you’ve been coming to NoLimits long, you’ve experienced these.
Tongue and interpretation. We hear a message from the Lord in a language we don’t know, and then someone interprets.
Prophecy is when God delivers a message to someone through someone else. It is usually a word that brings comfort and confirmation. It settles something you were questioning about God.
Word of wisdom and word of knowledge are both ways God speaks through spiritual gifts. I won’t get into the differences of these two today, but we will sometime in the future.
Let’s look at the fourth way God speaks.
4. Inner Witness
This is when you sense a thumbs up in your spirit. You have an unusual sense of peace about a decision. It’s a confidence that you can’t really explain.
That’s the Holy Spirit bearing witness with your spirit. That’s why we call it an inner witness.
Some would call this your conscience. I’m not sure they are the same. But maybe they are. If you have more insight on that, I would love to hear it sometime.
Either way, follow that inner witness. It is directing you down the path of life. When you feel scratchy on the inside, abort mission quickly. When you have peace, press on.
You will save yourself a lot of grief when you decide to abide by that inner witness.
To wrap this up, let’s go back to the original statements I made. You will hear them in a new light.
The scriptures are not a substitute for hearing the voice of God. The Bible is not a replacement for the voice of God.
Some people say, “I don’t need to hear the voice of God because everything I need is in scripture.”
Then there are those on the other side who say, “I don’t need to study the scriptures because I hear the voice of God.”
Can I present a third option to you?
What if God intended for His voice and the scriptures to work together, in tandem, to help you out?
Now you know this is true. Make a decision now to prioritize both the Word of God and the Voice of God. As you stay close to both, you will stay on the path of protection.
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