"An Ear To Hear" with Jentezen Franklin

the following program is sponsored by friends and partners of Kingdom connection I want to talk to you just a very simple message a very instructional message today about hearing the voice of God having an ear to hear the first thing we learn about God in Scripture is that God is a speaking God he is a God of language he is a God who closed his thoughts with words he is a God who conveys his will with his speech he is a God who gives furball form to his thinking in the book of Genesis our first introduction to God is in Genesis 1 and the third verse of the Bible and God said it was the voice of God that walked through the paths of the Garden of Eden the Bible said the voice of God came walking we have preached it like God came but and he did certainly but it was his voice that would come walking in the cool of the day and walk through that garden with Adam and Eve I've told people the reason that it said it his voice spoke in the cool of the day is because any time God speaks is cool come on say men on Mount Sinai the Bible said his voice sounded like peals of thunder and the people ran in terror and said Moses you go hear from God were scared of that voice in with the prophet Elijah he came as a gentle whisper a still small voice one translation said like a whisper like a gentle whisper in the ear of the Prophet John on the Isle of Patmos heard the voice of God and he said it sounded like the sound of many waters it was like a thousand niagra's it was so strong so God's voice has nuances it has high as it has lows God has an awesome pitch he can hit high or he can go low and if he wants to with his voice he can Rumble like a thousand Niagara Rivers but if he wants to he can whisper so softly that you might mistake it for a gentle breeze but God knows how to speak his voice is active in the earth today in the Old Testament when God would anoint a priest or prophet as his mouthpiece they would preference their word words by saying thus says the Lord listen to that thus says the Lord why because over and over and over God's trying to get us to have this comprehension that he's a speaking God he wants to talk he's always been a speaking God then at the end of Malachi the last book of the Old Testament there's 600 years of silence God's voice goes quiet and he will not speak and he backs off and then we're introduced to the New Testament with John the Baptist the Bible listen to the biblical description of John the Baptist I'm the voice of one notice the wording I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness he wasn't the voice but he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness why because the one he's preaching for has a voice and he's saying I'm his voice repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand in John one and one perhaps the most astonishing description of Jesus Christ and in the beginning was the word and the word noticed the verbal the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God John 1:14 and the Word was made flesh notice the description of what Christ was before he took on physical bodily form he was the word the word why because God is a communicator God is a speaker and he even calls his son his word wrapped in flesh and dwelt among us full of truth and full of grace God is a speaking God and even in the upper room on the day of Pentecost they spoke with tongues as the spirit gave them the utterance what is that about it's again God confirming I speak I talk I want to communicate with you I see usually two extremes when it comes to people hearing the voice of God there's those on the one hand who pray and they don't ever really expect or take time to even listen to God they just go pray and and they talk talking they do all the talking and they really have no expectation of God ever really confirming or guiding or speaking to them in any significant way and then there's the other extreme of people who say they hear God all the time God tells them where to buy their gas God tells them what what kind of cereal don't eat cocoa pop see frosted flakes and God told me to I think the balance is somewhere in the middle I doubt God's telling you what cereal that you need to eat you ought to let your weight tell you that come on somebody why would God waste his words on stuff like that but but if he's going to he's going to speak to us he wants us to believe and listen and lean in to hearing usually if you have a speaking problem it's because you have a hearing problem people who can't talk plainly can't hear plainly and you need to focus more on what God has to say than what you have to say the book of Revelation does not say he that half a mouth let him talk the book of Revelation says he that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying what does this voice sound like pastor what is this what is this voice like the Hebrews puts it like this you have the inner ear the circumcised ear one translation said and that inner ear that inner voice that will that will always agree with the Word of God that will always tell you to do the right thing there is an inner voice and inner circumcised ear the scripture calls it and it's almost like God puts in us a GPS navigational system on the inside as believers and if we will learn to listen and to think about those navigational systems is they they speak to you when you first start out and they tell you what direction to go but then they go silent and I hate it when you're on a long trip and they don't say anything for a long ways and you've had a lot of turns and stuff and you're still wondering is this the right I need you to confirm that I'm doing but God seldom repeats himself and sometimes God will go silent on you but it's okay because if you miss it he'll say turn around and right before the turn the voice will come back and we've got to grow sensitive to that voice he that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying so God one day comes to Abraham in Genesis 22 and he says Abraham take with you your son your only son a hint of Jesus your only Son take him to a certain mountain that I will show you now I'm giving you direction but I'm not giving you details this is how God does it many of you are waiting on God to just drop you a set an amount with markings and how your life is going to be laid out that is not how God does it he will give you a certain direction he will give you steps the Bible said the steps it didn't say the the leaps it didn't say the great long journey it said the steps of a righteous man it's one step at a time it's what everything's connected when you hear the voice of God and he says he says take him to a mountain that I will show you how would you like for God to uproot you tell you to take your son go on a journey you don't know where you're going I'll tell you when you get there that's like country directions he said he said you're going yonder to the Yonder Mountain have you ever read that in Genesis 2 you're going to the mountain that is yonder yes I don't need those kinds of directions I need a clear path of where you want me to go but God says I rarely will give you the specifics God doesn't give you details he says you walk by faith not by sight and it's all about you staying closer enough to hear my voice when I tell you to do something it's not about the destination it's about the journey I'm going to get you to the destination but you're going to have to walk with me I'm not going to give you the whole thing so you can take off on your own but you're gonna need me for every step of this journey that I'm taking you on that will lead you to your destiny and your purpose and I'm not gonna let you operate independent of me if you want to do that then you'll go in circles and you won't get to the place that the high place I had for you but if you will walk with me day by day I will be the voice that will guide you to your destiny God doesn't give you details he says you walk by faith and if you have too many facts then you don't have enough faith he says I'm going to take you to a place called yonder it's not just about where you're trying to go but the lessons are about you learning to hear his voice along the way he's training Abraham through a test he's training Abraham through that trial and it's all about him hearing the voice of God I've ordered your steps step by step take another step take another step that's how God does it he's not big on details he says step into the unknown so I can I can perform the impossible for you as long as you are where it's safe for you in your comfort zone you'll never experience the supernatural and the impossible what God's greatest challenge to you and I is is to hear his voice and the step out of the comfort zone and as soon as you do you will confront the fear zone that says get back in the comfort zone get back in because anytime the first zone you have to step out of is the comfort zone then you step and immediately you're introduced to the fear zone because you're unfamiliar you don't know how you're gonna make it you don't know where your provisions going to come from but God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love of a sound mind and if you will keep going you'll move from comfort zone to fear zone to victories own successes own destiny zone Abraham God said go to that mountain and when he gets to the mountain he says you and your son go yonder to worship and leave the servants and the donkeys behind and he says while you want with me I'll lead you and I'll guide you go to yonder mountain he doesn't even tell him where it is have you ever had God speak to you and you see yourself and you see and clearly you believe that's where God's called me to go but what do you do when you know where he's told you to go but you don't understand where you are when your word doesn't line up with what he's telling you to do the question is can you endure the silence while God is saying nothing he speaks when it's time to make a turn he speaks and he's trying to teach you to hear with your inner ear and the rest of the time you walk by faith he got to that place that he had to hear God and he took his son and they were three days off the Bible said afar off well how will you know when you get there God I mean you need to tell me exactly he said your three days go yonder well how will you know that's women have this thing that they understand this point because women have an have an intuition when they're shopping they'll go shopping and and a salesperson will come up to them and say can I help you and they always say at least my wife does no thank you I'm just looking which really means leave me alone in a polite way but if they're persistent they will follow you and they will say if you would just tell me what you're looking for I can show you where to go to which they always say when I see it I will know it that's how the will of God is I don't know how to tell you in so many words but if you want with God and he's with you and you're searching and asking him for his wheel of what college I should go to or what job I should take or what opportunity I should get involved in and what I should do with my life all I can tell you is that inner voice will say to you at the right times on the right steps I don't know how I know it but this is right for me I have peace about and boy if you don't have that peace don't do it there is a place and God set up trials in Abraham's life so that he would hear the voice in crisis listen carefully usually God speaks clearest in dark places the closer he got to his destiny the more he had to lose his history where God's taking you you can't take everybody with you and he says to the servants and the donkey's you stay here we're going there there are some people that you can't take with you dedication requires separation don't fight being alone don't fight loneliness don't fight because that's where you perfect the voice of God the closer you get to God's will the smaller the crowd gets Paul was alone in a jail cell when he wrote the epistles John was alone on the Isle of Patmos when he wrote the book of Revelation Jesus was alone in the garden when he won the battle over the flesh Elijah was alone in the cave when he heard the steal small voice of God it became a whisper but he heard it when he got along Abraham and Isaac are there and Isaac he says put the wood on your back and let's climb this heel and they climbed the hill together and we think that Isaac is a little child but the truth is he's 17 to 19 years old if he wanted to resist the father he could have resisted the father but he willingly laid down on the altar and when the father built an altar to sacrifice the son because that's what God told him to do he told him to take his son up on that mountain he told him to build an altar and he told him to kill his son and burn him in a sacrifice unto Him he said offer me a burnt offering and he laid the boy down and the boy willingly he didn't resist the old man who was over a hundred he could have resisted a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ who didn't have to die on the cross he could have called ten thousand angels he could have resisted the will of the Father but he submitted and willingly laid down on the cross and Abraham raises the knife at what God has told him to do and he's about to put the knife in his son's heart and suddenly the voice of God comes a second time and this is so important and says stay your hands stop don't do this and all of a sudden his hand is froze because he's hearing another word now God was the one what do you mean don't do it I'm doing what you told me to do but man shall not live by bread alone but by every word listen to it that proceeds Matthew four out of the mouth of God it's the preceding word and if you don't if you don't get the preceding word meaning the now word you will kill your future living off what you heard yesterday you can't make it off what you heard back then that's why it's not enough to come to church and hear sermons you have to read this book so that it will speak to you if you will pray God will speak to you if you would develop a walk with God as you walk with God because here's the point of the sermon listen as his hand is raised what do you mean don't do this God you told me to do this God says I don't need your son's blood your son's blood can't save anybody I'm gonna give my own son's blood his blood will say listen it never was about your son what was it about why did I do all of this it was about your ear I was trying to develop your ear to hear new direction can I trust you enough to give you new direction can I trust you enough not to live in the past that I can change your direction and you will hear me and you don't care about you're not so married to your history that you would kill your future God was speaking and some of you some of you are killing your future because you've grown death to his voice God already knows who you're supposed to marry God already knows what you're supposed to do God knows that you're gonna fail if you do what you think you can do but he knows your giftings and the Bible calls it the Paul said I press for the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus meaning this is the highest thing I can do with my life and God has put everything together in me and he's marked the high-water mark up here now if I go with God he's going to take me to my highest potential but if I don't I'm gonna hit down here down here down here down here but here's where God saw you but I can't get there leaning on my own understanding but in all of my ways I have to acknowledge him and he will direct my path it's never been about your son Abraham it's about your ear I wanted to know if I could still speak to you under pressure in a trial and you hear me because now I know that I've got your ear now I know that I can give you fresh instructions and new directions and the next step for your life and you will be bold enough to obey me and that's all I ever needed from you I'll do the miracles I'll do the multiplication I'll do the successful things I'll open the doors I'll bring the provision I just need you to hear me God has a word now if Abraham could hear if he couldn't have heard he would have killed his future because he couldn't hear the preceding word of God I'm saying this in closing now don't kill your dreams because you've grown death to the voice of God he starts to slay him God says stop right there it was never about your son it was about your ear I wanted to know if I could hear you and the Bible said that he untied his son and here's the amazing thing when he heard from God instantly provision came and he said we're dead what are we going to sacrifice and the Bible said at that moment they heard a ram that was called in the thicket his horns were called in the thicket the horns are the part that the RAM would resist you with but God tied up all resistance to the resources and provision and had it waitin on listen God already has all the provision you need to succeed and do well tied up it can't resist you it can't get away from you nobody can take it it's there for you and it's all dependent upon you hearing his voice now I know what I'm preaching about right here because I started out with and I'm telling you we've watched God meet every need of this ministry miraculously all we've got going for us it turned to somebody and say man what big ears you've got if you will hear God God will send you to college and pay for it if you hear God he'll start that business and you'll succeed if you hear God he'll help you get a house and you'll pay for it if you'll hear God he'll bless your family for generations to come somebody shout and praise God for big ears these young people need to hear he's still Jehovah Jireh and he will provide if you're hearing from him the money is already tied up in that amazing and what is he already tied up on the other side of your trial just wondering will you hear me will you move and my word will you walk with me will you stay uncluttered enough and not get distracted that you will stay in tune with my voice because if you do everything that you need I will supply this is where he said we will name this place I feel like shouting right here we will name this place Abraham said Jehovah Jireh the Lord will provide he'll provide favor he'll provide open doors he'll provide millions of dollars if necessary he'll be your backer up I need somebody in the balcony to shout just a minute on a Sunday morning back you up when you hear him I believe you're having that ear to hear right now I believe the voice that you're hearing inside that still small voice is the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to you and there are some of you that are watching this program that need a change in your life that voice is challenging you to come to Jesus to surrender your life to it and it's time to do that today he can change things in your family in your life he can change things in your future if you're tired of being bound and defeated and just seeming seemingly missing something deep inside that missing factor is Jesus Christ and he wants to heal your life let him in right now pray this prayer say Lord Jesus say the words Lord Jesus I receive you as my savior I would need you and I believe in you and today I hear you calling me and I say yes yes to your will yes to your way yes Lord that you would be Lord of my life in Jesus name Amen if you prayed that prayer we would love to give you some free material and help you and your new walk with the Lord and our phone counseling center is ready to minister to you today we pray with you we believe with you write us tell us email us let us know go on our social media on our website check out all of the free material messages that are free all kinds of things there that are designed to help you in your new walk with Jesus Christ praise God tell somebody what the Lord has done for you in our closing moments together I want to thank all of you who have been responding to the new project that we are talking about on the program we have a new campus that we're about to open up in Spartanburg South Carolina it's an amazing facility with 3,000 seats and we're going to believe God from a mighty mighty harvest it's already beginning actually and we're seeing hundreds of people who are assembling every week but we believe that God has called us to do something great in that area we would love for you to partner with pray about what you can do to make a difference we're believing that since there's 3,000 seats in this beautiful Spartanburg Worship Center that there are 3,000 people that would say you know the ministry is impacted my life and Jensen i watch you and you feed my soul and help me and i want to help you reach souls I'm not asking for myself every penny you give to this ministry we take and we either use it to expand the broadcast to give to world missions or to do specific projects like this that are soul-winning they reach Souls churches by the our churches reach the housings of people this is our fourth campus and we believe God has called us to do this would you pray about being one of the three thousand and so a thousand dollar seat if you can't do that do your very best God will bless it and we'll have more than enough to do as we'll thank you for helping us with this project we're going to win many souls god bless you life is real vivid alive beating Bremen it happens behind closed doors and out in front there's joy there's laughter chaos lifelong friendships are forged love is found moments cherished and never forgotten life is a gift and together we are real family real friends real people experiencing real life is free Chaplin this program has been brought to you by the friends and partners of Jensen drink 'ln media ministries for more information on this broadcast or for additional resources go online at Jensen Franklin dot o-r-g

Channel: Jentezen Franklin

Views: 54,855

Rating: 4.8501439 out of 5

Keywords: Jentezen Franklin, Kingdom Connection, Free Chapel, TV, Ministry

Id: kSObtvGzvk8

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 12 2015