Walking In The Favor Of God – Part One – Dr. Charles Stanley

[Music] if you're gonna walk in the ways of God the first thing we have to do is to learn to listen to it so I would ask you would you say that you know how to listen to God that you know when he's speaking to you when you pray you're quiet and asking to God for something or about something that you know how to listen to him if you know how to hear him [Music] four decades ago we started in touch ministries to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ throughout the years we've seen God's greatness his love and his blessings in such awesome ways that we just want everyone to know him so let's open God's Word and seek Him together next on InTouch walking in the fever of God part 1 the Bible says then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent and thought of his heart was only evil continually the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart the Lord said I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth from man to animals to creeping things the birds of the sky for I am sorry that I have made them but Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord and that's what I want to talk about in this message and that is walking in the favor of God and this is the first of three messages on this title walking in the favor of God and when I think about that I think but first of all what do we mean by the favor of God we mean first of all of God's approval and his acceptance of us and his support his provision His divine energy his joy all of it and all of these are expressions of the failure of a God so ask yourself the question do you feel like you're walking in the favor of God do you sense his presence and power in your life do you see evidence that God is guiding what you say what you do where you look are all of these evidence in the favor of God the scripture says that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord and also you know remember that Mary the mother of Jesus also found favor before the Lord and the truth is it should be every one of us should have the desire to find favor with God in our life and so I would ask you do you feel like you have God's favor do you sense God's presence and favor goodness and kindness and love and joy and forgiveness and his presence and power and enablement in your life or do you feel like he just thought out there alone working your way through life and open things will get better he said he found favor in the eyes of the Lord that is he sense God's presence in his life in a very special way and when you would say the Holy Spirit came into your life to see you as a child of God and the process of doing so I am certain that he intended for every one of us to sense his favor to feel his favorite to experience his favorite to know that the love of God had been poured out upon us to save us from our sin so then I'll ask you simply this there's your lifestyle and the habits that you live at every day indicate the people around you that you have the favor of God is there anything in your life that comes would cause people to think well maybe they're a Christian maybe they're not do you have the favor of God is the favor of God evident by the lifestyle you live and so when I think about that I think about three things that's evident by our conversation by our character by our conduct all three of those which we live on every day in front of everybody they indicate whether we have the favor of God or if we're not or if God has favored us in our salvation and the fullness of the holy spirit is he' evident by the life that we live and so I ask you do you worry about things that you fret over them do you wonder where God is do you sense his presence do you know that he's answering your prayer do you know he's in your life and your conversation conduct and the way you live it all out what is one of the evidence of the favor of God in your life the first indication is simply this that you're listening to him that you're listening to God that you've learned how to listen to God until you learn how to listen to God in your life you'll never have this favor because you'll be living outside of his will justifying what you're doing declaring everything is alright and that you're a Christian but it takes more than that so when I think about that learning to live in his favor these verses are very important turn if you will to psalm 32 verse 8 and 9 psalm 32 verse 8 and 9 listen to what he says i will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go so I've got to be listening I will counsel with you with my eye upon you do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check how otherwise they'll not come to you so if we're going to be listeners listen I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go in order for me to know the will of God and the way of God the first lesson is I've got to learn to listen to it how do you listen to God have you thought about that in your own life do you listen to him when you get on the parade do you take time to listen or do you do all the talking this is why the Holy Spirit came into our life the moment we were saved to be an internal guide and director he's the one who points us in the right direction he's the one who gives us awareness of what's happening he's the one who shows us on the other side of the question that you and I couldn't figure out without his a good counsel so learning to listen to God is the basic lesson of being a godly person so in order to listen to God we must learn how to identify his voice so let me ask you a question you don't raise your hand that's right now think about this soberly and seriously if you had to answer this to God do you know how to listen to God do you know are you aware when God is trying to speak to you do you know in your heart when you may say well my conscience said this on my conscience said that do you think about the fact that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you he's trying to say something to you sometimes it won't make any sense to you at all but that's not the issue of the issue is that he is omniscient omnipresent omnipotent he knows exactly what we need when we need it and how we need it and he knows how to say it to us in a way that we can understand it all of us every single day should want to listen to God from the moment we wake up to the time we lose consciousness going to sleep at night so you know the list of the god we got to learn how first of all god's voice will be consistent with Scripture the one thing that you always have to remember God is not going to tell you something that is a violation of the word of God never I might not understand it but he'll never ask is that violate the Word of God so it's going to be consistent with Scripture and secondly oftentimes it's going to be in conflict with human reason somebody says well this is the reasonable thing to do if you obey God it will not always be the reasonable thing to do if you listen to God it won't be sometimes the reasonable thing to do because he knows past present future as you build his talents skills and he knows his will for your life a third thing is it's going to clash with fleshly desires sinful desires that crop up in a person's life we all have to be sensitive to that and listening to God what you hear is going to clash there'll be conflict you'll sense the conflict this is what happens when you attempted in some particular area of life you you feel this conflict on the inside that's the spirit versus the flesh trying to give you direction for what to do oftentimes it challenge your faith when you listen to him you listen to what God is trying to say to you it'll challenge your faith to do what you probably don't think you're capable of doing sometimes it calls for courage in your life and that is a God are you sure you want me to do this yes because listen when God gives the command he also accompanies that command with his power strength energy know-how in order to help you to be able to do what he called you to do so so when somebody says well I know God's calling me to do this and so but I don't think I can remember this God does not call you without giving whatever is necessary to help you and they enable you to do it he speaks quietly every time somebody says well I never heard God speak well you expect him to shout he's not gonna shout because he has the Holy Spirit living inside of you and the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit God the Father God son all three persons of the Trinity they whispered to us quietly this is my will this is the way walk ye in it one thing about it he speaks very clearly I can't ever remember God saying figure this out he always speaks clearly somebody says well God's never spoken to me yes he has you may not have been listening it may be a shock to you that he spoke to you he may have spoken to you in a way that you didn't expect you didn't anticipate but to say that you've been saved by the grace of God and God didn't speak to you surely he did that's the reason you got saved he convicted you of your sin somebody was preaching or you read something and you felt convicted of your sin that was the Spirit of God speaking to your heart he told you that you needed to be saying that the Spirit of God yielded your life to Christ that's the Spirit of God God doesn't stop talking to you when you're saved that's the beginning of the voice of God in your life to not only bring you to conviction and salvation but to bring you to live a daily life of obedience and surrender to him he speaks personally watch this God will never say you all he speaks to you and the human to you and to me never you all he may say to all of us as a fellowship I want you to do lessons so but he's speaking to each of us individually that's our God's awesome personal loving individual care for you then he loves you enough to speak to you about your situation it may be about your marriage about your children about somebody you're going to marry or your finances or whatever it might be watch this carefully God speaks clearly and individually to us about every single concern that we have all things that we're not concerned about that we ought to be concerned about convictions of sin he's always speaking for example have you not said your children listen to me have you ever said to them if you don't listen to me how are you gonna listen to and they have an answer if you don't listen to God who are you listening to you listen to somebody who doesn't really know you there are lots of people who know you who won't tell you how to live your life and what you should do what you shouldn't do and and they can influence you in different ways but that here's the important thing God who created you who in 12 you were the holy spirit the moments you were saved he is the one whom we are to listen to above everybody else in the world no matter who they are he's the only one who is infinite in his wisdom he's the only one who knows everything about you he knows your potential he knows his will his purpose his plan he knows who best suits you in his way you ought to live with Charlotte Drive he knows everything about us we should consult him about everything in life name me one thing you should not ask God about so ask yourself this question would you say that you're a listener among God's children would you say count man there's a listener to God I pray to Him and listen I listen to messages I listen to the voice of those speaking the truth I listen to the words in the songs I'm listening to God it is a sacred duty and an absolute essential in our relationship to God to listen to him so how does God get our attention well he gets our attention different ways and probably if we had you just stand and say well here's the way God gets my attention be different different people's lives one of the ways he hits our attention is to feel Restless you can't quite put your finger on it but you have this Restless feeling inside you don't know what's happening you look around you can't put your finger on it it's not that somebody's wronged you owe that you've made some bad mistake on that you've sinned against God in some awesome way but you have a restlessness and think about this think about how busy you are from the time you wake up you start thinking about what you're gonna do in your plans and so for the things that you were in fret about and so God has to get in on all of that and so the way he begins to get our attention is make us Restless so you think about all these things and none of them seem to be the issue and finally what does he do he it's like he just pulls the sheet by sheet by sheet by sheet by sheet off of our mind and our thinking and we get into this Restless mini what God's trying to say something to me and that doesn't come automatically that comes by experience and so you get on the pray and you don't feel like you're getting through oh you kneel the pray and you think well God what are you trying to say to me and sometimes he has to get as very restless about our life in order to drive us to finally say well God you must be saying something to me because watch this it's natural and normal for us to look at the first thing that we think could be the issue and think well god you must be saying this or not even include God in it this must be happening my kids this my husband is my wife there's our relationship on and on we go the things that have about our death and so God gets us restless enough to get us quiet enough to say well Lord what are you trying to say to me and so it's very important that he get our attention sometime it's a message from somebody else sometimes God may say something to you through someone else because he God has spoken to them about you because he cares about you watch this God isn't he's not tattling on you that's not the issue God wants to get your attention and sometimes somebody else has to be the avenue through which God speaks so I learned long time ago and somebody says well here's what God told me to tell you I have two thoughts first of all who is this what kind of life are they living before they start telling me what God's saying because sometime I've heard the most bizarre things that God absolutely could not would not should not can't say and then sometimes somebody say something I think what God yeah yeah I needed to hear that thank you very much so we have to be careful that the messages that we receive from somebody else and likewise be careful the message you give somebody else if you tell somebody else well here's what God told me to tell you you better be sure about what you're saying now you mislead somebody and then before you say that you need to ask the Lord that Lord is this right in my life before when I saw giving someone else Direction Lord is this right in my life so we have to be careful about a message we give to somebody else and so one of the ways he gets our attention is to bless us and what is that usually did we usually say well Lord I sure didn't expect this I don't deserve this thank you very much we can't thank him enough that would be our choice way of God getting your attention but it's not his usual way because usually yes they get to something deeper than that but that is one way he gets our attention to remind us how good he is do you ever think about how good god is to you one of the ways God gets the attention is when we stop to think how good you are to meet God then of course his unanswered prayer will get our attention now is that bad no it's not bad because I can think about some times in my life when God was making a major change and direction in my life that came to me first of all as a little sense of restlessness I didn't know what was going on and I would pray and and when I got there praying I was just as dissatisfied as when I started and that they went by a week went by and the month went by and two or three months went by and I'm still talking to God about the same thing of which I do not have any idea what it's about and so God knows how to get our attention and he knows how to get us intense and when I think about a few times I've made big moves in my life have usually been times when I've been through a season of asking and searching and seeking and usually those times of introspection looking in my life to be sure everything is right between God and myself and is there anything I can correct a change or whatever and so unanswered prayer is one of his methods of getting our attention till he gets to the root of the issue until we are able and willing to say okay god I want to do it whence when they came to me to talk to me about coming to Atlanta said no I have no interest in coming to Atlanta Georgia never had been to Atlanta but one time were flying over and and just looking a little bit of a skyline which was not very big at that time I said no week after week after week and they come to see me I said no no no one night you got on the pray and before I got up from praying I knew that I had to be obedient to God against my will against my wishes against everything in me and my wife would have told you I complained the whole way to Atlanta I didn't want to come I found I had to say yes Lord I'll come sometimes he gets that tension by disappointments everything is just going on fine and we have a big disappointment in life and so we think well what did I do how could I could I avoid in this disappointment sometimes that's the way God gets our attention so when we get disappointed what do we do we back off it's okay God what are you trying to say to me and then sometimes as failure failure gets her attention all failure not bad if failure in any given area of your life gets your attention gets you on your knees before God once that happens it's not all bad because failure what does it do it drives us to God sometimes it's financial problems that oftentimes gets people's attention especially if they could lose their house especially if for example they could lose their job lose their opportunities and so people instead of turning to God they go borrow some money and so instead of listening to God obeying God they try to avoid this uneasy feeling and that uneasy feeling is God's goodness it's God's grace getting the person to realize maybe you made the wrong decision maybe you aren't listening and God can correct any decision we make if our hearts are genuinely committed to him and since they're in the process sometimes is sickness sickness or injury gets our attention and I've met people down through the years who said you know I was heading in the wrong direction God's laid me out Here I am and here I have been and I can remember the last time I fell and was laid out full of awhile and I thought well what's what's going on it took me about six weeks of praying and listening the other but when he got my attention I said yes Lord thank you thank you thank you if this is what it took to stop me if this is what it took to get my attention I want to thank you thank you thank you for it so sometimes that's what he uses so to walk in the favor of God whatever it takes it's worth it when the scripture says that amidst all the sin and wickedness in the world that Noah found favor in the eyes of God look what God did with him when he found favor in him so ask yourself this question am i walking in the favor of God in my life be honest am i walking according to my pattern or what I want am i walking in his favor is that the witness of the Spirit to my spirit that God and I on the same track we on the same timetable we want the same things how do I desire the same objectives in my life others are the same goals in my life is God wants am i walking in his spirit by his spirit do I want the same things that God wants for my life are my desires the desires of God ask yourself the question is just what God wants sometimes watch this God will want more for you than you want for yourself sometimes you'll want something better for you you will say I don't deserve it that's not what God says sometimes you think well I couldn't could never deserve it that may be exactly what God wants watch this God is not a taskmaster God is an awesome wonderful exciting beloved Heavenly Father who wants the best for us in every area of our life he wants us to do what he wants us to walk in his favor but to walk in his favor I must learn to listen to him that's the first step what does that mean that means I want to walk with his approval I want to walk with his acceptance his support his provision his divine energy and his joy learning to listen to God is lesson number one amen father we thank you for loving us thank you for reminding us that as we want to teach our children very early in life to listen to us when we are saved first lesson listened to you I pray for people seated here this morning who are not listening they're making up their own mind I pray that you'll bring great conviction upon them which will be an act of love on your part to stop them dead in their tracks this morning from heading in that relationship we should not be bind that which they should not do going there living that doing this doing that without asking for your direction and guidance I pray that you'll stop them dead in their tracks to remind them that you are willing to give clear direction with that direction comes your blessing and I pray the Holy Spirit will speak to somebody here that today who has never trusted Jesus as their Savior they've been living on their own doing pretty good they think but what they don't know is what's coming I pray that they'll be willing to stop right now ask you to forgive them of their sin repent of their sin right where they sit the Lord be willing to be honest for themselves and acknowledge that you've been trying to speak to them for a long time and they've been ignoring you but today they're listening they're surrendering their life to you I pray the Spirit of God will be heavy heavy heavy heavy God on everyone every heart that's living in sin living in disobedience have plans to send plans to disobey you make them so heavy they're God they have to repent right here and now sitting right where they are in order to get right with you before they walk out of this service today thank you for your awesome love for us Lord God we surrender ourselves to you today and we praise you for your forgiveness your loving your goodness to us in Jesus name amen [Music] if you've been blessed by today's program please visit us at intouch.org e in touch leading people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and strengthening the local church this program is sponsored by in touch ministries and is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers and 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Channel: In Touch Ministries

Views: 401,985

Rating: 4.8550572 out of 5

Keywords: Charles F. Stanley, Charles Stanley, In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley, In Touch Ministries, Preaching, Bible teaching, Dr. Stanley, Intouch ministries, intouch

Id: kpoud1FcaKk

Length: 27min 2sec (1622 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 14 2018