If part one was any indication Of what God is about to do. In and through this. Voices series.
Over the next several weeks. Hell is in trouble. Hell is in trouble.
Because we are about to be. An empowered people. Please hear me. Powerful things can happen.
When we become sons and daughters. Of the king. Who hear God's voice. Know God's voice.
And obey God's voice. For ourselves. Powerful things can happen. things could happen. Revival could break out in the earth when we become sons and daughters of the king who could hear the voice of our good shepherd and not just hear his voice but also respond to it.
Chains can begin to break. Chains will begin to fall off when we become sons and daughters of the kingdom who could hear the voice of our good shepherd for ourself and obey him. All of the the assaults and attacks of the enemy can become null and void. They can become null and void when we become men and women who can hear the voice of our Good Shepherd for ourselves and obey Him.
I would like to go as far as to say this, it is the cheat code to spiritual warfare. It is the cheat code, please hear me, if you are in a battle, it becomes more intense if you can't hear orders from base. Did y'all hear what I just said?
Whatever fight that you're in, whatever battle that you're facing, whatever warfare that you're going through, it will be harder when you can't hear orders from headquarters. You won't know when to go left. You won't know when to go right. You won't know when to pursue.
You won't know when to stop. You will only be subject to your voices in your head. It is the cheat code to spiritual warfare, being able to hear and know. The voice of God for our self.
And far be it from us if we become people who have gotten comfortable in spaces and places who don't hear God and don't teach you how to hear him for yourself. Far be it from us. See, this common cultural colloquialism that says only go where you're comfortable.
See, there are a whole lot of flawed cultural colloquialisms like follow your heart. That's so flawed. Your heart is deceitfully wicked. You don't follow your heart. You allow the spirit to lead your heart.
that's a whole other sermon but this common cultural colloquialism that says only go where you're comfortable can be so dangerous because some places are only comfortable because they don't hold your toxic traits accountable You scout already. The only reason they your girls is because they are in agreement with your toxic nature. The only reason they're your boys is because both of y'all are compatible with the same level of toxicity. Some places, I know sis, some places that are comfortable, the only reason they're comfortable for you is because everybody is spiritually hearing impaired. Nobody can hear God.
Nobody can tell you if this is a red flag because we all colorblind. We all colorblind and we're all spiritually hearing impaired. I'm about to get in trouble. See, for many of us, it is bad teaching and bad friends that are the secretary to the current condition of your ear. Say it one more time.
Bad preaching, bad teaching, bad theology, bad exegesis of the Word of God, and bad friends. It's possible to have bad friends. Y'all do know that, right?
You may call them your... but in the spirit they're unhealthy for you you may call them your partner but in the spirit they're unhealthy for you I don't agree with that pastor I just don't agree okay let me give you Bible Proverbs chapter 13 he who walks with the wise becomes wise but a companion of fools suffers So you don't have to be a fool. You just gotta hang with them though.
Y'all made my Houston come out. I didn't say hang with them though. I said hang with them though. You don't have to be a fool, but are all your friends foolish and you hang with them?
It's bad. Teaching and bad friends that are the secretary, I mean it works for this, the secretary to the current condition of our ear. Hear me, please hear me.
Whoever you lease your ear to regularly and whoever you sit under is the person you are licensing to operate on you. They are the down payment in how your next season will look. One more time. We haven't even read the foundational scripture yet.
One more time. Whoever you are leasing your ear to consistently. Somebody say consistent.
Consistent. Whoever you're leasing your ear to consistently and whoever you are sitting under is the person you are licensing to operate on you. They are a down payment in how your next season will look. That is either a great thing or a bad thing, it's all contingent on, can they hear Jesus? See, because it's one thing for you to be able to hear and know the voice of God.
It's another thing for you to be in a place that could hear and know the voice of God too. All right, let me give you a Bible. Y'all remember when Jesus resurrected Lazarus from the grave?
Lazarus heard Jesus'voice. and was responding to Jesus'voice, but he still was bound. He still was experiencing bondage, even though he could hear the voice of Jesus for himself.
John chapter 11 verse 44, Jesus said, you loose him and let him go. What if Lazarus was surrounded by people who couldn't hear Jesus? I'm called.
And I know it. But you're still bound. And I'm hopping like this, trying to come out of whatever I want to come out of or whatever the kingdom needs me to come out of.
But your freedom can be tied to people around you being able to hear Jesus. This is so good, y'all. Give you more Bible. Jesus is in a house preaching. Mark chapter 2. He is in a house preaching, and it's so crowded, similar to this church.
It is so crowded where nobody else can fit. Before I came up, they were running down the hallway getting more chairs for people to fit in the cafeteria. God's doing something different here.
Like nobody else could fit. And so these people heard about Jesus preaching. They heard about the miracles of Jesus.
And they took their paralyzed friend. How do you know he's a friend? Because real friends know where to take you.
It's a whole word. Real friends know where to take you. They said, you gonna get healed today.
They got on that roof, ripped open the roof, and began to lay Jesus down. Lay this man down at Jesus'feet. Watch this family.
A paralyzed man got healed because of his circle. And you telling me who has access to your ear on a consistent basis doesn't matter? He got healed because of his circle. Are you getting healed because of your circle or staying bound because of your circle? It's one thing when you get here, it's another thing when your whole squad can hear.
I need somebody in my life, Tremaine, that can tell me that wasn't God, bro, that's all flesh. That wasn't God, Warren. That's all flesh. See, that wasn't God, or that is God. When you gonna obey?
Somebody say, Voices. Voices. Voices.
A foundational scripture. Very short, but they're gonna serve us for the time that we have together. Joshua chapter 9, verse 14. If you got it, would you shout at your boys as loud as you can? I got it.
It says, Then the men... of Israel someone said they don't got it look at the screen I got good hearing the men of Israel took some of their provisions but somebody say but they did not ask counsel of the Lord okay y'all saying y'all ain't know what happened yet but look 2nd Samuel chapter 5 verse 19 it says so David inquired of the Lord saying shall I go up against the Philistines will you deliver them into my hand and the Lord said to David go up for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand okay let's look at this so one passage of Scripture we have an individual who's seeking the Lord David is seeking the Lord's voice before his choice, okay? The men of Israel are taking stuff without seeking the Lord first.
Let's just be honest. How many of us identify more with Joshua 9? We're taking opportunities, taking invitations. taking offers but we're not seeking the counsel of the Lord first or some of us did that but we learned our lesson and so now we're like David before I make this decision God is this your will I think we need to speak around this thought from this subject for part two of our brand new series entitled voices let's speak around this thought Did you get confirmation? It's going to be a little awkward because you find somebody and ask them, did you get it?
Did you get it? Some are like, don't say nothing to me. Especially if you're sitting next to somebody and they're in something that they know they didn't.
I gotta preach truth not popularity. Did you get confirmation? See that's what David was asking. He's saying God I want to fight. I want to do this but before I do this I need to first get confirmation because I fight different once I've been confirmed.
I walk different once I've been confirmed. I think different once I've been confirmed. I'm talking different once I've been confirmed.
See, you have a different level of walk when you're walking into a room that God confirmed for you to be in. People who don't know what God told you or who don't know God's voice for themselves may call you cocky but you should say I'm not cocky I just know that God got me. I know that I'm confirmed to be in this room.
I fight different when I'm fighting battles that I've been confirmed that I'm the head and not the tail end. I've been confirmed I'm above and not beneath him. I've been confirmed that I will be victorious. And in Christ, I went from victim to victor.
You fight different. There is another level of confidence you have when you are walking in that which you know you have been confirmed in. Hear me.
Please hear me. I don't know how anybody could come down to an altar, say I do to somebody, and you're unsure. Whatever God endorses, it's because he confirmed. Alright, here's a curveball for you.
God is not obligated to support or endorse that which he has not confirmed. Man, this is so good y'all. Listen, okay, just because you want it, doesn't mean God will confirm it.
Confirmation flows from the Word of God and for what God has cosmically created for you to occupy. This is why jealousy is so stupid. I'm only confirmed in lanes that I'm supposed to occupy, not yours.
I can't be confirmed in your lane if I'm not cosmically created by God. to occupy it. So why are you tripping over somebody else's lane? God has lanes for you too. You just have to know the voice of God to such a degree where you know your lanes, where you can be confident in the lanes that God has created.
So good. Four. Yourself.
Somebody say confirmation. Confirmation. Confirmation. Confirmation. Confirmation.
Maybe this is why you're so tired. You're fighting unconfirmed fights. Maybe this is why you're so exhausted.
You're taking unconfirmed offers. Before you signed that, did you get confirmation? But before...
I'll tell on yourself. Before you signed that leasing agreement, did you get confirmation? Before you quit because it's too hard... Did you get confirmation?
See, we think confirmation is just yes to a thing. It's also sometimes no to a thing. No, you don't have a right to give up. Just because you feel like you have the right to quit doesn't mean you will be right if you quit. Did you get confirmation before you signed that contract?
Did you get confirmation before you married them? Did you get com... Okay. Pastor, I... Some of it's on me. Okay, I hear you, bro.
But I'm also going to give you Bible, all right? Proverbs chapter 3, verse 6. In all your ways. See? See? In all.
It's safe to preach the Bible. I don't have to. to preach opinion let's just preach doctrine in all your ways acknowledge him look and he will make straight your path say it backwards you will know the paths that are straight for you if you acknowledge him Something seems so off. Could it be because you didn't acknowledge him?
Acknowledge him. Can we go a little deeper? See, the beauty of confirmation is no matter how bad it gets. No matter how daunting it seems, no matter how crazy I may look, if I've been confirmed to step outside the boat...
I know there's something called gravity and I'm supposed to sink But I've been confirmed by Jesus to stay focused on him and keep going. I Know I may look crazy to you, but I've been confirmed. I See the storm too, but I've been confirmed.
I see the lightning flashing too, but I've been confirmed I don't know how we're gonna get a million for the closing cost, but we've been confirmed It may not make sense to you, but we've been, y'all talk to me, confirmed. And what you want is the confirmation of God. If I was a note taker, I'd write this down.
Confirmation is the annihilation of uncertainty. It's what we call assurance. Confirmation is the annihilation of uncertainty. It's what we call assurance. There was this old school hymn that I grew up hearing my mother...
sing. And my dad used to play it on the keyboard. Now, depending on your Christian journey, you may or may not have heard of it, but my mom would sing it and it would go like this.
Blessing assurance, Jesus is mine. See, some of us know it. Look, what is she saying?
Assurance, it is confidence in. Assurance is confidence in. Submerge confirmation and assurance. It's when I'm confident in an instruction or a route I've been given. So good, y'all.
I have to teach this, y'all. I can't preach it. I have to teach it.
Assurance is when I have confidence in instructions or principles God gave me or a route that He told me to take. Somebody say assurance. Oh, I don't know if I can get through this without getting too excited.
Okay. All right. Let's just see what the Holy Spirit does. All right. There's a difference between insurance and assurance.
Okay. I'm trying. There's a difference between insurance and assurance.
Insurance is coverage you have to pay for. Assurance is coverage that's already been paid for. I've already paid for it with my blood.
I've already paid for it with my strikes. I already paid for it on the cross. I've already paid for it with my death, burial, and resurrection. All I need you to do is draw nigh to me, and I will draw nigh to you. All I need for you to do is the day you hear my voice, harden not your heart.
Is there anybody thankful for assurance? Okay, y'all can give a little clap right there. Let's try it. Let's try the left side. Is there anybody thankful for assurance?
That's coverage you have because of what Jesus already paid for. Insurance has fees and penalties and you have to pay for insurance. God's like, I'll give you assurance. It's coverage that has already been paid for. Can we go a little deeper?
Okay, the flesh is assumption-based and assumptions are expensive. Assumptions can cost you relationships. They can cost you opportunities.
You could ruin a good relationship because of your assumptions. Assumptions are flesh-based. Assurance is spirit-based.
Assumptions, they're flesh-based. Unctions are spirit-based. Assumptions, you know what that is?
An assumption is misuse of your imagination. Some of us assume all the time. Somebody said, no. Oh.
Assumptions. Or when you create a mental forecast and it excludes their side or heaven's endorsement. Assumption.
An assumption is when you jump to the closing credits and didn't even get the story. So you are mad in your head because of the thoughts you're meditating in your head. And you're viewing a person out of the thoughts in your head. So you will begin to treat them out of the thoughts in your head. Cut them off because of the thoughts in your head.
Assumptions. Assumptions. Unctions is when God is pointing out to you what he has made for you. Did I get confirmation? And are you humble enough to admit, no I didn't.
See all of us, if we be honest, all of us have been, like the children of Israel, taking things without God's counsel. All of us, myself included. If you say, no I've always walked with God, you're a liar.
You're a liar. The wisdom is when we transition from Joshua 9 to 2 Samuel 5. I know what it feels like to make a decision unconfirmed. And because I don't want to experience that again moving forward, I need to always make sure I have confirmation.
Can I get us to say this confession? Everybody watching online, could you put this in the room in all caps? I want us to say this in the house.
Can I get us to say, Father, no longer will I make moves without your confirmation. I want to be in your will. One more.
time let's make it personal say father no longer will I make moves without your confirmation I want to be in your will in your will in your will that's why I want to be in your will in your will not mama's will I want to be in your will not in culture's will I want to be in your will the safest place to be is in the will of God Brinks can't give you that an alarm system can't give you that your 9mm meter can't give you that. Your 45 can't give you that. Your bodyguards can't give you that.
Your dogs can't give you that. The safest place for you to be is in the will of God. Church family. We find ourselves in an extremely critical series, a critical series that has been constructed by the Holy Spirit to get us to be people who have a trained ear. This series has been designed by the Holy Spirit to get us to know And identify the voice of God when we are living in a time and an era where there is a multitude of voices at mics.
Everybody has a word. Everybody's a life coach. Everybody has a master class.
Some people, like, there's, like, my unredeemed side is petty, and sometimes my petty side wants to speak. I'd be one to ask people, okay, when we look at your life, why can't we tell you advice works? Somebody say, thank you.
You got so much to say, but can we look at you? Can we look at your fruit? I'm not judging, I'm observing.
Can we tell your advice works? Everybody has a word. Everybody's saying, thus saith the Lord. Everybody's a prophet.
Everybody's an apostle. Everybody's a bishop. Everybody's an evangelist.
I'm like, okay. The Holy Spirit is like, okay, I need my people to be able to identify and know my voice because we're living in a time where everybody has access to mics. So how can we be shepherded by our good shepherd if we are sheep that can't hear in the midst of chaos? Because it's one thing to be able to hear. It's another thing to be able to hear in the midst of.
If this room is filled with children talking and laughing, and Josiah starts crying, Tanisha and I will be able to identify his cry over all of the chaos. When we had a men's fellowship, you remember it, bro. We had a men's fellowship, you were playing chess. All the men are watching Terrence Crawford beat the brakes off Earl Spence.
We're watching it. But your son started crying. He said, Daddy, here's your son. In the middle, we have fathers here, good fathers too. Preach that more.
All of us aren't trifling and dogs. Brought his son to church on a Saturday night. His son was crying while he was playing the game and said, I hear you, son.
Out of everybody talking the TV on, he heard his son over the chaos. Can you hear God? Over the multitude of voices claiming to be him.
It's one thing to hear God. It's another thing to be able to hear him in the midst of. Maybe that's the reason deception is so high. The volume of other mics are so loud.
The volume of porn is loud in your soul. The volume of your ambition, your grind is so loud in your soul. The volume of rejection and abandonment and insecurity is so loud.
Here's a thought. Could it be it's not that we just struggle to hear God's voice? It's just the volume of our will is so loud. It's what I want by 30. What I want to do by 42. It's not that God isn't speaking. It's not even that he's speaking with a still small voice.
We're going to break that down a little bit in a minute. Is that everything in your life is so loud too. See, the reason I'm so passionate about this series, I'm probably going to sweat out my clothes every week. The reason I'm so passionate about this series is because I understand the power of wisdom. Hear me, family.
Wisdom can give you in a day what it took somebody a decade to get. This one sermon. Could give you wisdom in one day and it took me decades to get it. I want to be transparent. I used to always mislabel silence as boredom.
See, like some of us, every time we have a silent moment, we feel it. At the doctor's office, you're waiting, you feel it with Instagram. In traffic, stuck in traffic, you feel it with sports radio.
In the airport, waiting on your flight, you feel it with Netflix. And so, what I discovered was, I'm not bored, it's just every space that God could speak, I keep feeling it with something. Every time I have a quiet moment, man, I'm bored. And I would try to fill it with something. I'm telling you something that took me 10 years to get.
You can get it today, one day. Those silent moments that you have are opportunities for God to speak to you. Stop being so swift to fill them with another voice or more noise. That moment could be a time where God... God is trying to speak to you.
It's that silent moment in the morning. It's that silent car drive. It was, like I said, I'm being transparent.
It was that silent moment when I'm in the sanctuary sitting on this second pew. November on a Friday. night.
Nobody in here. I'm by myself. Upset. Because my parents told me, you and Tanisha, we're going to install y'all as lead pastors, and you're going to have a Thursday night service. I'm in here by myself, mad.
Because I'm like, who's going to come out in the middle of the week? Who's going to... a 12 o'clock service? People want to be done with church. We need to have it early.
Who's going to come at 12? So y'all judging me. Now look, I'm sitting on the second row, man, nobody's in here.
I'm by myself. November 2019. Her two words, try me. Try me. When y'all leave here, there's a big flag flying up that says, try me. That's all I heard, try me.
What if I were to exchange that silent moment with Call of Duty? Ooh, I'm coming for your games. What? What? What if I would exchange that silent moment for Madden?
What if I would exchange that silent moment for 2K? I'm stressed out. You wouldn't be here right now.
Silent moment. I went to Tanisha, I said, man, they're telling us to do a Thursday night. People got to work, they got school. Who won't come to church on a Thursday night?
But I just kept hearing, try me. And she said, Jerry, if God's telling you, try me. Triumph. I said fine. We're doing Thursday night.
Started Thursday night, January of 2020. 40 people here. I'm preaching just like this. Just as passionate. Pandemic hits. Now I'm real mad.
See? I told you. I told you.
Now nobody can come to church. I told you. That wasn't God, that was flesh. One day can give you wisdom for ten years.
Tanisha said, he told you, try me, right? Keep preaching. I come up here in an empty sanctuary every week, twice a week, preaching just like this. In a week.
200 views goes to 2 million views. Now look, I know it's not about views, but I had no idea that when God said, try me, it's because he knew what was about to happen in five months. And when everybody's quarantined and trying to hear a voice from God, if you can stay planted.
And if you can stay faithful and keep preaching the Bible, keep preaching scripture, keep being passionate about it, something's about to come upon the earth where people are going to be forced to hear. And they're going to see this sweaty black man telling them about Jesus, his goodness, his grace. What if during that silent moment, I would have replaced it with a video game?
See, I'm just trying to remind us, we see to the heel. God sees over it. We see to the corner.
God sees around it. And whenever God gives you an instruction, it's because of what he knows is coming. I had no idea.
An intern. An intern for YouVersion Bible Lab will be watching the Try Me series. Go back and tell Life.Church and YouVersion, have you heard of this? They reach out and say, hey, you want to be on the Bible every month? I didn't reach out to them.
I didn't try to put them up. When God said, Try Me, I'm just using my life. Look, and I got a word in silence.
No views, no platform. No accolades. I was faithful in the darkness. See, some of us don't move until it looks like it might be.
This is so good, y'all. I'm passionate about this series because I recognize if one of the advantages for the Christian is we could hear God, then by default, the warfare strategy of hell... is going to be flood their life with voices. Come on, think! If your advantage is you can hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, then the military science of hell is going to be flood their life with voices.
When you are in warfare, one of the most effective things you can do is cut communication or contaminate intelligence. This is so powerful! If I could cut communication...
or contaminate intelligence, they won't even be able to hear instructions. So I want us to understand, and I'm concerned, family. Listen, I'm really concerned about the state of the church, especially Western Hemisphere Christianity, the America church, because we've taught you how to shout.
We've taught you how to knock and book. We've taught you if you got a need, sow a seed, but we're not teaching you how to hear God. We're not teaching you that personal devotion is needed. Carved out time in your life, not rushed, but carved out time where you can know God for yourself, because if you don't know him personally in devotion, you won't know him directionally in instruction. And we need to be able to understand, I gotta know God's voice.
And whenever a people go untaught in an area, self-diagnosis is imminent. So you're saying you're hearing God, but you're really hearing your voice. You're hearing your thoughts, and you're forging God's name on it, and cosigning it because it's your desire.
Because we haven't been taught His voice, so everything... That's good to you. You say, God told me.
God told me my time's up. God told me this is my husband. Some people, God speaks to you all day. He told you where to park. He told you what to eat.
He told you what to wear. He told you made a left turn. Other people, God ain't saying nothing at all.
So I'm like, okay, between the hyper, he talking nonstop. And between he's not talking at all. There has to be a balance of the middle.
I want to share this with us. Maybe it's not delay. It's God training your ear.
I'm talking to somebody. Whoever feels as though God is taking too long. Let me give you a way where you can memorize it. It's not delay.
It's training day. It's not delay, it's training day. This is the danger of preaching about next so much.
This is the danger of preaching about it's your season so much. Because it causes for us to be a people who are destination focused versus journey appreciative. That part. Because it's it's the journey that God is teaching you how to understand and know his voice All throughout the fabric of scripture if you really study it, you will see that God does his greatest wonders In the journey.
I can't wait till I get there. You're missing the journey part the Red Sea didn't crack In the promised land, it cracked along the way during the voyage. It's not delay, it's training day.
The woman with the issue of blood didn't get healed once Jesus got to Jairus'house. It happened along the way Jesus was heading to Jairus'house. The water to wine miracle did not happen once they poured the water in the jar. It happened along the way.
Am I making sense? The lepers didn't get healed when they got to the priest. They got healed along the way. So why are you in such a rush to get there? I'm trying to tell us prophetically, God is saying, I'm training you along the way so that when you get there, you know my voice to such a degree.
that I don't have to worry if you'll obey or not because during the journey I taught you my voice this is so powerful it's it's the journey the men of Israel did not seek the counsel of the Lord but David sought out confirmation so how do we get confirmation let me give you these points that I'm out your way Point number one, we have to understand confirmation in Hebrew means authorization. Research, I was tripping. I said, what?
Confirmation means authorization. So what David was really asking is, God, do you give me the authority? See, remember, he's the king, not president.
Nobody can vote him in or impeach him. He's the king. We're all under his authority.
So when you say, God, I need confirmation, what you're really saying is, God, have I been given authority to do this? Because once you do it, you will have authority. When Tanisha worships, there's an authority with it.
It's because she's been confirmed to do it. When Sister Tracy prays, there's an authority with it. Because she's been confirmed to be an intercessor.
When I preach, there's an authority with it. Because I've been confirmed to do it. Whatever God has called for you to do, you'll have authority in it.
There's something different when you do it. It's because I'm called to it. Call to it.
Confirmation means authorization. So the question is, have I been authorized for this task? Right? Number two, familiarity and exposure increases identification. Familiarity and exposure increases identification.
Watch me. You can't recognize what you can't reference. If you've never seen me, you can't recognize me in the mall. Wow, you look familiar. I recognize you.
It's not I'm cognizant of you. I recognize you. Because you can't recognize if you don't have a reference.
So I can't recognize God's voice if I never had a reference of knowing God. Can I make it work? We understand it.
I want us to play this voice. Just play this voice and you can just shout it out. There's a moment of supply and demand, you know, who can deliver the goods when we need them.
Sometimes that person is number one or number two on the call. There's other times of who's late, who's making it impossible for us to... Stop, stop, stop, stop.
Okay. If you think it's Tom Hanks, raise your hand. Some of y'all are like, I don't know. Raise your hand. Okay.
Okay. Somebody said do it again. Play it again. Listen.
Whose voice is this? Listen. To get what is necessary?
Every day and then it's also who is the secure person or the insecure person stop it Somebody's oh, yeah, that's Tom Hanks. That's Tom Hanks. That's Tom Hanks Okay, it is it's Tom Hanks Now look look look watch this Look if you are not familiar with his voice You can't recognize who that is Okay, now watch some of us were unsure if it was Tom Hanks But somebody next to you was like that's Tom Hanks girl That's how it is listen, that's how it is when you hear a voice But you can't recognize it if you have no reference Play another voice.
Anybody who really wants to can carve out some of their time to study the Word. And when you spend time in the Word, you're spending time with God. All right, stop it.
Stop it. Who is it? Just say it loud. Joyce Meyer.
Joyce Meyer. Somebody like Joyce. Who?
Look. You can't recognize what you have not been exposed to and what is not familiar to you. If you haven't been exposed to Joyce, you can't tell me that's her voice. Do another one, we'll stop. Just do one more.
One more. Who is this? I'm experienced now. Professional. Jaw's been broke, been lost, knocked down a couple times.
Bad. Been chopping trees. I've done something new for this fight.
I done wrestled with an alligator. I done tussled with a whale. Oh, that's Muhammad Ali.
I've been on some tight ends, but those under him, dude. Now look, two things I want you to notice. Some of us didn't recognize it until he started flowing.
I done wrestled with an alligator, hustled with a whale, handcuffed lightning through thundering jail. Last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I'm so mean to make medicine sick.
You weren't able to recognize it until you heard the pattern of his voice. So good. It's so good.
It's the pattern of this is normally how he speaks. And since this is normally how he speaks, even if you couldn't initially recognize him, you'll say that's usually how he talks. Sometimes you may not clearly know if this is God, but you'll be able to go off this is his pattern.
This is his pattern. Try me, seems crazy. I don't know if it was God, but it's his pattern for me to walk by faith and not by sight.
It's his pattern. But hear me, you can't recognize a voice you have not been exposed to or you're not familiar with. Point number three. Matter of fact, I want to show us this real quick, and I'm going to go point three and four, we're done. I want us to unlearn this.
Some of us think God only speaks in a still, small voice. Right. Where do we get? There's a still, small voice. You only see God referenced as a still, small voice one time throughout the whole Bible.
Once. But there are more times, look, John chapter 12, verse 27, it says, Now my soul is troubled. and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose I've come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.
Then a voice came from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel spoke to him. Jesus answered and said this voice did not come because of me but for your sake. Job chapter 38 verse 1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind.
Exodus chapter 20, verse 18. When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and they said to Moses, speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die. Job chapter 37, verse 2. Keep listening to the thunder of his voice. the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
Why do we keep on saying still small? Well, I can show you passage after passage after passage after passage where God's voice was a thunder. What's the point, pastor?
When God speaks to you for real, it's going to shake you up. You're going to feel like there's thunder in your soul. This isn't gas. It shakes you up. Hey bro, we're going strip club.
There's something on the inside of you. That's like don't go and it don't sound like this Don't go to the club. It's something like, don't you go to that.
I brought you out of this. It's a thunder. It'll shake you up and you won't forget it. You won't forget it. Number three, confirmation is repetitive.
I'm waiting for God to say something new to me. He ain't gonna say nothing new. Give you Bible. Jonah chapter 1 verse 1. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it. For their wickedness has come up before me.
Jonah doesn't listen. He gets swallowed up by a whale. let's go over to Jonah chapter 3 Jonah chapter 3 verse 1 now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying arise go to Nineveh that great city and preach to it the message that I tell you confirmation is repetitive more Bible Exodus chapter 5, verse 1. Afterward, Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. Exodus chapter 6. Y'all thought I was done.
Exodus chapter 6, verse 10. It says, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Go in, tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel go out of his land. More Bible. Exodus chapter 9, verse 1. Then the Lord said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews, let my people go that they may serve you. Confirmation is repetitive. Can I give you a more Bible?
Okay, Matthew chapter 26, verse 39. He went a little further, speaking of Jesus, fell on his face and prayed saying, oh my father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. Then he came to his disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter, What? Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again, a second time. Notice God-like behavior in the God-man Jesus.
A second time he went away and prayed, saying, O Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, your will be done. He came. and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy. So he left them, went away and prayed the third time saying the same words. Confirmation is repetitive.
So when God is telling you something, he ain't gonna say nothing new. Until you obey. I can't just preach, I need confirmation and not teach you how to get it.
Confirmation is repetitive. Last point. Confirmation of what's not God comes through an unsettling within.
Confirmation of what's not God comes through and unsettling within. Hear me. We have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. You know what indwelling means?
Bowels. It's that gut feeling. I want God to tell me, should I take this deal, should I not? That tension that you can't shake. Gas, you pass that out.
Fear, you stop being counseled by it and start believing in God. It may not totally go away, but it's not as loud. But when God is saying, this isn't me, the biggest problem is that you're not being counseled by it.
Red flag God gives is the absence of his peace. Don't have peace. We don't have the million yet for this new building, but I have so much peace. Because I've been confirmed.
If I did not, I'd be nervous in a mug. Proverbs chapter 27, verse 12. The prudent see danger. See in the Hebrew means comprehend. So the prudent comprehend danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
What is that text saying? Wise people comprehend an uneasiness and they take refuge in the Lord. Simple, that's such an insult, you so simple. Simple people feel an uneasiness and sign the contract anyway.
Feel the uneasiness and go forward anyway. Confirmation. Confirmation.
It is dangerous for you and I. To not know the voice of God for ourself in a time when everybody has access to a mic. And week after week, if you listen to part one, part two, part three, it's going to continue to give you methods and biblical principles. on how to identify that's daddy. So that regardless of what people tell us, regardless of what you hear, you know the voice of your good shepherd for yourself.
Father, help us to turn down the volume of our will. Heal us. So that trauma isn't so loud in our soul. God, we don't want to make any more decisions apart from being confirmed by you.
And we're asking whatever it is that you have to do to give us confirmation. If it's stopping something, if it's blocking something, if it's not allowing us to sleep, don't let us mislabel that as insomnia. Let us understand that's an invitation to come pray. Forgive us for being so lazy with our spiritual disciplines. Forgive us for treating you as an ornament.
But we only bring you out for a holiday as an airbag. I only need you in the case of an emergency. Help us to be like sheep, and I need the voice of my shepherd. It's in your son's name we pray, in Jesus'name. And everybody who agrees to that prayer, would you say amen all over the building?
Was this good for somebody? Come on, Miss Flowers. 90 minutes. 90 minutes. The beauty of wisdom, you could learn in one day what it took somebody a decade to get.
Amen. Come on, clap it up for the Word of God. That was good. There was a song that I remember hearing back in my college.
It was, speak to my heart, Holy Spirit. Give me a word that will bring new life. Words on the wings of the morning. The dark clouds will fade away if you speak to my heart. That's what everybody needs, to have that posture.
Speak to my heart, Holy Spirit. If you don't speak to me, I won't know where to go. I won't know what to do.
I need to know your voice. I need your... leading.
I need your guiding. Show me the way. That should be everybody's desire. I thank God for the word. This word is so rich.
This word is so necessary. In a world that is so loud, speaking so much error, speaking so much lies, right? Speaking so much deception. This world is speaking loud. It's screaming.
The world is screaming. But his people, God's people, we need to know his voice above everything. And that should be our prayer.
Speak to my heart. You hear me? That should be our prayer.
be your prayer. And if you are in this room right now and you're saying, I've been listening to that loud voice and I want to know the voice of God clearly, this is your chance and this is your opportunity to know Him as your Lord and personal Savior. And if you don't know Him in this room, it's the best thing that you could do.
So I want everybody under the side of my voice to pray with me. Everybody close your eyes. We're going to pray this prayer together.
Father God. Father God. In the name of Jesus, I need you to save me, to change me, to wash me, make me more like you. Speak to my heart.
I want to know your voice. I believe in my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus died and raised just for me. Thank you.
you, Lord, for allowing me to surrender to you. So now, God, hold my hand. Guide me through this life. I thank you now that I'm saved.
That I'm saved. Come on, say it again. I'm saved.
Hallelujah. Clap your hands. Let's rejoice.
Come on, let's rejoice with the angels. Look, the heavenlies are going crazy right now, okay? prayed that prayer for the first time. That's a serious thing.
When somebody makes the confession, when they've been listening to the voice of the enemy, when they've been listening to the voice of the world and they make the choice to say, I'm going to listen now to the voice of God. So it's a major decision. It's a major decision and we should always rejoice. We never take that part of the service lightly.
So if that was your first time praying that prayer, go ahead and text the word fresh start to the number behind us. You're going to get a video from the show. Jerry, just explaining the confession that you just made, the declaration that you're now in the kingdom of God so you can understand it a little bit more.