God Speaks to You and Every Believer

 In the Old Testament, God led His people by giving directions to prophets, priests and kings.
God often spoke in direct supernatural ways to these ordained leaders, and the people were expected to follow these directions.

When Jesus released the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, everything changed.

“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NIV

Christianity is either supernatural or it's nothing. We are called to be fruitful and multiply.

There is a Christianity that does not welcome supernatural revelations, healings and the active presence of God doing surprising stuff.

The Reformation achieved some good things in its time. Salvation through faith in Jesus was preached. The Bible was translated and restored to the people.

But the Reformation was very incomplete. God is the god of miracles. 

Faith in a God who only did miracles 2000 years ago will not impact the world today.

When Christianity is truly alive and healthy, every believer hears the voice of God and every believer follows Jesus directly and personally.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; Jn 10:27 NASB95

In the Old Testament, the people of God only heard the voice of God indirectly, through the Bible and the words of the prophets who spoke for God. We still read the Bible and it is God speaking through His perfect revealed word.

But how do you know what God is saying to you now?

The Bible says different things to different people in different passages. Is God telling you to rest in His love or to radically change your life?

•     Is God telling you to hide His truth in your heart, or to tell everyone what you believe?

•     Is God telling you to marry or to stay single?

•     Is God telling you to preach in Africa or stay at home?

•     Is God telling you to work in a job or to be a missionary who trusts Him to provide?

Bible reading alone will not answer these questions. Many people resolve this difficulty by putting themselves under the direction of a priest, pastor or spiritual adviser. This is putting a man in the place of God. 

It is Old Testament thinking, but it is common in the church. It is like the old-fashioned Roman Catholic system, where the priests told the believers what the Bible says and what they should do. I hope you don't think I am against Catholics. Many Catholics love Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit.

What is God saying to you now?

There is nothing wrong with seeking wise counsel and teaching but this must not be a substitute for growing up in faith yourself. A Christian who is spiritually healthy is able to receive direct personal communication from God Himself.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 NASB95

‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Rev 3:20 NASB95

In the New Testament, every believer is invited to hear the voice of God and to share with others what he hears.   

“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NIV

Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1 Cor 14:1 NASB95

Expect Sudden Turnarounds from God

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.
A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Mt 8:1–3 NIV

God can change a man or a woman in an instant. God can change a person’s life in 24 hours. The day that David killed Goliath, he changed from being a shepherd boy to being a national military hero, in one day. More than that, in one day the nation of Israel changed from being terrified victims to being conquerors as God intended, all because one boy became a man in one day.

When the day of Pentecost finally arrived, there was the sound of a mighty rushing wind. 120 disciples of Jesus were baptised in the Holy Spirit. They all spoke languages they had never learned; Peter preached an inspired sermon and 3000 people were born again. The Church was born in a day.

One day a Pharisee named Saul was on his way to Damascus. The purpose of his journey was to arrest and imprison Christians in that city. On the way, Jesus appeared to Saul and the Apostle Paul was born.

On two days towards the end of 1915, a great but defeated army evacuated the coast of Turkey. Not one life was lost. In 2 nights, an unknown Australian colonel became a military hero whose brilliant thinking rewrote the British military textbooks and whose battle plans in 1918 shortened that terrible war by months.

When Jesus returns to Jerusalem to end the Battle of Armageddon, the surviving Jews will see their Messiah and believe, and a nation will be born again in a day.

Prepare for good things and great blessings. Expect sudden turnarounds.

God wants you to Experience the Holy Spirit

Perhaps you are striving to live uprightly and correctly and to make God's truth known. This is good, but the people around you will only recognise God's truth if they see and feel God's grace and love in you.

You can live virtuously and speak of God's grace and love, but if you don't experience and enjoy God's love, others will only hear religious talk.

Some may respect your virtue, but it will not awaken a longing for God's love in their hearts.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jn 7:37–39 NIV

You can only pass on what you have received. If you have only received beliefs, you can only pass on beliefs.

Unfortunately, there are many in some churches who are satisfied with beliefs, but people in the world are not interested in beliefs at all. Many hunger and thirst for a reality that they can experience.

God did not send his eternal, infinitely loved Son into the world just to establish a religion. Do you want to experience God like the Lord's first disciples? Why not?

We already find models for our faith in the Old Testament.

Before the fall of man, Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden.

Then we see Enoch.

Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Gen 5:23–24 NIV

This man was certainly a hero of faith in a Bible story, but what does this have to do with us, ordinary Christians?

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jn 7:38–39 NIV

This is how Jesus describes his intention for ordinary Christians, for us. How can this be anything other than an overwhelming blessing? If we don't experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit as a dramatic visitation, something has gone tragically wrong.

But for many Christians, being filled with the Holy Spirit is just a dry doctrine. That can't be!

Then we see Abraham.

To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. Acts 7:2 NIV

Abraham knew no doctrines. He experienced a visitation of God's glory. When he believed and obeyed God, the world changed for ever.

We must not throw away the doctrines in the Bible and seek only experiences.

But so many cling tightly to commandments and Bible texts and are afraid of visitations from God himself. This is a tragic mistake.

If you want to cling to biblical commandments, then you should take this Bible verse seriously.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, Eph 5:18 NIV

Many Christians think this means they should never have a glass of wine, and they don't drink, but they ignore the second part.

Drunkenness is a dramatic experience that has negative after-effects, but when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, it should also be a dramatic experience, but with heavenly effects.

God wants to overwhelm you with all kinds of blessings because He loves you immensely and to bless those around you through your life.

Believe Patiently. God Steps In

 Sometimes we pray with confidence in God, but we don't see an answer for days, weeks, months or years, but sometimes we see an amazing answer from God in minutes or seconds.

I was converted in 1974. I prayed for my father for almost 36 years. At 88, he was bedridden in an aged care home and he gave his life to Jesus. He died at 91 and is now in heaven.

Faith without patience often doesn't work.

In 2011, I was in Germany with my wife. We visited a friend of ours in a clinic. When we left the clinic, it was dark and cold. It was drizzling. We urgently needed a taxi, but we didn't see a vehicle in this quiet suburb. Our host told us not to expect a taxi here. Nevertheless, my wife prayed for a taxi and one appeared almost immediately.

Everything can change in a short time.

Jesus had to die on the cross. His disciples gave up all hope, but three days later Jesus came back from the grave.

Moses was a refugee. He spent forty years as a shepherd in the desert, but then God himself appeared as a fire in a bush. Suddenly his life was totally different.

After his resurrection from the grave, Jesus spent forty days with his disciples, but then he returned to heaven. After that, the disciples stayed together for a week until, in an instant, God intervened dramatically.

And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Acts 2:2–4 NASB95

You may have been frustrated and disappointed for years, but God sees your heart and He cares for you. God has not forgotten you.

Don't give up hope. You can trust God. He will amaze us in the time to come.

End Time Miracles

 In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NRSV

When did this happen? ‘In the last days.’ What does that mean? In the last days of the ancient Jewish nation.

But this expression also has another meaning. We are now living in the last days just before the return of the Lord Jesus, the time when the last of all terrible world rulers will appear.

I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. Acts 2:19 NIV

Peter quotes the prophet Joel.

I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:30–32 NIV

Some Reformed Christians believe that prophecy, signs and wonders were only for Bible times, but Martin Luther and John Knox communicated prophecies that were fulfilled.

In 1909, some conservative Christians in Berlin declared that the signs and wonders in the Charismatic movement came from below.

The Pharisees made exactly the same mistake when they declared the miracles of Jesus to be diabolical.

We see so many miracles in our time. I know a Christian in Germany whose young son played with his guardian angel.

I know a woman in Australia who visited heaven during an operation.

I spoke to a Persian woman in Germany who saw Jesus in a dream when she was a Muslim. Eight years later she converted to Jesus.

A woman I know very well escaped certain death by God saving her from a collision.

It was too late to brake. She could not avoid a collision. Then she felt a terrible heat. The vehicle drove through her car without making any noise, without causing any damage. It was like something out of a fantasy film.

The sensation of heat lasted for several days.

The extreme proliferation of signs and wonders in our time are a problem for many conservative Christians.

Not all stories are true and not all supernatural phenomena come from God.

We need to test revelations, but if we condemn all strange events as counterfeit, we will also reject the miracles of God.

Maybe you come from a conservative background. You find these dramatic testimonies dubious, but you're not sure.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. Jas 1:5 NIV

Don't stay where you are. A true disciple is one who always wants to learn from God himself.

C. Peter Wagner was a conservative lecturer at a Bible school in America. He heard amazing testimonies of miracles in Argentina and Brazil.

He attended meetings where poor people received new teeth or gold fillings. He was then convinced that it was not a deception.

Learning to Know the Holy Spirit

When you give your life to Jesus, God himself comes to you and lives in you, right in you.
‘God in you!’

If this is just a theological term for you and not an overwhelming experience, then something has gone terribly wrong.

For many Christians, the Holy Spirit is just a theological doctrine.

But in the Bible, the Holy Spirit was audible, tangible and sometimes even visible.
In the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit came upon 120 disciples, both men and women.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Acts 2:2–3 NIV

God is unchanging. He is still God and the Holy Spirit has never changed.

I was in a prayer meeting with my wife. Our little son was also there. We felt the presence of God. Later, our little boy told me that he saw blue flames on our heads.

About ten years ago, I was in a meeting with my wife and about 25 other Christians from Germany, the UK, Australia and Sweden. We all felt the glorious presence of God. Some saw a white cloud in the middle of the room, but I didn't. Later I saw digital photos where the white cloud was visible.

Jesus promised that his disciples would be filled with the Holy Spirit after his resurrection and ascension, and that happened right in Acts chapter 2.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jn 7:37–39 NIV

How can ‘rivers of living water’ be just a theological term?

Some Christians want to hold on to a dry, sober religious tradition. They hear rumours of charismatic gatherings where some people go a bit crazy. They warn that we should avoid all dramatic phenomena.

But if we avoid all dramatic experiences, we will no longer have a biblically based Christian life. In the New Testament, Christian discipleship was characterised by dramatic manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

Paul was also familiar with dramatic revelations and miracles. Jesus and Paul never said that God's glory was only a special offer for a limited time.

Paul said that we should test everything. Some Christians have not learnt this.

Some are excited by every dramatic experience. Others don't want to immerse themselves in the streams of the Holy Spirit at all.

What did Paul teach?

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, Eph 5:18 NIV

Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies,
but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 1 Th 5:19–21 CSB

Paul did not say we must avoid everything that seems dramatic.

He said we must not avoid or reject, but test. You can't do that with Bible knowledge alone.

We must learn to recognise the Holy Spirit with our spirit.

It is sad that many Christians throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Women Preached in the Bible

 The women also spoke for God. Acts 2: The sons and daughters prophesied. Peter and 119 other men ... and women spoke God's words, opening the door of salvation with the keys of the kingdom.

On the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the cross, 120 disciples of Jesus were dramatically filled with the Holy Spirit.

Peter was no longer the coward who denied Jesus. He stood up fearlessly and spoke words of power to the crowd. These words of power and life were the key to the kingdom. They opened the door of salvation to 2000 listeners that day.

The prophetic words of Jesus were fulfilled.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Mt 16:19 NIV

When God gives words of grace and truth, they are words of life for anyone and everyone who will receive them.

But was it only Peter who spoke God's life-giving words that day?

There were 120 disciples who spoke words from God to the crowds that day. They spoke in languages they had never learnt, and the listeners from many nations understood God's message in their own languages.

Who were these 120 disciples? Were they only men who had been ordained to preach?

Peter clearly rejects this idea.

“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, … Acts 2:17 NIV

So did the women also proclaim the gospel in a public meeting?

In chapter 1 of Acts we have a clear confirmation of Peter's revolutionary words, although they were not Peter's words, but the words of the Holy Spirit quoted by the prophet Joel.

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 1:14 NIV

Yes, the women were there too. There were also women among the 120 disciples. The women also spoke to the crowd with the authority of the Holy Spirit.

What do keys do? They lock and unlock doors.

The words of Peter and the other 119 male and female disciples unlocked the door of salvation and locked the door of condemnation for all those who believed and received their message.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Mt 16:19 NIV

Locking and unlocking is another way of saying binding and loosening.
Jesus gave his disciples the keys of the kingdom, keys, not just a key.

Keys represent God-given authority.
Words of inspired preaching, teaching, prophesying and witnessing are all keys through which God opens the doors to reach people with His goodness and power.

So who has the authority to bind and loose or to lock and unlock?

• Only Peter? Clearly no.

• Only the apostles? No.

• Only the ordained preachers? No.

• Only men? No.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Mt 18:18–20 NIV

Where two or three male or female disciples are together in unity and harmony, their words of faith and believing prayer can bind or loose, can lock or open spiritual doors.

The Keys of the Kingdom

Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. A key opens doors or locks doors.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; … Mt 16:19 NIV

When Peter preached the good news of Jesus on the first day of Pentecost, he opened the door for 2,000 Jews from different nations to enter God's kingdom of heaven.  

... whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Mt 16:19 NIV

When Peter was anointed by the Holy Spirit and proclaimed God's truth and grace in his preaching, the power of unbelief was bound and the grace of salvation was loosed.

You could also visualise it differently.
The door to hell was closed and the door to eternal life was opened.

But was it only Peter's sermon that opened the door of faith?

“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Ac 2:17 NIV

120 disciples, men and women, were dramatically filled with the Holy Spirit. They uttered prophetic words from the Holy Spirit and they spoke these words in languages they had never learnt. These languages were also understood by the listeners from different nations.

God gives the keys of the kingdom of heaven to all disciples in all generations. If you let yourself be led by the Holy Spirit, he will give you words that will touch people.

God wants to give you words of love, words of grace and also words of truth.

The Women also Spoke

On the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the cross, 120 disciples of Jesus were dramatically filled with the Holy Spirit.

Peter was no longer the coward who denied Jesus. He stood up fearlessly and spoke words of power to the crowd. 

These words of power and life were the Keys to the Kingdom. They opened the door of salvation to 2000 hearers that day.

The prophetic words of Jesus were fulfilled.

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth when ill be loosed in heaven." Mt 16:19 NKJ
 
When God gives words of grace and truth, they are words of life to any and all who will receive them.
 
But was it only Peter who spoke God’s life giving words that day?

There were 120 disciples who spoke words from God to the crowd that day. They spoke in languages they had never learned and the hearers from many nations understood God’s message in their own languages.

Who were these 120 disciples? Where they only men who were ordained to preach?
Peter clearly dismisses this idea.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,  Acts 2:17 NKJ

So did the women also declare the Gospel in a public meeting?

In Acts chapter one, we have clear confirmation of Peter’s revolutionary words, although they were not Peter’s words, but the words of the Holy Spirit quoted from the prophet Joel.

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.  Acts 1:14 NKJ
 
Yes. The women were also there. The 120 disciples included women. The women also spoke to the crowd with the authority of the Holy Spirit.

What do keys do? They lock and unlock doors.

The words of Peter and the other 119 male and female disciples unlocked the door of salvation and locked the door of condemnation for all who believed and received their message.

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth when ill be loosed in heaven." Mt 16:19 NKJ

Locking and unlocking is another way of saying binding and loosing.
 
Jesus gave his disciples the Keys of the Kingdom, Keys, not just one key.

Keys represent God given authority. 

Words of inspired preaching, teaching, prophesying and testimony are all keys that open the doors for God to reach people with his goodness and power.

So who has the authority to bind and loose, or to lock and unlock?

• Only Peter? Clearly no.
• Only the apostles? No.
• Only ordained preachers? No.
• Only men? No.

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.
Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them." Mt 18:18-20 CSB17

Where two or three male or female disciples are together in unity and agreement, their words of faith and believing prayer can bind or loose, can lock or unlock spiritual doors.

THE WAY TO FREEDOM

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Isaiah 61:1 (NKJV) 

I cannot encourage you to believe by myself but only because the Spirit of Jesus is with me. 

I am not filled with the Holy Spirit because I was born different but because someone told me about Jesus and showed me that Jesus wanted to fill me with His Holy Spirit. He loves you just as much and He wants to fill you with His Holy Spirit too.

'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Acts 2:17 (NKJV) 

After Jesus died He returned from the grave and taught His disciples for 40 days. Then He returned to heaven and some days later He poured out the Spirit of God on all believers, all His followers, ALL FLESH. 

Do you believe in Jesus? Do you trust in the Son of God? Are you are a follower of Jesus Christ? You need no other qualification to be filled with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit from Heaven as the first believers were. 

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17 (NKJV) 

Are you a son or daughter of a human mother and father? If you are, and if you have decided to follow Jesus, you too can see visions and receive revelations from heaven as you sleep. You too can receive wonderful encouraging messages from God to encourage you and to share with others.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; Isaiah 61:1 (ESV) 

God wants to fill you with His Spirit not only to bless you but to equip and empower you to bless others, to make the truth of God real to them as it is to you.

He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted... 

If you are a believer, you must not distance yourselves from people around you who are broken and distressed. The Holy Spirit is THE COMFORTER and He wants to comfort you and enable you to comfort others.

...to proclaim liberty to the captives.. 

People are held captive by so many things, by shame and disappointment, by fear and anger, by trauma they cannot forget, by resentment because they have been betrayed and savagely abused. People have been broken by various forms of bullying and deceptions and then victims become abusers.

The punishment due to human cruelty and perversion is more than we can bear but God sent His only Son to die on the cross, to suffer the punishment we deserved, to take our place. Jesus suffered and died as a tormented prisoner so we could go free.

... and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.

We cannot find eternal freedom by our own efforts but Jesus made a way by His suffering for us.

For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us! 2 Corinthians 5:21 (TLB) 

Knowing God for Yourself.. No Second Hand Faith

In the Old Testament, God led His people by giving directions to prophets, priests and kings.
God often spoke in direct supernatural ways to these ordained leaders, and the people were expected to follow these directions.

When Jesus released the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, everything changed.

“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NIV

Christianity is either supernatural or it's nothing. We are called to be fruitful and multiply.

There is a Christianity that does not welcome supernatural revelations, healings and the active presence of God doing surprising stuff.

The Reformation achieved some good things in its time. Salvation through faith in Jesus was preached. The Bible was translated and restored to the people.

But the Reformation was very incomplete. God is the god of miracles. 

Faith in a God who only did miracles 2000 years ago will not impact the world today.

When Christianity is truly alive and healthy, every believer hears the voice of God and every believer follows Jesus directly and personally.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; Jn 10:27 NASB95

In the Old Testament, the people of God only heard the voice of God indirectly, through the Bible and the words of the prophets who spoke for God. We still read the Bible and it is God speaking through His perfect revealed word.

But how do you know what God is saying to you now?

The Bible says different things to different people in different passages. Is God telling you to rest in His love or to radically change your life?

•     Is God telling you to hide His truth in your heart, or to tell everyone what you believe?

•     Is God telling you to marry or to stay single?

•     Is God telling you to preach in Africa or stay at home?

•     Is God telling you to work in a job or to be a missionary who trusts Him to provide?

Bible reading alone will not answer these questions. Many people resolve this difficulty by putting themselves under the direction of a priest, pastor or spiritual adviser. This is putting a man in the place of God. 

It is Old Testament thinking, but it is common in the church. It is like the old-fashioned Roman Catholic system, where the priests told the believers what the Bible says and what they should do. I hope you don't think I am against Catholics. Many Catholics love Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit.

What is God saying to you now?

There is nothing wrong with seeking wise counsel and teaching but this must not be a substitute for growing up in faith yourself. A Christian who is spiritually healthy is able to receive direct personal communication from God Himself.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 NASB95

‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Rev 3:20 NASB95

In the New Testament, every believer is invited to hear the voice of God and to share with others what he hears.   

“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NIV

Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1 Cor 14:1 NASB95