Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
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Has the Holy Sprit of God
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ever impressed a
thought upon your mind?
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Please join us today, as
we continue our Bible study
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on the many ways
God speaks to mankind.
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Welcome to
"Pressing in to His Presence."
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On this series in prayer,
we have reached the point
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where we have
pressed into God's throne
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through earnest prayer
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and now we are
training our ears to hear
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what the Lord would say to us.
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On our last program,
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we considered
four of the ten ways
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the Bible identifies that
God uses to speak to mankind.
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We looked at scripture
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as the premier method
of divine communication
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then we added His prophets
and His son Jesus Christ,
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the appearance of
angels and creation.
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Today we will consider
six remaining categories.
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If you're following
along in the companion book
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"Pressing in to his presence"
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we are starting
this program on page 161.
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Our next category
of divine communication
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is answered to prayers
and a dynamic example of this
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is found in 1 Kings 18:37-39
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where Elijah
called on the Lord saying
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"'Hear me, O Lord, hear
me, that this people may know
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that you are the Lord God,
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and that You have turned
their hearts back to you again.'
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Then the fire of the Lord fell
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and consumed
the burnt sacrifice,
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and the wood and
the stones and the dust,
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and it licked up the
water that was in the trench.
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Now when all the people saw
it, they fell on their faces,
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and they said,
'The Lord, He is God!
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The Lord, He is God!' "
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Elijah prayed
earnestly and God answered.
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His answer was not audible
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but Elijah and everyone
around him knew God had spoken.
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When a childless
Hannah prayed passionately
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God answered by
giving her a son, Samuel.
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And after Peter
and John were arrested
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their fervent
prayers, here they are in jail,
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but their fervent
prayers joined with others
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brought a remarkable release.
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And another stunning example
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is Acts 4:29-31 listen to this.
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They are praying the
disciples and they say
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"Now, Lord, look
upon their threats,
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and grant to Your servants
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that with all boldness
they may speak Your word,
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by stretching out
Your hand to heal,
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and that signs and
wonders may be done
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through the name of
Your holy Servant Jesus.
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And when they had
prayed, the place were
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they all assembled
together was shaken,
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and they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit
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and they spoke the
Word of God with boldness."
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They knew, even
though they didn't hear
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that God it's spoken.
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God testifies to His nearness
and He knits our hearts to His
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when He speaks to us
through answered prayers.
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Yet, another divine
means of communication
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is signs and circumstances.
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The angle of the Lord whom
most Bible expositors agree
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is Jesus Christ called Gideon,
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to command a group of His people
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to go up against a
vast invading army.
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An in secured Gideon wasn't sure
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of the time of his visitation
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and he wanted to make certain,
it was God who spoke to him.
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He prayed in Judges 6:36,
37 asking God to prove His call
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by having dew on the fleece
of the sheep only while making
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the threshing floor, dry ground.
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Gideon asked for sign
and divine grace granted it.
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The next morning he was able
to ring a bowl full of water
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from the fleece of the wool,
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all the surrounding
ground remained bone dry.
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All though privileged
by this sign from the Lord
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Gideon's faith
was still immature
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and he humbly
asked for second sign.
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God allowed and
answered the second testing.
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Reversing the sign
is Gideon requested
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and the next morning
after dew covered the ground
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but the fleece
was fluffy and dry.
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In our next program,
I want to share with you
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my own Gideon
experience just as he questioned
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whether he is really
hearing from the Lord,
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so did I and asked for sign.
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God is so gracious to us
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to have faith as
small as a mustered seed.
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He causes it to
increase and as faith matures
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we do not require
signs for certainty.
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Okay, that explains signs
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but does the Bible
support divine circumstances?
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Jesus said in Revelation 3:7, 8
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"These things
say He who is holy,
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He who is true, 'He
who opens and no one shut,
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and shuts and one
opens' I know your works.
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See, I have set
before you an open door,
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and no one can shut it,
for you have a little strength,
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have kept my word, and
have not denied My name."
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when God opens a
door for us to do His work
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He is
communicating His will to us.
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Paul determined to stay
in Ephesus until Pentecost,
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because he said "A wide
door of open opportunity
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for effectual
service was opened to him."
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And in his letter to Colossians,
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Paul requested prayer
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that God may open a door
for him to speak the word.
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So we clearly see from scripture
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that God
communicates with His people
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through
circumstance and opportunities.
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Now another well known
means of Divine communication
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is through visions.
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Acts 2:17 says "And it shall
come to pass in the last days,
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says God, that I will pour
out my Spirit on all flesh.
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Your sons and
daughters shall prophesy,
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your young men
shall see visions,
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your old men
shall dream dreams."
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When we think of
visions from God,
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we tend to think of
prophets like Daniel or Ezekiel
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or Apostle John on
the island of Patmos,
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where he received the vision
of the Book of Revelation.
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Yet, the Bible reports
that this still he gives
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plenty of reports of
believers like you and me
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who receive visions.
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And I just have to add
this thought to tell my mind,
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today, I mean right
now during our day and age
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I know that it is happening
particularly among Moslems.
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We are getting reports
from all over the world
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how Moslems are getting visions
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that the Lord is
Jesus Christ is God.
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So, now let's look
at some of the reports
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of believers like you and me
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who received
visions from the Lord.
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Acts 9:10-12 says this "Now
there was a certain disciple
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at Damascus named Ananias,
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and to him the Lord
said in a vision, 'Ananias.'
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And he said, 'Here I'm, Lord.'
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So the Lord said to him,
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'Arise and go to the
street called Straight,
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and inquire at
the house of Judas
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for one called Saul of Tarsus,
for behold, he is praying.
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And in a vision he seen a
man named Ananias coming in
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and putting his hand on him,
so that he receive his sight.'
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" So we see here that the God
called a little known disciple
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Ananias to
minister to Saul of Tarsus,
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who had formerly been determined
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to do Christians harm.
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And at the same time
he gave Saul a vision
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to receive Ananias
as God's representative.
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Now off course the result was
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that a
murderous Saul experiences
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both a character and name change
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becoming the super active
sprit filled Apostle Paul.
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But it was not only those
God call to special service,
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who received visions.
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In Acts 10:3-5 gives
us another account it says
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"About the ninth hour of the day
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he saw clearly in a
vision an angle of God coming in
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and saying to him, 'Cornelius!'
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And when he observed
him, he was afraid and said,
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'What is it, Lord?'
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So he said to him,
'Your prayers and your alms
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have come up for a
memorial before God.
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Now send men to
Joppa and send for Simon
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whose surname is Peter.'
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" You see
Cornelius was a pious Gentile
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one who's heart
searched for God.
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And as a Roman centurion,
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he had been generous
toward Jewish people.
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God gave him
instructions through a vision
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to invite the
Apostle Peter to his home
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that he and his household
might receive the good news
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of the forgiveness of sins
and salvation through Christ.
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And in the mean time
God had given Peter a vision
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to prepare his heart
for ministry to a Gentile.
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In vision Peter saw a great
sheet bounded four corners,
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and filled with unclean animals.
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And he heard the
command to rise and eat.
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Now knowing that
God had forbidden
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the eating of unclean animals
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that had not been
sanctified by His word
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Peter pondered this
symbolic meaning of this.
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He wondered what
the interpretation
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of this vicious vision was.
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But then he shared that
interpretation with Cornelius,
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and it's recorded in Acts 10:28
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where he says, he
explains that although
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it was unlawful for a Jewish man
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to keep company with a Gentile.
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That God had shown him
in the vision not to call
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any man common or unclean.
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This serves as a
wonderful example of praying
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for understanding of
any vision that is symbolic.
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God will not contradict Himself,
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He will clear any
confusion in our minds
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as we pray for His true meaning.
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Now, another means of
divine communication is dreams.
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An example of this is found
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in the Old
Testament Book of Daniel.
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A pagan king Nebuchadnezzar
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and a prophet of God
Daniel were given dreams
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that described the
future of world history.
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Neither man
understood the dreams
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until they were
later explained in vision.
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Other familiar
incidences of dreams
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include Jacobs ladder,
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the council to
Joseph to take unto him
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Mary the mother to
be of Jesus as his wife,
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and the warning of
wise men from the east
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to avoid return to Herod
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after they found
the Christ child.
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You know, God
frequently communicated His will
00:12:11.67\00:12:15.35
to Gentiles through dreams,
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including Pharaoh's
chief butler and baker.
00:12:17.61\00:12:21.44
Pharaoh himself
a midianite warrior
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and Pilate's wife.
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At the time
that I wrote the book
00:12:27.23\00:12:29.12
Pressing in to His Presence
00:12:29.15\00:12:31.09
I was praying for a
highly educated man from Mexico
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whose life had
been turned upside down.
00:12:35.67\00:12:39.67
He had been devoted
00:12:39.70\00:12:41.01
to the religion
of his family roots
00:12:41.04\00:12:43.65
until he received a
vivid dream from God
00:12:43.68\00:12:47.54
that called him out of darkness,
00:12:47.57\00:12:49.60
in to his marvelous light.
00:12:49.63\00:12:51.72
And he read the Ten Commandments
00:12:51.75\00:12:54.29
twice removed
he became converted
00:12:54.32\00:12:56.60
and became a
Seventh-day Adventist
00:12:56.63\00:12:58.92
which caused a huge
uproar in his family.
00:12:58.95\00:13:02.46
But imagery of his
dream caused him to become
00:13:02.49\00:13:06.59
seeker of truth and God lead him
00:13:06.62\00:13:09.25
with instruction in his dream.
00:13:09.28\00:13:11.37
And his
influence on family members
00:13:11.40\00:13:13.36
for Bible study turned many
00:13:13.39\00:13:15.99
to embrace the
same wonderful truth.
00:13:16.02\00:13:19.81
Now a common or I should say,
00:13:19.84\00:13:22.93
an uncommon means of
communication from God
00:13:22.96\00:13:28.62
is the audible
voice of the Lord.
00:13:28.65\00:13:32.38
At any time the Bible mentions
the audible voice of the Lord,
00:13:32.41\00:13:37.85
it is easy to comprehend that
it is an all inspiring event
00:13:37.88\00:13:44.33
for humans to hear His voice.
00:13:44.36\00:13:47.20
Revelation 1:14,
15 describes His voice
00:13:47.23\00:13:53.05
as the sound of many waters
like the roar of a water fall.
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says
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that the voice of
"The Lord is powerful.
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The voice of the
Lord is full of majesty."
00:14:06.01\00:14:10.71
This privilege was granted,
00:14:10.74\00:14:13.05
the privilege of hearing
the audible voice to Peter,
00:14:13.08\00:14:16.69
James and John at the
time of Christ transfiguration
00:14:16.72\00:14:21.13
when Peter
suggested making a tabernacle
00:14:21.16\00:14:23.99
there for Jesus,
Moses and Elijah.
00:14:24.02\00:14:27.71
Mathew 17:5-7 tells us that
00:14:27.74\00:14:33.89
"While he was still speaking,
00:14:33.92\00:14:36.43
behold, a bright
cloud overshadowed them,
00:14:36.46\00:14:40.80
and suddenly a voice
came out of the heaven,
00:14:40.83\00:14:45.08
the voice said,
00:14:45.11\00:14:46.14
'This is My beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased.
00:14:46.17\00:14:50.40
Hear Him!'
00:14:50.43\00:14:51.67
And when the disciples heard it,
00:14:51.70\00:14:53.76
they fell on their faces
and they were greatly afraid.
00:14:53.79\00:14:58.50
But Jesus came and he said,
'Arise, and don't be afraid.'
00:14:58.53\00:15:05.23
" You know, the Apostle
Paul shared the same privilege.
00:15:05.26\00:15:11.17
He had much the
same fearful reaction
00:15:11.20\00:15:14.04
as recorded in Acts 9:3-7 here,
00:15:14.07\00:15:20.51
he was on the road to Damascus
00:15:20.54\00:15:22.62
and he heard the
voices saying to him Saul,
00:15:22.65\00:15:26.87
Saul why do you persecute me?
00:15:26.90\00:15:29.58
I am Jesus whom
you are persecuting.
00:15:29.61\00:15:33.06
Scripture says that Paul
was trembling and astonished.
00:15:33.09\00:15:38.64
And the men who
journeyed with him
00:15:38.67\00:15:40.74
and heard the
voice stood speechless.
00:15:40.77\00:15:44.72
And further, you
talk about trembling.
00:15:44.75\00:15:47.99
Can you imagine
being at Mount Sinai,
00:15:48.02\00:15:52.21
when the Lord descended
up on the mount with fire
00:15:52.24\00:15:55.70
and in His
majestic and powerful voice
00:15:55.73\00:15:59.26
He spoke to Moses?
00:15:59.29\00:16:01.68
The Bible record says
that God answered him by voice.
00:16:01.71\00:16:06.99
And Exudes 20:18, 19 says this
00:16:07.02\00:16:11.70
"Now all the people
witnessed the thunderings,
00:16:11.73\00:16:15.63
the lightning flashes,
the sound of the trumpet,
00:16:15.66\00:16:19.18
and the mountain smoking,
and when the people saw it,
00:16:19.21\00:16:23.42
they trembled
and stood afar off.
00:16:23.45\00:16:26.36
Then they said to Moses,
00:16:26.39\00:16:27.66
'You speak with
us, and we will hear,
00:16:27.69\00:16:30.13
but let not God speak
with us, lest we die.'
00:16:30.16\00:16:36.24
" It is an
inspiring knee knocking event
00:16:36.27\00:16:41.72
to hear the majestic
audible voice of the Lord.
00:16:41.75\00:16:46.49
From scriptural
accounts it would seem
00:16:46.52\00:16:48.49
it is also a
some what rare event.
00:16:48.52\00:16:51.37
In the majority
of incidents today
00:16:51.40\00:16:54.12
when God's people
say they hear His voice
00:16:54.15\00:16:57.98
I believe it is the
inaudible voice of the Lord
00:16:58.01\00:17:01.84
but when God is speaking
not to our ears outwardly
00:17:01.87\00:17:07.61
but something
that is heard inwardly.
00:17:07.64\00:17:11.41
This brings us
to our final listing
00:17:11.44\00:17:14.08
of divine communication.
00:17:14.11\00:17:16.31
The still small voice,
00:17:16.34\00:17:19.85
this expression
comes from the Bible
00:17:19.88\00:17:23.29
it's the account of Elijah
when he was hiding in a cave
00:17:23.32\00:17:26.90
trying to avoid the
wicked queen Jezebel.
00:17:26.93\00:17:29.87
And it's found
in 1 Kings 19:11, 12
00:17:29.90\00:17:35.42
"Then He said,"
this is He being God.
00:17:35.45\00:17:39.16
"'Go out, and
stand on the mountain
00:17:39.19\00:17:41.42
before the Lord.'
00:17:41.45\00:17:42.48
And behold, the Lord passed by,
00:17:42.51\00:17:44.75
and a great and strong
wind tore into the mountains
00:17:44.78\00:17:47.55
and broke the rocks in
pieces before the Lord,
00:17:47.58\00:17:50.54
but the Lord
was not in the wind,
00:17:50.57\00:17:52.65
and after the
wind an earthquake,
00:17:52.68\00:17:54.39
but the Lord was
not in the earthquake,
00:17:54.42\00:17:56.45
and after the earthquake a fire
00:17:56.48\00:17:58.30
but the Lord
was not in the fire,
00:17:58.33\00:18:00.73
and after the fire
a still small voice.
00:18:00.76\00:18:06.34
So it was, when
Elijah heard it,"
00:18:06.37\00:18:09.53
that still small voice
00:18:09.56\00:18:11.81
"that he wrapped
his face in his mantle
00:18:11.84\00:18:13.90
and went out and stood
in the entrance of the cave.
00:18:13.93\00:18:17.56
Suddenly a voice
came to him, and said,
00:18:17.59\00:18:20.91
'What are you
doing here, Elijah?'
00:18:20.94\00:18:25.04
" All those
sensational signs accompanying
00:18:25.07\00:18:27.58
God's message to
Elijah it was none the less
00:18:27.61\00:18:30.93
His still small
voice that spoke.
00:18:30.96\00:18:33.65
I have come to understand,
00:18:33.68\00:18:35.75
that when God
speaks in this manner
00:18:35.78\00:18:38.20
it is the power
of His Holy Sprit
00:18:38.23\00:18:40.90
who is impresses His
thoughts, up on our minds?
00:18:40.93\00:18:44.30
The Apostle Paul
was well acquainted
00:18:44.33\00:18:46.74
with this still small voice.
00:18:46.77\00:18:48.92
In Acts 20:22, 23 he
wrote that he would not know
00:18:48.95\00:18:55.95
what would happen to him
when he went to Jerusalem,
00:18:55.98\00:18:59.42
but he said the Holy
Sprit testified to him
00:18:59.45\00:19:02.63
in every cities saying,
00:19:02.66\00:19:04.72
that changes and
tribulation awaited him.
00:19:04.75\00:19:07.98
And the Book of Acts
reports numerous occasions
00:19:08.01\00:19:11.39
when God impressed His
thoughts up on His followers
00:19:11.42\00:19:14.27
by the still small
voice of His sprit.
00:19:14.30\00:19:17.09
While Peter meditated
on the vision of the sheets
00:19:17.12\00:19:20.03
and unclean animal's scripture
says, the sprit spoke to him.
00:19:20.06\00:19:26.04
But you didn't
have to be an apostle
00:19:26.07\00:19:28.19
to hear the still small voice.
00:19:28.22\00:19:30.66
Philip was one of
the first seven deacons
00:19:30.69\00:19:33.01
of the early church.
00:19:33.04\00:19:34.68
He heard God still
small voice telling him
00:19:34.71\00:19:38.02
to go to the
Jerusalem, Gaza road
00:19:38.05\00:19:41.16
which resulted in baptism
of an Ethiopian treasure.
00:19:41.19\00:19:47.57
Let's look at Acts 8:29
"Then the sprit said to Philip,
00:19:47.60\00:19:55.09
'Go near and
overtake this chariot.'
00:19:55.12\00:19:58.37
Then Philip opened his mouth,
00:19:58.40\00:19:59.93
and beginning at this Scripture,
00:19:59.96\00:20:01.45
preached Jesus to him."
00:20:01.48\00:20:04.30
As a group of Antioch believers,
00:20:04.33\00:20:07.23
believers just like you and me
00:20:07.26\00:20:09.36
as they fasted and
prayed in Acts 13:2
00:20:09.39\00:20:13.56
the Bible tells us that
the spirit spoke telling them
00:20:13.59\00:20:18.68
to separate Barnabas
and Saul to him for the work
00:20:18.71\00:20:22.50
to which he was calling them.
00:20:22.53\00:20:25.27
And at one
point Paul and Timothy
00:20:25.30\00:20:28.22
were forbidden by the
sprit, to preach in Asia.
00:20:28.25\00:20:32.06
And then Agabus
whom the New Testament
00:20:32.09\00:20:35.21
describes as a
prophet, he took Paul's belt,
00:20:35.24\00:20:40.15
he bonds his own hands and feet,
00:20:40.18\00:20:43.80
this is what he said
00:20:43.83\00:20:48.67
"Thus says the Holy Sprit."
00:20:48.70\00:20:51.86
So that's the still
small voice of the Lord,
00:20:51.89\00:20:54.66
Agabus is speaking about.
00:20:54.69\00:20:56.30
"Thus says the Holy Spirit,
00:20:56.33\00:20:59.02
so shall the Jews at
Jerusalem bind the man
00:20:59.05\00:21:03.19
who owns this
belt, and deliver him
00:21:03.22\00:21:06.86
into the hands of the Gentiles."
00:21:06.89\00:21:09.94
You see, hearing the
still small voice of God,
00:21:09.97\00:21:14.26
was not unusual for
New Testament believers.
00:21:14.29\00:21:18.89
In Luke 12:11, 12 this is what
00:21:18.92\00:21:22.96
Jesus promised to His followers.
00:21:22.99\00:21:26.92
He said "Now when they
bring you to the synagogues
00:21:26.95\00:21:31.17
and magistrates and authorities,
00:21:31.20\00:21:33.47
do not worry about how
or what you should answer,
00:21:33.50\00:21:37.76
or what you should say.
00:21:37.79\00:21:39.99
For the Holy
sprit will teach you
00:21:40.02\00:21:43.80
in that very hour
what you ought to say."
00:21:43.83\00:21:50.35
He is talking
about the Holy Sprit,
00:21:50.38\00:21:53.39
the still small
voice of the Lord
00:21:53.42\00:21:55.98
impressing his thoughts
00:21:56.01\00:21:58.38
up on the minds
of the believers.
00:21:58.41\00:22:00.80
How comforting
these words from Jesus
00:22:00.83\00:22:04.17
must have been to His disciples?
00:22:04.20\00:22:06.64
I am convinced,
the Lord continuous
00:22:06.67\00:22:09.62
to impress His thoughts up
on the minds of His people,
00:22:09.65\00:22:13.69
through the power
of the Holy Sprit.
00:22:13.72\00:22:15.84
I've asked
audiences around the world
00:22:15.87\00:22:18.93
how many of you
know that you know
00:22:18.96\00:22:21.39
that God has impressed
a thought up on your mind?
00:22:21.42\00:22:24.17
Two thirds of them
raised their hands.
00:22:24.20\00:22:27.39
You know, before
I didn't understand
00:22:27.42\00:22:31.26
how to be still before God.
00:22:31.29\00:22:34.86
Before I started this
process I didn't have a clue.
00:22:34.89\00:22:38.25
He had to break through,
00:22:38.28\00:22:40.70
all of my world win
activities to gain my attention.
00:22:40.73\00:22:45.09
And I wonder how many times
I ignored His gentle whisper
00:22:45.12\00:22:50.23
before I allowed
Him to train my ears.
00:22:50.26\00:22:53.87
Forgive me, Lord.
00:22:53.90\00:22:56.01
Still whenever I
hear someone say,
00:22:56.04\00:22:59.52
God spoke to me and
said-- soon as I hear that,
00:22:59.55\00:23:03.74
a caution flag flaps
furiously in my mind,
00:23:03.77\00:23:08.73
signaling to pay close
attention to the report.
00:23:08.76\00:23:12.85
If it doesn't
line up with the Bible,
00:23:12.88\00:23:16.33
and scriptural principals
00:23:16.36\00:23:18.51
I know it did not
originate from heaven.
00:23:18.54\00:23:21.83
The Holy Sprit,
listen the Holy Sprit
00:23:21.86\00:23:25.31
will never
contradict God's written word
00:23:25.34\00:23:29.36
which endures forever.
00:23:29.39\00:23:31.35
The person who
receives a message
00:23:31.38\00:23:33.86
in compatible to scripture
00:23:33.89\00:23:36.42
might be hearing a voice,
but it is not God's voice.
00:23:36.45\00:23:41.35
The misguided
message either originated
00:23:41.38\00:23:43.97
from their own desires,
00:23:44.00\00:23:45.54
which would not necessarily evil
00:23:45.57\00:23:47.90
or from a
demonically inspired source.
00:23:47.93\00:23:52.48
Yet, I know many
Christians today,
00:23:52.51\00:23:55.47
who are convinced
00:23:55.50\00:23:56.58
God has impressed His
thoughts up on their minds.
00:23:56.61\00:24:00.28
Now sharing some thing
that God has spoken to my heart
00:24:00.31\00:24:04.32
I realize I should say.
00:24:04.35\00:24:06.67
God impressed this
thought upon my minds
00:24:06.70\00:24:09.47
by the power of His Holy Sprit.
00:24:09.50\00:24:12.66
When I say that,
that phrase seems
00:24:12.69\00:24:14.50
to put people more at ease,
00:24:14.53\00:24:16.59
because many
people have received
00:24:16.62\00:24:18.60
these impressions from the Lord,
00:24:18.63\00:24:20.80
from time to time.
00:24:20.83\00:24:23.09
But how often I
forget to socially correct
00:24:23.12\00:24:26.73
and I simply say, God said to me
00:24:26.76\00:24:30.94
that's probably sounds
really strange to people
00:24:30.97\00:24:33.97
who don't know how
to listen for a voice
00:24:34.00\00:24:37.79
that cannot be heard audibly.
00:24:37.82\00:24:40.60
Hearing from our Heavenly Father
00:24:40.63\00:24:42.85
is a privilege of God's children
00:24:42.88\00:24:44.97
that shouldn't be ignored,
00:24:45.00\00:24:47.08
and it shouldn't
be taken for granted.
00:24:47.11\00:24:49.87
Most of the time we
are too rushed to listen
00:24:49.90\00:24:52.92
but we haven't
trained ourselves to listen.
00:24:52.95\00:24:57.13
Let me read to you
what Isaiah 50:4, 5 says.
00:24:57.16\00:25:02.01
This is the Amplified Version.
00:25:02.04\00:25:04.69
"The Lord God has given
me the tongue of a disciple
00:25:04.72\00:25:08.79
and of one who is
taught, that I should know
00:25:08.82\00:25:11.82
how to speak a
word in season to him
00:25:11.85\00:25:14.81
who is weary.
00:25:14.84\00:25:16.35
He wakens Me morning by morning,
00:25:16.38\00:25:19.83
He wakens My ear as a
disciple as one who is taught.
00:25:19.86\00:25:24.42
The Lord has opened My ear,
00:25:24.45\00:25:27.44
and I have not been
rebellious or turned backward."
00:25:27.47\00:25:32.58
In the prophetic
messianic message of Isaiah 50,
00:25:32.61\00:25:37.24
the servant of the Lord,
00:25:37.27\00:25:38.86
proclaims that God
awakens my ears to hear.
00:25:38.89\00:25:43.37
The ears of
Christ were trained to--
00:25:43.40\00:25:47.38
they were anointed His
will to hear the Father's voice.
00:25:47.41\00:25:51.85
We are predestined
to become like Christ,
00:25:51.88\00:25:55.46
to develop His character,
to develop His habits,
00:25:55.49\00:25:59.54
and we need to learn
to have our ears opened
00:25:59.57\00:26:04.24
and trained to listen for
the Holy Spirits prompting.
00:26:04.27\00:26:08.74
As we abide in Christ,
we are to walk as He walked.
00:26:08.77\00:26:13.99
Let me-- just recap this
00:26:14.02\00:26:16.43
and then I want to
give a word of caution
00:26:16.46\00:26:18.51
because this is important.
00:26:18.54\00:26:21.22
Right now we have looked,
00:26:21.25\00:26:22.80
in our last
program in today's program
00:26:22.83\00:26:25.78
how God has spoken to us,
and still speaks to us today.
00:26:25.81\00:26:31.24
Number one was scripture,
00:26:31.27\00:26:33.36
God that is His
primary way to speak to us.
00:26:33.39\00:26:37.17
The second way He spoke to us
00:26:37.20\00:26:38.82
was through prophets
and His son Christ Jesus,
00:26:38.85\00:26:41.87
through the
appearance of angels,
00:26:41.90\00:26:44.36
through creation and creatures,
through answered prayers,
00:26:44.39\00:26:49.57
through signs and circumstances,
00:26:49.60\00:26:52.39
through visions, through dreams,
00:26:52.42\00:26:55.49
through His audible
voice which is extremely rare,
00:26:55.52\00:26:59.62
and then His still small voice.
00:26:59.65\00:27:03.91
Why is this so important?
00:27:03.94\00:27:07.96
Why is it important to
know the way that God Speaks?
00:27:07.99\00:27:13.57
Because we have
to know the real way
00:27:13.60\00:27:16.12
to avoid the counterfeit.
00:27:16.15\00:27:18.27
There is a teaching
that is running ramped
00:27:18.30\00:27:22.38
in the church
today, in many churches
00:27:22.41\00:27:25.59
and it is a Middle Eastern
form of praying of going in
00:27:25.62\00:27:29.86
and emptying
yourself, and meditating,
00:27:29.89\00:27:32.52
and receiving what they
think or massages from God.
00:27:32.55\00:27:36.36
But they are not.
00:27:36.39\00:27:37.43
And if we don't know
the real we won't know
00:27:37.46\00:27:40.86
how to identify the counterfeit.
00:27:40.89\00:27:43.24
So it's critical, that
we understand the real.
00:27:43.27\00:27:47.75
Well, our time
today has slipped away.
00:27:47.78\00:27:50.90
Please join us
next time as we consider
00:27:50.93\00:27:54.55
what the Bible has to say
00:27:54.58\00:27:56.34
about the type of people
with whom God communicates
00:27:56.37\00:28:00.83
and you will be surprised
its people like you and me.
00:28:00.86\00:28:04.76
God bless you.
Join us next time.
00:28:04.79\00:28:07.26